Going, but staying

Saying goodbye hurts. I have a theory that, the more it hurts saying goodbye to someone, the more this person were/is important to you. I mean... if it doesn't hurt, if you miss today but tomorrow you already forgot him/her, how important he/she was to you?

So I want it hurt. I want to feel empty when I leave here. This will mean that I met people and these people are now part of me. People I can call friends. And I love having friends all around the world.

I came here knowing that I'd meet people who I'd love. And I already love a fucking lot of crazy people, and it feels that worth it. I'll be leaving soon, but I'm also leaving lots of memories with them here, so I guess that somehow I'm also staying, the same way I'm bringing memories of them with me.

My new and forever friends, to conclude I just wanna say that it was fucking awesome to meet you.

 

Three (best) weeks at school

The most challeging part of the entire exchange, for sure, was working at a school.

Sharing about your culture, experiencing a different routine, communicating and also absorving everything around you... wow, I was freeking out in the beginning.

But then I realized how lucky I am and, mainly, how lucky I was that I got DCC Global School as my work place.

I don't have words to describe how amazing and incredible it was to me. Seriously. It makes my heart warm and my soul peaceful to think that I meet such incredible people and shared lots and lots of moments with them.

  

In our first week at school, me and my partner (the most talented person I have ever met), Tan from Vietnam, we shared about our cultures with four different grades there. We spent more time than we "needed" there, I mean, after we finished the classes, we didn't want to go home, haha. 

We went to Way Kambas with teachers and some students on our first weekend together, and also had two nights sleeping in the school dormitory, so we could experience everything the school has. :)

 

Apa?

Nap time with the kids :)

 

One more amazing thing we did with DCC was going to the beach (Canti). It was INCREDIBLE.

First week: getting to know the city

In my point of view the first week is always very important and delicate. You're far from home, different people, different language, different time... everything feels upside down.

We had a busy first week, we went to two museum visits (Lampung Museum and Transmigration Museum), we had meetings with teachers at UNILA university and had our Welcome party. We also went out together to the karaoke and to have some beers (me and the other Brazilian) and we went to the zoo as well. It was amazing being around people from all over the world.

 

 

 

 

Food: what is it?

Maybe the first cultural difference was... sarapan (breakfast).

In Brazil I usually have bread with butter and cheese, coffee and some fruit. Here... rice! Oh my God! That was surprising. 

At my first morning, I woke up and I saw these foods. I thought I overslept and was already noon! But no, that was breakfast.

Very different, but enak. :)

My favorite drink in Indonesia for sure is kopi.
I'm "coffeeholic" and here the coffe is AMAZING (and also there are SO MANY kinds!)

Some of the traditional ones: lepet, lambang sari, getuk, bugis... they're all "sweet", but not as sweet as we are used in Brazil. Is like something with gelly (not sure haha).

Another kind of food I loved was one of the weirdest (to Brazilian people): Bubur ketan hitan <3
It's a mix of beens, coconut milk... totally yamy.

The most crazy one, in my opinion, was ice cream and BEANS! I sent the picture to my mother and friends from Brazil and 100% of their reactions were like "WHY ARE THERE BEANS IN YOUR ICE CREAM?" In Brazil we love beans, but we never ever really neeeeever have them like this, in our ice cream and in sweet foos (like bubur). I loved the experience (but one time is enough, haha).

 

One of my favorites, martabak <3 

 

 To finish the food section, the one I had more here: Mie Ayam and bakso :)