My First Travel Experience ✈️

My first overseas teaching activity was also my first travel experience riding an airplane! Still in disbelief that I got a chance to participate in this program. The turbulence while you are seating inside the airplane is terrifying yet exciting—feels like you are in an amusement park! This trip took us 3 lay-over destinations and almost 2 days travel from Philippines (Ninoy Aquino International Airport) to Singapore (Changi Airport) and 2 airports of Indonesia (Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and Adi Soemarmo Airport).

This was our first lay-over (Changi Airport) and we stay there for about 8 hours to wait for our second airplane. Before arriving at this famous airport, I am excited because aside from its beautiful facilities and interior designs, Changi Airport was known for their famous attraction spot, which is the Jewel, but due to the time constraints, we couldn't have the opportunity to go there. So instead, we took a lot of pictures for the memories and took the opportunity to sleep after a long hour of flight.

Our second lay-over which took place in Soekarno-Hatta International Airport! While being seated, I took this wonderful sunset inside the lobby area, because I'm amazed on how the sun shone in my location. At that time, I was being impatient and bored wanted to sleep in a comfortable bed. But thankfully, my fellow student-teachers entertained me to cure the boredom, and I took a selfie of myself.

We finally reached the last airport on our trip, where we were welcomed by Rafly, a psychology student from Universitas Muhammadiyah Purwokerto. Throughout the moment, I felt so happy because I realized that, despite cultural and language differences, I wasn’t so different from them. This made me realize that Indonesians, like Filipinos, are incredibly hospitable when treating their visitors. All the long hours of travel and my worries vanished with their smiles and positive auras. 

Trying food in a foreign country is fundamental and essential for seizing the moment, and I didn’t let that opportunity slip by. I was amazed by how colorful their food is, the variety of flavors in every dish, and their obsession with chilis, for which Indonesians are known. Thankfully, I can tolerate spice, but not enough to eat it on a daily basis. This experience made me appreciate the culture of Indonesia even more!