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Way back at home, I dreamt of traveling one day and explore the world. Discovering new places, trying out a variety of delicacies, engaging in traditional and cultural activities, and meeting different kinds of people. Now that I’m on my first travel abroad, I envisioned my “journey” to be as colorful and spontaneous as it can be. Fortunately, I have a travel buddy, Walter Jensen, who is kind enough to take photos and videos of me while traveling from one place to another.
September 5, 2019: During our first week here in Indonesia, we weren’t expecting any kinds of tour yet. Our plan was to settle down first, create an action plan in our practice-teaching and then set a schedule for our upcoming travel destinations if time permits. Unexpectedly, we got our first invite by our supervisor in Semarang, Ms. Nani Hidayati. She invited us for dinner and helped us to buy sim cards. I thought it was the only thing that we are going to do that night.
Before going to dinner, Nani assisted us to buy some black trousers at a mall first. It’s good that the department store was on sale that time and we got really good deals. Then, we went to Pizza Hut to eat dinner. Something funny happened at that time when the waitress was shocked after I asked her to bring some “ketchup” on our table. She kept on saying, “Really? Really?” Nani was even shocked and gave me a strange look when I requested for ketchup. I kept on thinking: Is there something wrong with putting ketchup on my food? I soon realized that the ketchup that they have in mind was a kind of soy sauce, like a Worcester sauce. It’s clearly a misunderstanding.
After we ate dinner at around 8 pm, we bought some sim cards. Since the night was still young, Ms. Nani asked us if we want to visit Simpang Lima and Kota Lama. We were over the moon when she said that so we said yes! When we reached Simpang Lima, we took pictures and strolled around. The place was simple and neat. Suddenly, Nani told us about a famous street food that they have here. They call it Wedang Ronde. It is a ginger soup mixed with sweet ingredients and a sticky rice called Ronde. Sadly, I wasn’t able to finish the food because it was too spicy for me, but Walter seemed to enjoy it and he finished the entire bowl!
Afterwards, we went to a place called Kota Lama which has an interesting history of the Dutch colonizing Indonesia in the past. Kota Lama translates to Old City in English. This place has a European landscape and architecture. It almost felt like I stepped out of Indonesia and landed in Europe for a while. Although the place is really old, it is undeniably stunning. Nani told us that the buildings and other things seen here cannot be altered, even hammering the walls is not allowed. I suddenly remembered Calle Crisologo that we have in the Philippines. However, the one that we have in our country was built by the Spaniards, not by the Dutch.
Walking around and seeing Kota Lama at night is beautiful enough. What more if we have seen this place during the day? Would it be different? Nevertheless, our first travel spot did not disappoint us. Finally, we went back to the men’s dormitory around 11 pm. Walter and I were very much satisfied and hoped for more exciting adventures and trips very soon! That's all. Terima Kasih!
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