The Hiking Trail

There is a hiking trail not really far from my house. Believe it or not, I've never been to a hiking trail before. Yes, the government in Indonesia won't go into the trouble of developing any hiking trail for the recreation of its people; let 'em stay at the malls who will pay taxes for us.

This is a reservoir near the hiking trail. Pretty, right?

The Hiking Trail!

Hiking trail in fall colors!

I know I look fat - probably because I was wearing three layers of clothes...

Can you see the bee?

Reservoir again, with extra fall leaves on the top

This plant thing were looking as if there were ice on top of it, probably you can't really see it but it looks white

I just really love the reservoir.

Anyway, I seriously think we should have a hiking trail in Depok. It's just really beautiful-looking, and of course really useful for cycling or jogging or just walking.

Raking Leaves~

I know raking leaves might sound like an annoying, tiresome activity for you who have been living in a subtropical country for a while, but for me, it was again a brand-new experience lol. Anyway I like cleaning, so I kinda enjoyed raking leaves too rather than thinking about it as a tiring activity.

Raking leaves for the first time~

This is my host dad dragging the trash can

Leaves, leaves everywhere

Look at all the leaves!

We made a pretty big pile of leaves in front of our house

Our front porch, decorated with fall flowers and pumpkin. Happy First Fall for myself!

Apple Picking!!!

At the beginning of Fall, my host family took me to an apple picking site in somewhere (LOL I forgot again). It was fun, we got a ride up the hill with a straw truck. It was my first time sitting on a straw lol, and the straw got stuck all over my clothes.

Dried corn trees? Haha

They were selling fall things too, like fall flowers and pumpkins

They also sold apple jam, cinnamon donuts, and all other fall foods there.

Me on  the straw truck~ I was bundled up with my coat and warm clothes, but up there it was still surprisingly hot.

Scenery from up the hill~

We brought back like three big bags of apples and pears. I love pears <3 Anyway it was a really nice experience!

I'm sure time doesn't have any wings but...

It flies so quickly, it flashes in front of my eyes.

Well not literally. But still.

I know this is just the beginning of December, but I already received an email from AFS stating my exact flight back to Washington DC for Reorientation (it's a reverse orientation, not about blending to new culture but about blending back to your own culture), on June 18th, and the flight back to Indonesia on June 20th. I will probably have another Reorientation in Indonesia, maybe about three to five days or maybe even seven days again... I don't know. So, I might finally meet my beloved Indonesian friends again around June 25th-ish. It means I'm gonna meet my family again. A part of me has been dying to meet them out again, ready to hold dearly things I've left behind for a year.

But honestly, with all respects to my natural family and to my Indonesian friends, another part of me kinda want to stay here a little bit longer...

A part of me wants the time to just freeze. It wants time to sit still, because what I'm experiencing now is too wonderful to be over.

My Wooster School friends and teachers are a big part of this. I just love them so much; I want to know and memorize their full names, I want to know all their birthdays and want to be able to give them birthday presents that they might like. Speaking of this birthday thing, today I just gave Trevor a birthday present. It was nothing valuable, just a packet of Japanese painting magnets from Metropolitan Museum of Art. It costs me twenty cups of hot chocolate lol, but when Trevor received it he seemed really happy. On top of that, I was also really happy.

When I did my presentation at Wooster, even though there were only seniors and juniors, there were laughter all along the presentation. They really did laugh at everything I said - probably I should consider being a stand up comedian - and many of them were surprised too about some Indonesian facts I brought up on the presentation. My mouth were really dry and I coughed a lot and I drank water on the middle of the presentation, but everybody just laughed together at that as if it's a usual, funny thing to do on presentations. Nobody seemed to judge me - yet they keep saying that my presentation was cool and I was really cute and it was really fun and I-couldn't-stop-laughing. I remember George was the first one to ask when the Q&A session started, and he also asked another thing after the presentation ended. I remember everybody was really eager to ask, I remember there were many people raising their hands at once. I remember Ms. Northup helped me out before presentation, saying she climbed the hill from Art building to the Middle School because I'm her student and she wants to see my presentation. I really appreciate that. Thank you, everyone.

I remember when I, Jessie, Emma, Taylor, and Emma's brother (lol I forgot your name, sorry) went to the Cheesecake Factory and then Danbury Mall. We basically just fooled around together, but it was really fun. I really wanna do it again~

So, yeah, Wooster had started to grow in me. And my beloved host family too, of course. I'll mention them in other posts on other times. Gotta sleep - gotta go to school tomorrow.

Trip to New York City with AFS Exchange Students

At the end of the summer vacation, the AFS volunteers in New York area decided to have a little trip to New York City. For you who are not familiar with this, New York is actually a state (a big area with many cities inside, like a province) while New York City is the city inside New York State. For example, I live in Brewster, meaning I live in New York State but not in New York City.

It was my first trip to New York City aside from when I arrived at New York for the first time, which was very exciting. Here are our photos; most of the time pictures tell stories better than words (because people are lazy to read lol)

Right before going, still at the Hastings-on-Hudson station

Well we don't have any ticket machine like this in Indonesia...

Inside of the Metro North Railroad train. There's the train ticket there.

Inside of the Grand Central Station

Still inside the Grand Central Station

 Before going, we were having a sleepover in the local volunteer's house, at Hastings-on-Hudson. After taking the train to Grand Central Station, we walked several blocks to the Museum of African-American Burial Ground in Manhattan. Back then when African-Americans were still viewed as mere slaves, they always had their own burial ceremony with other African-Americans in an area called "African-American Buriel Ground". Apparently as the New York City develop, the government bury the burial ground and build buildings on top of it as if it were nothing. This fact was discovered later, and for a while the government was trying to hide this fact, but finally they acknowledged that it was the African-American burial ground and the government built a museum in regard of the burial ground.

Visiting the Museum of African-American. These were statues of a burial scene back in those days. 

Writing on the top: "You may bury me in the bottom of Manhattan, I will rise. My people will get me. I will rise out of the huts of history's shame."

 After visiting the museum, we went to a nearby park and had a little afternoon snack. Then we continue walking to the Hudson River because we wanted to get lunch in another island by taking ferry. LOL I totally forgot about where exactly that was, I was not feeling really well back then so I don't really remember.

A glance of New York City~ I know my photography skill isn't that great but oh well whatever~

 

We were having afternoon snacks at the nearby park.

Well I know I'm the whitest person in the middle

Another glance of New York City~

Ferries ashore~!

MOTHER LIBERTY!!!

Manhattan skyscrapers looked really cool from the ferry

Okay now I remember we went to Brooklyn by ferry and had our lunch there.

After going back to Manhattan, we ended the trip with walking down The Times Square on the evening. The lamps from the buildings were fabulous.

Just right before the sun sets~

Screens, screens everywhere

This was... Broadway Show posters, I guess?

Me and Rachel, exchange student from China

My mom said we have to take pictures in case we arrive in new places so yeah.

Pretty lights~

...and finally going back home!

Yeah, it was a really wonderful trip. When we got off the train at Hastings-on-Hudson, it was already dark and it was freezing even though it was summer night. I remember Chris from German saying to me, "You're the most dressed person in this group, yet you're still cold?!" Hahaha, I guess growing up in a tropical country has a big effect in things like cold-or-not-cold.