For my winter break, I went to Indonesia to visit my mom's side of the family there for around a 2-week vacation. As soon as I arrived I went straight to the house my father designed and where my aunt has been living in. It was weird to come from around -14 degrees celsius to 26 degrees celsius with a ridiculous high percentage of humidity. It was great to hang around my family, I haven't seen them since I left for Canada. That was when I was in middle school? The next day my family and I went straight to the airport again to board the plane to go a small island in Indonesia. The island is called Belitong. It was the shooting location of a very famous Indonesian movie called, Lastar Pelangi. I didn't know about it until I arrived to be honest. Actually, never heard about the island until I landed at the location.
Belitong is very very remote. Public transportation in Belitong is basically rent a car or ride a scooter or ride a boat. My family and I were there for around a week. Everyday, we were at the beach. One thing that dampen the trip a bit was the rain and the wind. It made the beaches dirty at times. However, when the weather was great, the beach was really nice. Belitong is known for the humongous rocks! Apparently, the rocks there grow bigger. It was really amazing to see. The days we didn't go to the beach, we visited the movie filming locations and ate a lot of seafood. It was very delicious! I just want to go back to eat the delicious seafood again!
We came back to Jakarta only just to get on a plane again to go to Jambi the next day. Another remote location in Indonesia. Jambi was where my mother grew up during her grade school years and where I lived for a couple years during my grade school at one point. We were there for a couple days. We were back in Jambi basically to revisit places, eat delicious food again and to meet family. After words we came back to Jakarta to celebrate New Years and actually enjoy some of the capital city. It was really nice because I got to meet my friends from grade school that were still in Jakarta. Even though it was only for a short time, it was really nice to have a reunion again. I still miss them. However, it's amazing how much Jakarta has changed since I moved to Canada.
For example, the traffic has tripled since I left. What normally took a 15-minute car ride in the past now takes about 30 minutes to 1 hour to get back. Public transportation is available but it's very dangerous that going places was such a hassle. Coming from a place like Canada and Korea, where public transportation is not as dangerous, in Jakarta especially, you have to think twice if you should take it. Meeting friends this time around was harder then last time. Mainly because transportation and cars were less.
After that I came back to Korea, it was just in time for the Lunar's new year here in Korea. My home-stay took me to outskirts of Seoul to celebrate lunar's new year with my homestay's family. It was really good but again just like Chuseok very overwhelming. Again with the Korean. However, my Korean has improved slightly since Chuseok but it's still isn't enough to talk to a Korean speaking only family. It was tough but fun and also very very delicious. Ate a lot of delicious food. We played a traditional Korean game as well. It was fun but slightly stressing. I'm not good at games in general so it was stressing. >0< Since my homestay is a Christian family, they didn't do the bowing to ancestors ceremony thing they do on Lunar's Holiday. Or the bowing ceremony to the elders but they did make all the young ones sit in front of the elders and hear advice from them for the year. After that they gave us money. I was very surprised that they even gave me money. It was a very pleasant surprise!
The Seoul Global Center had a Chuseok special thing the next week, so my friend and I decided to go and check it out. There they showed the bowing ceremonies and we got to make mandoo (dumplings) and ate it as well. We also got to dress in a Hanbok for the whole day. It was really fun.
I was still on holiday from university even though it was february so I decided to book a ticket for a 2 week vacation to Japan.
My Japan trip was very impulsive and I made no plans whatsoever. I relied on my laptop, trying to get wi-fi wherever I can get it and my friends in Japan from when I went there for my exchange. I have to say that I am really thankful for friends. Actually before I even left for Japan, I was relatively unsure if I had a place to stay in the beginning. My friend, who I met in Korea, was also going to be in Japan at that time and we decided to stay at a hostel together in Asakusa. Which was an awesome thing because it really felt great being a tourist and staying at hostel. It was great because we looked and explored Asakusa together and it was also great to meet my friend after a semester not seeing her and meet a new friend as well.
After a couple days in Asakusa, we went separate ways. I went to Yokohama where I met one of my friends from high school. It was great to catch up with her and also she helped me plan a little bit of my Japan trip because she knew how to do things like book bus tickets, call friends and I am very thankful to her! She showed me around Yokohama and her area. When she couldn't show me around, I met other friends in Shinjuku, Shin-Okubo, Harajuku, and Shibuya.
From Yokohama I took the bus to Okayama where I met my former high school homeroom teacher. She was adorable and it was great to catch up with her as well! We only got to meet for a couple hours but she drove me to Ibara. The small city where I spent 1 semester of my high school at. I stayed at my former homestay for 2 nights and relaxed a bit. It was strange to meet them again but at the same time it was really fun. Primarily because I felt really at home there. I don't know, I was strangely very very happy to meet them again. It was great to speak Japanese again. Also it was great to catch up. It was strange to see how many things have changed and to see how much things have stayed.
Too bad it was only 2 nights but after that I went on a bus to Kyoto where I met my other high school friend. I was only in Kyoto for two days but it felt a lot like Seoul in some ways. Although it was very city like, you can see the traces of traditional. It is sort of like downtown Seoul. I stayed at her place for one night before going back to Tokyo, by bus.
When I arrived in Tokyo, I met another friend at Disneyland and she graciously paid for my ticket and we played around Disneyland before she dropped me off at the airport and I went back to Korea.
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My trip to Japan was impulsive, very packed and very fun. Met so many people and experienced a new Japan!
When I returned from Japan, I had to repack and prepare to move into the dorms. So the start of the semester was very hectic but I managed! I realized how much stuff I have been collecting and really dreading the packing at the end of the year that I have to do.
Belitong is very very remote. Public transportation in Belitong is basically rent a car or ride a scooter or ride a boat. My family and I were there for around a week. Everyday, we were at the beach. One thing that dampen the trip a bit was the rain and the wind. It made the beaches dirty at times. However, when the weather was great, the beach was really nice. Belitong is known for the humongous rocks! Apparently, the rocks there grow bigger. It was really amazing to see. The days we didn't go to the beach, we visited the movie filming locations and ate a lot of seafood. It was very delicious! I just want to go back to eat the delicious seafood again!
We came back to Jakarta only just to get on a plane again to go to Jambi the next day. Another remote location in Indonesia. Jambi was where my mother grew up during her grade school years and where I lived for a couple years during my grade school at one point. We were there for a couple days. We were back in Jambi basically to revisit places, eat delicious food again and to meet family. After words we came back to Jakarta to celebrate New Years and actually enjoy some of the capital city. It was really nice because I got to meet my friends from grade school that were still in Jakarta. Even though it was only for a short time, it was really nice to have a reunion again. I still miss them. However, it's amazing how much Jakarta has changed since I moved to Canada.
For example, the traffic has tripled since I left. What normally took a 15-minute car ride in the past now takes about 30 minutes to 1 hour to get back. Public transportation is available but it's very dangerous that going places was such a hassle. Coming from a place like Canada and Korea, where public transportation is not as dangerous, in Jakarta especially, you have to think twice if you should take it. Meeting friends this time around was harder then last time. Mainly because transportation and cars were less.
After that I came back to Korea, it was just in time for the Lunar's new year here in Korea. My home-stay took me to outskirts of Seoul to celebrate lunar's new year with my homestay's family. It was really good but again just like Chuseok very overwhelming. Again with the Korean. However, my Korean has improved slightly since Chuseok but it's still isn't enough to talk to a Korean speaking only family. It was tough but fun and also very very delicious. Ate a lot of delicious food. We played a traditional Korean game as well. It was fun but slightly stressing. I'm not good at games in general so it was stressing. >0< Since my homestay is a Christian family, they didn't do the bowing to ancestors ceremony thing they do on Lunar's Holiday. Or the bowing ceremony to the elders but they did make all the young ones sit in front of the elders and hear advice from them for the year. After that they gave us money. I was very surprised that they even gave me money. It was a very pleasant surprise!
I was still on holiday from university even though it was february so I decided to book a ticket for a 2 week vacation to Japan.
My Japan trip was very impulsive and I made no plans whatsoever. I relied on my laptop, trying to get wi-fi wherever I can get it and my friends in Japan from when I went there for my exchange. I have to say that I am really thankful for friends. Actually before I even left for Japan, I was relatively unsure if I had a place to stay in the beginning. My friend, who I met in Korea, was also going to be in Japan at that time and we decided to stay at a hostel together in Asakusa. Which was an awesome thing because it really felt great being a tourist and staying at hostel. It was great because we looked and explored Asakusa together and it was also great to meet my friend after a semester not seeing her and meet a new friend as well.
After a couple days in Asakusa, we went separate ways. I went to Yokohama where I met one of my friends from high school. It was great to catch up with her and also she helped me plan a little bit of my Japan trip because she knew how to do things like book bus tickets, call friends and I am very thankful to her! She showed me around Yokohama and her area. When she couldn't show me around, I met other friends in Shinjuku, Shin-Okubo, Harajuku, and Shibuya.
From Yokohama I took the bus to Okayama where I met my former high school homeroom teacher. She was adorable and it was great to catch up with her as well! We only got to meet for a couple hours but she drove me to Ibara. The small city where I spent 1 semester of my high school at. I stayed at my former homestay for 2 nights and relaxed a bit. It was strange to meet them again but at the same time it was really fun. Primarily because I felt really at home there. I don't know, I was strangely very very happy to meet them again. It was great to speak Japanese again. Also it was great to catch up. It was strange to see how many things have changed and to see how much things have stayed.
Too bad it was only 2 nights but after that I went on a bus to Kyoto where I met my other high school friend. I was only in Kyoto for two days but it felt a lot like Seoul in some ways. Although it was very city like, you can see the traces of traditional. It is sort of like downtown Seoul. I stayed at her place for one night before going back to Tokyo, by bus.
When I arrived in Tokyo, I met another friend at Disneyland and she graciously paid for my ticket and we played around Disneyland before she dropped me off at the airport and I went back to Korea.
.JPG)
When I returned from Japan, I had to repack and prepare to move into the dorms. So the start of the semester was very hectic but I managed! I realized how much stuff I have been collecting and really dreading the packing at the end of the year that I have to do.
Now my life in the dorms...
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