My first Christmas in Indonesia

To be honest,I'd never quite imagined Christmas to be quite big here in Indo.Surprisingly,every shop I step into,I would hear Christmas carols and not to mention,see decorations everywhere.It did make me miss Christmas back at home very much even though it was most of the time simple celebrations with family and friends.It brought back memories of last year's Christmas(2010) where I'd spent in NZ with my god parents,god brother,mum and aunt.I remember being very homesick a couple of weeks before Christmas.But I kept telling myself to hang on cause I know,I'm blessed to have my mother around for a few days during Christmas week.

My wonderful friends and boyfriend had decided to pick my mum up from the airport instead of me hiring a driver to pick both me from the hostel and mum from the airport.Mind you,we had a day full of classes that day.This is why I love my friends.They come up with the best ideas and make my days even brighter.So we rented an APV,and left for the airport after we'd freshen up after class.Arrived at the airport on time only to find out the flight was delayed.So we went to look for dinner,and came to the airport again.It was one of the best nights ever.I remember being very extremely happy. :)

After the airport,we made our way to the hotel and mum invited everyone in to have some roti canai she had brought for everyone.Mum was helping me unpack all of MY stuff she had brought and chatting with the rest.Then there was an awkward moment.But I shan't elaborate. ;) It was rather late when everyone left for Jatinangor,felt bad that I'd kept them till late night.

The next day,and a couple of days after that,all I did was brought mum around town for shopping.Then only on Christmas eve,I brought her back to my hostel and showed her the university area etc.Remember I had blogged about there was going to be a special Christmas eve dinner?Well,it happened.I took mum and the boyfriend for dinner at Kampung Daun.Google it up!It's a nice place that serves mostly local cuisine.Food is not that bad and plenty of variety.Too bad it was raining quite heavily and we left eventually in the rain.

I was kind of sad that mum had to fly back on Christmas Day itself.What was I going to do for the rest of the day in hostel? :( I guess it isn't fair to my dad to be spending another Christmas alone.Sent mum off at the airport,came back with a terrible stomach ache.It wasn't the dinner the night before cause I'm the only one who had it.I was not staying in my room for a few days now.When I went back to my room,I realised that there's something quite different about it.And when I looked again,I saw this :) It was such a sweet and pleasant surprise!And definitely a Christmas I would never forget.My friends had secretly been making Christmas cards and decorating my room like elves!I'm also proud to say that all of them who were part of this are Muslims.Now,who said Muslims can't be friends with Christians or vice versa?
I thank God for such wonderful blessings in my life :)
Truly blessed!

Ps: We were official as well on Christmas ;)

My One,and Only one.

Though officially it has been a month,I feel like I've known you since forever,and that each day of forever,seems to be the best day ever.

You complement me.You bring out the best in me.

You keep me going.

You are truly,the best.

You are,my only,my only one.

I love you Nicholas.Always.

"How can I love when I'm afraid to fall,

But watching you stand alone,

All of my doubt suddenly goes away."

I have died everyday waiting for you.

6 days!

Until I'm HOME!


Even though I'll only be back for a week,I know very well it is better than nothing at all.Can't wait to be in the embrace of my parents and friends.Can't wait for the smell of my home when I open the door.Can't wait for the taste of food that I could NEVER get here.Can't wait.
There was a time,or many times,that I had wish to be anywhere but home.
But right now,where I want to be is,at home.
Don't get me wrong.This place I'm currently living at does feel like home with the amazing people that make my each day.I have been truly blessed.
Yes,I know I have said it many times,but I will not cease to say it again and again,that I am blessed.To be here,to study what I have always dreamed of,to be with people that love me,that I am happy and grateful,content,with all that I have received and receiving.
But there's just no place,no place at all,like home.
For me,home is where my loved ones are.So,currently,I have three homes.
Malaysia,New Zealand and Indonesia.
Malaysia,I'm coming home!
New Zealand,I hope I'll be able to visit this year.I miss you so much that I dream about being there..
Indonesia,you'll always have a place in my heart.


Going to pull off an all nighter!Last week of exams,fighting on.


Wait for me.

Rough week

This is hard.Sometimes,I wonder if  my heart can take it anymore.Sometimes,it feels worn out.
But,I'm fighting.Still,fighting for this.
I made a promise.And I don't intend on breaking it.
I don't believe that promises are meant to be broken.
God,please help me through.I don't know what else I could do.

For a little while..

I'm a terrible blogger,isn't it?When I started afresh for this blog,I promised that I would blog more especially when I start the brand new life here.But then,who knew this new life would be sucking up all of my time and energy?


Okay,I know,I kind of owe this place a post on food and random stuff about here.But...Guess what?
I have finals for my first semester in approximately less than 2 weeks!So,you'll just have to wait.longer.
Heh.Not like you've not waited before?And not like this place hasn't been dead before :P So,just be a little more patient,and I promise I would come up with something good when the hectic days are on hold. :)


GUESS WHO IS COMING TO TOWN THIS CHRISTMAS?!?!
Next wednesday evening,I would be expecting a VERY special person,it's the best Christmas present ever!Christmas means so much more when you're away from home and loved ones.True story.
I am excited that I'll be spending Christmas eve with this much-loved person!And also another guest,will be joining both of us.I'm nervous.


On a random note,it has only been three months,and so much have changed.So much happened.And trust me,SO MUCH,is a lot.The good and the bad,despite of it all,I am glad to announce that I am truly blessed and happy.Thank You,God..For being so good to me,despite all of my mistakes and misconducts.


Here's an ugly photo of me to keep you entertained while I'm gone :D

Much love! <3

Away

Take me home where the sky meets the ocean,

where the hues of blue fill my eyes,

and endless shores make my mind wander to places I've never been.

Where my heart runs free,but my spirit is still...

And,Life begins.. :)

Hello again!As promised,I am back to fill you in :D

It's almost hard to believe that I have been living in Indonesia for two months already and stepping into the third month here.Life has definitely changed for me and definitely a change that I am still trying to adapt to.

To those who may not know yet,I am currently living on campus at the medical students' hostel.Basically,there are 4 buildings.2 for girls,1 for boys and 1 for twining students of UKM which are Malaysians only.Laundry,internet and electricity is free except for extra electrical items such as hairdryer,kettle,fan etc.Water is provided but with a minimal cost.Where I live,Jatinangor,they're big on water dispensers.So,those refillable water containers that goes along with the dispenser are very common.I do not know where the water comes from or how clean it is,I just pray that God bless the water.really.So,about the room,it's twin sharing with a bathroom,cupboard,study table and plenty of drawers and shelves.However,the other unit which is the other girls' hostel don't have drawers and shelves.

The weather in Bandung is cooling ranging from 20 degrees to 33 degrees on really hot afternoons.But it's always cold in the evening and night.always.The monsoon has started so it has been raining everyday,thankfully not all day.The roads here are mostly dirt roads if not tarred.So your feet gets really eeky if it was wet.One thing is,I do kinda enjoy the weather here.Despite the afternoons being hot when it's not the rainy season,it is windy.I love the wind.Also,there's a huge volcanic mountain behind my uni,so I guess all that green helps.HOWEVER,the people here do not know how to appreciate the air and constantly do open burning everyday.The country is too poor to provide proper garbage disposal system or facility,that everything you throw away here,ends up in ashes.sad.

The main mode of transportation here is by foot.Wait,maybe that's for me.Most common mode of public transportation here would be the angkot and ojeck.Angkot is basically a small van that will pass through most roads and stop at almost anywhere.But if you need to travel further in a housing area,then that's what an ojeck is for.Ojeck is basically a motorcycle service.A guy will take you wherever you need to,however far in it may be,on a motorcycle,for a price of course.The cost of taking an ojeck is negotiable but the angkot is pretty standard.The rule is: Never ask how much.The moment you open your mouth to ask,they know you're not local or familiar and would most probably try to take advantage of you.Thankfully,I have not had that experience despite asking the price during my first time.


Most of the people here are friendly and helpful.If you ask for any information,they will tell you if they knew but would be honest if they didn't know.(for me at least) Language is still quite a barrier as I am able to understand basic and perhaps a bit more of Indonesian but unable to speak fluently yet.Not to forget,I have to learn Sundanese as most people in Bandung speak Sundanese and will help me during my clinical years.


The education system here is different,way different compared to ours.Here,right after high school,if you get the grades,you can apply right away into university.For medicine and dentistry,there's always an entrance exam for every university,and if you pass it,you meet the other requirements,you're a university student!So,from what I just told you,you should be able to guess that most of the students here,especially my medical batch mates,are around 16-18 years old.And damn.I feel old.But they're really,really,childish in a lot of ways.So,I keep reminding myself that they're still young and try to keep my fury down.

So,what have I been up to lately?I have discovered the joy of taking long walks or jogs around the campus during the early mornings.I would love to try it out during the night but the problem is that the streets here aren't lighted up so it's scary and dangerous.I recently visited the morning market nearby the campus too.It was the longest morning market I have ever been too throughout all my travels.Seriously.I bought a big pillow and an iPhone cover.haha.Which cost me less than RM20 in total.Yes,so I have decided to take the cheaper road now but I think it was a bargain ;)

As I type this,I am actually down with a combination of flu and vomiting and diarrhea.I have no idea what's the diagnosis.But I suspect it's common cold due to lack of rest and food poisoning.Thank God the nauseous feeling has subsided today.I spent all day in bed yesterday cause I could not do anything,even move without wanting to throw up.I slept so much too :D

Next post,all about food!Or more like,the food I eat :D and perhaps some other random stuff.


Stay tuned! ;) 

Pull me through!

Greetings from the capital of West Java!Where there are volcanic mountains,cold breeze and a girl trying her best to survive first year of medical school. :) 


It has been awhile now.Not planning on this update,but since I refuse to sleep or study (which I know I will regret in the morning), I thought I just fill this space with some happenings.


Firstly,I did NOT realise that one month has passed!Time really flies where I'm at.Or,cause of what my life is right now.I can't imagine what it will be like when I start working.My every weekend here since I arrived have been occupied.My weekdays are filled with events to attend or work.Only lately I found time to start studying.Mid Sem exam is in two weeks and I think I'm kind of behind time.sigh.I pray that I will finish everything on time and that everything will stick!I find it difficult to prepare for this exam because I really don't know what to expect.The exam format is sort of fixed but every doctor want different details in the exam.AHHH!STRESS!


I know I promised that I will blog more about Bandung or Indonesia or life here.But,I guess we all got to wait for another two weeks before I can fulfill my promise.I WILL update this place once I'm done with Mid Sem.PROMISE! :) And trust me,you will be pleased ;) 


Other than that,I am really grateful and thankful to God that I passed my TOEFL exam that was compulsory for everyone despite having IELTS and whatnot.I did not study or practice questions at all for this exam as Daddy arrived from Malaysia the night before.Before I slept that night,half-asleep,I was checking through the format of the exam and then decided I would study in the bus the next day.But that didn't happen either cause I slept through the whole journey.So,Thank You Father!


I am also VERY grateful and thankful for the people that God has blessed me with since I arrived.I have to admit that I found a new family here at Indonesia and hope that this family will continue to be blessed with love,joy and peace. :) Also,there's someone in particular that makes me very happy.And I hope things stay the best it can cause we're going to spend five years here.If something goes wrong,that's beyond repair,I'll be broken to lose a great person.I don't want history repeating itself.I want friendships that will last a lifetime.
And,Love that will last a lifetime too.
I thank God,for everything.It makes more sense now :) 
I'm enjoying this and pray that I will overcome what ever that comes my way.

It's just the beginning...

First Taste

Hello.Once again!I know I've been MIA for awhile now.So,here's what I have been up to.


Currently in a new country,so plenty of adapting to do.There's just so much.So much going on.
Since arriving,I felt that time passes so fast that it is difficult for me to recollect my thoughts and be overly homesick.But I do miss home.I miss the people most of all of course!Just that I don't really find myself crying or dwelling on the fact that I DO miss my family and friends SO SO SO much.


I was just dreading over the fact that Monday has come but it's already Wednesday now.And that my first mid semester exam is in a month's time.OH THE HORROR.I have not even fully grasp the format of the exam.Everyone seems to be doing it according to what works for them and that makes it difficult to know what is right and what is not.By everyone,I meant the seniors and each tutor's method varies.sickening.In a sick and twisted way,things work systematically unsystematic here.wait,what?


Enough of that.


I must say I have been truly blessed to have found myself some pretty awesome friends.Though it has only been a few weeks,I know I am surrounded by great and loving people.I met most of them back in Malaysia.Being here,helps us to see who is worth keeping as friends,and most of all as family.I must say,this is my new family here and I thank God for it. :) Also,I have been attending church!I'm very happy to have been able to go to church every sunday so far.The church I am currently attending is in Bandung City but transport is provided and we are accompanied by Malaysian seniors who are absolutely kind and nice.Though not an English church,it is most of the time bilingual and that is good enough for me.A fully Indonesian-conducted church is much more difficult and awkward,trust me.
I am also happy to report that there is a CF in the medical faculty or uni.Two,in fact.One is with the Indonesian students and another created by the Malaysians,for the Malaysians.I have attended both and both are equally fun and fulfilling.


I am sad to report that my English is getting from bad to worse.I hope by reading all the medical textbooks,my English will improve or at least,survive.There's so much to read and study.For one session of lecture,there are about 70-100 slides.Each lecture is 3 hours long and I have a full day of lectures every Tuesday and one on Mondays.


It's almost a month now,since I arrived.Oh Father,help me through!October is going to be more stressful and full of surprises.I'm sure. :)


That's all for now. <3 

First post from Indonesia.


Hi!I wake up early every morning.5 am is NORMAL here.ugh.


Bye!Stay tuned!It'll be juicy,I promise! ;)


Ps: I'm loving the new blogger interface/layout/whateveryoucallit