New Experiences

It's only the beginning of my year living in Indonesia and I've already had a lot of new experiences already that I'd like to share with y'all. So here's a few new things I've tried so far. 

-rode on motorcycles 

There are soo many motorcycles in Indonesia. It's one of the most popular forms of transportation here. At first I was a bit scared to ride on one but now I'm way more comfortable. I love feeling the wind as I zoom through the city. Plus when the traffic is bad, motorcycles are the quickest and easiest way to get around! I like to use Grab and Go-Jek, which are popular apps for transportation here in SE Asia. It's cheaper and faster to get a ride on a motorcycle than a car, so it's a win-win.

-sang karaoke

I can't even count the amount of times I've randomly had to sing in front of a group of people. It's a good thing I don't mind embarrassing myself a little! It all started at our Arrival Orientation in Jakarta, where each country group had to perform something. The Americans sang Party in the USA, naturally. Later, when I started school, I sang for my entire class and another time for my host sister's friends. Our music teacher started filming me when I sang, so he could send it to the teachers' group chat. At the AFS Welcoming Party, Caroline from France sang La Vie En Rose, and I sang the English version. I had never heard the song before about an hour before I sang so it wasn't exactly my best performance. Later that night I went to a karaoke place with AFS people and we sang so many songs. I love how you can rent out a karaoke room with your friends here! Because Independence Day was August 17th, I've heard a lot of patriotic songs too. Everyday at school we sing the national anthem, but I still don't know the words. I hope to learn more Indonesian songs so that I can sing along!

-wore batik

Batik is the beautiful traditional fabric of Indonesia. It's made using wax to create unique designs. People wear batik for fancy events, and every pattern has a story. Every Friday at my school we wear a batik shirt of our choice. I only have 2 batik shirts right now but luckily shopping is an important part of Indonesian culture ;).

-tried a lot of new foods - like octopus, salak (snake fruit), dragonfruit, Indomie (Indonesian ramen), corn ice cream, durian, squid, and tiny snails - just to name a few. Indomie is my new obsession. And the sweet corn ice cream is surprisingly tasty. My least favorite is probably durian. I think it's definitely an acquired taste. But overall, Indonesian food is amazing! I think my taste buds are getting used to all the spicy stuff too. Last night I went to a food festival and everything I tried tasted soo good. One of my favorite things about Indonesia is the food!

-watched some unique performances

Caroline and I went to see 2 plays already. The first one was almost indescribable. It was a more interpretative outdoor play, with music and movement and little speaking. There was fire involved, too. The audience became the actors and there was mud on my face and I was filled with happiness. You'd have to be there to understand what I'm talking about. The second play was not quite as interesting as the first, but still a good experience. In honor of Independence Day, it was a one man show about Indonesia's first president. Of course I didn't understand most of what he was saying, but I think it was some stuff about freedom. It was very patriotic! 

I also went to an Angklung concert and heard some amazing Indonesian music. The Angklung is a really cool Indonesian instrument made out of bamboo. I went to the orchestra last week with my host family and heard some beautiful national songs as part of another Independence Day celebration. I enjoyed getting to attend these events, as Bandung is known as an artistic city.

I think that's all for now; I'll try to write an update every few weeks or so! Thanks for reading.

-Elisabeth <3