WEEK 1

We arrived in Jakarta, Indonesia on a Tuesday morning (September 19), at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. We met Mentari and Kinan, two of the Sahabat DIA. Because Banding is 3-4 hours away from Jakarta. Since travelling from Jakarta to Bandung will be a long ride, we had lunch first at KFC before travelling. Then, the UPI's vehicle was the one who picked us up from the airport, then dropped us at Isola Resort. After checking in into our accommodation at Isola Resort, Mr. Fachru provided an iron, water dispenser, frying pan and rice cooker that could help us for a month. We went to Gegerkalong to buy things we still need like adapter, hangers, essentials and dinner - then went back to Isola to rest.

To begin our program proper, the next day we had an opening ceremony, we were welcomed by the rector, deans, and other faculty members of Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia. After the ceremony, we had the opportunity to meet with our cooperating teachers, who would be responsible for supervising us during the exchange program and help us to adjust into the UPI community. We discussed things like the books, the students, how our cooperating teachers teach, teaching attire and their classroom culture.

I also learned some Bahasa Indonesian phrases/words like "Selamat Pagi, Siang, siang, selamat sore, selamat malam.", "Kiri", "Satu, Dua, TIga, Empat, Lima..", "Senin, Selasa, Rabu, Kamis, Jumat..", "Cantik" "Bapa, Ibu", "Tidak", "Terima Kasih" and "Nama Saya, Saya Dari". There are some words also that has the same meaning with the Filipino language such as "Pintu, Kanan, Muka, Otomatic" and "Aku".

We spent the week adjusting to the new surroundings and getting ourselves familiar in the street of Gegerkalong, a street wherein we buy mostly the food, essentials and load some data for the internet. I found the transition to a new country and culture to be challenging at first, but with the support of the teachers, classmates, sahabat DIA and other exchange students it became easy.

Despite the challenges of adjustment, we also had the opportunity to experience some of the amazing things that Indonesia has to offer. We also met fellow Filipinos Ate Raisa and Kuya Rash, they are taking Graduate studies at UPI. They brought us to popular destinations in Bandung such as Asia Africa at Lembang and Ciwalk Mall at Cihampelas Walk. We also took advantage of the opportunity to try new foods and learn about Indonesian culture during the our first week.