While traveling abroad to Indonesia, I got the chance to explore and learn about some amazing cities! The main cities visited were, Jakarta, Bali, and Yogyakarta. All three of these particular cities had their own special aspects. Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, was the business district, Bali, the famous tourist site, and Yogyakarta was full of cultural heritage.
When we first landed in the country, I wasn’t expecting was the major culture shock that I got to experience. Obviously Indonesia is going to be vastly different than life here in the United States, but I really wasn’t prepared for how much of a change I was going to endure. You always hear on the news about the different events happening all across the world, but it never really hits home for you until you are actually there. Although I was overwhelmed in the beginning on how different the next month of my life was going to be, I am so grateful I got this opportunity to step out of my comfort zone and do something I never thought imaginable.
The first few days of the trip were spent in Jakarta. As said before, Jakarta is a business district, so you can imagine how heavy the traffic is-but I don’t just mean a normal traffic jam. One of the most popular ways to get around the city is by motorcycle, and from the looks of it, there don’t seem to be any laws the drivers have to obey. The motorcycles would intertwine with the traffic, get in between multiple cars, and not really watch out for anyone but themselves. The most crazy thing about it was, though, I did not witness a single car or motorcycle accident during my entire stay.
Another thing that was a bit of a culture shock for me was during the month that I was in Indonesia was the celebration of Ramadan. Ramadan is a holiday of the Muslim religion that is celebrated for an entire month every single year. During this holiday, the Muslim fast as long as they can see the sun. Meaning, when the sun is still visible they are not allowed to eat or drink anything, and have to wait until after the sun sets to eat for the day. This was one of the more difficult concepts to absorb, only because during this time many of the restaurants would be shut down during the day, so it was a little more difficult for us to find food in the middle of the day. Nonetheless, we never went without a single meal, thanks to many of locals that helped us along the way, and it was so cultivating to see another culture being so passionate about their religion.
After we visited Jakarta we headed to Bali. Bali was more of your typical tourist attraction that you would see from a beach getaway. In Bali there were a bunch of little shops on every street and walk past one of them without a worker trying to offer you to buy something. One thing that I learned very quickly while in Bali was bargaining. Almost everywhere you had to negotiate some sort of price, whether it be for a souvenir, clothes, or even a taxi. Although this could get a little bit hectic, it was so interesting to finally learn by the end about what everything should cost, and even how to bargain. Aside from that, Bali had the most beautiful beaches and amazing restaurants and it’s definitely a city I would return to in the future!
The last stop was Yogyakarta. During our stay here we had lecture with some of the local students at their university. Here, we talked about their tourism and why people should want to come visit their city. Like I said, lots of cultural heritage is held here, so if you really want to dive into the culture this is the place to go! After one of our lectures we got the opportunity to explore the city with the students. In fact, the students were our own personal tour guides and they got to choose where to take us. We ended up visiting some of the most famous temples, landmarks, and even a famous shopping market. It was so fun getting to know the students one-on-one and find out why they love their city and to see what kind of things they like to do outside of the classroom!
All in all, the experiences I consumed from this trip will never be forgotten. Going abroad helped me grow tremendously as a person and it opened me up to a whole new perspective on life. Upon graduation I plan to pursue my dreams of being an international buyer. Getting this opportunity to go abroad and actually explore a new country, hands on, and all it has to offer reassures me that I am making the right career choice. This was a trip of a lifetime.
Taylor, this sounds like a great experience. It’s awesome that was a combination of education, fun, exploration, and relaxation. I’m glad that this trip confirmed your goals of working internationally and that it was a valuable growing experience for you. Thanks or sharing!