Indonesia: Day 3

Wednesday, January 26, 2010

I woke up a couple times during the night, and one of the times I heard the Call to Prayer again… at 4:30 in the morning. I actually got up and around at 5:30 am this morning, even though I went to bed later last night. I’m not really sure how this time zone adjustment thing is going…

I ate some Rice Krispies for breakfast and watched the sunrise. Uncle Harry came to pick me up at what I thought would be 8:00 am, but due to Jakarta’s yucky traffic situation it was more like 9:15. We dropped off his wife Riesa first at work, and then we headed to an area on the outskirts of Jakarta where SeaWorld is located.

Now, the SeaWorld in Jakarta is not like the SeaWorld in San Diego, CA. It’s just an indoor aquarium, but it is full of all sorts of exotic tropical fish. Indonesia has a very rich aquatic life, being an island nation, and there were so many kinds of fish I’d never imagined! I also got to see a preserved Coalcanth, a fish that was believed to be extinct back in the age of the dinosaurs, but they rediscovered this one alive in 2008. I also saw a preserved manta ray that weighed over 900 kilograms, and when it was alive it was the largest manta ray known to man. I also got to pet live manta rays, sea turtles, clams, and even sharks!


After SeaWorld we went to an art village next door. The Indonesians are very artistic, and they are known for their wood carvings. They can carve complete scenes out of a single piece of wood, and with intricate detail.


We drove down to an outdoor seafood restaurant, and that was definitely a unique culinary experience. You pull up to the restaurant, and at the front are ice coolers of freshly-caught fish, urdang (shrimp), clams, and lobster, along with aquariums of live seafood. You point to which ones you want, and the restaurant employee takes them out of the cooler for you and puts them in a plastic basket. He takes the basket to the counter for you and weighs it, and you tell him how you want it prepared. We had GIGANTIC shrimp with sweet sauce and butter, a grilled red snapper, squid fried into calamari, another type of fried fish, and rice. We had a lovely view of the harbor from our table, where they catch the seafood locally and bring it in each day. While I had many doubts about the sanitation quality of the entire establishment (flies EVERYWHERE), we ate well, and I probably ate the best shrimp in my entire life. On top of that, we made a couple of new friends when we fed the stray cats that came up to our table.


The stray cats are an interesting topic. Dogs are often domestic pets of the wealthy, but cats run completely wild throughout Jakarta. The general attitude toward the cats is that they’re just another creature, like pigeons are to us in the US. They’re not treated very well, and all the cats I’ve seen are very small and skinny, and I even saw one limping around the art village by SeaWorld. One interesting feature about Indonesian cats is that they have really short tails, ranging from half the length of our cats’ tails to little stubs. Of course, being an animal lover it’s been hard for me to see all these strays, but it made my day to give a full meal to the ones at the restaurant.


We traveled back through 45 minutes of traffic to the Pacific Point mall. This was also an interesting experience. Of course, there is security at the gate to pull the car in, and more security when you enter the mall (they scan your purse and walk you through a metal detector). Instead of US malls which are build spread out, theirs are compressed into eight to nine stories, and often they build hotels or apartment skyscrapers on top. And this mall was so incredibly upscale that it made the Biltmore Fashion Square look ghetto. But in Jakarta you are either very rich or very poor, and the rich can afford to shop at these high-class malls (there aren’t any lower-class malls in Jakarta).

They have many of the same stores we have, like Guess, Bebe, Louis Vuitton, Coach, and even Gap, but there are no large department stores and no food court. Instead, there are upscale, chic sit-down restaurants, including the fanciest Wendy’s that I’ve ever seen. One of the restaurants, Y&Y, looked more like a hip nightclub, and had specialty seating on their built-in lake (on the fifth story, mind you).


If you’ve ever seen Pulp Fiction, remember when they eat in the restaurant and their booth is an entire car? Well, at Y&Y it is a sailboat table on the water. Or you have the option of eating in their lighthouse, either at the bottom or at the top. All I can say is that it was absolutely incredible, and so creative! But the best part is that the food was not all that expensive, either. It was probably less than the price of going out to eat at a casual dining restaurant in the US.


When my dad got off work, he wanted us to meet him at Pasaraya, another mall. This one was also very upscale compared to our malls, but definitely not as nice as Pacific Point. But this one had more of a focus on cultural art, called batik, and it also had a grocery store and an Asian pharmacy (very different medicine than what you’d find in Walgreens). We met my dad at Starbucks, along with the maid Yanti, who wanted to meet me on her way home. Her English was a little hard for me to understand, but she was so incredibly friendly and warm! She wanted to take a picture with me in the mall, so we asked an employee to take our picture. She said no, and all the other employees said they were unable to for security reasons. I didn’t really understand it, but we gave up trying to ask.

The batik we saw were wood-carved and rope furniture, Bali silver artwork, clothing, Gamelan instruments (my favorites!), dolls and shadow puppets (they’re famous for their shadow puppetry), dishware, and wood-carved statues. There was also jewelry, keychains, masks, paintings, and basically anything relating to traditional culture that you could possibly imagine. It felt more like a marketplace rather than a mall; it was very unusual.


One thing I don’t like about the malls here is that they have WAY too many employees than you need, and they’re all trying to sell you their wares and being over-the-top, in-your-face service-oriented. They sometimes follow you around along the rows of stuff just to see what you show any remote interest in, and then they’ll shove it in your face and show you how cool it is. It’s really annoying.

Another unique feature of the mall is that there is an elevator man who basically stands in there all day just to push the button for you. These malls are WAY overstaffed, in my opinion, but when most make only $100 a month, you realize how easy it is to employ lots of people.

After hanging out with Dad and Uncle Harry at Passaraya, we went back to Pacific Point to meet Riesa for dinner at Y&Y, the really cool restaurant. We sat in the back bar area, where the floors glowed white and a tree canopies the seating area. I felt like I should have been at an ultra-exclusive LA nightclub, but the food was so cheap! I had a strange pizza that I shared with Reisa, which included three pizza toppings in one. The first was my choice, a potato and herb pizza, which was pretty tasty. No one else at the table seemed to think so. Riesa had a mushroom pizza, which I didn’t really care for (I don’t like mushrooms), and then a mushroom and shrimp pizza that I avoided. Who puts seafood on a pizza?!?

After being told that they were out of all of my first three choices for a dessert, I settled on the only other thing I thought I would eat off the menu: a chocolate-covered waffle topped with ice cream. It was good, and I’m glad I avoided all the green-tea flavored cakes and ice creams (weird!).

Now I’m back at Daddy’s apartment, so exhausted from my busy day of walking around so much! It’s 10:15 pm right now, but I’ve been ready for bed for about half the day now! I’m starting to miss the Internet quite a bit, but I’ll just wait until I’m in our hotel room in Macau tomorrow night to get wireless in our room. We leave for China tomorrow morning, so wish me luck!

Time for bed,
Kati

Indonesia: Day 2

Tuesday, January 25, 2010

I woke up at 6:30 am this morning. That’s a good sign for adjusting to the time difference. The only time I’ve ever traveled out of the US was my trip to England a few years ago, and I would go to bed at 3:00 in the afternoon and get up at 1:00 in the morning wide awake!

I took another shower, and then for breakfast I found some Easy Mac in my dad’s pantry. I also finished off the brownies my dad’s maid had baked for him. Since my dad still doesn’t have cable yet, I popped in his Season One of The Office and watched a couple episodes while typing away on my laptop. I’ll have to go down to the lounge to get wireless Internet, but for now I’m content with what I’ve got. I almost can’t believe that I’m not going through Facebook withdrawals yet, since it’s been a few days since I’ve been on!

Frans came to pick me up at 11:00 am. He’s one of the drivers employed by the US Embassy, and so he came to take me over to see my dad for lunch. On the way he pointed out some of the notable parts of Jakarta. I saw the famous “Puppy Row,” where you can buy purebred Shih-Tzus and other dogs for around $20 or less. People sell them right on the street! I’ve also seen quite a few wandering cats stalking along rooftops and parking lots, but no stray dogs.

We also drove along a very interesting street, which Frans said was the ritzy area of Jakarta. There were very large houses, each with their own gate and pair of security guards, all along this long street, where prime ministers and other types of higher-up diplomats live.

We arrived at the US Embassy, which is also very high on security. We had our car checked, like at the Shangri-La (see previous post), and then we were allowed to enter the compound. My impression of embassies is that they are nice government buildings, but our embassy in Jakarta is more of a compound with a maze of buildings. Frans took me through this maze to the security area, where they ran my purse through a scanner, and I had to walk through a metal detector. Frans put my cell phones in his pocket, since you’re not supposed to have any electronics with you.

After the checkpoint I obtained a visitor’s badge, but I had to leave my passport with them. It made me a little uneasy, but when we walked into my dad’s office it was the first thing I asked him, and he said it was okay.

I met the four ladies in my dad’s office that are his assistants. Frans drove the four of them, my dad, and me to an Indonesian restaurant. The place was gorgeous, and the food was spectacular! They brought out our appetizers in a large conch shell placed in a wooden bowl, with smaller decorative shells in it. I had some crab and a shrimp ball, which were so delicious. They brought out our drinks, and poured my Coke from a glass bottle into a glass with a lime in it (I made sure to order no ice). Then our food came out, and I ordered a chicken and rice dish, with the chicken and the rice on separate plates. The rice was formed in a fancy shape of a fish, and the chicken came in a delicious sauce, which I poured over my rice it was so good! But there wasn’t too much meat to the chicken, since they were baby chickens, and cutting it was hard with no knife (you’re provided a large brass fork and spoon).

Afterward, Frans took me around the restaurant to take pictures of me everywhere, which was a nice chance to see the beautifully-decorated restaurant, which was in the classic Indonesian style both inside and out. They also played what I recognized as Indonesian Gamelan music over the speakers (thank you again, Prof. Hamill).




Frans dropped my dad and me off at another building, which also had a bit of security at the gate (I’m starting to realize that security is a big deal here). This building wasn’t a compound like the embassy, but a regular office building, and we didn’t have to clear any security once we were inside. This place was ICITAP’s (the bureau my dad works for) other office, and were here because my dad had a meeting at 1:00 pm. Ray Brae, a friend of my dad’s who I met a couple years ago, works at this office, along with my Uncle Harry. My dad had me sit in on his meeting, and introduced me to everyone. It was actually really interesting to see what my dad actually does for once, even if I didn’t understand most of what was going on.

After the meeting we had another driver take us back to the US Embassy compound, and I waiting in my dad’s office while he got some work done. Mike Duval, who I also met a few years ago in Washington D.C., stopped by to say hello. He’s another friend of my dad’s who worked with him in Pakistan, and now he’s in Indonesia as well. It seems like all of my dad’s friends end up here in Jakarta, like Jerry, Ray, Mike, and Uncle Harry. I’m starting to understand the appeal of Jakarta, with its friendly people and interesting atmosphere. I don’t know if I could see myself living here, but it is definitely a really wonderful place in my opinion.

When Daddy and I left the office, I finally was able to get my passport back! I’d felt a little nervous all day without it on me, especially when we left the compound for lunch. I know how important it is to keep it with you in a foreign country, and I also know how important it is to NOT give it to someone else. But rules are rules, and I was just glad to have it back in my possession.

Dad drove us back in his own car (I almost forgot that the steering wheel is on the right), and we spent the rest of the afternoon at the apartment. I heard the Call to Prayer twice this afternoon!

Ray and Paula came over to go to dinner with us. We went to Dallas Roadhouse, which almost made me forget that I wasn’t in the US anymore! On the way there I saw more familiar US businesses, like Kaplan College and KFC. We didn’t get back until 10:00 pm, and by 11:00 pm I was fast asleep.

Indonesia: Day 1

Monday, January 24, 2010

I’ve arrived safely in Jakarta, Indonesia, where I’ll be staying with my dad for the next couple of days before flying up to Macau, China.

As I said before, the flight here was very long, so it’s great to be settling down. I’m so thankful to be staying with my daddy, especially to help the adjustment into Asian culture.

For those of you who don’t know, my father works for the US Embassy in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. It’s been very interesting stepping into my dad’s life overseas, which is something I’ve never been able to do before. Now I can understand why he and his friends have all seemed to wind up here. Jakarta is such an interesting and unique place! The city itself is a mixture of modern and traditional. Tall skyscrapers sit next to small residential slums, all among lush, green trees and exotic plants. From my dad’s patio you can see it all, with a bit of a sketch neighborhood right next to his apartment, a ton of skyscrapers, small two-story buildings, A LOT of trees, and even a large cemetery next to a bustling street.

My first impression when arriving at the Jakarta airport was how humid it is! It is the rainy season right now, which helps the heat cool off, but the humidity makes it seem hotter than it actually is. Not to mention it makes my hair super curly and frizzy. : )

The ride back in the “Taksi” from the airport gave me my first real experience with Indonesian traffic. I’d heard the stories from my dad and my uncle and his family, but I didn’t actually believe it until I saw it. There is really only one word to describe the traffic here: a mess. Most streets don’t have lane lines, but when they do there really is no point. People cram their cars as tightly as they can together and completely ignore the concept of staying in their own lane. It’s an anything goes mentality here when it comes to the traffic. Motorcycles and “bajajs” wind in and out of the traffic. There are so many of them because their public bus system keeps downsizing. It’s a lot like Phoenix in that there is a public transportation system in place, but it isn’t really effective because it can’t cover the entire city efficiently. There are also traffic police EVERYWHERE (there is always an officer in sight from wherever you are), but as my dad said, they don’t do anything and are pretty useless.

We arrived at the Shangri-La Hotel and Residences, where we had to make our way through the tight security before entering the premises. Security guards will not open the gate until they’ve checked under the hood, in the trunk, and your glove compartment. We finally got in and passed the hotel lobby in the “taxsi,” but had to go through another security gate to get to the residences next door. The driver gave the security guards his identification before we passed through the gate and dropped us off.

A concierge was there to greet us when we were dropped off and helped get the luggage out of the trunk. We went in and took an elevator up to the 22nd floor, which opened directly into a private entry hall to my dad’s apartment! We went inside, and I cannot believe what a cushy lifestyle my dad’s living in! I’d say it’s more of a penthouse than an apartment, if you ask me. It has three bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, plus an extra for guests. There’s a large living room, an ultra-modern kitchen, a laundry room and a back room, plus a nice-sized patio overlooking the city.

The first thing I heard was the Islamic Call to Prayer (thank you, Prof. Hamill, for teaching me this in World Music class), which echoes and there’s even a mosque that you can see from my dad’s patio.



After my dad and I set up blowup mattress in one of the bedrooms (a.k.a. my dad’s closet), the first thing I did was take a shower! It was pretty awesome to get all the jetlag grime off of me.

Jerry, a long-time friend of my dad, met us for dinner, and we all drove over to the local Chili’s. Although I was wanting to try Indonesian food during my visit, I was starving and pretty thankful that we were able to eat in a familiar place. The menu is exactly the same as the ones back home, so I had my usual: Chicken Crispers with a Strawberry Lemonade. The food tasted exactly the same, except for the ketchup and the lemonade. The ketchup tasted only slightly different, but not in a bad way, and the lemonade tasted the same except that the texture was more of a melted smoothie than regular lemonade.

One thing I made sure to do was not order ice with my drink, because the water quality here is not as good and could give you a nasty bug. I have my Cipro medication on hand, just in case I do get a yucky stomach bug from the water. My dad’s had it a number of times, my mom had it on her recent trip to Bali, my Uncle Harry has had it, and almost all my father’s coworkers and friends who have traveled abroad here have had it. When I’m in Macau I will also have to be careful about the water. I’ll need to brush my teeth with bottled water, not tap, and be careful about opening my mouth in the shower! It will take some getting used to, but if I’m smart and aware I can hopefully avoid it.

On our way to the restaurant I also saw some familiar places. There are ads all over for McDonalds, which has a 24-hour delivery service! I saw a Pizza Hut, which looked more like an upscale restaurant than anything. There was also a Starbucks, a Sizzler, and even a Shell gas station! You can find almost any American restaurant or hotel chain here, which makes me feel a little better about the adjustment to a new culture.

We got back at about 7:30 pm. I got into my pajamas and brushed my teeth (with bottled water) and settled into bed. I finished the last few pages of my book (which I started at the airport in Phoenix) and wrote a little bit in my journal (see previous post). I was out before 9:00.

The Plane Trip

Friday, January 22, 2010
5:02 pm Arizona Time

I’m finally sitting at my gate at Sky Harbor! My check-in went very smoothly. My mom and little sister helped me check my bags curbside for Southwest Airlines, which went very quickly. After a teary-eyed farewell, I went into the terminal and went through security without any problems. I was very tempted to use my Diplomatic Passport to possibly skip the line, but I was already waiting in the long line before the thought occurred to me.

The line for security, despite the length, also moved pretty quickly. I found my gate just fine, and now I’m sitting here waiting to board. Instead of assigned seating it’s a group boarding system, so hopefully no fights will break out over good seats! : ) It’s only an hour and fifteen-minute flight, so I don’t think that will be an issue.

Next stop: Los Angeles!


Friday, January 22, 2010
9:30 pm California Time (10:30 Arizona Time)

The flight to LA kinda sucked. It started raining really hard in Phoenix right as we were boarding, so the turbulence on the flight was pretty rocky. But that part didn’t really bother me.

I ended up sitting next to an older guy in his 50s. The seats on Southwest are already tight enough (I swear they’ve gotten smaller over the years), but he as to go and take up my space as well! He ended up falling asleep with his arms slumped over the armrests, so I had to sit curled up away from him for an hour. And he smelled funny.

I got in to LAX and got off the plane just fine. I got my luggage right away, and I got to my bus pretty quickly too. I got off at the International Terminal, which was the next stop, and rented a cart for all my luggage (getting off the bus people were laughing at all the luggage I had).

I got off where I saw “Air China,” but I couldn’t find the departures area. An airport employee stopped me (I must have looked confused), and I pulled out my ticket reservation. That’s when I found out that there is a big difference between “Air China” and “China Airlines.” She showed me a map of where to go: two terminals over. I ended up just walking there with my cart, panicking and trying not to have a meltdown. I began to worry about time, since my flight into LAX was delayed a half hour.

I ended up finding the terminal, and I already began experiencing culture shock! This terminal is for all Pacific and Asian airlines, along with Mexicana Airlines as well. So many foreign people speaking strange languages! I felt a little out of place, and never before had I been more aware of my whiteness.

One thing that surprised me about LAX was the layout of this International Terminal. The chick-in area was so huge, it was overwhelming! But I did notice that things were very orderly. There are people everywhere directing you places, and even security had helpers to make sure you unloaded your carry-ons in the bins properly. Very different from what I’m used to flying just within the states.

I found my check-in okay, and that process went smoothly. I found security and went through, but they stopped me to search my carry-on. The TSA guy going through my bag was trying to chat me up, but when he was done he let me go on my way.

Suddenly, I hear, “Robber!” I turn around and the same guy that checked my bag is running off with something. Another TSA guy asked me to step away from my bag, so I waited quietly along with everyone else, a little confused. They announced after a few moments that it was just a drill, and that we could resume our business.

I found my gate just fine and ate a hot dog and chips for dinner. I’m sitting next to a British family. Their youngest girl is learning to talk, and she kept saying “bag” and pointing to it, but with an adorable British accent! So cute! An alarm also started going off at the gate. It sounded like a fire alarm, but no one reacted much to it. I decided to be a sheep and ignore it too. After about ten minutes it finally shut off. Applause erupted.

I’m started to get really sleepy, so hopefully I’ll sleep for most of the fifteen hours I have ahead of me…

Next stop: Taipei, Taiwan!


Sunday, January 24, 2010
7:16 am Taiwan Time (4:00 pm on Saturday, Arizona Time)

Well, that flight was really tough physically, but I was able to keep it together emotionally and not get too frustrated. When we first reserved my seat online a couple of days ago, I was supposed to be in the middle row with an aisle seat, with two empty seats between me and the person on the other end. But when I sat down in my seat, a couple filled in the two empty seats.

Now I was under the impression that you are allowed one carry-on and one personal item. But somehow the rules did not apply to this bickering Asian couple who did not speak a word of English. They brought multiple bags of carry-on luggage, as well as bags of merchandise. Their long, narrow bag somehow ended up encroaching on my footspace, and on top of that there were so many bags that the woman had to place one of her legs in my footspace, since she had no room left. They kept fighting in some strange Asian tongue. And then this one guy, who I assumed was a relative of theirs, kept coming to check on them, bringing them water and other stuff, reaching over me the entire time.

At this point I’d had it, and we hadn’t even taken off yet! After the smelly man from the previous flight, I was beginning to wonder if mankind had abandoned the concept of the “personal bubble.” Because mine was clearly being invaded!

I decided I would NOT spend the next fifteen hours enduring this, so when we were finally in the air I asked a flight attendant if I could switch seats. She said sure, if I could find one, and walked away.

So I set off on a hunt to find an empty seat. I remembered the online seating chart showed the back being completely empty, so I set off there. As I learned the hard way already, people apparently don’t believe in reserving their seats online in advance. So even though I had checked the seating chart before leaving Phoenix that meant nothing, because the entire plane was completely packed.

I started returning to my seat when the couple’s relative (or personal slave?!) jumped out of his seat when he saw me. He asked if I was trying to find another seat. When I said yes, he offered to switch with me so he could be next to his relatives. I saw that he had an aisle seat close to the bathroom. Deal!

We switched, and the rest of the flight went fairly smooth. I slept for the following nine hours. That was an extremely uncomfortable sleep, though, and my back and neck are still killing me. I’m young and spritely, so how do older people deal with these flights?!? Note to self: buy a neck pillow for next time.

I also realized that me being a picky eater is going to be a problem. For dinner, before I fell asleep, I had a strange chicken and rice dish, which I did not care for. I ate the bread roll and a couple bites of the cake. I didn’t get to eat again until two hours before landing in Taipei, so I went about ten hours without any food an only a small shot glass-sized cup of water. I was starving and thirsty when they brought out an omelet with a fruit cup, which was much more appetizing than the strange chicken thing.

I found my gate in Taipei’s airport just fine. Luckily, most signs have English on them. I took a train to the next terminal, and my goodness they fit a lot of people in one train! The conductors were wearing face masks for health reasons.

I went through another security checkpoint, which was really lax in my opinion. Not everyone took off their shoes, and I didn’t even have to take out my liquids or electronics.

Anyway, I’m still a bit hungry, but I don’t have any Taiwanese currency, and the vending machine doesn’t take debit or credit cards. I’m not gonna lie, I was a little excited when I saw a duty-free liquor store in the airport, realizing that I’m of age over here! Not that I really want any alcohol. I just want some water and food, but I’ll wait until I board the plane to get it complementary.

It’s really humid in Taiwan, and I could really go for a shower right about now. I went to the restroom to freshen up a bit, and they had a freaky Asian toilet in there! It’s the kind that is just basically a porcelain hole in the ground, like they show in some Japanese anime and stuff. They had a normal one too, but I’d never seen an Asian toilet before in real life! I avoided using it.

Next stop: Jakarta, Indonesia!


Sunday, January 24, 2010
8:35 pm Indonesia Time (6:30 am Arizona Time)

The five-hour flight from Taipei was actually quite pleasant. I had two empty seats next to me, and I ate decently on the flight. We got in at around 2:00 pm, and then I proceeded to go get my Visa.

The Jakarta Airport is probably the most unique airport I’ve ever seen. Each gate is its own pagoda-like building, surrounded by green, lush foliage. Inside it looks like the layout of an ancient Asian temple, with long, wide hallways and pillars.

Anyway, the Visa line took well over a half hour to get through, but the Immigrations line and the Customs line were a breeze.

My dad was there waiting for me. We took a taxi back to his place (which is soooo cool). Now I’m in bed, and I feel like I’m falling asleep already…

More to come soon about my four-day stay in Indonesia!

The Dream

Hello!

I know it’s been a little while since my last post, but I leave in less than 11 days, so I will be updating the blog more regularly then.

Anyway, I had my very first dream about my study abroad last night! I’m surprised it took this long to happen, to be honest.

So, my friend Betsy is currently doing her study abroad semester in Copenhagen, and I think that’s how the dream started, since I was reading her blog late last night. Also, the fact that I had issues with the airport system in my dream came from me talking with my parents over the past few days about the specifics of international flying, which I’m still a little uneasy about.

So here’s the dream:

My dream was about my layover in Copenhagen (even though I’m not even flying through Europe in real life). In my dream I got confused about where I was and left the airport into Copenhagen. When I finally realized that I was in the wrong city, I tried to find a taxi to take me back to the airport. Unfortunately, no one spoke English, and when I finally found a taxi driver that did, he asked me up front if I had enough cash to get me back. I opened my wallet to find no cash whatsoever in my wallet, and he wouldn’t take my debit card.

So I tried walking back to the airport from where I was, because I couldn’t figure out how to get back on the metro (relating to Betsy’s blog about taking the wrong train). On my way back, with all my luggage by the way, I ran into Betsy and my other friend Lindsey, who goes to school in Hawaii. It was very comforting to see familiar faces in such an unfamiliar city.

And that’s when the dream ended.

The dream was very frustrating, since it encompassed all of my anxieties about study abroad, like the international traveling part, as well as the language barriers, getting lost, the money situation, public transportation, etc. But I think it’s significant that the dream ended on a good note with seeing my friends and feeling better.

Usually Lindsey and I like to interpret our dreams for fun, but I think this one is pretty straight forward. Who knows, maybe there is a deeper meaning to it? Let me know your thoughts! :)

Sweet dreams,
Kati

It's Really Happening!

Greetings!

So, I just got my plane ticket confirmation for China Air a couple nights ago, and I even started a countdown on my phone for departure (16 days).

Christmas was filled with bountiful gifts of luggage, travel accessories, journals, and even an electrical adapter set.

My coworkers at Embassy Suites have even started asking me when my last day of my internship is.

It’s starting to settle in that my study abroad is really happening, and it’s coming up quick. All along I’ve been making backup plans in case something happened and it didn’t work out, but everything seems to be in order for my departure. All the paperwork is done, and all that remains is for me to actually get there. I think it’s finally hit me that I’m really leaving, and so soon!

Sincerely,
Kati

Thoughts from 2009

As 2009 comes to a close and we enter a new year – a new decade for that matter – I have been doing quite a bit of reflection of this past year. It’s so hard to believe how much has happened in only the span of one year and how much growth I feel I’ve accomplished over these past twelve months alone.

2009 didn’t really start on a great note for me. Although my first semester of college was great –maybe even close to perfect –my second semester, Spring 2009, had quite a few bumps along the road. Where Fall 2008 was full of new and exciting things as a college freshman, Spring 2009 was when I started to experience the academic stress, the homesickness, drama with friends, and even a rough breakup. On the other hand, I was very pleased to start off the semester by auditioning and becoming a music minor, and to my surprise I was even offered private flute lessons by NAU’s professor of flute! Despite the personal stress, I was very happy to become involved in music again, since I think it became one of my lesser priorities when I first arrived at NAU and was adjusting to college life. Spring 2009 also ended on a good note when I completed my semester-long rush process for Tau Beta Sigma, a sorority dedicated to serving the bands and promoting women in music. Also, throughout Spring 2009 I made new friends and even reconnected and/or reconciled with some old ones too. These friends ended up being people who I was able to turn to during many of the low points throughout the semester.

Not to mention, my niece Elisabeth Jo, or “Ellie,” was born on April 14th at 8 lbs. 8 oz. She was a wonderful addition to our small family out here in Arizona!

My summer vacation started off well. I enrolled at Glendale Community College for a summer Precalculus class, and also joined a summer flute choir that proved to be one of the most enjoyable ensembles I’ve ever participated in. Unfortunately, I was unable to find a job over the summer, since the economy was not doing so well, and still isn’t. I ended up working as a weekly volunteer at a St. Vincent de Paul soup kitchen, and it became one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had. Not only did it feel great to serve my community, I learned so much about my own major as a student of Hotel and Restaurant Management. I think my most valuable lesson from that experience was the true meaning of the word “hospitality,” and I want to keep that idea in mind when I go out and begin my career someday.

I also had a wonderful vacation at the end of the summer. My mother, sister, and I flew to Washington D.C. (my third trip there) to meet with my dad, who was in the USA that week for meetings. We also went to Ohio afterwards to see my mother’s side of the family. Ohio was certainly a different pace from D.C., but it was great to spend time and reconnect with my family before returning home to Phoenix.

However, my summer did not go completely smoothly. I found myself in a couple of conflicts with others, and while one was quickly reconciled, the other took a heavy toll on me and took months for me to learn to forgive. But in the end things worked out.

That particular conflict stayed with me throughout the Fall 2009 semester, but besides that things began very well for me. I moved into an on-campus apartment with two of my dear friends, and it couldn’t have worked out more perfectly for the three of us! I also enjoyed my first active semester as a sister of Tau Beta Sigma, and I even ended up running for Historian and enjoying the office very much. I also auditioned for and made NAU’s Symphonic Band, which I considered quite an accomplishment for not being a music major. And although I took 21 credit hours, I was able to keep my stress levels low, manage my time well, and even pull off good grades!

I also began my study abroad process, and was surprised to find the intensive application process to be time consuming. At times it was frustrating, because when you, your own school, and another school are involved, communication between all parties is essential, especially when crossing those cultural lines.

Although throwing myself into such a busy schedule kept my mind off of personal issues, it also separated me from others. I found it difficult to make time for my friends, and even when I did I was too exhausted from my long days to make the effort. And again, like my summer, the Fall 2009 also ended on a sour note when a brief relationship went south. However, I quickly learned to move on and entered into my Winter 2009 break with my focus on the road ahead.

Despite being turned down for one internship, I finally secured a fulltime internship at a nearby Embassy Suites property with a reputable event planning department. Also over the break I’ve been busy spending time with my friends and family. Some of my sisters from out of town, who I haven’t seen in years, came to visit over the break, and although our dad could not join us this year, our Christmas was a very happy one surrounded by family.

As I reflect back on 2009, I realize there were lots of high points, but also many lows as well. But I also know that I learned something about the world or about myself with each bump in the road. At times I think back to where I was one year ago and can’t even recognize that person, since the personal growth I’ve undergone this year has been tremendous. Of course, I was unable to write down everything that has happened to me this year, but what I did seems to be the most significant memories that stand out and have affected me the most.

I enter 2010 with my eyes focused solely on the future. I look forward to starting off not only a new year but a new decade abroad in China, and I expect my personal growth to astound me further as I learn more about myself and about life in general. I’m at a point in my life where the world is not longer black and white, but rather I am beginning to understand the world’s subtleties. My goal for 2010 is to be open to change and accept new ideas and challenges. My hope is to take what I learned in 2009 and apply them to the problems I am sure to meet in 2010.

I remember on January 1, 2009 I was very hopeful, but very naive, about how the year would turn out. I did not in any way expect what I would be facing that year. But January 1, 2010 is different, and I know the year ahead will be full of obstacles and frustrations, but this time I am a year older, a year wiser, and a year more prepared to face them and succeed.

Looking ahead to 2010,
Kati