Sweet Disposition

A moment, a love, a dream, a laugh...

Hello hello hello again. I have found that these introductions are the hardest part to write, and you all probably skip past them anyways, so let's just dive in!
For those of you who were wondering when my inevitable stardom would begin, wonder no more! I have made a newspaper debut (along with the other exchange students) in the local newspaper, the Fajar. Naturally I was in a very elated mood which sent me into a goofy kind of state (not great timing...) because I started making some faces to the camera during what I thought was the outtakes (I could have sworn it was outtake time). This came back to bite me in the...behind when the newspaper came to my house and I saw that the picture they chose to use was one of the outtakes ones!! Everyone else looked fine. I was really the only doofus. Mind you, I did smile nicely for a bunch of pictures too, but for reasons unknown, they decided against using the photo where we ALL looked good. Lesson learned: don't get cocky and make funny faces in public. Or in front of a camera.

the one they used ^

the one the COULD have used

So I recently went to Malino (another city on my island) which was amazing. The weather is windy, cool and perfect. Like Minnesota in the fall. And the house we stayed in looked just like a cabin and had the most spectacular view of the mountains and rice fields! Trust me when I saw that this is quite possibly my favorite place in Indonesia (keeping in mind that I have already seen Bali).

This next story is perhaps a little cringe worthy, or at least it is when I remember it. So my friends and I wanted massages and we heard from another friend about this place that was pretty cheap. Wanting to save a rupiah, we went to this new place. It was pretty inexpensive, so we bought a package that had a sauna, massage and traditional scrub along with an ear candle treatment. The sauna turned out to be a really small closet-type thing (you know, like the place someone stores a dead body or where James Bond would lock you inside to die a toasty death). I only stayed in there long enough to contemplate the likeliness I could get trapped in there and left after a minute or so. Next were the massages. This was awkward for a number of reasons. Reason 1: we were basically laying on the massage tables naked except for underwear that the masseuses gave us. Reason 2: all the massage tables are next to each other so you can look over and see your buddies. Reason 3: They massage your buttocks (dad, I am really trying to not say butt, it is getting difficult though), and to do so, they pull down the underwear enough so your backside is exposed. Reason 4: none of our bottoms have seen the sun for quite a while, so the lack of tan is real. Reason 5: because the tables were close and we could see each other, the whole massage we laughed at how each other's caboose were so white. The traditional scrub turned out to be the worlds most painful mistake. They rubbed a rough paste, which I could have sworn was sand paper, all over us (yes. the behind too) and then when it dried they had to rub it off which hurt more than putting it on! And now I know, no good can come from a scrub. Lastly was the ear candle. This was pleasant until part of the candle broke off and almost lit my face on fire. To those of you who think I am exaggerating, all I have to say is that I wish I was. Thankfully, no pictures were taken of this experience.

Very recently, I got to visit Air Terjun Bantimurung (a waterfall) with my friend Fernanda, Kak Diah, and ibu. It was so gorgeous with the cliffs covered in greenery and butterflies everywhere. The waterfall itself was so beautiful too. After admiring it for a few minutes, I noticed my ibu swimming in the stream! I wasn't aware we could play in the water! So Fernanda and I waded into the water at the bottom of the waterfall to take our pictures, had a mini water fight, all good things. Then we talked about how it would be fun to float to the stream. NOT FUN. Jokingly, I did this and the water was a lot stronger than I anticipated and it took me from the base of the waterfall with aggressive speed. At first I thought it was super fun, like a roller coaster, until I noticed my ibu and Kak Diah shouting with worried expressions. That is when I noticed all the rocks I could hit my head on ("Sharp rocks at the bottom. Most likely. Bring it on. BOOYAHAHA"). Luckily, before I got too far and hit my head on something, I got stopped up on a large boulder. Crisis adverted. Here are some photos before my little adventure.

right before I slid ^

I was reading some other previous exchange student's blogs and realized that they talked about food and places a lot more than I have. To those of you who wish I would talk more about those things, my deepest apologies. I can never remember what the food is called or what is in it, I just eat it and hope it isn't dog or horse and as for the places, I suppose I could describe those more. But isn't the point of exchange not to see places but make memories and bring back stories? If that is the point, then this blog isn't half bad! Anyways, ta ta for now!

Until next time,

your wandering Holman

P.S. I found a store with nerf guns! The assassins game is back on as of now!

P.S.S. To those of you who are loyal readers and genuinely enjoy what I have to say, thanks a ton! You're the reason I keep blogging away.

At Least It Was Here

I can't count the reasons I should stay...

And just in time for Thanksgiving! In an ode to the delightful holiday that I am currently missing in America, I feel it is appropriate to make this post a thankful one. With that being said, lets get this show rolling.
I would like to deliver my first thanks (though this is in no particular order really) to my ibu. Ibu, the Bahasa Indonesian word for mother, has been a mom and more to me. Though her English is very limited and my Indonesian is coming along, we have bonded so much and become so close since my arrival in August. She is always at home, so when I am not feeling up to school (wink wink to those who know how often I am not feeling up to school) I get to spend my days with her. She is so funny and quite the jokester. I have been getting sick quite a few times since October, and she always jokes about how I can't die in her house and I have to be healthy in her house, but when I switch families then it doesn't matter. Lol. The list of jokes goes on, and perhaps I will divulge some more of them later, but I must keep moving along. Ibu, I will never forget your attempts at telling the time ("It empat thirty") and laughing at me when I choked on water that one time (don't worry, nothing serious). Thanks bu, love you.

(me messing around, ibu to capture the picture)

(we were "jogging")

Next lets move on to the rest of my family. So sorry they don't get their own section but I could honestly go on for hours about my family so for the sake of keeping this concise, I will do a combine. Ayah, I am so happy you know English. I am always glad to talk with you about Indonesian culture and learn more Indonesian words. You have been such a big help to me. Kak Diah, you are the best older sister, ever. You take me all kinds of places like Trans Studio Theme Park (still laughing at how we were the only ones there for a while), Pontai Losari (when we saw those extremely large snakes in the road and the weird colored chicks) and BALI (that monkey forest was the best, even though you weren't fond of the monkeys). We have been on quite the adventures and I can't wait for more! Kak Ami, though I never get to see you, you always let me use your computer and tried to teach me guitar once. Good times, good times. Love you guys.

(me and some of my family)

And for my next thanks, I believe it goes to my SMAN 5 friends. High school in Indonesia would not be the same without you guys, even though my attendance record is a little spotty. I am glad that you are all there to laugh at my laziness and my impression of the "Maju Mundur" walk, as well as keep me entertained when I am bored. I also can't forget how you guys helped teach me the useful Makassar words (opale, dompala...), for those come in handy everyday. Don't forget me ever!

Naturally, I must thank my rotary friends next. The FAK club if you will. Dear Alina and Fernanda, you guys are the best. That is all there is to it. Alina, you have shown me that Russia isn't all that bad (even though you told me your country could make mine a radioactive desert, those are her words people!) and Fernanda you have given me countless reasons to laugh and be happy. I hope you guys can make it to MN someday! I could go on and on, but just know that I love you real girls.

(one of my favorites)

Oh Thanksgiving, even though I do not get to enjoy your glorious pumpkin pie or wonderful mashed potatoes this year, I will be okay. I have a family here that loves me very much, and I am having the year of my life. WARNING; this is becoming an advertisement for rotary. Thank you so much rotary for giving me this opportunity, I wouldn't trade it for anything. Thank you mom and dad for saying yes to me and my wish of exchange. Thank you to everyone along the way that helped me hop countries.
Shout out to Americans, enjoy your Thanksgiving! Somebody eat a piece of pumpkin pie for me, I am serious.

Until next time,
your wandering Holman

P.S. ANOTHER SHOUT OUT TO THE AWESOME GIRLS WHO SKYPED ME THIS MORNING! You know who you are. Love you guys too.

And We Danced

And we danced, and we cried, and we laughed, and had a really really really good time...

Hampir dua bulan! I thought I would start off by trying to impress you with my vast knowledge of the  Bahasa Indonesian language, allow me to translate: Almost two months! Time sure flies when you're having fun, and this month of October was most definitely a fun one. In my last post I mentioned that I would be going to Malang for a rotary meeting and Bali for a mini holiday, so let me tell you about it!

BATU, MALANG
This trip was the first time that all the exchange students in our district got to meet each other so I think it is safe to say we were all pretty excited. Our trip was about 4 days long (we got there early on the 12th and left later in the afternoon on the 15th) though most of the days we were supposed to go to rotary meetings and some language lessons. However, when we weren't in meetings, loads of fun was taking place! One evening we all went down to the village to see a ritual/celebration/thing which consisted of traditional dancing and different performances. One of the performances made me cringe the whole time, it was so painful to watch. There were these shirtless men who would go up one by one to another man who would whack their backs with thorny sticks! And then they would lay down on the thorns and the man would put brick, blocks of cement or stone on their stomach and then break the brick/cement/stone with a hammer (so basically a man is taking a huge hammer to another man's gut). THEN they would put a cucumber on their stomach and with a giant knife they would slice the cucumber up...and when the cucumber was gone they would just hack away at the guy's stomach. That is when I stopped watching and hid behind my hands while shouting "OH MY GOSH AHHHHHHH". Another performance we saw had guys breathing fire, people in bull costumes and tiger costumes wandering around, and the elaborate use of whips.
On another evening, Fernanda and I decided to get some massages at the spa near our hotel. So we went down to the massage hut, were greeted by two ladies and signed up for two full body massages. What we didn't realize was that full body meant literal full body so both Fernanda and I were in for quite the surprise when the ladies started massaging our buttocks. Our beds were right next to each other and we couldn't help but laugh at the awkwardness of having someone else knead your hind-quarters. After our massages we had to quickly get back to the hotel in time for the talent show that the exchange students must put on. We were all a little timid and decided that we would all do the Macarena and then as the show went on we all tried to do a dance representing our country (Kelsey, Indira and I did the Cha Cha slide...no shame! Does America even have a dance to represent?). When the talent show was finished, we all went outside to a bonfire (yeah, a bonfire in Indonesia, needless to say it wasn't quite cold enough to need one in my opinion) and were told to gather around and close our eyes. Barbara then told us to imagine things like when we got our rotary letter, preparing for our exchange, saying goodbye to our parents, etc. At the end of it we all hugged each other, some misty eyed and others crying. When everyone was going for food to cook over the fire, Fernanda, Maria and I snuck away to the pool for a late night dip and it wasn't long before all the others joined us! So all in one night, we danced, we cried, we laughed and we had a really really really good time.

the rotary family ^

BANTAENG
After I got back from Malang, my ayah, ibu and I took a short trip to Bantaeng for a doctor's meeting. While I was there I got to meet up with Alina (her father is also a doctor) and we got to go to Bira beach together! This beach is so gorgeous because of its white sand and the color of the sand makes the water a bright turquoise color. We stayed at the beach for only a few hours but within that time I got a bad sun burn, and that was when the lobster joke was born. Alina and I said that I could start introducing myself like "Halo, nama saya Lobster. Saya dari di pantai." and now every time I get sun burnt, I say "Nama saya Lobster". And unfortunately, I have been getting sun burnt a lot.

BALI
So much happened in Bali that I am gonna have to break it down into days:

Day 1
Alright so the hotel we were staying in is called The Westin Nusa Dua and I strongly urge you all to search pictures of it online because it is sooooo fancy!! I felt so out of place there because it is so classy. When we walked in they greeted us by putting flowers in our hair and serving us refreshments as we waiting in line to check in. This hotel doesn't mess around. Anyways, on my first day in Bali we ate breakfast at the hotel AND THEY HAD BACON. I didn't even feel guilty, I just stocked up on it. So good. From there we went to my ayah's soccer game. The surgeons from each city form a team and then go head to head when they are all in Bali for the medical meetings. When that finished up, Diah took me to a beach, Tanjung Benoa, that had all different kinds of water activities and sports. I got to go tubing with Diah, jet skiing, parasailing and on a banana boat. I find it funny though, because one of the guys who was helping with the parasailing would ask me "Are you single?" and when I would say yes, he would grin and say "ME TOO". Then as I got hooked up to the parasail thing he said "Be careful honey!". The banana boat guy also asked if I was single and I replied yes again and he said that we should be together. I think I am going to start telling people I am married. From there Diah took me to Pantai Pandawa (Pantai = beach) so we could take pictures and then to Pantai Padang-Padang, which is also called the Julia Roberts Beach because the scene when Julia Roberts  turns down an attractive guy's offer to go to the beach and go swimming in the movie Eat, Pray, Love takes place on this beach. Then we went to Pura Luhur Uluwatu which is basically a Hindu temple of worship and to be able to walk around you must wear a shawl thing as a skirt if you are wearing shorts or a short skirt. The temple itself was gorgeous but holy cow, it was hot outside which made walking around torture so we only stayed for a short while. Our next stop was Rock Bar which is a bar/cafe on the side of a cliff! So beautiful to see the ocean and the sun setting...just perfect. Our last destination of the day was Jimbaran for dinner, and they have tables set out in the sand on the beach so you can literally eat on the beach. It was so nice to see the ocean and the stars as we ate dinner.
Day 2
Bacon and pancakes for breakfast, what a wonderful way to start the day. Diah and I went to Waterbom which is a super famous water park in Bali (I suggest looking up pictures) and it was super fun. Then we went to Kuta beach and I got a manicure/pedicure, henna tattoo and a mini massage.I felt so tourist-y. Next we went to Tanah Lot which is another Hindu temple, except this one has the temples on their own elevated rock islands. It is difficult to explain and I hope to have pictures up soon to aid with my descriptions. Lastly we went to La Plancha, but only long enough to take some pictures.
Day 3
Today we went to Pasar Sukowati which is a street market and I got to see my sister be a pro bargainer. Way to go Diah! Then we went to Sukarno Centre which is a mini-museum about the first president of Indonesia, Sukarno. Afterwards we went to Tampak Siring, yet another Hindu temple, that had holy water and prayer places all over the place. Gorgeous, as expected. Our next stop was the MONKEY FOREST. I was super pumped for this one. It is basically a forest with a walk way and there are monkeys every where, either just laying on the ground or strutting around. I thought it was so cool to see the monkeys up close but I think Diah was pretty afraid of them because she stuck close to me when we would walk past them. After a while we left to go to the Antonio Blancho museum, he is an artist, and though I admire his talent, many of his painting were of naked women so I was a little uncomfy. I am not afraid of the human body! I just don't need to see it, that many times. Then I got to meet up with Will and Indira for dinner! Will is from Alaska and lives in Bali for his exchange and Indira went to America last year for her exchange and she also lives in Bali. I haven't seen them since orientation so I was really excited to hang out with them. We had a good time joking and laughing at dinner and I really hope to see them again soon (I think another trip to Bali is in order).

Well folks I think that is about all I have to say. Life is good in Indonesia and I honestly can't believe how fast time is moving. Seems like yesterday I arrived here, fresh and brand new, and now I have gotten so used to the Indonesian mannerisms they seem ordinary. I feel like quite the Indonesian :)

Until next time,
your wandering Holman

P.S. Enjoy these random pictures of me and the people that started out strangers but became my family.

Yes

Every day I see my dream, every day I see my dream...

Hey there everyone, it is your favorite and most dutiful blogger. Another two weeks has passed which means it is story time yet again. So grab your popcorn and sit tight folks!

There is a new regular occurrence in school and I am not quite sure how I feel about it. I am referring to...the marriage proposals. At first it was just some of the boys joking around, funny stuff, but now it is the male teachers too! Sometimes they ask me to be their girlfriend, sometimes their wife and other times they try to set me up with their sons. This is real life people! I could come back to America as someone's wifey. So that is what is happening now at school these days in Indonesia.

Last Sunday was Eid al-Adha which is a religious holiday for Muslims. On this day people are supposed to go pray, sacrifice a cow and prepare a meal to eat with their family and friends. So, along with my family, I got all dressed up and went to pray. Once the prayer was done, we traveled to my uncle's house (on my mother's side) for the first meal. I got to talk to my cousins, including a little girl who was very taken by me and insisted on teaching me Indonesian (she also mocked me because she thought I said "yes" and "okay" funny). Then we went to my aunt's house (on my father's side) and they were in the process of killing the cow in the front yard! It was so gross and bloody, and my ayah kept asking me if I wanted to take a picture. NO WAY MAN. We ate some more food there and then left from my grandparent's house (father's side again). When we got there, we ate. I ate so much food, they probably could have just rolled me from house to house. Afterwards I was off to Kelsey's house for a rotary gathering. I wasn't aware of this until I got their, but the adults were hoping that each student would make a food from their country...so Kelsey and I decided to team up and make burgers. I like to think that I am a pretty good cook (I mean, I am not terrible)  but I am not really sure how the burgers turned out. The patties they supplied us with were super thin and looked like pepperoni, so those were some interesting burgers to say the least.

For those of you who know what is in theaters currently, you have heard of Annabelle. For those of you who know me, horror movies and I don't mix well. However, basically everyone in Indonesia likes horror (I am trying not to stereotype, but I haven't been proven wrong yet), so I should have known what I was in for when my sister said we should go see a movie. So there I was, sitting in the theater, wide eyed and fully terrified. For over half the movie, I was hiding behind my purse while I could hear screams from the movie and my fellow viewers. Somehow I made it out of the theater alive (I figured I would maybe just die in the movie from spontaneous combustion due to fright) but now I freak out every time I go to bed. Fortunately I have compiled this bed time checklist:
1. Make sure door is fully closed (if not, it won't creak when someone opens it and you will die)
2. Close curtains (don't you dare let anyone peek in and kill you)
3. Close closet doors (no creepy shadows, no problems)
4. Say prayers (ward off them evil spirits)
5. Don't mention Annabelle, dolls or say "I like your dolls" at least an hour before sleeping
6. Always turn your back to the wall if you need to sleep on your side (to prevent attacks, not tempt them)

One day, my class turned into High School Musical. A guitar randomly appeared and they all broke out into song (and it wasn't just my class, other classes caught the singing bug too). I fancy that I have a stellar voice and I am known to sing in the car or shower but when everyone in the class burst into song, I was a little less than eager. I was more like Patrick Dempsey in the movie Enchanted, when he is the only one questioning why everyone is singing and how they all know the same song. They all wanted me to join in, but alas, I was not feeling like it. However, my classmates do not give up. Me saying that I didn't want to sing must have sounded like "If you keep asking and begging me, of course I will do what you want" to them because they were relentless. Finally I ended up singing a little jig just to get my ipad back (it got real when my friend took it to force me into singing). Moral of the story: Indonesians like to sing, and will force you to sing too.

Well that is all for now people, hope you got a chuckle or two! I leave for a rotary meeting in Batu, Malang tomorrow so I should probably pack for that. When I get back, just a few short days until I go to BALI with my family! Needless to say, these next few weeks will be super exciting so you better stay tuned for my next blog post to hear about how they went and what I did.

Until next time,
your wandering Holman

P.S. For those of you who have seen Eat Pray Love, just know that I am on the look out for my Javier Bardem.

New Soul

I'm a new soul, I came to this strange world hoping I could learn a bit about how to give and take...

ONE MONTH. Holy cow, I am not even going to try to hide my shock. I can't believe how fast time has gone by! One month in Indonesia...wowza. Well considering that I have now spent ONE MONTH here, I feel that I owe you (my loyal readers) some stories, and because I have been here for a while now, I should be able to find a few.

On my second day in Indonesia, my sister Diah took me and her cousin to Pontai Losari. Pontai Losari is the center of town (center of activities, center of food stores...it is just the center of everything pretty much) that people gather at, mainly on Sundays and Mondays. We went there just to walk the streets, Sunday morning is a no-car time so it is easier to walk around., and the crowds in the streets where about the size of the State Fair crowds. SO MANY PEOPLE. While walking, I saw some dyed chicks (like, their feathers were dyed different colors, it was very strange), some hollowed-out crows (not sure of what purpose they have), and some giant snakes! Diah told me to take a picture next to the snake and I could have fainted. For those who don't know, I am DEATHLY afraid of snakes (even the little gardner ones you find in your yard) and taking a picture with a snake...has never been a desire of mine to say the least. But here I am, because I am an exchange student, living life YOLO style.

A few days later, ibu (mother) and I traveled to immigration to finalize my passport and all. I was happy because it meant skipping school, school is rather boring since I don't understand anything the teacher says. While at immigration, I got to meet my the other exchange students! There is Lucas from Brazil, Fernanda from Mexico, Alina from Russia and Kelsey from Wisconsin, USA (so I guess I am not the only exotic American here, bummer). After immigration Lucas, Fernanda, Alina and I went to a softball game but we only stayed long enough for the opening "show". It was so cool because there were these guys who would bounce a ball using only their feet or arms, and they would pass it to another guy AND THEN to make it really impressive, they would climb onto each other's shoulders and continue to pass the ball back and forth. Trust me when I say it was impressive. There were also dancers, marching bands, and the different teams from Malaysia, Thailand, etc.

How about a school story? Kay, so most of my teachers are either kind to me or just ignore me but there is one teacher who scares the living daylights out of me. He shall remain nameless (mainly because I do not know his name), but he is my Indonesian teacher. Every time I have his class he just looks at me. Then when the class is working, he will come over to my desk and look at me more, and then pick up my notebook and say something in Indonesian and then laugh (so I doodle a lot, I don't think it is *that* funny). Needless to say, I am very glad I don't have that class everyday. Also one of the days, there was an election for the student body president (I think). We all had to vote and my entire class kept telling me "Vote for one!" or "No way! Do two!" etc. and it reminded me of when Farquad has to choice a princess in Shrek. So, to not let anyone down, I did a write-in: I vote for Kate Holman the American. I, however, have not been told if I won or not so I am assuming I was the only one to write in my name.

A few nights ago, in my room I found a lizard. Since then, I have noticed that they are literally (and I mean literally) everywhere. I am learning to sleep with one eye open. Just kidding, but I am thoroughly freaked out by them (what if they decide to snuggle up in my bed while I am sleeping?!) which everyone seems to think is funny. My ibu jokes around and will point at the wall and say "Cicak!" just to see me whip around and yell "WHERE?!". Everyone here is so used to them that it isn't a problem to have the crawling around the house, in fact there is a children's song about them: Cicak cicak di dinding... (Lizard lizard in the wall, there is more but I forget the rest). But they eat misquitos so I guess they aren't all that bad.

Muay Thai! So since I have been here, I have been attending muay thai classes with my friends after school three days a week. It is basically kick boxing but with a few differences. I could not feel less athletic than I do in this class but it is fun and the trainers are nice to me. I am not sure what else to say about muay thai other than that I hope to come back to America super buff!

Just the other day I had my first motorcycle ride. Here, motorcycling is infinitely more dangerous and scary since the driving itself is more scary. However, I imagined that for my first motorcycle ride, I would be clothed to perfection while clinging to an attractive guy as we sped through the streets of Makassar, maybe some catchy music in the back round too. This is not how it went down. Instead, I was wearing my school uniform (not all that flattering really), clinging to my friend Mardha as we made our way to an ice cream store, all the while I hung on for dear life. It did end up being a fun ride despite my initial fear.

Well I'd say that is enough stories for now. I hope I have thoroughly entertained you all with the tales of my travels. Life in Indonesia really is wonderful when you have awesome friends and a great family like I do, I couldn't ask for more!

Until next time,

your wandering Holman

Party in [Indonesia]

Hopped off the plane at Sultan Hasanuddin with a dream and Rotary blazer...

And that's two weeks! If you have seen Dan in Real Life, maybe you can recall the scene when Marie describes her perfect day starting in a place she was unfamiliar with that had a language she didn't know...let me tell you, that is WAY more terrifying than it sounds. Culture shock hit me harder than any thug could have. So let me break it up like this:
Shocking thing number one: DRIVING
So here driving is quite possibly the most frightening thing ever. There are no stop signs, no speed limits, no lanes, a handful of stop lights, and they drive on the left side. If you want to cross the road, you have to start walking and hope not to die (only a slight exaggeration, I have seen my short life before my eyes a few times now). The streets are also ruled by motorcycles that drive wherever they can fit. I have seen a family of five all fit on the same motorcycle, a girl riding side saddle and someone carrying a ridiculous amount of things on the back of their ride. There are also public modes of transportation such as the pete-pete (basically a van that acts like a bus), the bentor (a cart attached to the front of a motorcycle) and the becak (same as the bentor but a bicycle instead of motorcycle). I mastered riding the bentor all by myself for the first time yesterday.
Shocking thing number two: FOOD
I want to tell you all that before I came here, I could only handle the mild sauce from B Dubs. So you can imagine how I took my first meals. Needless to say, I ate bird sized proportions for a few days. Rice is a staple here, and I think I have it for almost every meal (whether it be white rice, yellow rice, fried rice, etc). Also, it is poular to have dinner foods for breakfast. Spicy spaghetti? Yes. Fried chicken? Yes. Chocolate cake? Yes.
Shocking thing number three: SCHOOL
Two words: saturday school. School is six days a week here, from 7:15 till 2:00. However we only have a maximum of four classes a day (sometimes it is three and sometimes two). Also gym class is super easy. If you have had a gym class with me, you know that I am no stud when it comes to physical tasks, but here I am miss Macho! And if a teacher doesn't feel like it, they don't have to come to class and tech. The students just get a free period to talk and play games.
(Not-so) Shocking thing number four: FABULOUSNESS
For all of you out there that have spent your high school years, like me, trying to make yourself appear more fabulous and mysterious, the answer is here! Move to a different country. People are actually doing double takes! I must say that I rather like this attention, it is like I am a celebrity. All the boys say I am so beautiful and that they love me (oh American boys, why can't you be the same way??). That being said, I am also a giant. Most Indonesian girls are a lot smaller than me which made purchasing my school uniform a menace, we actually had to travel to three different stores to find one that would remotely fit. So, come to Indonesia if you look American but are also very dainty.
I want to finish off by saying that this experience so far has been amazing and I wouldn't trade it for anything. My host family is better than a dream and my friends are the best ever (American friends, you haven't been replaced...yet). 

Until next time,
your wandering Holman

p.s. Shark is incredibly expensive and you need to order it a month ahead of time and no one has heard of a nerf gun. This bucket list thing isn't going too well.

One Day More

One day more, another day another destiny...

For those of you who care to keep up with me on my little trip, this blog will mainly be a composition of my thoughts. First off, I still can't believe how fast time went. It seems like yesterday that I was talking about how long the Rotary application was taking me to finish, and then the day before winter break when I was running down the school halls in my ugly sweater proclaiming the good news. And here we are now, after a day of running around trying to pack and get everything prepared, I am sitting down trying to recall where the time went. For those who don't know, Rotary has been a big thing for me. I applied in 10th grade to go during my junior year but was rejected because the senior class was so large and I was just a sophomore. But now, now my time has come. I am beyond excited to get going on my merry way. The food, the sights, the people...I want to see it all!! I feel like if I were in a movie, my adult voice would be saying "This is the moment my life began" or something like that as some cool music played in the back round. 

I must say, I feel like I know myself pretty well. Discovering myself (or something to that extent) isn't one of the things that I am really expecting about because I don't feel like it will really happen. Now, with that said, you all can say "I told you so" when I return home and say "I met a whole new me that I didn't even know existed!". I must say, I am interested in finding out how I will respond to different situations when I am tested (#trialsandtribs, Amber and Lauren). Also, perhaps I will mature a bit and become more worldly, so to speak, and that is something I am very curious to see.

To end this blog sesh, a bucket list! I have high hopes of starting a school wide game of Nerf Assassin (mainly to avenge myself due to my untimely death by Nathan Berthelsen during the NHS seniors game). I really want to try some exotic foods, maybe shark or a lizard of some sort (cooked of preferably). Learning the entire Indonesian language on the plane ride plane there is probably unlikely but I'll try my best. Lastly, dreaming in Indonesian would be so cool, I am actually gonna try pretty hard to get this one crossed off the list.

Until next time,

your wandering Holman

Dear Mr. Cohrs,

I am very sorry at the lack of indentations at the beginning of every paragraph, spelling and potential grammar mistakes, lack of quotes, and improper MLA format.