I left...

The cakwe

Unfortunately, Internet problems led me to write about things just a week after my departure from Indonesia. There were also opportunities to go to Bali, but I didn't go, because it was TOO expensive and it was at the time of Hari Raya Id Ul-Fitri, which means that everyone from everywhere go to their family house to celebrate. This can be considered as the Christmas of the Muslims. By the way, Indonesians also celebrate our Christmas, they consider it as a public holiday. They do it because of the large number of Christian inhabitants (such as F.). In this country, the inhabitants MUST follow and declare their religion. They indicate it on their ID card, for example, on D.'s card there is an item and next to it, you can find these letters: I, S, L, A, M.
As I didn't go to Bali, I stayed with my hostfam and I went to Sentul to watch a horror film, but I think it was quite weak, as I was only frightened 3 times during the two hours. It was not bad, though. Then I tasted Cakwe... whoaaaa, the taste of it was absolutely great. Look at this picture above (it's not mine; source: v1olet.blogspot.com). This is similar to the Hungarian "Lángos". The difference is that Indonesians eat it with peanut sauce, we eat it with sour cream. Our one is round, Indonesian is rectangular. The next day, I went to Taman Mini, where you can find little Indonesia. Small sights from Eastern Java, Bandung, Yogyakarta and so on. Also, a pond with small islands which are formed to imitate the archipelago of this enormous country. On that day, I tasted VIETNAMESE coffee. They produce also really tasty coffee. Especially the one with condensed milk. 

Two days later I went to Bogor to spend Lebaran with D.'s family (they invited me). They received me in a very polite way. It was great! They gave me some food then I went walking with D. The weather was unbearably hot, of course, but I didn't mind it so much. I am with my trainee, right? Two days, and I met D. again in my homestay. We had a great chit-chat together. After that I went bowling with Ilham, Ilyana and their relatives. Luck was not beside me, but seldom I managed to strike. 

My most beautiful day in this fantabulous country...

A week passed since my birthday. However, it was my most beautiful one. I had the chance to spend it here, in my dream home, the inspiring ornament of Asia. Terrible abdomenical pains tortured me the day before and I had to skip the afternoon to take some rest. I had to get recover, because I had a special day! So, I woke up really early on that day. I got a call from my trainee that she'd come to see me and then go together to work. Also, my hostfam gave me small gifts for my birthday! Yeah, I am 21 years old! They paid attention to my exact date of birth, they gave me the gifts right at my time of birth. After that, I had a very big sleep, but got up just in time to go to work. I had breakfast then I heard that the doorbell rings. Who was it? My trainee with a small package! It was just for me, I was very delighted when I saw her at the door of my homestay. :) Then we went together to work. Of course, there were gossipers, who said that we were dating as we came together to the Al Mukhlisin orphanage. Shortly after that the trainees have also arrived there. They made the base of this wonderful day, by remembering my birthday. It was really nice of them. This is one of the best places I have ever worked at. Obidient and smart children, who are also very talented. As it was a Moslem place, everyone should have covered their awrah. However, some people didn't obey this rule. This is included in the Quran as well. So, after finishing teaching at this place, we went to a small warteg to have lunch. This is the place where the totally amazing and unexpected happened. Some EPs left just to the Holland Bakery (place near my homestay) to give me a big cake! Woooow! It made a great day. Everyone got one slice, except those who were fasting (it is Ramadhan time). This means they only could eat it in the evening, when they always eat sweet first! By the way, here is a pic of my cake, after having been eaten by some ppl:

Being 21... the most beautiful birthday ever. Abroad, in the wonderful Indonesia. Everyone must come here at least once in their life. Indonesia, where dreams come true! :)

Some posts and interesting things...

Some days had passed and I had no chance to have some time and write about my experiences in this country. I have been to various places during these days. I have been to Pari Island, which was really nice place, also to do some snorkelling. I have to say that the Java Sea has some good places to do so. However, the sea is very dirty and there are not so much corals, only fish. From this aspect, this sea is wealthier than the Red Sea. We have been to an uninhabited island, the Mouse. It has a small house and a big mangrove forest. Of course, the beach is DIRTY. :( The inn where we stayed at was small but quite comfy. But there were also problems with the water, which came from the tap, that wuz salty. :( The landscape is really delightful, but the infrastructure is very disgusting. Also, the weather was very hot, but it does not count anymore. European person cannot stand it, it is humid and sticky.
After getting back to the harbour, the normal smell hit our nose. We were transported to a plaza which is quite close to the smelly place. Then, everyone was sent by taxi to the next stop. Holland Bakery, which required 10 dollars. This means a very big distance, by the way. Two gates on the toll road, and driving for nothing. Then, with great luck, I managed to get home. Then, it was the time to see some new places. I went with Ilham to the Monumen Nasional to see some history. I was amazed by this but there were some false information as well. OK, they might hate the colonizers, but still, falsifying History is not a good thing. Then, on Monday, the teaching started with some opening ceremony, then giving directions where to go and so on. Then, next day, everyone was sent to the orphanage, I was sent to the Pondok si Boncel one. OK, found the right place to work, the children were really kind and active. That is fun, to work in a mood like this. However, without a translator it was nearly impossible to handle them. :( Then, the Moslem one (Darul Ilmi or whatever) was a percent better in this sense. The children were older, that is they were willing to learn. I told them that if they didn't behave properly, I would set there an atomic bomb. I teach them the basic English expressions, the proper British pronunciation based on my Oxford dictionary. Really, I brought my big monolingual dictionary there. :) There are some drawings in it, so no problem, children will be able to understand what they see in the pictures. I don't teach any grammar. Mine is not so good, but everyone knows the fact that the best way is speaking, not grammar. They will win the inspiration to speak and be braver in the near future.
So, that is it until now. Take care until tomorrow when I would tell you what I got today. This will remain in my heart forever. Really appreciated :) :)

Let it begin...

So I have arrived to Indonesia. The first thing that caught me is the traffic. It is crazy. Everyone is lying on the horn, lots of motorbikes, and minibuses. They are too much for an European, right? So, how they solve the issue of public transportation: Angkot (minibus with low price, about 20 cents), Ojek (small motorbikes, fast and comfortable, 50 cents) and the traditional buses (don't use them). Also, there are trains, but with full of people. It is chaotic and crowded. :) There are ones, when people sit on the top of it, just under the high voltage. However, the commuters are cleaner than most Hungarian ones, that is a point for the Indonesian Railway System. And it is crowded, of course. Tickets are very cheap. 20 cents and you are at UI. It is really good. Yes, we have a lot of taxis, but they don't really know the address of the home. That's why they are not very popular. They are comfy, but rather expensive. Still much cheaper than in Hungary.
The shelves of the shops are full of false DVDs. My boss asked where the BSA is. What is BSA? You are in Indonesia, so piracy is common. Also, the corruption. One of the volunteers said that the government wanted to change it. Actually, everyone can change it, but it will not be cheap. Governmental corruption is not measurable. If we imagined it as a big mount, it would exceed the limits of all solar systems. But, there is an old phrase that says the power is corrupting, the absolutistic power is absolutely corrupting.
On Sunday, I went to Bogor with my trainee and her manager. I really enjoyed the time with them. We visited the botanical garden and the zoological museum. I also saw the volcanoes. Moreover it has some Dutch texts, as this city was founded by them (as Buitenzorg) as the governor's summer palace, or a place which is far from the cases they have to deal with. Today, the President (Susilo Bambang Yudhuyono) uses it. The garden of it is not public, you can only enter with special permission.
Monday, I went to the old town of Jakarta. It was very nice and had a great time, even the weather was too hot for doing any special thing. We saw the governor's office, which is now a museum, along with the Wayang Museum and the Museum of Ceramics. We also went on a crazy tour with bicycles, that is, biking with NO brakes. It is quite dangerous, because you have to use your legs to reduce the speed. Also, we spent some time in the harbour, and stepped on a boat. It was great but everyone's hand became dirty and the hot air made the situation worse. We went to the Jakarta Stasiun A&W Restaurant to have some bits of eat then everyone went home.
Today, we had the preparation meeting, where I met Diptha again. After that we went to have dinner together which meant a welcome party as well. Some EPs wanted to go to the Karaoke, but it was not open. So that now everyone is at home and are waiting for fasting period. Because Ramadhan is now only 11 minutes away.

This is now WONDERFUL!

Hi everyone from the wonderful Indonesia. Let the new life begin. I don't wanna go back. It is a great place you see. However I haven't made any pictures yet from IDN, but I will do so tomorrow :) But first, I would like to give the word to the musical instruments.

Listen to this. It will tell how I was feeling when I touched the ground in IDN. So let me tell you how my flight was to this country. You know, I sent a quick note from Francfort Airport, then some time later I boarded on the Airbus A380. That flight was also fine, even when I wasn't able to sleep. My feet had no place at all. :S I was not able to lean backwards, as the man sitting behind me was also tall. 12 hours and these circumstances led me to an awful jetlag. However the crew was friendly and polite, the food was palatable. The pilots were professional, everything went smoothly. The tail camera was superb, so I was able to follow the plane. Then I spent 3 hours in Singapore, I traveled with the skytram. I boarded my plane to Jakarta. The flight was operated by Jetstar Airways, an Aussie airline. I flew to Perth via Soekarno Hatta Intl. I collected my baggage and went to my receiving person, but there was a little complication. We missed each other and took 30 mins to find her. But it went fine after that. I spent a night at her house. Then the worst point came. I got an awful diarrhea just after breakfast. Arrrgh. :@
Now I am preparing to sleep a bit, because of the induction day. Bye and take care.

Frankfurt am Main

Just a quick note from here, Frankfurt. Terrible weather, hard raining whilst in Budapest it is warm. Yeah, yeah. I am sitting just next to a Jumbo Jet. I dunno where it is gwyne. :)

Last day in Hungary...

I think I am prepared. Wonderful Indonesia, I am coming! I packed all my necessary things, my luggage is still below the limit (we measured 18,5 kilos). I have to spend 9 hours in Germany, to transit to my Airbus A380 to SGP. These are VERY busy airports 24 hours a day. However, the Soekarno-Hatta is the 9th busiest one in the world. SGP Changi in comparison is the 15th. The German one is on the 11th place. So, Pita, I am sorry, but you may have to expect some delays when I am arriving to IDN.
Also, my stomach has to miss this type of meat for a very long time... :S

Moslems will be Moslems, they must not eat pork. No problem, I love beef, fish, SEAFOOD and chicken as well.

After the hardest year at University...

Even more lessons? Nobody had the strength to attend. However, two days ago it was totally worth of it, because this lesson was held by my trainee and her friend. They were so kind and helpful. They enlightened me some aspects of the Indonesian language (not the formal one, the informal Indonesian). They said this language is a kind of K-dropping one. Then my trainee added that it has some loanwords from Arabic (e. g. kitab - book), Dutch (e.g. sekrup - schroef - screw) and from other ones. We can consider it as a lingua franca. What on earth? Dutch??? Yes, Indonesia was a Dutch colony, and this country was very wealthy and still is. This country made the Netherlands as rich as now they are. Anyway, I still do not know if Indonesian people look up to Dutch. I am sure they do.

Just a week

Insurance and other stuff has been done, so yeah, there is only one thing left. Exchanging some money. I think US Dollars are to be taken there, because it is widely accepted at that place. However, I have to admit that Indonesian Rupiah (IDR) has nearly no worth. 10000 Rupiahs mean 1 US Dollar. Only one week left till the experience.

Getting more and more excited...

'cuz it is not more than 12 days before my wonderful experience in Indonesia. Far, but I am really close to the airport. I have got my tickets, my visa, now the insurance is in progress. Nobody is able to stop me. Why? Because I am an AIESEC-er. 12 days... I'm going away. It is really great. Two Airbuses will take me to this fantabulous country (archipelago).

Videos are possible...

When I am on the plane either on the two short-haul jets, either on the one long-haul jet, I will probably shoot some photos inside the plane or when I am in the terminal. However, what on earth can stop me if I make a video inside the Airbus A380? By the way, that plane looks like this:

Source: http://www.airliners.net/photo/Lufthansa/Airbus-A380-841/2150543/&sid=30ab6ca164c152d05901c02731ebfb74
Why it is so special? Because I have never travelled with wide-body, neither I had ever to change planes. Hopefully everything goes fine and I can go to this fabulous country filled with so much fun. I can't wait. 13 days left till the departure. Shall I cut the days from the calendar?

Don't stop me now...

'Cuz I just got my visa into my two little hands. I would like to say a very big thank you for the embassy! They made it within 2 hours. Also, there are only FIFTEEN days left until my experience. Long live Indonesia! So, let's cut the days from the calendar. Take care until the day!
I also managed to finish my exams, so I'm free for the next 2 weeks. As you know, the best thing is that you get the pass mark from a subject. I came here to win.... but getting a pass mark is also OK for me.

Vaccination

It is a quite important thing. I heard from the phone that no compulsory vaccination is needed. The secretary said that only against typhoid it is recommended. She also said hepatitis A and B, but I have already got against them. As all Hungarians know, vaccination against B is compulsory.

VISA... VISA...

I went into the visa process in the last few days. I am very exhausted after this. First. no one wanted to answer my call. Then, I don't even know when, but yeah, the secretary answered. She was quire kind, so I hope there will be no problem. I've got all the necessary material, no worries. :)  I say hope, because our Embassy in JKT did some really rude things to Diptha.
So that, there is 18 days left till my wonderful experience. Eighteen days will go like a lightning, so I have to get in touch with my hostfam, and keep contact with my receiving guy. 

Working hard

I worked veeeeery hard to find my ideal flight! Finally! I did it and you can see the results. I am very exhausted.

If you cannot see it correctly, I collected the most important points here:
Travelling to (date: July 3rd, 2013):
Flight  #1: Budapest-Ferihegy 2A 10:55 AM
Operator: Lufthansa
Flight no.: 1337
Aircraft: Airbus A320
Arrival at: Frankfurt am Main, 12:40 PM.
Flight #2: Frankfurt am Main, 9:35 PM
Operator: Lufthansa
Flight no.: 778
Aircraft: Airbus A380 (!!!)
Arrival at: Singapore Changi, 3:55 PM (+1)
Flight #3: Singapore Changi, 6:50 PM
Operator: JetStar Airways
Flight no. 115
Aircraft: Airbus A320
ARRIVAL AT SOEKARNO HATTA (Jakarta): 7:30 PM!

How on earth did I get involved with Indonesia?

So I had the interview with the Indonesian LC. Putri (has a very negative denotation in Hungarian, right?), who held the interview was really kind and cheerful. She looked so pretty. Her attitude was also very positive, so I felt really comfortable when I had the interview with her. :) She said two days for the results of this. Also, I told her that I had already received an EP from Indonesia and I had been her Trainee Buddy. Her name was Diptha, from Putri's university I asked her if she knew her. She didn't, but she was really impressed by my knowledge of her country, as she asked me to tell her what I know about Indonesia. 

As I said earlier, P. said to wait two days. Contrary, she said the next day that I had been... ACCEPTED! Yaaaaay! That is, I am OK for the job in Indonesia. I am so happy! I sent the acceptance note some days ago to I., then nothing can stop me. :) I am going to book the tickets in the next few days, and let the visa and sponsorship process start. After those, my wonderful journey begins. Take care, until then, please stand for the national anthem of Indonesia! Bapak-bapak dan ibu-ibu, mohon berdiri untuk lagu kebangsaan Indonesia.

What the h**l is AIESEC?

This is the question you may ask. When have you first heard about it? Well, I have to think now. This is the world's largest student-managed organization. The core of we do is to organize international internsips either it is a voluntary one, or it is not, for real salary. I joined in the autumn of 2012 after hearing it in the freshmen's camp and attending parties. I got a place in the sales department section. I like it so much! I am dealing with trainees who want to come here, I have the interview with them then I decide whether they are adequate for the work or not. Here you can see the logo of AIESEC (I put a link on it so you can read more):

www.aiesec.org

This is very useful when you graduate from university, because you worked hard to be an other person, you can get a job easier, because you know a lot of CEO-s. A friend of mine once said: when he graduated, his pocket was full of cards. You are the future, so please, JOIN if you haven't done so.

Welcome! The first interviews.

The aim of this blog is to describe the story of my AIESEC internship in Indonesia. This is also my first internship ever. This must be an unforgettable experience.

But first, I would like to introduce myself, my name is Gergely Lázár. I live in Dunaújváros, but on my weekdays I have to stay in Veszprém as I study there. I am majoring in English and American Studies at University of Pannonia, Veszprém. I am a first-year undergraduate (freshman). I will be 21 during my internship in the fabulous country of Indonesia. In my past time, I love reading, listening to music and watching movies. I am very fond of poetry, however tasks, tests and other stuff take my time to write any poem. These are about landscapes. That is why I love travelling, it does not matter where, just past the border.

But how on earth did I find my ideal internship? First, I looked for internships in other countries as well, I had interview with European place (Athens looked interesting for me, by the way). However, I thought that it is quite close, and nowadays everyone can reach this country, nothing is needed, only your personal identification card. Also, I showed interests towards Russia and China as well. The last did not (!) accept me! The interviewer, Nika looked very kind and sympathetic. Never mind. I also had interview with Russia, but they asked for medical certificate that I am not infected with HIV. This had to be translated into Russian. On the other hand, this country is blacklisted (no idea why, AIESEC says it is because of their horrible reception system). The only country that accepted me was the Jewel of the Crown. I was interested in it, too, but food was not (!!!) provided. Without food, this country is deadly. You have to think a thousand or million times what to buy and what not. Dirt, dust, the things of the holy cow, illiteracy, poverty but the other places are highly developed and rich. 

So that I said goodbye to Sindhu, who I had the interview with, and looked for other internship opportunities. I found Ukraine, Korea, China and Indonesia. I had the interview with China. Lily, who I have talked to, was not so friendly altough she looked so on her picture. Then I had the interview with Ukraine. They said I'm OK! I can come! No visa, but one problem. The food is provided - for two weeks! Then you are transferred to a place and buy the food on your own! Kiev is quite expensive, by the way.

In the next post, you can read about my project and how I was selected to work in the fantabulous country of INDONESIA. Take care!