Dream.

One day when I was in KSJ, a little girl asked me a question in Dutch. I didn't understand what did she say. Fortunately there was my friend who heard our conversation and looked my confused face. Then my friend said that the little girl want to know what do I want to be in the future. Then I answered, "I wanna be an ambassador". Yeah, that's my dream.

Talk about dream, I actually have many dreams since I know what 'dream' is. I think not only me, but you and other people also have many dreams. One of my dream is being in Europe and now I'm already here, exactly now I'm an exchange student - which is my dream also - in Belgium. When I was walking after school to my house, I thought about dream and suddenly I remember a quote from Oprah Winfrey, "THE BIGGEST ADVENTURE YOU CAN TAKE IS TO LIVE THE LIFE OF YOUR DREAMS"

Now, I wanna tell you some experiences I got in these last 2 months. These experiences make me become more understand what dream is and how do you feel when you already accomplish it.

In the end of September, I had post arrival orientation from AFS. I must go to Dworp, it's near to Brussels. It's so far, so I need to take the train and actually I never take train before. So, I was confused how to get there. Luckily, I and my friends from MIL make an appointment that after Dutch lesson, we will go together by train. So, it was my first time to take the train. It was really cool! They have two-level train. After we arrive in the station of Dworp, there were volunteers who already waited for us. In the station, we met our friends from other countries and I met Fikram and Icha who are my friends from Indonesia! Most of us did hug each other and we talked about our experiences. After that, we were brought to the camp by bus. The place was really cool. Unfortunately, the camp was only 3 days. It was really short. We still missed each other, but we had to go to our home.

MILLLL!!!

Camp for Orientation

Train station in Genk

First time I met Fikram in the station after 1 month! 

Me and my friends on the train

In the 2nd October, I celebrated the Batik day, a day to commemorate Batik, Indonesian's traditional cloth as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. I celebrated it by wearing batik to school and take a selfie with my friends with a paper that I had written on it "HAPPY BATIK DAY!" It was really nice.

Then 2 days after that, I had Infoavond, it's an evening to promote or introduce AFS to the people. In that day, we, the hosted students were given chance to introduce our country. Some of us wearing traditional clothes, making traditional foods, etc. While I only wore Batik, brought Ulos - traditional clothes from my ethnic group, TONGSIS OR SELFIE STICK and some photos about Indonesia. Hehe.. Oya, before that, we did bowling and took a selfie of my batik :)

Preparing for Infoavond 

With the Thai girl

The Thai girls 

Ulos, Batik (Indonesia) - Short for Thai boxing (Thai) HAHAH 

With Hong Kong girl and a returnee from Hong Kong

Then, in the beginning of October, I change my family. Now, I live in Genk! It's bigger than Maasmechelen, but still smaller than Medan, my city in Indonesia. Now I live with Dad, Mom, 2 brothers and 1 sister, they are studying in university now. I really, really love them! They are crazy, especially my second brother, but I always laugh every day at them. They make my day every day! They like reading, many books in every side of this home. They have children books in Dutch which I can read and understand easily. And they also don't have tv, but this make them become more special than the other families. If they want to watch something, they use internet. My parents like history, especially my dad, he knows everything, he is like 'mbah' google in this house. So, I often ask them anything and now I know more about Europe. Unfortunately, I don't have family photo with them, sometimes one of us is not at home when I remember to take photo with them and sometimes I don't remember when all of us at home.

My house from the front

My house from the back

Playing with my brother and his friend

Playing chess with the crazy brother haha

Library of Gene

Town Hall of Gene

Park of Genk

Great Market of Genk

I move to Genk but I still go to De Helix in Maasmechelen, where I lived. So, every morning I must wake up at 06.30 in the morning and take the bus at 7.30. It's really cold. And in the afternoon, after the school, I must take the bus also and walk from the halte to my house. It's pretty far and I didn't use to walk in Indonesia. Now, I must take bus and walk everyday as European and feel the cold! It's already autumn and going to winter which means the temperature will get lower everyday. I really miss the sun, feel hot and have zweet every day :') But I like it actually, I really feel like a European now. Hehe...

The halte every morning :) 

Autumn

The way to my house

And I must pass this trap to my house :)

In the end of October, I had autumn holiday for one week. I went to London with my school. It was like "Oh my God! This is the biggest dream of my life and now I'm here!" I really wanted to shout at that time when I arrived in London, but it's impossible. Haha.. Unfortunately, it's only 4 days. It was really a short time and I didn't really enjoy the trip. But my host parents said that they already have been there for a few times but they still miss some places in London because London is very big and for the first time, it's only to get how London is. I'm really grateful to be there and I wish I can go there again! Ya, I must!

The station in Brussels

On Eurostar

During under the sea, it hurts our hearing

First step in UK!

St.Pancras Station

In the Undergound, it's really hot and many people over there

Time is important

Something weird for me, the advertisement is about the future of UK!

In Halloween, I had party with AFS in Leuven. It was really cool. Marija, my AFS friend did make up to me and after I saw my face, I thought about... Genderuwo, a ghost of Indonesia. Ya, I looked like it -_- In tomorrow of that day, I had KSJ activity in the evening. I became a Pocong, a ghost of Indonesia again on that day. At that time, I thought being a Pocong also can presentate my country. Haha.. My parents did the clothes to me, they were confused how to make it. But finally, they did a great job, I really looked like a Pocong. In that evening, we, the oldest group scared the younger group of KSJ. Anyway, the place was really good! They did a great job of decoration, I like it!

Genderuwo and friends...

Pocong and friends...

Live in Genk makes me easier to travel anywhere because many buses and there's a train station over here. My host parents also sometimes brought me to some places. I'm really grateful to live with them :) So, I've already been in Antwerpen, the biggest city in Belgium and its port is one of the biggest ports in the world, ranking third in Europe and within the top 20 globally; Brugge, a prominent world heritage site of UNESCO and people say it's 'The Venice of the North'; Maastricht, Netherlands for twice, one for traveling and the other one for looking a carnival. It's really close to Belgium and there's a bus from Genk to Maastricht; and Cologne or Koln in Germany, I met my AFS friends from Indonesia over there. We really had fun on that day! I even never meet my AFS friends from Belgium beside the camp because I'm closer to Germany than to other cities in Belgium. Hahaha...

Maastricht station

You will see many bikes in Netherlands :)

The Maas or Meuse, one of the five oldest rivers in the world

I went to Antwerpen with Marija and Augusto, my AFS friends

Antwerpen station

My AFS friends from other chapter, we met in Antwerpen

The town hall of Brugge

With my host dad

With my host mom

The Dom of Köln

With Myron and Nathan, AFS friends from Indonesia who live in Germany

With Myron, Nathan, and Lia

We got INDOMIEEE!!! But we got lost first -_-

Rhine in the night 

Carnival in Maastricht

So, that's all I had during these 2 months. Actually there are more experiences I got, but it will be really really long and the stories above are the most important in these 2 months and they make me become more understand what dream is and how does it feel when you accomplish it as I told you. See you!