My Holiday Experience in Jogjakarta by Aryandianti B. Putri

1 year ago, me and my familIy went to Yogyakarta. We visited many places there.

First, we visited Prambanan Temple. Prambanan temple was a beautiful temple. We took some photos there. After that, we went to Gembira Loka zoo. We saw many kinds of animals there such as tiger, snakes collection, butterfly collections, etc. We looked around in that Zoo, and also took pictures of those animals. After from gembira loka zoo  we went to hotel to take a rest.

In the next day, we went to Siung beach. Siung beach was very beautiful. I played the white sands, i saw some people practiced rock climbing there. Siung beach was in Gunung Kidul, about 2 hours from the center of Jogjakarta. I played for some hours until i felt tired and decided to go back to our car. After that, we went to malioboro to buy some souvenirs. Malioboro was about 30 minutes from our hotel. Malioboro is a busy street, there were many sellers who sold many kinds of souvenirs. Then, we felt hungry, so we went to a Chinese restaurant. After we finished our dinner, we decided to go home. 

For me, that was a good moment because I could spend my time with my family. We really enjoyed it.

Untitled by Cliff Dewanto

A month ago, me and 4 friends of mine were having a vacation at Bandung. We stayed there for 2 days and 1 night. We departed from Jakarta on Friday at 10 o'clock in the morning and arrived at Bandung at around 1 or 2 o'clock. When we got there, we went to our house to put our bags and had a little rest. Then we went to a restaurant called "Kingsley" to had our lunch. After that we went to an internet cafe to played some games for couple hours. Then we went to Paris Van Java mall to had our dinner and to met our other friends. We picked a restaurant called "Bulls Wing Factory" for our dinner. After we had our dinner and met our friends, we went back to our house to had our sleep.

The next day, we went to a store named "Arena Experience) to went shopping. Then we went back to Jakarta and arrived at 8 pm.

Untitled by Raihan Aufareza

Last Saturday i went to Bandung with my friends. We went to Bandung to watch Lala Festival. On Saturday morning, precisely 3 AM we took off on a rented car with 9 of my friends. The journey started, first we stopped at a nearby convenience store and bought some snacks and aqua. Then we hit the road to Bandung. The journey was quite pleasant, it was filled with jokes and songs which i thought was pretty fun. After 3 hours in the car we finally reached my friend's grandmom's house. After arrival we put our bags down and got ready to go again because the festival was gonna open gates. Since me and my friends had the early entry tickets we had to come since the gate opening or we would get extra fee. So when we arrived at the venue we traded our tickets for wristbands and entered the venue. The venue looked great, we were happy we finally made it there.  Not long after, it rained heavily. My clothes got wet but then i got a ponco. The rain lasted for 3 hours. After the rain cleared the event went on until 1 AM the next day. It was a fun day for me despite all the disappointments, because for me friendship makes everything better.

Untitled by Luthfi Arya

On my last holiday me and my family went to Singapore we just went there to take a break from our daily lives. Me and my family went to the airport at 2 in the morning because our flight departed at 6 a.m. On the airport we waited hours and hours until the boarding gate has finally open.after the gate has open me and my family quickly board the airplane and our seat accidentally got switch with the other passenger behind us it was quiet funny because they really thought that their seat match like that in the ticket but… it was handle by the stewardess immediately and not long after that we took off.

After the plane took off a, I watched a movie that I cant recall what its called, and then I played some music like rihannas, adeles,tbc. The flight was quiet smooth actually until the plane enter a very dark cloud then everything stars shaking it was quiet a turbulence after the turbulence over our plane landed in runway 16 of Changi international airport then I went straight to the bathroom after that we exit the arrival area of the airport.

After we exited the arrival area, we went straight to the mrt and quickly found our hotel it was very much near from the mrt station just a short 3 minutes walk. Then we checked in and got our room number if I remember it correctly it was room 1709 it was the second highest floor in the hotel the top floor is used for a skybar or something.

After we are done unpacking all of our stuff we went shopping to a nearby mall I think it was paragon mall I just looked and wander around the mall as my family shops actually I quiet enjoy visiting new mall so I can see some new stores it was actually quiet refreshing. After we all got tired from shopping we went back to the hotel and rest until the very next morning.

In the morning, we woke up early and had breakfast. The hotel got 2 breakfast restaurant the one with halal food food and of course the other is serving non halal food. Obviously I chose the halal restaurant. The meal was actually quite good a lot of choices of food are available.

The next day. we took some pictures we went to marina bay sand area it has definitely the best mall so far that I have seen in Singapore. And it was right went the formula 1 race begun.

Then we went to get a lunch I saw a Gordon ramsey restaurant its called bread street or something I really thought it was delicious because it was the ramseys restaurant I meant but the food was ok not that good obviously but not so bad either.

Not soon after that we went back to our hotel, we got some rest and prepare for tomorrow since its already 3 days we visit Singapore. I have quiet a nice time in this city.After we got to the hotel, we immediately pack up our luggage and bags, because we need to leave soon for the flight. After checking out, we went to the airport. At the airport, after checking in and getting our luggages checked into the aircraft, we went to the waiting area to had dinner. The Airline we flew with was Singapore airlines.

After the 1 and a half hour flight we have safely arrives in jakarta my father pick me and the rest of my family from the airport since my father didn’t come with us for some reason. And I guess that’s the story thank you for listening.

Short Trip to Yogyakarta by Awalia Ariyanti

Last Friday, me and my family went to Yogyakarta. We went there because of my father’s college reunion. We arrived at 14.40 PM. Then we headed to eat Soto Kadipiro. The driver said that the first and famous Soto Kadipiro closed at 12 PM. So, we just went to another Soto Kadipiro. After that, we went to the hotel to check-in and rest. Our hotel is located in Malioboro. We didn’t do much on the first day. Late that night, while my father met up with his friends, we ate Sate Klatak. After that, we went to The House of Raminten, it’s really a cozy place. Then, we headed back to the hotel.

On the second day, i woke up because the sound of TV. Then, we headed out for breakfast. Later that day, me and my twin went to Goa Pindul, Gunung Kidul. My father can’t accompany me because of the reunion. There is no traffic jam and the trip only took 1 hour. After changing clothes, we waited for our names to be called to get the life vest. Not so long after our name get called, we headed to Goa Pindul by walking with 5 other visitors. On Goa Pindul, we have to sit on a tire that are being linked to another tire and the guide will push us. I can’t hear much about the information from the guide because it’s noisy inside. When it’s near the exit, me and my twin realized that our tires aren’t connected from the others. So we waited the others a long time on outside and there’s someone who asked us why we are alone and he’s laughing at us with his friends, so i just ignore them.

Then, we went back to Yogyakarta. Our next destination is Taman Sari. But, when we went there it’s already closed. Luckily, the driver know the way from the back and he even told the stories. So, we still can enjoy Taman Sari and the building near Taman Sari. Then, we went to Gudeg Mbarek Amad because we haven’t had lunch and the Malioboro Street’s closed due toa Festival .

After that, we went back to the hotel to clean up and rest. We only spent 1 hour on the hotel, then we headed outside. Our plan is to go to De Mata Trick Eye Museum, but it’s closed too, we actually went there at 8 PM when in the internet told us it close at 10 PM. Still feeling exhausted from today, my father decided to just buy Monalisa Burger, i always went here when in Yogyakarta. Then, we headed back to the hotel.

On the last day, my father woke me up at 7 AM. Like the other day, we headed out for breakfast. After checking out from the hotel, we went to the famous Soto Kadipiro.It’s still 9 AM and the place is already crowded.Then, we went to Gudeg Yu Djum, it’s a popular gudeg spot. There, we just bought the Gudeg for our families in Jakarta. Later, we headed to my father’s home when he’s in college. When in there, my father talked with the owner house for a long time. After we said goodbye to the family, we headed to Upside Down Museum. It’s a really unique museum because everything in there was placed Upside Down. We took a lot photos there. Then, we went to buy souvenirs. After packing the souvenirs, we headed to Airport. We arrived back to Jakarta at 15.30 PM.

My Holiday Experience by M. Faqih A.

On Friday, 28th of October, my family and i went to Bali. We went there because my aunt was having her marriage ceremony and wedding party there. We went to the airport early because we had the morning flight. On the airport, we met my cousin’s family and my aunt. Then we proceed to the counter to get our luggage checked into the airplane. After that, we went to the gate and waited to board. We went using Air Asia, and it had slight delays due to air traffic. The good thing was after the plane arrived and the boarding gate opened, my family could enter first because my mom is ill, so we could enter the plane first. After all the passenger boarded the plane, the plane doors were closed and we prepare for take off.

After the plane took off and in the cruising altitude, I took my homework and did it on the flight, i decided to carry some of my homework with me to Bali because I had so much of it, and decided to do some of it on the trip. We also had breakfast on the airplane, my family ate chicken rice but I ate cup ramen instead because it’s cheaper and faster. After an hour of flight, our plane was nearing Bali. The view was quite nice, and the sky was clear so I could take some good pictures. After that we landed on the airport and took our luggage, and exited the arrival area.

After we exited the arrival area, we met with my aunt and we rode the the hotel’s minibus to the hotel. We stayed at Nusa Dua, in the Grand Whiz hotel. After we arrived, we checked in and went to our room. My family was split up in two room, I was supposed to stay with my dad and my brother, but because my mom needed assistance I stayed with her, my sister, and my youngest brother instead. After arriving and doing prayers, I had lunch and did a small part of my homework. But because I felt tired I decided to stop working and sleep, because the two bed on the room were used by my sister and my brother, I slept on the floor with my bag as a makeshift pillow.

The next thing I know was it’s already dark, and the room is very dark. Apparently, I slept through until 6 PM, without my mom waking me up, and my family went with my cousin to see the sunset at Jimbaran without me. Feeling quite dissapointed because I wanted to see the sunset as well, I stayed at the room in the dark instead, waiting until my family finished dining. After they finished, they went back to the hotel, then went outside again with me to buy some food to eat later, we went and bought fast food and then went back to the hotel. After we went back, I continued to work on my homework, then watched the last episode of Band of Brothers while eating midnight dinner, and slept at around 3 AM.

In the morning, we woke up early and had breakfast. The good thing about the breakfast was that there’s no non-halal food on the buffet, and it’s quite comforting. The breakfast was standard, and I didn’t eat a lot of it. After we had breakfast, we prepared to went to some locations.

The thing about Nusa Dua is although the place is quiet, not much traffic, and quite relaxing, it is located quite far from many destinations to visit, so we had to travel for a long time to reach our destination. We went to Kintamani and saw Lake Batur. The view was breathtaking, although it was very hot that day. After we took some pictures we went to a higher point in a café to see from a better vantage point, and took more pictures while taking a break from sitting in the car. After that we went back to our car and went to our way.

Our next destination was lunch because it was 3 PM and we haven’t eaten anything yet. My cousin wanted Taliwang Chicken so we went to Kuta to eat at Taliwang Bersaudara Restaurant at Kuta that serve good Taliwang Chicken. After we arrived we immediately order the chicken and other dishes. What I liked the most was the fried chicken. It’s a small whole chicken deep friend, and it’s crunchy and light, kinda felt like a light snack. The chilli was also spicy and delicious, and I liked the tofu as well. After we ate we did prayer in a mosque near it, the area in Kuta the restaurant is in is populated by muslim in quite a huge number, and they built a mosque here, one of the few mosques we saw on our trip. After that we went back to our hotel.

After we went back to our hotel, we immediately prepared for the wedding party. We wore our suit and tie, and then went to the party. The party was in the private beach near the hotel, and it’s a gala dinner with designated seating. I enjoyed it very much, but most of the time I need to take care of my youngest brother, and that involved chasing him quite much, which was quite tiring, especially in a suit. At some point in the party, there was a firework display from a party beside us, and it was beautiful. After a couple hours, the party finished.

Before going back to the hotel, my family and my cousin decided to go to KU DE TA, a bar & lounge located in front of the beach in Kuta. It took a while to get there due to the distance, and there’s quite a traffic. The good thing was when we arrived it’s not as crowded as usual, especially for a Saturday night. What I liked the most about KU DE TA was there was a lot of sofabed that are placed in view of the beach, and we could enjoy beverages while relaxing and it felt comfortable. We stayed there for an hour, and after that we went back to the hotel.

After we reached the hotel, we went to our room, and I set up myself to continue my homework. But my sister was hungry so we ordered fast food delivery, and I had to wait for about half an hour in a quiet hotel lobby, but the food was good so it’s worth it. After I and my sister ate the food, I continued work and slept at 3 AM again.

In the morning, I didn’t had breakfast because I don’t felt hungry, and after my family had breakfast we went to a beach. We went there to take a submarine ride to see the reef. It was very beautiful, there was a lot of fishes that we could see, and a shipwreck. After the ride, we had lunch at the place. We planned to do banana boat as well, but due to time limitations we didn’t do it. After that we went back to the direction of our hotel.

Before we get to the hotel, we went to a shop to buy gifts for my friends, and my family. After that we went back to the hotel.

After we got to the hotel, we immediately pack up our luggage and bags, because we need to leave soon for the flight. After checking out, we went to the airport. At the airport, after checking in and getting our luggages checked into the aircraft, we went to the waiting area to had dinner. The Airline we flew with was Sriwijaya air. There was a delay on the flight due to air traffic, so we ate without hurry. After a while the airplane is ready, and just like our flight to Bali, my family went to the plane first and it was nice. Because I felt exhausted, I decided to sleep on the whole trip, but I was quite surprised when Sriwijaya served hot meal on the flight, and it tasted nice. After I ate the dinner, I slept for a while. My brother told me when we landed that there’s a thunder that hit the plane and it turned off the engine for a moment, but I didn’t know it because I’m sleeping. After a while we landed on Jakarta, and after we took our luggage we part ways with my cousin, and we went back home as well.

Trip to Japan by Dzaky Alifasya

A few months ago, me and my family went on a trip to Japan. It was my fourth time visiting Japan. We arrived at the airport at 6 PM because our flight was at 8, so we had to arrive a few hours earlier. The flight was a bit rough, there was a bit turbulence, but I slept for 8 hours until we arrived at Kansai Airport in Osaka. I was so excited when we arrived because I cant wait to go shopping. We stayed at the Four Seasons hotel. It was really close to the Shinsaibashi neighourhood, and I liked it very much because there were hundreds of shops to shop in. I spent 3 days in Osaka, after that we went to Tokyo riding the bullet train also known as the Shinkansen, the fastest train in the world. After we arrived in Tokyo, we went straight to the hotel to put our bags, and then we ate dinner at Shibuya. I visited so many places in Tokyo, and I loved every single minute of it. I’m looking forward to coming back there.

Untitled by Adinda Saskia

The first place I went to was Osaka. There, we saw Osaka Castle. Osaka Castle was once a residence to Oda Nobunaga, a Daimyo of Japan. Now, it is a tourist attraction. Osama Castle has a very beautiful courtyard with blooming sakura trees. After that, I went to a shopping outlet and bought a bracelet for my mom. Then, I went to Kagoshima and later Tarumizu via plane.

In Tarumizu, i stayed in a local’s house named Ichiwatari Shinobu. She owned a cafe and a hotel, where I stayed at, that is attached to her own house. The hotel was a traditional Japanese house with tatami mats and futon. It was very nice.

After Tarumizu, I went to Fukuoka. There, I went to Kyuushu University and the Toyota Factory for Lexus. The university, Kyuushu University, was very advanced with it’s hydrogen technology. They invented a car which uses hydrogen as it’s fuel, making it a very eco friendly car that emits not fume, but water vapor.

The next destination was Tokyo. There were many things to do in Tokyo. First, I went to Akihabara. Then, I visited Tokyo Disneysea. The park was supposed to close at 21.00, but on the day I went there it closed at 18.00. The day after that i went shopping at Shibuya and Odaiba. In Shibuya, there were a few famous tourist spots like Harajuku, Hachiko Statue, and the world famous Shibuya Crossing.

Unforgettable Experience by Mirsal Alif

Last holiday I went to Poland to do a cultural mission. Besides Poland, I also went to other countries in Europe. I went to Italy, France, Switzerland, Netherlands, Germany, and Poland. I went there with my cultural mission friends, Oji, Opal, Faza, Lutpai, Nafi, Ojan, Zidni, Zikri, and Ardhika. Also with the girls, Kyra, Kella, Aya, Nanta, Sissy, Rania, Tahany, Shinta, Dinda, Sapri, and also our beloved teachers and coaches, Bu Gege, Pak Hadi, Kak Nadia, and Kak Ani. I’m doing the cultural mission to play Kenong, a traditional music instrument from Indonesia, to accompany the girls dance in Poland. We are doing the cultural mission in a city called Brusy. Before we go there, we went traveling across the Europe first.

We are leaving Jakarta on 14 th of July. First of all, we went to Venice. But before that, we are having a transit on Dubai, because we are using the Emirates for the flight. At Dubai, we had a little bit rest after the flight from Jakarta. After that, we left Dubai and finally arrived at Venice. We only stay 1 night in Venice. We went for a walk at the center of the city. At the city, I’m having a Gondola ride. The next day, we went to Milan for only a small time. I went shopping there, since Milan is a global capital of fashion and design.

After Milan, we went to Dijon to rest for a night. The next day, we went to Lucerne, Switzerland. We went there to climb a famous mountain in Switzerland called Mount Titlis. We climbed Mount Titlis the next day. At the day, we went climbing the mountain and it is very beautiful. We played snow and take a lot of pictures there. The next day, we went back to Dijon for a night and after that, we went to one of the best cities in Europe, Paris!

In Paris, we stayed 4 nights. We went to the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysees, Disney Land, and other interesting places in Paris. The best experience in Paris that I had a ride for a Ferrari around Paris. It took only 30 minutes but it is the best feeling had a ride of a Ferrari in Paris.

After Paris, we went to Amsterdam. In Amsterdam, we only stayed for 2 nights. We went to the famous windmill, the Centrum of the city, and the big sign of I Amsterdam letters. After Amsterdam, we went to Berlin. In Berlin, we visited a historic site of the famous Jewish memorial site, Berlin Wall, and other places in Berlin. And finally we reached the day. We went to Brusy, Poland, to do the cultural mission. We stayed over 5 nights. It is a very fun week. We played football with local peoples. We performed over 5 small cities. After that we went back home to Jakarta. What a very memorable experience.

Flashback to 2014 by Shantira Ayusha R.

I’m going to share with you my past experience. I participated in an International exchange program, which was organized by CISV during summer 2014. We were a group of 6 delegates from Indonesia, accompanied by one team leader, visiting Germany for 3 weeks. The reason why I was interested to join this International program was because I want experience a new culture, and I wanted to improve my-self confidence.

The first day we landed in Hannover on 25 th of July 2014, we were being greeted by our respective host families. My host family was very kind and I was introduced to my partner whose name was Lyra Steigmann. I felt comfortable right away with my new family as they welcomed me so well into their home. They actually don’t live in Hannover but in the city of Hamburg which was located 2 hours from downtown Hannover. My host family consist of my partner (Lyra), her parents (Dirk & Sabine) , and her little brother (Lars). They are warm hearted, fun, and caring family. Their house is quite small but cozy and I shared the room with Lyra.

I really liked Hamburg because it is one of the largest industrial city in Germany with a third largest port in the world that makes it a harbor city. It has many historical sites such as historic warehouse district, the baroque church of St. Michaelis, and many others, and it is famous for exclusive shopping. Also, it’s quite interesting that Hamburg has few mosques around the city. As we arrived nearing the end of Ramadhan month we had the chance to do our Ied Prayer at the mosque there. What I have been learning is that Germans have a good tolerance towards other religions and I can see muslim people are well accepted in the society.

One of the things that I really had been enjoying in Germany is that I have been taken to a funfair and amusement park. One of the name of the funfair is Hamburger Dom. The Hamburger Dom is a large funfair held in central Hamburg. With three fairs per year (spring, summer and winter) it is the biggest fair throughout Germany. The things that make it different from the others is that we have to pay each attraction. I felt really happy and grateful because I’ve been given the opportunity to have an international experience with a German family who shared the same family values as us in Indonesia.

Healthy? Why Not? by Arkienandia Nityasa Parahita

I used to have an eating disorder when I was 15. It was around one and a half year ago, when everything started to be messed up a little bit. I was so tired, it was my last year on my junior high and all that I could remember is that all that I have to do is prepare for my upcoming exams.

It was one of the lowest point on my life, my relationship with my friend was falling apart, everyone left, or some of them just turned to be mean. Once someone said a lot of bad things about me – which is aren’t true at all, and everyone started to talk about me behind my back, and some of them in front of my face.

I have a trust issues, I sleep a lot, and I don’t want to go to school. 

I’ve gain weight, I ate a lot of food just to comfort my self but then I felt so guilty and started to purged, I checked how much calories on every single food that I was going to eat, done so many workouts without eating, drink a lot of coffee, and some other things.

But then I thought, that I have to change this. I have to change my eating habit, my sleeping schedule, start to worry-less, and have some motivation for my self.

I always believe that it all begins and ends in my mind. What I give power to, has power over me – if I allow it. So I started to clean up the mess. I started to not-to-overthink about what the other people said to me, drink more water, eat clean, and do workouts.

I’ve tried so many workouts before. Yoga, muaythai, cardio-boxing, etc. but I’ve finally found the one that fit me, the high intense interval training cardio workouts ( HIIT). In fact, studies comparing HIIT to continuous steady-state exercise have shown that HIIT is far superior for fat loss, despite requiring less time to complete.

At first, it was hard. The high intense cardio workout always made me feel like I’m going to die, but I pushed my self and the result was unexpected. I started to love it, I love the feeling that I got when I was sweating all over my body, I love the pain that I got, and I started to lose weight.

I’ve changed my routine, I’ve done workouts 3 times a week, I ate so many healthy foods and remind my self not to worry about it.

And suddenly, everything was changed. I am much happier than I was before, I am way more organized, life was so much better, and I’ve lost 8 kilograms until now. And what I learnt is that a healthy mind comes from a healthy body.

Holiday in Bali by Dinda Farras Haniya

The last holiday, my family and I trip to Bali for vacation. We were there for 3 days. 

First day, we visited Sanur Beach in the morning.  Then, we checked in to the hotel. After taking a nap at the hotel, we went to Tanah Lot. Tanah lot was wonderful place. It was nice place for taking photo. We saw so many tourists there.

Second day, We went to Penyu island to see unique animals such as big turtles, snake, and sea birds. We felt enjoyed and happy. In the evening we went to kuta beach.

The last day, we visited to Sukowati Market. I bought Bali T-Shirt, souvenirs and some food for gift there. In the afternoon, we had to check out from the our hotel. We went back home and bring so many unforgettable memories of Bali.

(5+5) x 2 Days by Radiya Farhin

Last year, I wrote a similar essay as this, taking up the same topic. And today, I wrote this essay to recount  the same event our school had last year and a few weeks ago, but in a different point of view. Last year, I departed from Jakarta on 15th October 2015 heading towards Pasir Muncang Village, Purwakarta. All of the 10th graders wore the same red T-shirts with name tags we made ourselves with much difficulty and effort on our neck, and painted bamboo sticks in our hands, as participators. Went and lived in Pasir Muncang Village for 5 days with my 7 other group-mates and 2 of the student council as our group's preceptors. Went through all the fun and exciting activities to do there as participants; cooking meal for our group members & preceptors, doing an observation for the huge presentation competition, exploring the woods, and still many more, I can't write all of them here.

A few weeks ago, on 13th October 2016, again, I departed from Jakarta heading towards Pasir Muncang Village, Purwakarta. But this time, I didn't wear the participators' shirt with a name tag on my neck and a painted bamboo stick in my hand, instead, I wore the white and gray uniform; with the student council jacket/suit wrapped around me, and, I went to Pasir Muncang Village once again, but this time as one of the preceptors for one of the participator's group. I was the preceptor for Group 26 and I was partnered with Bella, a fellow student council member.

But before we went to Pasir Muncang to actually do the Observation Trip for the 10th graders, our school held a pre-event of the Observation Trip for the participators (10th graders). The pre-event was held for 3 full days, and 2 days of preparation before. On the first day of the pre-event, each group would be divided into 2 smaller groups. I shared-out jobs with my preceptor partner, Bella, for me to accompany the group that would paint the bamboo sticks, and Bella to accompany the group that would make the name tags for each member. We were given approximately 5 hours to finish painting the bamboo sticks for each member. I started out by teaching the group that I tutored how to make the patterns on the bamboo, they all payed attention and started to work as instructed. In the student council structure, I am one out of seven who works in the art division, so it's our division's job to make and try out the pattern of the participators' bamboo sticks and name tags. When we first tried out to paint the bamboo sticks, we did a pretty good and quick job finishing it. But when I actually did it on d-day, helping my tutor-kids painting the bamboo sticks, it was pretty stressful, because the 5 of us had to pattern and paint 8 big bamboo sticks in just 5 hours. But we did it anyway and although we went through a lot of difficulties, we had so much fun. On the second day, the preceptors were assigned to help their tutor-kids make a display for the first few chapters of the observation they were supposed to make in Purwakarta and to help them cook lunch for the group; to prepare them to cook meals all by theirselves for five days living in Purwakarta. My group's observation topic was about the cultivation of paddy in Pasir Muncang Village, and they were assigned to cook fried chicken and vegetable soup for their lunch. The second day was indeed a fun day as well. The last day, this was the big day for the 10th graders as that day they were officially marked as one whole class-year, and it was also the day they found out who their 3 class-year leaders are. We had 2 games for the participators that day, both are games for character building. Before the afternoon (second) game was held, the student council prepared the field for them game. While other student council members prepared the game, the members of the art division and the publication & documentation division shared a bonding time with the participators. We had a lot of fun with the participators, we sang songs together, played impersonating games, et cetera. For me personally, it was one of the best moments I had right there throughout all the pre-event activity. After the bonding time was finished, the class-year leaders of my year announced the 10th graders' leaders, and they announced the name of their class-year. After the announcement, I accompanied the 10th grade leaders to teach the participators their class-year chants. And then, when they finished, the vice-president of the student council instructed the participators to get to the field to play the afternoon game. After the game, there was a closing ceremony of the pre-event. The 3 days of the pre-event was fun, but so does the actual Observation Trip.

We arrived in Purwakarta at 12 pm, and we were greeted warmly by the villagers there. When I found out this year's host parents of mine, I was really happy and excited because it turns out I'm gonna be living with my previous host parents, when I went here last year as a participator. The first day was filled with my tutor-kids doing surveys and interviews to collect data for their observation, and with most of them giving their "love letters" to the student council member they each admire. On the first day, I didn't receive any which is a bit sad (I wasn't that sad), but throughout the second to the fourth day I received four (should've been 6 but 2 didn't show up), still, I was thankful and very happy! Throughout the days and the activities, I got a chance to be the host of the cross-culture, talent show, and best love letter giving session alongside my art division partners and my publication & documentation division partners. And because I loved talking so much, I was really happy and I enjoyed doing the job! One of the most memorable activities on the trip was also the nature exploration, where each division in the student council structure were there in a few stops throughout the whole tracking route, giving each participators groups "games" to play in each section (stop). In the art division section, the participators are ordered to sing out their class-year chants, and we (art division members) get to do what we do best, decorating the participators' faces with face paints. It was really fun. It was a tiring day of long-term work in a day and a tiring day of walking through the tracking route, but it was really fun and full of joy because I spent it with the individuals that I really love and admire, my art division partners :). The last day was really sad, we had to say good bye to our host parents, the village, and of course, the whole tutor group. Approximately 10 days I've spent with them was priceless, I was very proud of my tutor-kids for getting through all the hard hurdles and obstacles they had faced throughout the whole event, and I'm grateful that I had them for 10 days to fill my days with glee and happiness. Those 10 days a few weeks ago, and the 10 days last year I've spent in the Pasir Muncang Village, Purwakarta was certainly one of the best days I've had in my life. And to be honest, if I had the chance to do it all over again, I would.

Lagalabs 2016 by Vanya Diamanta Amedis

Last Saturday was a busy day for me as I attended Lagalabs. Lagalabs is one of the first events from Labschool Cibubur. Lagalabs stands for “Latihan Gabungan Tiga Labschool”, it is a training 10th graders who joined Paskibra extracurricular.

In the morning, 10th graders and some of students council had a morning run around Labschool Cibubur and then we had had breakfast. After breakfast, we joined the training and played the games. It was fun but also made us tired.

While the 10th graders joined the training, some members of the student council were having meeting among 3 Labschool (Labschool Kebayoran, Cibubur, and Rawamangun). We discussed about our school and lot of things.

After meeting and training for the 10th graders. The 3 Labschool’s students included members of the Student Council and 10th graders took a picture together and then went straight home to get rest after long tiring day.

My Holiday Trip to Europe by Fakhira Maryam

This holiday was a special day for me. I got a change traveling with my family. Along with me are my father, my mother ad my brother. We use travel agent that offered package to Europe. 9 April was a day. We use Singapore Airline, SQ, a night in the flight and arrived at Amsterdam airport the next morning and directly went to a hotel at Schipol area. After a while we have to get ready for city tour. Destination is Zannse Schans, the rural area with many wind mill as the Amsterdam trade mark.the village remain me of Indonesia. The people hospitality that I never forget. We also got a change to use canal cruise at Amstal river.

The next morning, we visit tulip garden at Keukenhof. It was amazing and beautiful tulip. It was like colorful carpet in front of me. I feel like do not want to leave, I wanted to stay and looking at those tulips and do not want to blink my eyes,but the tour guide asked ask to get ready for the next destination, Rotterdam, the second largest city after Amsterdam and visit Elsalam mosque there.

Euro Disney was our destination the next morning. I could not wait to see. We spent almost all day to try almost all of vehicle and facility. Sleeping beauty, Alice in Wonderland is just among the facility. We all satisfied, but we have to g back to the hotel.

The next morning, we went to Paris, We visit beautiful and romantic scenery at Arc de Triomphe, Camps Elysees and many more, the beautiful masterpiece. Then, we continued our journey the next day to Engelberg, the mountain area, Spent one night at Engelberg was the amazing experience.

The next day, Mt Titlis was our destination. Mt Titlis is the everlasting mountain, with the height of 3020 m, looks wonderful. My camera was full with the picture of this mountain. It also remain me of Jaya Wijaya mountain at Papua. It also covered by timeless snow.

Finally, after 8 days of holiday, we have to go back to reality, to our beloved hometown, Jakarta, Cannot wait for all the crowded and the traffic jam that always colored me everyday. All the School exams and tasks. I was very happy though. From Zurich we flew to Singapore then to Jakarta. Many thanks to my parents who give me wonderful holiday I have never forgotten in my life.

Untitled by M. Mahardhika Bagaskara

My last holiday wasn’t that great because I really didn’t go anywhere. Schools out for about 5 days but I was actually missing school because I just stayed home and just sleep in. I intended to go to Bandung with my friends, but it was not planned so well so we just decided to stay at Jakarta.

My first three days was that boring, it’s the same every single day. I usually woke up at 9 then eat and take a shower and just sleep again. I have lots of homework to do so I asked my friends if they would like to study and do our homework together. We always do our homework at a café so we could do our work and just enjoy the coffee. We usually finish our homework at around 7 and just hang out after that. Then, I just go back home and maybe watch something on TV and sleep again. That was my first 3 days of the holiday.

My 4th day of the holiday I actually had a place to go. The place that I have to go to is “Museum Ahmad Yani” because my history teacher gave us an assignment that is to go to a museum and explain the things there while filming it. I went with my 4 friends and we decided to eat first, we ate at “Masjid Sunda Kelapa”. It is a really big mosque and there was lots of food outside the mosque. After we ate, we went straight to the museum and it turns out that every museum in Indonesia closes at Monday. My friends and I have no idea about this so we decided to come back tomorrow. Since we have nowhere to go, we decided to go watch a movie. The movie was called “Snowden” it wasn’t such a great movie for me. After the movie was done, we went back to our own houses and I was feeling sleepy so I intended to take a short nap but turns out I woke up at 5 in the morning.

So my friends and I went back to the museum the next morning and we’re so glad that the museum wasn’t closed. So we did our assignment and it only took us about 1-2 hours. Since its still noon, we decided to go back to “Masjid Sunda Kelapa” because the food there was just great. Then, we decided to go back to my place. We played cards, play PlayStation, and watch TV. My friends left my house at about 8 or 9 a clock. Since I don’t know what to do anymore, I just went back to my lovely bed and sleep.

Malaysia For 2 Weeks by Abraham Satriaseno Wiraputra

Since I ended up in 11th class, my family and I went to Malaysia to take vacation just 2 weeks. We take Air Asia Airlanes to go Penang. It takes an hours to take a flight. We arrive in Penang, which is there many chinese lives in Penang than Malaysian do. We stay in Sunway hotel. Luckily, the hotel has midnight street food and mall. Although, they serve many food but contain pork. We walk in a street to explore for bit. It was enjoyable, for a midnight of course. We explore Penang by 1 week by visiting Penang Hill, Owl museum, and Gurnei Paragon (some kind of mall actually). In Penang Hill, it not just only had great view but there Owl museum that collect many owl’s. Well, I didn’t went to Owl museum because I have to keep an eye for my grandmother. After visiting Penang Hill and Owl Museum, we visit Gurnei Paragon for one last time before we leave. Gurnei Paragon is a shopping centre because I didn’t realize it wasn’t a mall. I only buy a small bag and a pair of shirt. It was expensive but worth to buy.

Just after a week, we went to KL for take another vacation there. KL was a Metropolitan city (It was bigger city than Jakarta). We stay Royal Hotel for a week. We explore by using MRT because it faster to reach a destination. We visit Petronas Tower, a Malaysia famous landmark. We didn’t take a chance inside but we took a photo from the outside. Not only we visit petronas tower, we take a few visit to a mall just to buy few of electronics. We went to Airport to go home. When we ready to Airport, i almost forgot the medicine for my aunt so I went grabbed it. I was careless because I enjoy a view of KL. I never forget for that enjoyable experience.

My Trip to The United Kingdom by Rafie Juliano Devito

The last holiday i've had recently was my trip to the UK, it was on July 2017. When I first went to the Soekarno-Hatta Airport im very excited my heart was racing, and then we waited for like 1-2 hours for the flight to depart so we went window shopping inside the terminal. When I boarded the plane I took the window seat of the plane bc I had to LOL, and then the flight transfers in Singapore and then from there it took 14 hours to London Heathrow Airport. When we arrive I went straight to the Vodafone kiosk and purchase a week data plan for £25 and my family didn’t buy any Data plan so im the only one who had an internet connection. And then we take the London Underground to travel to our hotel located in Paddington just north from Westminster. And then I rush to the bedroom of the Apartment and went to sleep.

On the next day, I woke up early at 5 am and everyones still asleep including my family, And then I put on my jacket and went outside the apartment and went for a walk through the streets of London by myself, the streets was so empty that it had no traffic whatsoever and 0 amount of people, I was feeling uneasy bc there are LITERALLY no one and I facetimed my best friend in Indonesia and then I show her the view and the emptiness of the streets of London, and then out of nowhere there were a bunch of police cars and ambulance responding nearby I was shocked because I thought someone was getting killed nearby but then they just pass away. When my family woke up then we go exploring the streets of London big time, I visited the Royal Family’s BuckinghamPalace and took a photo there. This was the best days of my 10 days vacation!

Finding Gelato by Arifa Tariqa Imani

Last holiday, me and my friends decided to enjoy a three-days trip to Bandung. We’ve done a trip together before, we went to Yogyakarta, and believe me, it was a lot of fun, even though we just spent two days there. And because of all of that, we call ourselves “Travel Buddies” and we planned to do lots of trip ahead. The “Travel Buddies” are me, Tania, Taya, and Rana. Fortunately, none of us are OSIS or MPK so we didn’t have to join the Trip Observasi and we can arrange our own holiday.

We stayed in one of the hotels in Braga, which is the night-life place of Bandung, and this is where the story began. On the second night, we just finished eating at Sate Maulana Yusuf, and Rana craved for gelato. We did see a gelato shop in Braga, which was not far from our hotel, so, we decided to spend the night on Braga Street, looking for gelato.

When we arrived in Braga, we immediately went to the shop that we saw before. Unfortunately, the shop was closed. Rana was disappointed, but then we continued our journey to find the gelato shop. We entered lots of shop, but well, we barely saw the word “GELATO” in the menu. Then, Tania remembered something. She said that there is some kind of bakery that sells gelatos. It’s located on Tamblong Street. We were so pumped (especially Rana) because finally we got the chance to eat gelato that night, but, we didn’t consider how we get there. I spontaneously reached my phone and opened a GPS application. The bakery was only a couple of meters from where we stand. Well yeah, we decided to walk, which wasn’t a very good decision, because the sun had set and we had no adult to look after us.

I was the leader of our journey, because the GPS was on my phone, but somehow, I misread the direction. We got lost, and I was truly sure that my friends were pissed off. We had to walk back to the place where I opened my GPS for the first time. Then, we realised that it was quite far to walk. We tried to find to a taxi, but we didn’t found one, so, we decided to go with the flow and enjoy our walk to Tamblong Street.

By the time we got there, the bakery was CLOSED. We were so disappointed (once again, especially Rana). We sadly agreed to get back to our hotel, but this time, by a taxi (luckily we found one). In the end, before we got back to our hotel room, we stopped at Wendy’s and bought a soft-served ice cream. Well, at least we still had a chance to eat something frozen.

Sipil Lyfe by Alma Dwi R.

While the teachers, student councils, and all of the 10 th graders get to spend their 6 days in purwakarta, I get spend my 6 days mostly watching tv, while eating ramen and do naps at home. I am currently loving my “sipil” life.

1st day; I watched Inferno at Kemang Village

2nd day; me and my mom pick up my sister at Gambir Station and we ate dinner at PIM

3rd day; stayed at home watching Game Of Thrones marathon

4th day; ( which is today) doing my homework while watching The Big Bang Theory season 5

But I mostly eat and sleep and I do not look forward to go back to school.

I hate u labschool<3

Umroh 2015 by Adelia Diva

Last year my family and I went to Saudi Arabia for the first umroh trip. It takes 1 week for the umroh process, so I have to leave school for one week. We depart from Jakarta from 10 am and it takes 12 hours on airplane. So we arrived at Riyadh Airport at 10 pm. But we have go to medina to take a rest. Then we ride the bus to medina and it takes 5 hours. We arrived at the hotel on 3 am and I feel exhausted so I want straight to bed.

2 hours later I wake up for subuh at Nabawi Mosque. The distance from hotel to the mosque was very close. It only take 10 minutes by walking. After pray we comeback to hotel for breakfast. Then in the morning 9 am all women go to Rawdah. It was the grave for prophet Muhammad and his two friends Umar bin Khatab and Abu Bakar. Rawdah was also prophet Muhammad house. If we pray in front of rawdah insha allah will be granted.

But to reach in front of rawdah it was very difficult. Too many people there so I had to hold hands to people I know. Fortunately I have a small body so I could sneak in between the people and arrived in the front of rawdah. Then immediately pray for the success of my life. After that we comeback to the hotel for take a rest.

Second day we go to jabal rahmah at Arafah. People believed if we standing on jabal rahmah we’ll get a soulmate. Like Adam and Eve. But Jabal Rahmah was a rock mountain so it was difficult to reach the top. After Jabal Rahmah we had mosque tour at medina. Then at 11 am we comeback to the hotel for doing dzuhur in nabawi.

Third day we go to camel farm. There we took a picture with camel and buy camel drink. At first I was afraid of camels but the farmer say the camel was gentle. So I dare to take a pictures, but I prefer young camel than adult camel. I also drink camel milk. It feels a bit salty but its good. After that we go to Nabawi museum.

Fourth day, it was the last day in medina before we go to mecca. We only take a rest at the hotel because after dzuhur prayer we have go to mecca. Unfortunately when I was take a shower in the morning I have menstruation so I can’t do umroh. I was very sad but I realized that I can do umroh next time. We go to mecca by bus and it takes 6 hours. We arrived in the hotel at mecca on 7 pm. We directly had dinner and rest.

The next day on the fifth day. They doing umroh becaused I can’t do umroh so I just stay at the hotel. After that we go to zam zam tower, it was a shopping center in front of masjidil haram. We buy souvenirs to relatives. I buy a lot of chocolate so I can share to my friends at school. I also bought prayer beads.

Sixth day it was a free time. So my family and I decide to take a walk around mecca. We go to museum, mosque, and many places in mecca. Then the seventh day, it was the last for the entire journey. In the morning we have to leaved hotel because we will get on a plane. But before that we buy a souvenirs at Riyadh. I buy a Victoria Secret Perfume.

Then we go to airport for take a plane. After 3 hours waiting at the airport we able to take a plane. It takes 12 hours from Riyadh to Jakarta. Then we arrived at Jakarta on the next morning. It was a incredible jouney although that I can do umroh but I feel I glad, because I can go to mecca and medina the holiest city.

The Summit of Rinjani by Mesagus Muhammad Iqbal

2.30 am is not a regular breakfast time. But in order to have enough energy to summit before sunrise, we ate that meal. We've only slept for a few hours, exhausted after the previous 8 hour trek to where we were, Pelawangan Sembalun around 2700 meters above sea level. Headlights went on in the distance marking those who start their journey before us.

Then we start our journey. It is estimated that the climb would take 3 hours and the descent would take 2. At first we were having no problem. Then we met a step and long hill side. It was hard, every step we took we reversed two steps due to the sands and gravels. It was very exhausting, it took us atleast two hours simply to traverse a couple hundred meters. After that it was less steep, but the fact that we were 3000 meters above sea level don't make it any easier. It was a couple hours of walking the ridge of the crater. We met some rocky terrain that felt like paths. By the time the start to rise we were nowhere near the Summit. But the view, my god the view were gorgeous. From here you can see Lombok in its entirety. You can even see Bali. By 3500 meters i rest. The fact that I am exhausted and my mind were scrambled by the altitude made we want to stop climbing. But i was already half way through, there's no going back before we reached the summit.

The closer we get the summit look more terrifying. Until finally we saw the summit in its entirety. A rocky hill over a long and steep gravel path. That gravel path was hell. Its took us along time to gain altitude. When the sun rises we were still fighting through that gravel path. Finally at 9.00, i reach the rocky hill. It was easier but abit slippery. At the end of the hill it was 3726 meters above sea level. I reached the summit and so did my friends an hour ago. It was a joyful feeling even though my head is cracking and my legs were tired. It was my first summit and something I will never forget.

Explore The Beauty of Ecuador by Ade Khatibul Rafi

My family and I went to stay in Ecuador for the last three years cause of the job of my father. It was very fun and exciting because I can learn more stuff like the cultural place even the language there . l’ve been living there for three years and I felt that the country has a lot of interesting old buildings even the beauty of the Cotopaxi mountain . The air was fresh and. The Cotopaxi Mountain is the second highest active mountain in the world and it is located in the Andes mountain. Not only the beauty of the Cotopaxi mountain but there is more interesting places like the Rio Amazonas river and others . It was amazing. It was green everywhere. It was also easy to get water as it was near a small river. You see the water is as clear as a crystal. There were some interesting animal to like the famous the piranha fish and also the gigantic Anaconda snake of the amazon

   On the day we arrive in the airport of Ecuador, we spent our time setting up plans and exploring the surrounding area of the capital city “QUITO”. I was happy to find that there were many careful people there. At night, after we had dinner, we met other Indonesian people. We chatted and talk about our first impression in Ecuador. It was fun meeting people who had the same nationality. We laughed and chit chat until we went to bed almost dawn. We did not realize that it was almost five in the afternoon and we had to go back to the hotel soon. It was really nice. I planned to go there again on the next long holiday to explore more places in the beauty of Ecuador……………

Ecuador ama la vida / Ecuador love life

Solo at Solo by Mikael Adisatria B. P.

Last holidays I went to solo by my own. I went to Museum Keraton Surakarta. I made a vlog about it.

When I get there by train it was at 5 AM and the sun hasn’t risen. From the train station I went straight to Museum Keraton Surakarta with a tradisional transport called “Becak” It cost like 20 thousand rupiah for a 3 Km ride. When I get there the Museum hasn’t open yet. I haven’t took a breakfast so I search for a place to stop by and eat.

I walk for 2 Km and I found a McDonald and stop by. I ate there till it was 8 AM then I walk back to the Museum. I arrived and straight to the ticket locket and bought a ticket for 10.000,- rupiah. Then I went to the gate and met a Guide Tour and He showed me the museum every part of it and told me the stories about it. I forgot his name but he was cool and end up getting a money from me.

I got outside from the Museum at 10 AM and I didn’t know what to do anymore and my ride home is at 4 PM so I planned to visit my brother at UNS. Before I visited him I ate a Lamb Soup at the nearest place.

Then I went to my brother University by walk. It was 6 Km walk and it was very hot. From 12 AM to 1.30 PM I walked. I arrived at his university and ride this University bus which you pay 2.000,- rupiah per ride and it will take you around the university. Sadly I couldn’t meet him cause he was taking a study. And It was already late so I quickly took a taxi and went to the airport.

I arrived at the airport and at 4 PM I flew to Jakarta. I safely arrived at Jakarta and went home. It was a good journey and maybe im gonna do this again someday.

Taking a journey alone is much flexible even though is lonely but it’s fun.

My Trip Observation Experience by M. Attala Deschamps

This year trip observation its so much fun, excited, and really educational, last year me as patrasaka joined trip observation too but as the 10th grader. Im participating in heksadraga trip observation because im one of the student counsil as sxn of ganesvara vijayabhadrika.

This year trip observation started from pra to I become pdp on grup 16 with my pdp partner halimah, when me and halimah meet them it was very very very awkward because they really did not responsive. On day 1, pra-to I wake up so early about 4:15 am to get ready to do the morning run after that they make nametag and paint tongkat, its really a busy time because there a lot of nametag that haven’t be done, by the way I make that nametag from sketch. On day 2 its so much fun because it’s the day that student counsil (osis) can take their nametag and tongkat but the sad part we have to wake up very early again, when morning run I take one of their tongkat it was so fun, after that heksadraga practice linbud and pensi for night live entertainment in purwakarta. On day 3 it’s the klimaks of pra-to we have “siaga tongkat” and “barikade”, when siaga tongkat I take 4 tongkat and they have to debate to take that I did not expect that I’m going to be really angry and when barikade its so much fun but very violence because they take back their tongkat and make their own barikade, when they did that I really hate them because they not listen to my head of student counsil, event they didn’t hear their ketang but after barikade no heart feeling and congratulation heksadraga welcome to labschool.

Before trip observation they have their own song, my division in charge to make that song but what make me sad they didn’t remember the song only a half of them. On 13 october it’s the day of trip observation im so excited to stay in purwakarta, 3 hours on the road finally we arrive in purwakarta its so refreshing and can’t wait to leave 5 days with my team.

So we unpack our stuff and I order ceka anya sekar molly to take the data for presentation and I told them if you wanna give surcin finish the data first. I accompanied all of them to give surcin except rannan im sorry, first people I accompanied is sekar to give surcin to opang she really a fan of opang and she get 1 green bow she kinda disappointed but after that opang give her two more green bow, next is anya and molly I think this two people in love with ojan because they really passionate to give him buat sadly they only got 1 green bow, next is CEKA she give her surcin to one of my bestfriend fadhil she always told me about fadhil this fadhil that im sure that she kinda have crush on him HAHAHAHAHA!!!!. After that arvy and rajab they give surcin to key and eca. Next is adammm me and halimah called him golden child because he have that spirit and can lead everyone even he not caketang, he give surcin to asyifa and he get 5 green bow YAY.

I have a lot of memorable moment first because I get some of surcin and one best surcin so I came forward to the stage and the funny thing I dance ice cream cake its little bit embarrassing. Other memorable moment in trip observation is talking , share, gossiping with my team and I have a nickname for them “ fake people” because we gossiping our ketua kelompok when he sleeping inside the room then h-1 before “penjelajahan” we forum him to make our team more solid, but im really going to miss live five days in purwakarta with you my teammate 8 great people and the best pdp partner ever. And all time favorite and memorable moment is with SXN because its really a journey there is up and down from pra TO until TO, nametag, mc, bipolar, lead the pensi and the klimaks “pos corat-coret penjelajah/pos sxn”.

Penjelajahan at Trip Observasi 2017 by Nasya Alifah Ramadani

Last October, the 10th grader and the student councils (OSIS/MPK) went to Purwakarta for Trip Observasi (TO) this year. I’m so happy because I can go to Purwakarta again as one of the student councils’ member. And I’m the mentor of group 9 with Oji. Group 9 members are Ottmar, Alif, Naufal, Elena, Utari, Sarah, Sandra and Bella, and I couldn’t ask for a better group.

On the 4th day of TO, we got up early in the morning and prepare ourselves for Penjelajahan. The student councils went to the field earlier than the 10th grade because we have to go to our division spot on the track. I was lucky because the art division spot was the first one.

When the first group almost arrived, Nadine and I told them to keep walking, and then Radiya and Attala shouted “16 SIAPA KALIAN” and they sang their yel-yel. It was very fun. When they arrived, we painted their faces with the face paints they collect earlier. We write their name whose they gave love letter to in the forehead, in the right cheek, we write what division they want to be if they want to be the student council, the last one, the left cheek, we write the name of the student councils’ member whose they hate the most. After that, we took a photo together.

When my group arrived, I was very happy because they left from the field earlier than I thought, and they are so excited for penjelajahan.

About half an our later, some 12th grader arrived to our spot, they came from Jakarta to join penjelajahan too. Our senior seems to be very excited about it, and we took a photo together.

After all the group have done in our spot, we continue walking back to the village. It was very exhausting but it was fun also! We took some photos on the way because the view was very nice.

The art division got to the village earlier than others, because we finished in our spot earlier too. I went to my house and clean myself up, and rest a bit. Then I go to Radiya’s house. Her house was a bit far from mine. I told her to go to my house because my house was a bit larger than the other and has a terrace. Nadine and Attala joined us too.

About half an hour later, my group arrived home, covered in mud. We took some photos and feel bad because Oji wasn’t home yet that time. My host parents told us that we could grill sate maranggih. So Ottmar and Alif grilled it and it was very delicious.

Australia 2016 by Aisyah Anindita Nur Allysa Wijaya

Last holiday I went to Australia with my family. We went there not just for holiday but to visit my brother who study there. We stayed in Australia for about 2 weeks. 4 days in Sydney and 10 days in Melbourne. From Jakarta we went straight to Melbourne because my brother studies there. We stayed in an apartment, the apartment was in an area called Docklands. It was a very friendly area and close to the city center. In Melbourne we didn’t do anything too exciting, we just kind of roamed around shopping, eat, and just relax.

Because we went there 2 days before ied al fitr so we celebrated ied in Indonesian Embassy in Melbourne. It was a different ied atmosphere in there, I think its because of the weather and the people. We didn’t wear the usual ied attire, we wore just like a normal pants, sweater, coat because it was like 10 o C. But we still ate the usual ied food, which is ketupat, sambel goring, opor even though we’re in Australia. My mom already prepared the ingredients from Indonesia.

After four days in Melbourne, we went to Sydney. We went to Sydney not by plane but by car. We started our journey at 5 o’clock in the morning, because it took approximately 10 hours from Melbourne to Sydney. We stopped a couple of times to rest, eat, go to the toilet. The car journey was tiring but we enjoyed it. And I will never forget that journey. We arrived in Sydney at 2 o’clock in the afternoon. And we went straight to the hotel because we were all very tired and just wanna sleep. Especially my brother and father who drove us there. And then we went to dinner in an area called Darling Harbour. It was such a beautiful area. And then after dinner I decided to bought ice cream. It was a bad idea considering the weather was very cold but the ice cream was very delicious. And then we took some photos and just have fun.

The next day, we explored Sydney and we went to a mountain but I forgot what the name of the mountain is. But it was very beautiful and windy at the same time. So we didn’t stay very long in the mountain. We also visited Bondi beach, we didn’t go for a swim of course because it was very cold. After that we went back to the hotel.

I enjoyed Sydney very much. But I think I like Melbourne more. I felt like Melbourne was more comfortable and just a nice place to live. After 4 days in Sydney we drove back to Melbourne to spend 5 last days before we have to go home. We visited my brother’s university in Melbourne and then we also took a look at Brighton beach, unfortunately when we were about to take a photos the rain came so we ran back to the car. I was very gutted that we didn’t take a photo in that beach.

All in all I enjoyed every second I spend in Australia. It was a very relaxing holiday. And I look forward to go back to Australia again. YAYYY!!