Job seeking IS really an adventure

Well, i haven't posted anything for almost a month. The reason is... i'm having another adventure which is... job seeking! Yay!

I'm a workaholic, and seriously think that career is part of my identity. Actually, being jobless really scares me to death. To do something means self actualization for me. It makes me smarter, wiser, stronger. And to stay at home, doing almost nothing, really drives me nuts.

But thanks God... i only experience the process for one month after my arrival :)
(if it take more than that, probably i'll have nerve breakdown :p)

My internship ended on November 14th, and exactly on that day, still in Beijing, i received an e-mail from detik.com told me that i'm invited for an interview on Monday, November 16th.

I was so happy. So, there i went. I passed the user interview, had my first psycho-test, then had my medical check up and HRD interview. I'll start my first job on Monday, December 21st 2009... wish me luck, everyone! ^_^

I'll be the Community Development Officer, so i guess i'll learn a lot from it. More adventures to experience... yay! i'll seriously do my best on this...

Anyway, i'll keep my promise. I'll write more about China. I'm preparing the writings offline since i'm using my parents internet connection now, and they have the quota for this.

I'm also trying to send my report about Beijing to a girl magazine, so hopefully they haven't had the report about this before and they'll publish my report! (finger crossed) Wish me luck again!

Finally, home...

Yep! my internship lasted on the 14th of November 2009
It was kinda sad that i have to go home and leave my friends, school, students... really, what an experience! after two months, everything there started to feel like home for me,, hehe.

I went to the airport with airport shuttle bus (ji zhang ba shi). I recommend this bus, since it's pretty comfortable (kayak prima jasa gt deh), heads straight to the airport in 45 minutes, and only costs you for 16Y. Like this! ^_^

Thanks a lot to Mr. Wang who had taken us to the shuttle bus at 5am in the morning. You're just the best Wang Lao Shi! :D

I arrived in the airport (terminal 2 for Malaysia Airlines) then checked in. For your information, there's no airport tax charged in Beijing International Airport. Huh, i shouldn't have prepared money for that. I could have used the money to buy some other things for me >:D hehehehh

Anyway, i arrived in Jakarta at 7pm. I miss Indonesia! I miss my family! I miss my boyfriend n friends! But i also already miss my friends in Beijing, huhu :(

Now that my internship is over, and one of my biggest dream has fulfilled, i need to say thanks to some people...

My parents... who always support and trust my dream, no matter how crazy and impossible it looks like, the opportunities come because they say "yes" to all my plans! :D

My lil' sista... who helped me with some stuffs while i'm in Beijing, and who always be a good "trash bin" hahahahh

My trainee friends... thanx for the great friendship and memories. You all are so inspiring! i learned a lot from you guys!

AIESEC Indonesia... Jennilie Orlanda, Marlissa Dessy, Yuniandri Ikramina, all OGX team and other guys for the help and support until "match" SPIRIT!

AIESEC UIBE... thanx for the help and service while we're in Beijing :)

Beijing no.9 High School, Mr. Wang, all the teachers, fabulous students... for the hospitality, help, learning, and all the stuffs that make the internship worth it

All my friends, thanx for all the support and prayer ;D

M. Surya Prasetyo, for always be my best friend and for teaching me to be unselfish, xoxo

I still have some stuffs that i want to share about my internship in Beijing, China. I'll post them after this post. Sorry for the lateness and all the disorganized stuff, but i hope you'll enjoy them! ;D

Cheers!

I Eat Donkey!

Well, i didn't really plan to. But that day, Martyna and I missed the lunch due to sleepover. After the English Club, we went to a small restaurant near our school, because previously we saw some of our students eat there.

We wanted to eat noodles, and it turned out that the restaurant served noodles. It's my habit in China to always ask the waiter before i order;
"Zhi shi shenme rou?" (what meat is this?) since i don't eat pork

The waiter told me something, and pointed to this picture that was hung on the wall:

(he says, "my meat is the tastiest!")

...
Yep, it was a Donkey Meat Restaurant

I expected beef, chicken, or something basic like that, but i was also curious how donkey would taste like. It was only 6Y so, we ordered 2 bowls of spicy donkey noodles.

About 10 minutes later, the donkey noodles came. Ta- daaaaaa!!

(huge portion of spicy donkey noodles)

Donkey meat was kinda red, not as delicate as beef, but for my surprise, it tasted okay. It didn't have special smell like sheep meat, so i enjoyed it quite much. I'll think twice to eat it one more time. I just think that donkey is too cute to be eaten. It reminds me to Pinokio, hehehe.

There's a lot of Donkey Restaurant in Beijing. They sell all part of Donkey; meat, inside organs, until eye balls and donkey's "special treasure". This "special treasure" would cost you about 200Y per dish.

(tetep diabisin, laper sih waktu itu ;p)

Temple of Heaven (Tian Tan)

Temple of Heaven is one of the most beautiful place i've visited in Beijing. I went there in 23rd September 2009, when it was still sunny and warm in Beijing. Temple of Heaven located in Chongwen District, and you need to take subway line 5 to Tiantandongmen station.

You need to pay 35Y to get it, and too bad they don't have discount for foreign students. But it was worth it. Temple of Heaven is a really beautiful place, built in a really huge area, and well preserved. Also, it's one of the most important temple in Beijing, and was inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998.


I'll give you more scientific way to explain Temple of Heaven, taken from Wikipedia:

The temple complex was constructed from 1406 to 1420 during the reign of the Yongle Emperor, who was also responsible for the construction of the Forbidden City in Beijing. The complex was extended and renamed Temple of Heaven during the reign of the Jiajing Emperor in the 16th century. The Jiajing Emperor also built three other prominent temples in Beijing, the Temple of Sun in the east (日坛), the Temple of Earth in the north (地坛), and the Temple of Moon in the west (月坛). The Temple of Heaven was renovated in the 18th century under the Qianlong Emperor.

In 1914, Yuan Shih-kai, then President of the Republic of China, performed a Ming prayer ceremony at the temple, as part of an effort to have himself declared Emperor of China.

The Temple grounds covers 2.73 km² of parkland, and comprises three main groups of constructions, all built according to strict philosophical requirements:

• The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests (祈年殿) is a magnificent triple-gabled circular building, 32 metres in diameter and 38 metres tall, built on three levels of marble stone base, where the Emperor prayed for good harvests. The building is completely wooden, with no nails.

• The Imperial Vault of Heaven (皇穹宇) is a single-gabled circular building, built on a single level of marble stone base. It is located south of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and resembles it, but is smaller. It is surrounded by a smooth circular wall, the Echo Wall, that can transmit sounds over large distances. The Imperial Vault is connected to the Hall of Prayer by the Vermilion Steps Bridge, a 360 meter long raised walkway that slowly ascends from the Vault to the Hall of Prayer.

• The Circular Mound Altar (圜丘坛) is the altar proper, located south of the Imperial Vault of Heaven. It is an empty circular platform on three levels of marble stones, where the Emperor prayed for favorable weather. It was built in 1530 by the Jiajing Emperor and rebuilt in 1740.

Ow yep, you're not allowed to get into the temples, because those considered sacred places. They put a barrier in front of the door of the temple and place some guards there. You can take picture from the opened door, and this is how it's inside the temple;


There are also some interesting things in the temple, such as;

• The 70 year old door. This door was built for Qian Long Emperor whose health was falling when he reached the age of 70 year old in 1779. The door was made to make him able to reach the ceremony hall easily. Qian Long ordered only his successor who has reached the age of 70 can use this door. But no Emperor after him reach the age.
  

• Firewood stove. They burned the firewood to worship the heaven during the ancient ceremony.

And many more! haha,, ;D

Seems like Temple of Heaven is a popular place for old people in Beijing. Because i saw a lot of them, did various activities here, like karaoke, play traditional music instrument, exercising, create calligraphy, etc.




You need the whole day to explore Temple of Heaven, and i suggest that you come in a really sunny day, since this temple will show it's most beauty that time. There was a huge area of park with old trees, and it's a really nice place to just sit and relax.


There were some souvenir shops inside the temple area, and i suggest not to buy the souvenirs there, because they're kinda overpriced. I will tell you in another post which places that you need to go to get good souvenirs.

So, i think, Temple of Heaven is a must-visited place. Make sure you go there if you visit Beijing! :D

Foods in Beijing

There are a lot of interesting Chinese foods that you must try in Beijing. Well, actually, China is a good place of culinary lover since Chinese foods are so famous world wide.

I'm soo picky about food. It's not that i only eat certain types of food, because i'm definitely eat everything, but i only consider few types of food to be called "delicious".

I tried quite various kinds of Chinese foods here, so i can give you some must-try foods in Beijing. I've been thinking seriously to make this list, since they should be really good ones. So, here are they; Bon apetite!

1. Hotpot. It's really popular in Beijing, especially in winter. The concept is that you put meats, vegetables, tofu, etc, into a big pot with a boiling seasoned water inside and gas stove underneath. The aim is to make the food always warm. Please put attention to only choose hotpot in a fancy restaurant :p, i don't mean to be lavish, but i've eaten hotpot in a small restaurant (cost 35Y per person, located in Shaoyaouju), and it was disgusting. The soup was tasteless, so were the meat, vegetables, and other stuff. The sauces tasted awful. But then, i went to a fancy hotpot restaurant (cost more than 300Y for 4 people, treated by Mr. Wang ;D) and it was amazing. They put a lot of delicious mushroom and herbs into the soup so it had rich flavor, and was really delicious. The meats and vegetables were fresh, the sauces were great. Plus, they served it with delicious dumplings, stuffed buns, soy milk, and durian cake as desert. It was just amazing (apalagi gratis, mak nyuuss!)
2. Roasted Duck. For sure... Beijing Duck is really famous, world wide. Actually, until this note is written, i haven't been tasted a Beijing Roasted duck heheheheu. Well, it's so expensive for me. The whole part of the duck may cost you 200- 300Y. But still, i put it on the list since it's really famous. You can find many roasted duck restaurant all around Beijing. Have a try!
3. Dumpling. Or jiao zi. If you manage to find good, fresh, dumpling, it would be heavenly! Moreover, dumpling is the traditional food of Chinese. They used to make it at home during some festivals. I had dumpling stuffed with duck meat in a duck restaurant near Temple of Heaven, and it was really good (it's good if it's still juicy inside). Dumplings are not expensive. I paid about 26Y for a portion of really good, fresh dumpling.
4. Caramelized Fruit. Probably, if i have a chance, i'll start to sell this in Jl. Dago hehehe. Caramelized fruit is my favorite snack. They put various fruits in a long stick, usually grapes, oranges, mulberry, banana, kiwi, strawberry, apple, but sometimes they also put cherry tomatoes. You can find it sold by sreet vendors all around Beijing for 2-4Y, yum!
5. Insects. Well, i mean, when and where again you will try barbequed insects? you can find it in Wangfujing Food Street. They sell scorpions, caterpillars, grasshoppers, and many more. The basic taste of the insects is crunchy, and a little bit juicy for scorpion. They might look disgusting, but they don't have really annoying taste, just give it a try! The price starts from 20Y per stick.

To try new foods is always a huge interesting part of traveling. Just free your self a little bit and let your appetite decide. The best cure for bad mood is tasty food. But also aware of food poisoning, make sure that you don't have any allergy of certain food and always bring medicine for stomachache and food poisoning with you.

Enjoy! :D

Beijing no.9 High School

ESD trainees were divided into several different schools in which they're gonna teach about Sustainable Development, and arrange some other activities.

Jarek, Viola and Nguyet were sent to Da Lian
Frank and Mira went to Xi'an
Carey went to Hadian (something) International School (aduh maap lupa, tar gw tanya lg >.<) Putu, Ky, Fani and Dom went to Camford Royal High School Slava, Martyna and Me went to Beijing no.9 High School I'm so proud with my school, i love it really much. First, because it was built in a really huge area (it might be weird, but i always like school with huge yards ;p), second, it has really cool facilities such as indoor-olympic-size swimming pool, acrobat class, indoor basketball courts (about 6), football yard, and so on, third, people are extremely nice here, especially Mr. Wang, our supervisor, they are so friendly and helpful, fourth, it's one of the best high school in Beijing with a lot of achievements.

(front side of Beijing no.9 High School)

Built in 1946, Beijing no.9 High School is a key high school as well as exemplary high school in Beijing. Covering an area of 57.000 square meters and floor space of 30.000 square meters, Beijing no.9 High School is well designed with an attractive layout and possesses the advanced teaching facilities. It consists of a teaching building, a lab building, a library, a gymnasium, two dining halls as well as a standard playground with 400m racetracks, which provide modern learning environments for the students here. 70% of the teachers in the school hold a Master's degree. In the aspect of students, large quantities of students are admitted to the key universities every year and the admission rate of the graduates maintains the level of 100%.

(classrooms building)

(the students)

Concept
The school is always for the development of students and teachers, trying to promote democracy and always put people's right in the first place.

Objectives
We are trying our best to build the school to be renowned one domestically and abroad with high quality and specialty

Goal
We are educating our students to be physically and psychologically healthy, helping them master special skills and ability so that they can develop in an all around way.

(The library)

(the dorm)

The gymnasium has all kinds of advanced equipment. The library can hold 500 people, where students can search and read on line. In addition, all the classrooms are equipped with such fasilities as a liquid crystal display projector, a computer connected to internet, and so on. The dorminotories are tidy and bright, each of which has an air conditioner.

(the gymnasium)

(indoor swimming pool)

(sport yard)

(Text taken from Promotion Book of Beijing no.9 High School)

(Me and the school sport yard)

60th Anniversary of Chinese Republic

Umm,, i'm sorry, i should've written about this huge event earlier.

But anyway, i'm such a lucky person to be in Beijing and witness this anniversary. It was held in the 1st of October 2009, and they've prepared this celebration since months before. They need a lot of time, because this celebration is a way for Chinese people to give the proof to their elder people that China has grown into a huge country. Also, because this celebration included the army forces, artists (singers, dancers, acrobatic players, martial art players, etc), athletes, important people from the government (including China President, Hu Jin Tao, himself).

(Chinese flags were everywhere)

As we all know, Beijing was the host of Olympic Games 2008. It was huge, rite? and for Chinese people, this 60th celebration is even more important than the Olympic Games. Because, it's about their country, their pride, achievements, and identity. They were really devoted for this event. Since September 2009, i've seen a lot of Chinese people, young and old, wearing red cloth in their sleeves, helped to maintain the security. They are the Chinese Volunteer, and yep, they're not paid for this. They were just proud to do this for their country. For this case, i have to say that i admire their nationalism and loyalty to their country.

(They secured and sterilized the roads)

Day October 1st 2009, they had a celebration in Tian'anmen Square. The army forces marched and there were internal events for the govermental and military officers. They closed many subway stations and big roads around Tian'anmen, since they needed to move big equipments for the big celebration party in Tian'anmen at night.

The night celebration was closed for public. Only important people from the government, army, education institution, former soldiers, teacher and some other (lucky) representatives can join the celebration. It was broadcasted widely on TV, so most Chinese people stayed at home with their family and watched TV. The celebration was totally awesome. You can see here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOxGc0Ye7mw

But i didn't want to stay at home and watch TV! they had fireworks party, for God sake! and it was the biggest fireworks party in China history, and the biggest in the world at the moment. Since i'm soooooo into fireworks, i managed to go out at night with Putu, Ky, Martyna and Coby to see the fireworks. We found a pretty good place near Beijing Railway Station where a lot of people also gathered to watch the fireworks.

(Ky, me and Putu watched the fireworks)

It was great to be the witness of something historical. The fireworks were great, Chinese people really had invented some cool shaped fireworks. I saw some shapes that i never seen before. I just love fireworks a ton! I also felt the excitement of people. They were shouting something like, "Great man Mao!", they were really appreciate their hero and always remember him.

(the situation in which we watched the fireworks)

Here are some fireworks that i saw (pictures taken by Martyna):

How to Survive Winter (for tropical people :D)

Yippieeee!! it's winter in Beijing!
...
brr.

Heheu, it's my first winter. Like i've told you before, i had my first snow. But, winter is not just about cute stuff like snow, it's also about 0 until -4 degree celcius of temperature, and yet they still haven't turn on the heater until this note is written.

(my school during winter)

For me, winter is also about survival heheu. For the first time of my life, i feel so damn cold. While writing this note, i sit under my blanket and coat. Actually, people's rate of tolerance to cold weather is really vary; depends on environment, health condition, (probably) body mass, etc.

But, i'm a petite girl with not so many flesh attached to my bones, plus, i spent almost all my last 4 years in Jatinangor, which daily average temperature is about 27 degree celcius. And now, i'm experiencing under 5, 0, until -4 degree celcius. Well, in Indonesia, i only find this kind of temperature inside my fridge.

But, i can tell you how to survive this freezing temperature, first, here are some fashion tips;

(my winter style)

1. Wear multiple clothes under your coat. I used to wear tank-top, t-shirt, long sleeve t-shirt, sweater, jacket/blazer, and finally winter coat. Only with this kind of combination, i can feel a bit warm. Ow yeah,, make sure you have really thick winter coat with you.
   
2. Wear double scarf. I recommend one of them made from wool. Just to make it fashionable, try to match both scarfs with your coat. They sell cute scarfs for only 10Y- 20Y in shopping places. Such a fun.
   
3. Wear tights/ legging under your jeans/ throusers. Believe me, it helps a lot.
   
4. Own a pair of glove. Choose ones with a layer inside, cause it'll be warmer.
   
5. Own a pair of boot. I suggest the material is from leather or any other hard material, because they won't absorb water. Mine is velvet and i still have some water inside my boots when it's really wet.
   
6. Own a hat. It's really cold when your ears are exposed. They sell various hats here, my favorite is beanie because it's warm and fashionable. If you don't like hat, you can use the hood in your coat.
   
7. Wear socks, anywhere, anytime, except for bathroom for sure.
   
8. Recommendation from my friends; head, hands, and feets are parts of your body that will lose the body temperature easiest. So, make sure all of them are covered.

(say BRRRR)

And any other tips...

1. Take subway; it will be a lot warmer inside the subway,, hehehe
   
2. Eat, eat a lot! especially carbs. Carbs produce energy and energy produce body heat
3. Drink a lot of water to hydrate yourself, because your skin will be really dry during this time
   
4. Don't take shower with cold water, u'll freeze at the time
   
5. Keep coffee, tea, or chocolate in your room. So, you always ready everytime you need hot drinks! :D
   
6. Avoid parks; it will be super freakin cold there
7. Be careful when you step on ice caps on the ground. I slipped once last week and i still have some bruises in my a** >.<

So, that's all from me! i enjoy this winter since it's a part of my adventure, and i'm glad that i'm given the opportunity to experience this :D

AIESEC GIP Testimony

I was asked to make a testimony about my internship in Beijing, China, as the part of AIESEC Global Internship Program's promotion. Momon, the current VP Comm of AIESEC LC Bandung said that they're gonna make a poster of me :D (yeah, i'm THAT famous lol)

So, here's my testimony:
"It was September 2009, when i took Development Traineeship and joined the "Education for Sustainable Development" Program also known as "Hello China" Project in Beijing, China, for two months. It was the biggest project in China, and i was so proud and happy to be part of it.

It was just great. Development Traineeship is a really good way to develop your creativity and proactiveness. I was working in Beijing no.9 Middle School, educated the students about sustainable development and arranged some English activities for them. Every week, me and my friends developed creative ways to campaign the issue in such fun way.

The whole team of this project consisted of 13 people from 8 countries. I was working in the same school with two girls from Russia and Poland. Working in such international environment helped me to develop my horizons and soft skills in communication; trained me to have broad international mind and to be tolerant and flexible.

AIESEC GIP has helped me to develop not only my professional skills but also my personal skills. I found more about my self during this internship and i thank AIESEC for that. To know more about my experience you can check my blog in www.meandmylittleadventure.blogspot.com"

Keep Holding On

"Keep Holding On"
by: Avril Lavigne

You're not alone
Together we stand
I'll be by your side, you know I'll take your hand
When it gets cold
And it feels like the end
There's no place to go
You know I won't give in
No I won't give in

Keep holding on
'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through
Just stay strong
'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you
There's nothing you could say
Nothing you could do
There's no other way when it comes to the truth
So keep holding on
'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through

So far away
I wish you were here
Before it's too late, this could all disappear
Before the doors close
And it comes to an end
With you by my side I will fight and defend
I'll fight and defend
Yeah, yeah

Keep holding on
'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through
Just stay strong
'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you
There's nothing you could say
Nothing you could do
There's no other way when it comes to the truth
So keep holding on
'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through

Hear me when I say, when I say I believe
Nothing's gonna change, nothing's gonna change destiny
Whatever's meant to be will work out perfectly
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

La da da da
La da da da
La da da da da da da da da

Keep holding on
'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through
Just stay strong
'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you
There's nothing you could say
Nothing you could do
There's no other way when it comes to the truth
So keep holding on
'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through

Keep holding on
Keep holding on

There's nothing you could say
Nothing you could do
There's no other way when it comes to the truth
So keep holding on
'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through

My Trainee Friends

(ESD training)

This autumn, we have 13 trainees working for Sustainable Development issue. These 13 trainees come from 8 different countries. We attended the same training in the 4 first days in B&B Inn, Shaoyaouju District.

I really like all my trainee friends. I can simply say that we are so different, but we get along really well. We made friends, and really enjoyed spending the time together. For me, they are really inspiring people. I can just learn something for each of them, too bad that some of them have to go other city for internship and i can't meet them again.

But I can introduce you to my friends ^_^ here are they;

(le-ri: Frank, Slava, Fany, Ky, Putu, Dominic, Martyna, Mira, Me)

The picture was made in a restaurant near the Beijing Zoo. I don't know the name of the restaurant since it was written in Chinese, but the foods are great and pretty cheap.

Okay, start from left side...

• Frank Bosman: He's from Netherlands. He is working in Xi'an, that's why I don't see him a lot. But once he was coming to Beijing and we went to the zoo together.
• Slava: She's from Russia and she's working in the same school as me, Beijing no.9 Middle School. She's pretty, sexy, fashionable, really nice, and she's a great dancer... but sorry guys, she's married :D. She has Chinese grand-grand father and she really loves to shop.
  
• Fany: She's Indonesian. She's from Jakarta but she is now studying in Malang. She was working in Beijing Royal Camford School. She finished her internship earlier and now she has already returned to Indonesia.
  
• Ky: Her full name is Tu Manh Ky and she comes from Vietnam. She has really unique accent and she's pretty quiet. She is working in Beijing Royal Camford School.
  
• Putu: She also comes from Bandung Indonesia. We took the same flight and we're gossiping about everything :D. She's working in Beijing Royal Camford School. She's an accountant and this internship is actually a time for her to have fun before she start her job.
  
• Dominic: Or Ho Joon Jang. For me, it seems like he has 3 nationalities; Korean, American, and Japanese. He's studying in Waseda University, Japan, grown in US, but he's actually a Korean. Eventough he's Asian, his English is flawless. He works together with Putu.
  
• Martyna: She's my roomate in Beijing no.9 Middle School. She studies Philosophy and Politics, and she's really smart and nice. She has broad knowledge about world's important events and people. She's interested at Chinese culture and art. She also speaks Chinese.
  
• Mira: She comes from Germany, and she was working in Xi'an. She finished her internship earlier because she needs to take a test in her university. She had bad experience in Beijing when somebody exchange her 100Y money into fake one, poor Mira :(
• Well, that's me ;D
  

I have some other friends...

(le-ri: Aaron, Dom, Carey, Michelle, Me, Martyna, Chris)

The picture was taken in bar 9.9 in Sanlitun. Sanlitun is a bar street where you can find various bars, clubs, etc. It's the place where the foreigners gather and have fun.

Okay, start from the left side...

• Aaron: He lives in Australia, but he's actually Malaysian, so he can speak some words similar as Indonesian. He attended the training but actually he's doing the Education Traineeship, because he teachs English and he's paid for that. He's an AIESECer.
  
• Dom again
• Carey: She comes from Canada and she's working in the same school as Aaron. Carey is really pretty and sweet. She had pretty tight schedule with her school but finally she managed to arrange some payment with such schedule.
  
• Michelle: She's a funky mama :D Michelle comes from Canada and she's teaching in the same school with Aaron and Carey.
  
• Me again
• Martyna again
  
• Chris: He comes from US and he has already returned to US. Chris is really nice and friendly. He wanted to be called "Mr. Ganteng" but always ended up call himself "Mr. Gentong" wkwkwk >.<

(le-ri: me, Putu, Jarek, Viola)

• Jarek: He comes from Poland and i only meet him during the training because he was working in Da Lian. He's Viola's boyfriend.
  
• Viola: She comes from Poland and she was also working in Da Lian with Jarek. Viola and Jarek have been together for 7 years and they're probably the cutest couple i ever met.
  

(le-ri: Me, Nguyet, Putu, Carey)

• Nguyet: She comes from Vietnam and she was an English teacher in Vietnam. She was working in Da Lian.
  

Owkay,, actually, i made quite a lot of friend here but i don't have their pictures. Maybe i will tell you about them in other note.

I really learn a lot from my friends here. My impression about them are; nice, open minded and educated. Really, most of my friends are really smart; they read a lot of book and have their own statements about world issues and so on. Also, i used to think that my English is pretty good, but my friends, they speak perfect English, eventough for some of them English is not native language. I'm encouraged to fix my English here. Now, I can use grammar better than before.

To work in such hetero environment like this train me to be open minded and flexible; as well as be strict to my own personal limit. The most obvious character of my friends is that they really have big curiosity, they dare themselves to learn and try new things, and they always try to find proper information about everything. That's awesome for me.

All i can say when you need to mingle in such international environment, you have to be extrovert, open minded but also culturally sensitive. Remember that each of you come from different places and have different culture. What's good and funny for you could be different for them. It's really a huge fun to be the part of this team, i learn a lot, and i really like them :D

The Miraculous Snow

Normally, snow falls in China in December.

So, i didn't really hope that i would see the snow in Beijing, even though now is atumn- winter season. But honestly, i really wanted to see the snow. I've seen it only in TV and it was always pretty and interesting. I've never seen real snow in my life.

It was the 29th on October when Slava said to me, "Hey you know? you will see the snow. It'll be snowy two days later". I was so excited, but some people told me that this is too early for snow, and probably there will be only a little bit snow, and it'll melt rapidly. So, still, i didn't really hope.

But in the 1st of November, after Halloween Party, i felt so cold. I check the yard from the window, and it was all white! yet the snow was falling quite hard. It was so beautiful, just amazing, as i always thought. From now on, snow is one of my favorite things.



When we were out for lunch (Me, Martyna, Slava, Putu, Ky, Michelle, Dom, Aaron and Dennis), there was a lot of snow on the street. We threw snow balls to each other, and i touched the snow; it was really delicate and nice. Snow is awesome.

I felt pretty bad the night before this "snowy day". I thought about some other things; my failed trial, how the world seems not working in a proper way for me, how i feel to be treated unfairly by fate, some bad things that i think i don't deserve... and so on.

I felt a message sent to me through this snow. It was like a present for me, not to be sad, not to lose the hope, because if God intend, anything, even something that you think impossible, will happen anyway. Because logically, i won't be able to see this snow, but suddenly it comes in the beginning of November in Beijing, it was kinda weird for everyone.


I felt like the snow was sent specially to me ;p. I'm having pretty bad time and i'm pretty sad, but i'm not gonna give up. If God able to send this snow miraculosly to Beijing while i'm here, God must also be able to grant my little simple wish. I shouldn't stop believing.

Trick or Treat!

(Creepy Jack O' Lantern)

I never had a Halloween Party before. It's not something popular in Indonesia. But we got the invitation to celebrate Halloween at Aaron's house. It was pretty interesting for me; because i haven't been in a Halloween party, or a House party. Again i say, both of them are not popular in my country.

It was October 31st evening when i finally decide my Halloween costume. I had a dress and black tights, then i found a mouse-ear headband. So, i would be Minnie Mouse. It was easy, simple, and obvious. Plus, this headband only cost me 8Y, i found it in Pingguoyuan.

(A widow, walking dead (?), 70s girl, and Minnie Mouse)

When we arrived at Aaron's there was a lot of people that i don't know. Most of them foreigners, they come from different countries, and they were in Beijing for internship as well. For my surprise, some people dressed really seriously; i met a SWAT guy, a really scary corpse bride, a hot mama, and so on. Our friend, Michelle, who stayed in the same house with Aaron, decorated the house pretty nicely. Well, at least they had some pumpkin lanterns, cute fake spiders, and so on.

(Bathroom party)

I'm not sure... but maybe there were more than 30 people attended the party. What i like from house party is that it's a really good way to know people. When you're mingling and having fun, it's really easy to open up and create relations. I also learned that some people would be really weird when they're drunk, or high. Thankfully, they had a lot of juice and soft drinks, so, it was still great for me.

(She's creepy, isn't she?)

I had quite a lot of fun. They had pretty nice music to dance, i met a lot of new people, learned something, and finally found a couch and thick blanket to sleep when i already tired. I shared the couch and blanket with Martyna and Slava.

Sure there were stuffs that i like and dislike about partying, but as long as you're being open minded, and realizing your limit, you will survive and learn something anyway.

(me and my costume :D)