Mau ke Jepang

明日日本二行きます！Besok mau ke Jepang! If you didn't understand any of that, I guess I'll say it one more time...tomorrow I'm going to Japan!

I think I'm just as excited that my first semester of college is officially over though. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it, but this break is definitely needed! Oh and I also recently found out that I might be going back to Indonesia this summer *fingers crossed*! So yeah I guess you could say that I'm really excited for a lot of things right now. I'm going to keep this post pretty short though because I would rather make a post with pictures from Japan...these picture less posts can get pretty boring if you ask me.

See you soon!

Victoria

P.S. I just did my first real interview for Think Before You Type since I got back from Indonesia, and I really can't believed I went so long without doing that! I love when you can feel how passionate someone is about something. At the beginning of the year, I'll be getting back into one of my favorite things: speaking at schools! That will be for TBYT as well, but I should really go and talk about YES Abroad at some schools too!

Sudah Ingin Pulang

Here's a random picture from back
 when volcano selfies were an option!

Tomorrow is the day. I get to go back home for the first time since I started college. As excited as I am, I can't help wondering when I'll get to go back to my other home, Indonesia. I've been missing it a lot lately, and I can't quite explain why. Maybe it's the fact that I know I'll be going to Japan in a few weeks...just days after my host sister's wedding (that I won't be attending because of school). I know it's not exactly the closest place to Indonesia, but I traveled through Tokyo on the way to and from Jakarta, meaning that it feels close to Indonesia to me. No matter the reason, I can definitely say that I now completely understand what everyone told me before I left: having friends and family living on opposite sides of the world is amazing but can be hard. As much as I love Indonesia, there are certain aspects of the US that I missed while I was there, and now that I'm back in the US, there are so many things that I miss about Indonesia. Nonetheless, it truly is a privilege to have been given the opportunity to spend one of my four years in high school in Indonesia, and I can say with absolute certainty that I would do it again. 

I know this is short, but I really need to get started on my biology exam so that I won't have so much to do over break. I am currently watching Criminal Minds though, so I guess I'll see how much I actually get done tonight...

Until next time,

Victoria 

Welcome Home

I never mentioned this in my previous posts, but since it's happened again, I think it's time to share this story. As you probably know, I returned to the US from Indonesia in early July. I had a couple days of orientation and went to DC to present at the State Department and talk with other members of government about my year. After that, I met up with my parents and my sister. We didn't go straight home because my sister was leaving the next morning from the DC area in order to go on a trip with her school. Because of that, we stayed in a hotel overnight. Well somehow I ended up forgetting my purse in the car (I blame jet lag), and someone broke into the car, took my wallet, and used my debit card, meaning that I lost the remainder of  rupiah and all the American money, cards, and IDs that I had with it.

Nonetheless, I still decided to visit my sister in DC over fall break. It was great to go away for a few days and definitely fun, but I once again got my wallet stolen...this time it had all my college stuff in it. Thankfully, they person who took it only got away with a little bit of cash this time and was only able to use my card at Chipotle (I mean, everyone needs a little Chipotle, right?).

I think it's really ironic that I never had a single thing taken from me until I came back to my home country though...I guess I could be mad about it, but I have replaced just about everything now, so at least it hasn't stopped me from doing what I need to do. I just hope it doesn't happen again!

Anyway, two months from now I'll be in Japan, so look out for those blog posts! I need to go study, so goodbye for now!

Sampai jumpa lagi ya!

Victoria

It's That Time Again!

That one time when I wore flats on the beach...

As crazy as it seems, it's already that time again...the YES Abroad application is out for 2016-2017! If you are at all interested, please take the time to apply. Applying was one of the best decisions I've ever made. My year in Indonesia allowed me to experience so many things and opened my eyes in so many amazing ways. As hard as it can be, exchange really is an amazing opportunity! Even though I'm back in the US, I've been able to make so many connections because of my time in Indonesia and have continued to learn so much much from my experience. With that said, seriously, if you're interested and able, APPLY FOR YES ABROAD! As cheesy as it may sound, it really will change your life. Here's the link for the application: http://www.yes-abroad.org/impact/applications-available-2016-2017-program

Also, on a total side not, but kinda fitting since this blog is called "To Indonesia and Beyond", I found out earlier that I will be going to Japan for a week with the Kakehashi Project! It's a few months away, but it will definitely be great to finally get to go outside the walls Narita International. Since one of the requirements of the program is that we share our experience with others, I will definitely blog about it (and this time around I'll actually have a lot of pictures without my computer crashing...), so keep an eye out for that at either the end of this year or the very beginning of next year.

Semoga kalian senang dan sehat! Sampai ketemu lagi!さようなら

Victoria

Kuliah (One Week Down...Many More to Go)

The first time I went to ITB...was this really a year ago?
Pertama kali aku ke ITB...sudah setahun yg lalu??

Well, it's been quite a week. As hard as it is to believe, this time last week I nervous about starting classes, and now I'm already in the swing of things. I guess it's official...I'm a college student. I'm enjoying it so far, but it's sure to get overwhelming at some point. From all the running (well almost running...) I do through the hospital's campus twice a week in order to get to class on time, to the fact that I went straight from class to the activities fair to a concert yesterday, I think my body is still trying to catch up to the fact that I'm no longer an often bored exchange student.

I honestly can't complain though (although I did just finish reading for a single class for a few hours straight..). Just like this past year in Indonesia, I've been given an amazing opportunity to learn and meet so many different people with different beliefs and experiences. I've probably said it 459483 times so far, but dreams really do come true. If you would have asked me a few years ago, I would have never thought that I would have actually ended up starting a nonprofit, going to Indonesia for a year, or ending up at one of the best universities in the country. I know that I would not have been able to do any of those things on my own and am extremely thankful for every person who has helped me along the way. It's always good to have goals, and trust me, achieving them feels amazing!

Speaking of goals...I should probably get on with my homework.

Thanks for reading. Sampai jumpa!

Victoria

Life Goes On

As far away as it seemed just a few short months ago, my exchange is over, and I've moved on to college. The next batch of YES Abroad Indonesia kids have started their long but exciting journey to one of the most beautiful and amazing places in the world. I wish them all the best and hope that they take this year in stride and accept every incredible opportunity that will be offered to them this year. It won't always be easy, but it will definitely be worth it.

Even though I haven't started classes yet and just moved in yesterday, I can already tell that I'm in the perfect place for me, just like Indonesia was the perfect place for me to spend my senior year. Although it was sometimes hard to see it while it was happening, every experience that I had during my exchange year, good or bad, has changed me for the better. I can now see that I am a much more outgoing and adventurous person than I was just one short year ago. I'm not afraid of getting out there and doing my own thing, and I've now been offered the amazing opportunity to study at one of the best universities in the world. I really couldn't ask for a more beautiful, diverse place to spend the next four years of my life. I know this is only the beginning, but I truly believe that I would have a much harder time thriving here if I had not pushed myself out of my comfort zone to live on the other side of the world for a year.

If anyone is thinking about studying abroad in high school, I just have one thing to say: go for it! Yes, it will be hard at times, but it's a great learning experience that will only continue to help you in life. If you have any questions about studying abroad, please feel free to contact me. I'll happily answer any of your questions to the best of my ability. I should probably get going, but I promise to write again soon.

Sampai jumpa lagi!

Victoria

Hari Terakhir

"Well this is it. Today is my last day in Bandung, and one week from today I will be on my way back to the US. As I write this, I am sitting in the living room with my host mom. I'm waiting for my driver and two other exchange students, and I leave in less than two hours.

I know I haven't posted in over a month, but this past month has been a crazy one. For one, it is currently Ramadan, so I've tried my hand at fasting. It's not nearly as hard as I thought it would be, but sometimes not drinking water all day can be a bit hard in hot Indonesia! I recently went to Tanjung Lesung, a beautiful beach in Banten, which is on the west coast of Java near Krakatau. I've gotten to meet up with old friends and make some new ones, although I didn't have the chance to see everyone again...that just means I really have to come back soon! I visited the stunning islands of Karimun Jawa as a part of this year's AFS national trip to Central Java (I'll definitely have to make..."

That's where I left my last post in Indonesia...I honestly have no idea what I was going to say because I got distracted, and I'm just getting around to posting this now because I finally got a new laptop, although I got quite comfortable with just my phone. I've now been back in the US for three weeks, and in three more weeks I'll be on my way to college (but after a trip to Disney, of course!). That's a story for another time though. I just wanted to finally post the last thing I wrote from Indonesia! This certainly won't be my last post though. I intend on continuing this blog to write about whatever adventures come my way! First stop: Reverse Culture Shock.

Until next time,

Victoria

Change Is a Scary Thing

Well this is it. Tomorrow is my last day of school. Not just my last day of school in Indonesia but also my last day of high school...EVER. Now I've technically been done high school in terms of classes I need in order to graduate for quite some time, but I still haven't graduated yet. I'm glad to technically be graduating with my class, but that means no official graduation ceremony because I'll still be in Indonesia. Obviously I willingly signed up for this setup, but I'm srtill a little sad about it. High school graduation is one of those things you dream about as a kid, and I'll never have the chance to experience it.

As my graduation date approaches, I'm starting to think about just how odd it feels to not have a ceremony. However, at the same time, I also can't imagine wanting to be in the US doing a "normal" senior year instead of  in Indonesia . I probably don't express it nearly enough, but I am so beyond grateful for every person I've met and every experience I've had in the past nine months. I really can't imagine being anywhere else right now.

I really can't believe how fast time has gone by. Just like my high school career, my exchange will soon be coming to a close. I don't know what life will be like as a college student  or when I first get back to the US, but there is one thing I do know. Change is a scary thing.

Less Than 50 to Go

As of today, I have only about 50 days left in Indonesia. In fact, I actually leave Indonesia 7 weeks from tomorrow (noooooo harus pulang??).That might seem like a long time to you, but to me it sounds like no time at all! There's still so much that I want to see, learn, and experience before I go back to the US and start college life, but I know I can't do everything... it will just give me another reason to come back in the near future!

If I'm completely honest though, I'm more nervous about going back to the US than I was about coming here. When I left, I had no idea what Indonesia was like or what to expect from it. However, it's so different with the United States. I'm excited to go back because it's my home country (and I may be just a little exited for a soft pretzel from Philly...), but it's also a little scary because a year will have passed. I know some things will be the same, but for the time being it feels like everything will be so different. A major part of that is the fact that my high school career is very near to being over, and by the time that I get back to the US, my class will have already graduated (although that thankfully means no summer work for me!). I'm still okay with the fact that I won't be at my graduation because I worked so hard to be able to come to Indonesia, but it is a little sad. I mean, I will never be with my entire high school class again, and I won't be giving a speech. However, I still stand by the fact that I made the right decision to come to Indonesia. I know I've learned so many things that I never would have learned in another year of American high school.

I really could go on and on about the things I've learned and the things I still have to work on, but this isn't the post for that. I only have seven more weeks in this beautiful archipelago. I need to get out there and enjoy it!

Terima kasih dan sampai jumpa,

Victoria

P.S. Also, on a completely different note, my laptop decided to crash on me a few weeks ago, so I've lost almost all of my pictures from the past eight and a half months. I'm pretty disappointed, but there's nothing I can do about it. I just have to find a way to finish up my capstone project without it and take as many pictures as possible in the remainder of my time here!

Looking Back

This is something I wrote back in September when I was only a few weeks into my exchange. It's a great reminder of both how far I've come and of the fact that my time in Indonesian won't last forever. For me, a huge part of exchange is pushing myself and realizing that I'll never have the chance to do many of these things again. Just a friendly reminder that it's always great to write things down throughout your time abroad. You just might stumble upon it months or even years later and find it helpful!

Here's what I wrote: It seems so far away until it happens. I am suddenly on the other side of the world one day. I do not know anyone. Everything is unfamiliar, and I do not even know the language. However, somehow that is fine. It does not matter because there is an indescribable peace and comfort in constantly being so far outside of my comfort zone. I cannot imagine being anywhere else. There are so many things to take in, and there is so much to learn. Opportunities like this only come once in a lifetime. The shy girl who left her home some months ago will never be the same again. As time goes on, the days pass like minutes, and all I can do is remind myself to enjoy every second.

Until next time,

Victoria

Remember Me?

Hey so this is just a quick post to say that I have actually finally started to do my daily vlog challenge, which somehow kinda extended to a daily photo on Instagram too. Feel free to check out my pictures, and here's my second vlog!

P.S. I will be writing an actual blogpost and will finally make my Q+A video in the near future. In the mean time, feel free to send me any additional questions you may have.

Also, huge congratulations to all the YES Abroad finalists (including my little brother)! You guys have an amazing year to look forward to, and I'm so excited for you all!

The Challenge

Seven months down and only a little over three to go. That's crazy, right?! Even though I've been here for so long, I haven't done anywhere near as many things as I would like or feel like I should do, and that has led to some pretty extreme boredom. Maybe it's because I'm not as outgoing as I could be (anyone who knows me would probably agree) or maybe it's because I just haven't gone about it the right way. Whatever the cause, I do know one thing: I really need to get out there and do something. Whether it's learning something new, teaching someone something, or visiting a new place, I really want the next few months to be the best ones yet, and I am extremely determined to make that happen.

To push myself even further, I'm giving myself a challenge that will extend far beyond the time I have left in this beautiful country. I'm challenging myself to make a vlog every single day for the minimum of one year. Sounds a bit crazy and overly ambitious, right? Well I'm taking it one step further and starting BESOK (aka tomorrow). Why? Because sometimes the best thing to do is to keep pushing yourself, even when you think you can't push yourself any more. Plus, I will be pretty cool to look back on all these videos as time goes on!

You'll be hearing from me tomorrow!

Tori

Edit: actually I've decided that it's definitely more feasible to upload the video the day after it's filmed, so I'll be posting the first one on Wednesday!

What Happened to Tori? (200 Days in Indonesia?!)

It's been over a month since I've posted anything on this blog, and I apologize! I've written a few blog posts and made a few videos but just haven't posted any yet.

As you can see by the title of this post, I have been in Indonesia for 200 days (I don't actually remember the exact number..), which is bitter sweet because that means I only have about 100 days left. For the past four (maybe five??) days or so I've pretty much just been lying in bed, so I don't really have any interesting stories, although I do have an annoying hacking cough and fever that just won't seem to go away! I've taken over the counter medicine gone to the doctor and gotten prescription medicine, and even tried herbal remedies, but nothing seems to be helping! I probably couldn't even count the number of times I've been asked "Tori, sudah minum obat?" within the past two days or so. However, I'm not complaining because it could definitely be worse! It probably seems fishy that I got sick the week of most of my midterms, but trust me, I would much rather be taking tests than spending all day burning up and coughing!

I'm actually writing this on my phone, so I don't think I'll be adding a song to this post because the formatting will be off.

Anyway, congrats to all the YES Abroad semifinalists! Have fun at IPSE, and feel free to ask me any questions you may have because I just might be cooped up in my room for another few days (but hopefully not!)

Also, congrats to my little brother for winning a scholarship to study abroad. Way to take after your favorite older sister 😎

Hopefully my next post will be very soon and much more interesting!

Until then,

Tori

Ada Pertanyaan?

So it's been a while since I last wrote. However, now I want to try this blog thing again. Starting now, I want to try to write all my blog posts using both English and Indonesian. It might be a little hard at first, but hopefully it will become easier (and more correct...).

Actually this post is super short because it's really just about a question: Is there anyone who has questions about Indonesia or exchange (or maybe about something else that's relevant)? I think I'm going to make a video (at least one) in order to let people know about exchange, Indonesia, and the US. If you have a question, feel free to send me a message or comment below!

Bahasa Indonesia: (Masih belajar jadi tentu ada kesalahan!)

Ahh sudah lama sejak menulis di blog. Namun sekarang mau coba lagi! Mulai sekarang mau coba nulis semua blog posts pake Bahasa Inggris dan Bahasa Indonesia juga. Awalnya mungkin sedikit susah tapi semoga menjadi lebih mudah (dan lebih benar...). 

Sebenarnya post ini pendek karena hanya tentang pertanyaan: Apakah ada orang yang punya pertanyaan tentang Amerika atau menjadi pertukaran pelajar (atau mungkin tentang hal lain)? Kalau ada, kirim pesan atau komentar di bawah. Mau buat video agar kasih tau orang tentang exchange, Indonesia, dan AS. Terima kasih!

Mungkin ada banyak kesalahan...maaf ya! 

Indonesian Word of the Day: Cari - To look/search for (I honestly chose this because akhirnya I'm almost done reading Looking for Alaska in Indonesian...looks like I need to buy another book to read!)

Song of the Day:

Bastille - Pompeii

I actually chose this song to tell a story. Even though I have been here for almost six months (crazy right?!), my younger host brother and I still don't really talk, which can be just as awkward as it sounds since we're driven to school together every morning. Well this morning I walked out to the car and heard Pompeii playing. Instead of tiredly jamming out to the song, I decided to ask my brother whether or not Bastille has ever played a concert in Indonesia. (Just in case you're wondering, as with many other artists, the answer is sadly no.) That one question led to talking about other concerts, our love for Ed Sheeran, and even college. Not too shabby for before 6 AM, right? Now let's see how I do tomorrow...

Thanks for reading! 

A Different Type of Blog

Hellooo. Apa kabar? I'm sorry I have been gone for a few weeks. However, I have decided to start my vlogs back up. Here's the first one:

I'm sorry the quality is so poor. I was trying to figure out my webcam and forgot to change the quality. This is really just a trial run though, so it's okay! My next one will be on a specific topic, so I (hopefully) won't be rambling as much. I'll probably eventually do at least one video in Indonesian, but we'll see...

Indonesian word of the day: Matahari - Sun (literally eye of the day)

Song of the Day:

Jessie Ware - Tough Love

Lagu ini bagus banget! 

Christmas in Bali

One of the first things that my host family told me when I arrived back in August was that they had planned a trip to Bali over Christmas. They then proceeded to ask if it was okay for me not to be in my new home for Christmas. Of course I said yes! I mean, come on...Bali for Christmas?! Flash forward 4 months and I just got back from the trip. 

I was awakened way too early for my liking on the morning on Christmas Eve (think 3:45 am) and told to get ready. Before I knew it, we were in the car on the way to the airport. After checking our luggage and saying goodbye to the relatives returning to Padang, we boarded the plane to Denpasar. As soon as I sat down, I realized that I was hearing familiar music. It turned out to be Christmas music! Because the flight was so short, I spent most of the time looking out the window at some of the amazing mountains that we flew over. Before long we were over the water and landing in Bali. Even though we were in the domestic terminal, I was almost shocked at the number of foreigners that I saw. Of course, that was only the beginning though. As with cities on Java, Bali's cities also have lots of traffic, so the drive to our villa took a little while. When we finally arrived, my host sister asked if I wanted to go swimming, and it was then that I realized that I had forgotten a swimsuit...it was okay though because we found a solution. After swimming in a pool for a while, we decided to head to the beach to watch the sunset. It was really beautiful! Unfortunately I had the wrong phone with me though, so my pictures aren't the greatest.

Pretty sunset on the beach

The next day was Christmas, which turned out to be a very, very rainy day. I can't really complain though because it is the rainy season after all. That was also the day that the rest of the relatives arrived in Bali. There were about 35 people in all, so I had to try to remember a lot of new names! By the time breakfast was over, it felt like half the world had wished me a merry Christmas, which I really appreciated since I was the only person there who celebrated the holiday. After going out to the store to buy some snacks and stuff, we returned to the villa and had a family event. As is typical of Indonesia, there were plenty of games and some singing. At one point, each group of immediate family members was supposed to go to the front and sing a song together. When my host family was called I wasn't paying attention and didn't hear it, so when they finished, my host mom came over to me and said something along the lines of "Tori, did you forget? We are one family." I honestly thought that was like the sweetest thing ever because she even said it in English, which is not a language that she speaks very well.

It's definitely still the rainy season...

The next morning we were awakened somewhat early and told to get ready. After eating breakfast, we were loaded onto a bus. Both me and pretty much all of my host cousins fell asleep, and all the adults took pictures of us because that meant that the entire back of the bus was sleeping. When I woke up, we were somewhere in the mountains and went to go eat lunch. Apparently we were supposed to go somewhere else too, but we just ended up going to Tanah Lot, which was very pretty. In the end we all ended up getting pretty much soaked because it decided to pour while we were there. While I was with my host siblings and cousins, we took lots of selfies that ended up in lots of screaming and laughing due to the fact that the waves kept coming over our previous path and the rocks we were standing on were so slippery. It was fun and definitely memorable!

Tanah Lot

On Saturday my older host brother and his wife headed up a trip for the young people to do some water sports on the beach. It was lots of fun, and I definitely plan on going again if I end up returning to Bali before I leave. Unfortunately we couldn't really use our cameras, so I don't have any pictures from that right now. When we finished with that, we met up with the parents at a seafood restaurant on the beach.

Yummy seafood on the beach

The next two days were spent shopping and relaxing. I had just enough space to bring back all of the gifts I bought! In all, I think it's safe to say that I enjoyed my time in Bali and would love to go back, especially when it's no longer the rainy season.

We accidentally ordered tons of food because
we didn't realize that we brought our own...so ayam bakar it is! 

Traditional Balinese design

Indonesian Word of the Day: Pantai - Beach

A great song by a great artist