Back from Indonesia!!

Hello everybody!!! Well the trip came to an end a little over a week ago and I have been back into the swing of things! I have had a chance to reflect on the whole thing and thought I would share some of my reflections with you!

I originally signed up for the trip on a whim. I have wanted to do some travelling as part of a field study and the opportunity presented itself to me so I took it. I have travelled on my own before and really wanted to have the opportunity to travel with a group to a place I probably wouldn't consider travelling on my own. What a great experience it was! I learned a lot, and would now choose to spend time in back in Indonesia in the future.

I did not know what to expect, going into the trip. I had no clue! But I just "went with it" and made up my mind to have a good time. However, I'm not that easy going!! The the that I was concerned the most about, wast my practicum placement. I was so nervous before my first day I could hardly stand it! After the first day though, my fears were relieved! I loved the people, the children and the whole experience.

The people in Indonesia were so inviting and wonderful. They are very hospitable and I had to learn how to say no, which was very hard for me. In Canada we have a tendency to feel the need to be "polite" by saying we like something or saying yes to doing something we may not want to do. It is now a good idea to do this there as the people are so nice and such good hosts, they will make sure you will have plenty of that thing you said you liked but you really didn't and will fill your day with plenty of that thing you said you would do, even if you didn't really want to!

The group process was a difficult one for me, and I think it is different for every group that travels together. It is a long story and really it only pertains to those who were on the trip but my advice for those travelling as a group in the future actually comes from one of the instructors who came with us. She commented on how our group spent a lot of time focusing on the things that weren't working for us, rather than the things that were. This bit of advice works for ever aspect of the trip. There is a need to re frame things and turn negatives into positive, and by this I don't mean live in a false reality, but understand that this trip is a month out of your life...it will end and everyone soon goes back to their own lives!

Culture was the other factor that influenced this trip in a big way -- obviously!! I mentioned it briefly above but considering we were in another country on the other side of the world, culture would have to play a large role! I learned so much about culture I do not know where to start! I think it is just one of those things one has to experience on their own. I can talk a bit about culture shock though. It is real, and it does get easier. It isn't just about the people. It's about the heat, the smells, the food, and everything else in between. It is part of travelling, and the trip would be the same without it! Just about the time I was leaving Indonesia, was when I was really starting to enjoy myself and really did not want to come home!

My life was impacted hugely by this trip, and has influenced me greatly. I would love to go back, or use my experience and try somewhere else. The whole trip was about perspective, we all have different ones, and need to respect that. What was really great for one, wasn't so great for another and vice versa. Having the best attitude possible and keeping an open mind and heart and the best tools you could employ!

Anyways, goodbye for now,

Janine D.