Hi everyone! I'm sorry for didn't post anything for the past months. It was a looooong story behind my lateness. Well, actually my lapy was broken before, so it was difficult for me to post it since I also busy with my schedule in college. But, I will make it now :).
By the way, I joined AIESEC program last winter, yes last February. What is AIESEC actually? It's a International Non-governmental Organization that focus on potential leadership of young people by doing exchange. So excited when I'm accepted as the member and able to did exchange.
I chose Hodiya project, which is teaching project in Sri Lanka. It was fun, it was amazing. I was a teacher assistant in school. I helped teacher for watching the children, helping children to do teacher's command, and so on and so far. Never imagine that my dream to be a teacher can be achieved in this project. Actually, I wanted to be a teacher before, but I don't choose education as my major in college. Why? That's a long story, let's skip that part.
So, I went to Sri Lanka on 2nd of February 2015 and spent a month in Sri Lanka. In the very first day, Charith and Iraj picked me up in Bandaranaike International Airport. Lucky me, there was also another EP who came in Sri Lanka in the same day with me, her name is Annie. Fortunately, there was also Elephant Festvival in that day. Charith and Iraj asked us to saw the festival, because it would not happen everyday and we said yes.
I was so excited in that time, so I forgot my tired. Ahhh, still can't believe I was there :). Then, we met other EPs there.
I was there for the perfect time, cause the day after tomorrow was a Sri Lanka Independence day. So, school was on holiday, then I can took a rest for a while after some hours flight. Having had a enjoy time, I strolled around Colombo city also. That's good, feel the atmosphere of the old city since there are many old buildings.
Okay, next chapter, here the photos of Independence day in school, check it out
Indeed, the national uniform is the white uniform. Not only for national uniform, since Sri Lanka is one of the Buddhist country, people used to wear that uniform when they go to temple.
My daily life in Sri Lanka was I worked Monday-Friday and I have free time after 12 o'clock. Here are my daily life.
We usually took a lunch after went to school or bought something. My favorite place to eat is Perera's and Sons. Almost everyday also I ate rice and curry, the traditional food of Sri Lanka. Oh, you have to taste kottu and also hoppes when you are in Sri Lanka, highly recommended!
Then, in other side I have holiday on weekend, so I tried to went to around Sri Lanka, but then a month is not enough to explore all. In the first week I went to Galle in the south of Sri Lanka, that was nice. It's about the old town, Dutch town, yeah, in the past, many foreigners from Dutch lived there. Surprisingly, the town wiped out in the tsunami 2004, but the government built it up and the atmosphere still a Dutch old town. Cool!
The first week was sooo excited, and the following weeks I can't deny that I missed home. I missed my mom, my sister, my family, my friends. Almost everyday I called my family or my friends from international call or from Line. I remembered the first time I called my mom, she was speechless and was confuse. Just imagine your daughter go aboard then you get call from her, hahaha. In my project, there was no Indonesian, but me. Okay, but I didn't have to complain about it, but just let it flow. Yeah, lucky me I have home-mates *sounds weird, huh* that really cheer me up.
I also traveled to Sigiriya the big rock which ancient people lived there before, Dambula the place where the biggest Buddha statue is there, and many temples in heritage triangle.
Dambulla Temple
Sigiriya
After that, the next week I went to Hourton Plants in Nuwara Eliya and also Kandy. Both of the places are located in the middle of Sri Lanka. It was nice to be in the hills and feel the cold air since in Colombo was really hot. My favorite place goes to this trip. Yeah, in Hourton Plants I walked to the place I never seen in my country. The plants seem not really usual. Kate, my friend from Germany told me that it was like in Europe. And here also World's End which the 'must to go place' when you are in Sri Lanka. It's the deep ravine in the world probably.
Hourton Plants
I think Kandy is also unique, it has lake as city center. I like it, when the city is like cavity when the beautiful lake is in the middle. Not like in the Nuwara Eliya which really cold, in Kandy, the temperature is really affordable, not cold and not hot also. Kandy is really well-known with the Temple of Tooth Relic, it said that the Buddha's tooth is there to be saved. Interesting!
Last but not least, thank you for the amazing memories in there, Sri Lanka. This experience not only having fun with children, not only teaching, not only having vacation, but more than that. It gave me many lesson of life, about patience, friendship, also family. I met many inspiring people with inspiring stories and that's the most important thing about this journey.
Gonna miss them, Ama, Aka, Aci, Annie, Anthea, Cindy, Maggie, Thais, Charith, Iraj, Kate, Miriam, Ryan, and others. Thank you for everything.