It's really hard getting into the Christmas spirit over here in Indonesia when everday is 80 degrees and instead of drinking eggnog, sledding and baking cookies, I'm snorkelling with my friends and sipping coconut water on my way to school. I wouldn't change a thing, though. I'm so touched at how my family here has been trying to make me enjoy the Christmas season while being so far away from home, despite the fact that they're all muslim and have never even seen Elf. Does being surrounded by white sand beaches still make it a 'White Christmas'?
And since I've gotten back from Bali, I've just been hanging out with my friends and family around Makassar a lot and enjoying a two-week break off from school.
I think that my 'down time' will come to an end pretty soon though, since my exchange is already halfway through. There's still so much of Indonesia that I've yet to see, places like Lombok and Papua, and pretty soon I'll be getting to do a lot of island-hopping with friends and family, and hopefully a couple of solo trips, as well. It's still so strange when I hear of world news or things going on with my family in the US. I feel so detatched from all the rest of the world since I've been here, and I'm starting to understand why a lot of fomer exchange students told me that the hardest part of an exchange is coming back home and readjusting. Haha.. not quite ready to think about all of that yet, though.
I'll be spending the New Year's in either Bali, or one of the little islands around Sulawesi with some friends. I've never done one of these before, but I think this year I'll make a New Year's resolution to try and live in the moment as best I can. That's probably the biggest change that I've noticed in myself since being here. Before coming to Indonesia, I was always planning and making lists the things I wanted to do, when I wanted to do them and who I wanted to do them with. It wasn't always a bad thing, like when I was applying for colleges and stuff like that, but looking back, I realized I never fully relaxed enough to put my lists down and enjoy the moment that I was already in. That's all but completley stopped since being here, and even when I leave Indonesia I hope to never forget it. While I don't expect any tanglible presents here for Christmas, the people that I've met and the experiences that I have had here are gifts I'll never be able to forget and I'll get to carry with me for the rest of my life.
I'll post again right after New Year's, and I'll be sure to include plenty of pictures, too. Happy Holidays, everbody!
And since I've gotten back from Bali, I've just been hanging out with my friends and family around Makassar a lot and enjoying a two-week break off from school.
I think that my 'down time' will come to an end pretty soon though, since my exchange is already halfway through. There's still so much of Indonesia that I've yet to see, places like Lombok and Papua, and pretty soon I'll be getting to do a lot of island-hopping with friends and family, and hopefully a couple of solo trips, as well. It's still so strange when I hear of world news or things going on with my family in the US. I feel so detatched from all the rest of the world since I've been here, and I'm starting to understand why a lot of fomer exchange students told me that the hardest part of an exchange is coming back home and readjusting. Haha.. not quite ready to think about all of that yet, though.
I'll be spending the New Year's in either Bali, or one of the little islands around Sulawesi with some friends. I've never done one of these before, but I think this year I'll make a New Year's resolution to try and live in the moment as best I can. That's probably the biggest change that I've noticed in myself since being here. Before coming to Indonesia, I was always planning and making lists the things I wanted to do, when I wanted to do them and who I wanted to do them with. It wasn't always a bad thing, like when I was applying for colleges and stuff like that, but looking back, I realized I never fully relaxed enough to put my lists down and enjoy the moment that I was already in. That's all but completley stopped since being here, and even when I leave Indonesia I hope to never forget it. While I don't expect any tanglible presents here for Christmas, the people that I've met and the experiences that I have had here are gifts I'll never be able to forget and I'll get to carry with me for the rest of my life.
I'll post again right after New Year's, and I'll be sure to include plenty of pictures, too. Happy Holidays, everbody!
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