Month: March 2016

AdventureNotes #3: London

Published on by Izza DinillahLeave a comment

Baiklaaah.. Setelah cuti nulis (ciee) beberapa lama, saya maleees nulis dg bahasa Inggris. Hehe. Jadi, maaf2keun kalo notes kali ini berantakan yaa.. 🙂

London is a city that I like. Kalo liat London, mungkin sedikit2 inget Jakarta walaupun banyakan ga mirip nya siih tp yaa dibandingin Hull, masih lebih mirip lah. Hehe… Karena London adalah ibu kota dan pusat ekonomi juga, jadi London itu suasananya sibuk, it seems like everyone is on the go. Buat aku yang suka dengan ke-hectic-an dan kesibukan, menyenangkan banget sih jalan2 di London. Kenapa notes kali ini tentang London? Yaa.. karena setelah York, London adalah kota kedua diluar Hull yang aku datengin di UK.

Pertama kali visit London, saya pergi dg housemate saya. Pas banget waktunya lagi Christmas holiday. Tentunya di waktu winter dan suasananya Christmas banget. Yang harus diwaspadai ketika liburan di musim Christmas seperti saya adalah melangitnya harga2, mulai dari kereta dan akomodasi. Tips-nya, booking semua di awal. Bulan Oktober kalo bisa udah booking semuanya supaya dapat best deal. Untuk transportasi, selain kereta kita juga bisa naik bus dari Hull. Hanya saja perjalanannya 5 jam. Tergantung lagi, apakah beda harganya signifikan. Plus, kalau punya tiket kereta, kita bisa masuk ke certain attractions dan makan di certain resto with 2 for 1 price. Promo ini sangat2 menarik karena yaa sama aja dapet diskon 50%. Syaratnya, ke London harus bersama teman2 dan berjumlah genap. Hee. Lalu, untuk akomodasi ada banyak pilihan. Ada wisma KBRI yang katanya sangat terjangkau (saya sih belum pernah nih jangankan ke wisma KBRI, ke KBRI nya aja blm pernah, heheheh), ada juga hostel yang terjangkau. Sarannya sih, kalau bisa pergilah ke London bersama teman2 yang banyak karena bisa ngirit ongkos akomodasi.

Lanjut, what did I do? Pertama kali ke London, 4 hari dan betul2 niat. Semua itinerary nya dibuat dg oke. Beli2 tiket masuk attraction dari internet karena biasanya lebih murah. Ada juga deal2 tertentu yang memungkinkan kita masuk ke beberapa attraction dengan harga combined. Kalo nggak salah, pertama kali ke London, aku pergi ke Madame Tussaud, Sherlock Holmes Museum, nonton Wicked, ke British Museum, Portobello Market, Harry Potter Studio, Oxford Street, Parliament House, liat changing guards di Buckingham Palace, naik London Eye, dan ke Hyde Park. Yah, kira2 begitulah yaa.. Menurut saya sih semua attraction nya menarik dan recommended kecuali Sherlock Holmes Museum yang ngantri nya panjang banget dan cukup mahal tapi tidak sesuai dengan ekspektasi.

Untuk aku, it’s a must-nya London ada beberapa. Kalo nggak ke tempat2 itu yaa rugi lah (menurutku yaa..). Pertama, nonton musical di London. Teater tempat musical2 ini ada di daerah West End biasanya. And I love West End area. Nggak tau kenapa tapi rasanya festive aja. Hehe. I also love strolling around in South Bank. Again, lebih karena alasan environment. Entah kenapa suka aja atmosphere disana. Lalu, ke Harry Potter Studi. Dimana lagi bisa ke Harry Potter Studio? Agak mahal tiketnya tapi for someone who grew up with Harry Potter like me, sungguh2 nggak nyesel.

Menurut aku sih, pertama kali ke London itu harus dipuas2in. Bener2 harus mengunjungi apa yang ingin dikunjungi. Karena kita bisa jadi turis benerannya hanya pas pertama kali ke London. Kesempatan berikutnya ke London… well, pastinya karena udah pernah jadi kurang exciting walaupun kalo buat aku sih, pengen balik2 terus ke London. The city has a charm.

What can you do besides the normal touristy activities? Coba buka website nya visit London dan cari2 event apa yang sedang berlangsung. Menyenangkan sih, dateng ke event2 yang diselenggarain di London karena pasti niat. Saya pribadi sih pernah dateng ke Winter Wonderland yang recommended banget, HARUS dikunjungi klo lagi ke London saat winter dan ke Canada Day. Menarik! Coba juga jalan2 ke taman yang ada di London, dateng ke pasar2 yang banyak banget juga di London. Atau, kalo yang mau ngeceng silahkan beredar di jalanan kota London pas jam orang bubaran kantor. Lots of cute guys with suit. Hehehe…

That’s about it. I didn’t give anymore details about the website, etc but you can ask me anytime. If you wanna go to London, I’ll be happy to make an itinerary for you. Hehehe.. Okay then, London is a city with charm which makes me want to go there again and again.

Oct 18, 2013

AdventureNotes #2: York

Published on by Izza DinillahLeave a comment

So, this is my second notes about my adventure while I was studying in the UK. Why York? Well, there are two reasons for that. First, my trip to York is the first out of city trip that I did after I came to UK. Second of all, because I love York. Seriously, York is my most favorite city in the UK. I don’t know why and you may not agree, but the city is very gorgeous.

The reason I went to York is because my housemate asked me to join her and her friends to go. She actually wanted to shop – because there’s this big outlet in York. I agreed to come not because I wanted to shop but because I just got nothing to do at that time. LOL. Good way to spend money, Zaa.

York is not too far from Hull, only around an hour by train. As usual, I had to book my train ticket early so I could get better deal. However, I made a mistake. I misinterpreted my friend’s request and I bought too many train tickets. What should I do? Thank God I bought the open ticket or all day ticket which means that I can travel anytime during that day. It costs a little bit more expensive than the advanced ticket; so I can returned the extra tickets. It took a long time until my money was refunded into my bank account but yeah, at least I got my money back.

I did quite a lot of things when I went to York. I didn’t go to the outlet the first time I visited York but I went there later on. As my favorite city, I went to York several of times. I just love it there. Places that I’ve visited in York are the museums (Castle Museum, another museum that I cannot remember the name, and Railway Museum), the tower (which again, I cannot remember the name), the Shambles (which is a cute old street), the Minster, and the parks. As I went there for the first time during the Christmas period, there was also a Christmas market. I loved the ambiance of the market, especially during the night. I also tasted the famous English afternoon tea (which was very expensive and… well, not as I imagined).

As a short visit destination, York offers quite a lot of attractions. I really like York with all its attractions. There are more museums than what I mentioned above and more interesting places a little bit outside of it such as Castle Howard. I regret I haven’t had a chance to visit Castle Howard because people said that it is gorgeous.

Now, for the tips. If you want to go to York, there are many options of transportation. You can go by train, bus, or coach. It’s only an hour by train but the fare is slightly more expensive. Great deal on Megabus sometimes so you can travel by coach for one pound only. Bus may be a good choice if you want to get to know Yorkshire area better. Visiting York can be expensive. The museums are not free. It is quite expensive, honestly. So, get promotion deals and buy the one year tickets. Plus, always ask for student price. I think, shopping in York is fun. I like to go to the outlet and find good stuffs in cheap price. The price in the outlet is already cheap, but if you go during the sale time, it gets cheaper and cheaper.

I definitely recommend people to go to York. It is such a beautiful place with interesting attractions to visit.

 Oct 09, 2013

AdventureNotes #1: Introduction

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I feel like I write things based on request. LOL. Please anyone motivate me to write something more challenging. Well, it’s not that writing this type of text not fun, but I think I need to write more serious stuffs. Well, anyway… It’s been more than a year since I came to UK and study AND travel. The last part may not be the focus but it’s definitely the most memorable (I think).

In my opinion, travelling is a must! When you’re half way around the world from your home country, do travel. You’ll gain so much experience and learn so many things. You’ll see the world you’ve never seen before and you’ll be more knowledgeable.

I am quite independent and therefore I am not scared traveling alone (is there any relation, anyway?). But I believe that as long as I can speak and I have brain, I will be okay. As a part time traveler, I used to plan my travel during holidays or weekends, depend on the place I want to go to. I also have to save my money so that I can spend it during my trips. Traveling is not cheap so you need to prepare financially. Try to find promotions or cheap trips from the university so you don’t have to spend as much money.

In this modern world, traveling is not too difficult as it was before. Even if you have to travel alone, you can plan your trip before hand, book your transportation and accommodation online, etc. You can also always try to look for people you know, who may be able to help you during your trip or kindly let you stay in their place.

Traveling inside the UK is very very easy. As long as you plan your trip far before the date, you can get cheap prices. As people in UK also speak English, language won’t be a problem. There are also loads of information about touristy places and you won’t get lost – well, you can get lost but you’ll always find someone to help you.

Unfortunately, traveling outside the UK is quite difficult for Indonesian citizen. To travel in European countries, you need to apply for schengen visa. The procedure may not be too difficult but there are many requirements and documents that you need to prepare. You also have to have quite a lot of money in your bank account. The cost for schengen visa, per July 2013 is around GBP 100. Therefore you need to prepare if you want to go to other European countries.

An easier way to travel if you want to go somewhere outside UK without any visas is going to countries with on arrival visa. For Indonesian citizens, this means Turkey and Morocco. Those two countries are not too far from Europe (yeah of course because Turkey is partly Europe) and you don’t need to apply for visa before hand. You can just buy your airline tickets and go! As they are a bit far (Turkey is half Asia and Morocco is in Africa), the airfare can be quite expensive. So, again, prepare your money.

I don’t have a lot of money but I try to save money as much as possible for travel. I think it is worth it. So, while you’re in the UK as a student please do travel! 🙂

 Oct 08, 2013

Being a Student Ambassador

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After long hours of work and traffic, I want to do things that I like, such as writing! I remembered that Mbak Wuri asked me to write about working as a student ambassador so that others (Indonesian in Hull) can just read my blog to know more about it.  Well, here we go.

I worked as a student ambassador for only 6 months. I knew that there are student ambassadors but before I applied, I didn’t know how you can apply as one. Around May, I received an email saying that SCLS department in University of Hull needs student ambassadors. I applied. A few weeks later I got a series of training to be a student ambassador. Basically, we were taught about the event that we are going to have as well as an explanation about campus tour. We did the campus tour, actually. It was the first time I joined campus tour and it was quite fun.

After the training, I was involved in ACE Days event which is basically an event for secondary pupils. It was aimed to give some kind of information about higher education to them. The event is a little bit like training or something like that. There are some activities and it is fun (at least for me). I worked in around 5 ACE Days in the duration of 2 months. It wasn’t bad, really.

Besides ACE Days, as a student ambassador, you can also work in various university events, such as HE Day and Open Day. There are two types of events, the paid ones and the unpaid ones. Therefore, be aware when you read the announcement. I don’t mind doing voluntary work but it is also great to get extra money as well. The payment is quite good, especially seeing that the work is very flexible and not too difficult.

I think I gain a lot more than money as the result of being a student ambassador. I got to know people, understand the costumer service approach, able to do the campus tour, and I got to know about University of Hull and UK higher education system in general better. No regrets, really. I really enjoyed being a student ambassador and I wish I knew it sooner so that I worked longer.

If you are interested in being a student ambassador, you can just apply. Just send them email, saying that you want to work as a student ambassador and when they need you, they’ll contact you. The nearest event for now is Open Day and maybe if you apply now, you can work then. This article is solely based on my own experience and it may be subjective. But you can always try if you are interested. You’re not going to UK to study only, so get the whole experience! Cheers!

Oct 4, 2013

11676.88 km Later

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11676.88 km is the total distance between Hull and Jakarta. The two cities that I call home.

Yeap! 11676.88 km later, after 19 hours journey, I finally arrived in Jakarta. There was a ‘slight’ delay in my first flight which scares me a lot because my connection flight is only in four hours and the delay was around 2.5 hours. But thank God, I could still catch the next plane home.

The first thing I felt after I stepped my foot outside the airport building was heat! It was so hot and the air wasn’t too good that I felt like I almost suffocate. Seriously. It was 33 degree when I arrived in Jakarta. Either positive or negative, Jakarta is not Jakarta if it is not hot. Just go with it!

The second thing that I feel very different from Hull is the traffic in Jakarta. I cannot believe I’ve survived living in Jakarta for this long. The cars, the jams, the discipline – all were kind of annoying, really. And today I realized, the Jakartans are very dependent on their private modes of transportation. I drove. I do not have a car now and my driving license expires. How should I go to places? There are modes of public transportation such as transjakarta and buses but with the heat and the traffic, I wouldn’t be able to stand it. Not after I just got back here yesterday. Today is the first time in my life I think that no car + no driving license = die. LOL

Well, now the thing that I will miss about Hull – environment wise.

I will miss the blue sky. When I was in the car today, I looked at the sky and well, the sky is grey in Jakarta. I will definitely miss the occasionally blue sky in Hull. I don’t like grey sky. But Jakarta has a very beautiful sunset. Yeap! I will try to enjoy the sunset instead of the blue sky from now.

I will miss the fact that I can sleep without being disturbed by mosquitoes. I forgot that there are lots of mosquitoes in Jakarta. Being a city in a tropical country, it is common that there are many mosquitoes in Jakarta. However, it is very very disturbing especially during the night. I will miss my sleeping time in Hull where I wasn’t disturbed by them. Okay! Let the mosquito battle begin!

I think I’m okay so far. I quite enjoy the fact that this weekend I don’t really have to do anything except activating my old phone number which was quite easy actually. I do not really bother, really to come home or not. Hull is home but still, 11676.88 km to the east from Hull, I am home.

It’s been a year!

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It has been exactly a year since I first stepped my foot in the UK. 22 September 2012, I arrived in Manchester.

Excited, worried, and tired were my three first feelings when I came. I needed to go by myself from the airport to Hull – you know, finding my way, buying train tickets, carrying super big luggage. I am amazed now looking at myself back then. Haha. How on earth could I do all those things by myself. But yeah, when you are forced to do something, you gotta do what you gotta do.

Time flies so fast. It’s been a year and there’s been loads of things happened. It’s been a great experience for me to be here. I was worried that my life is going to change in a bad way but it turns out that I really really like it here. I think, living in such a different place than my hometown is priceless. It teaches me many things. Ask me the price of eggs in Jakarta and I won’t know a thing! Ask me the price of eggs in here, I can give you a list of egg prices from different stores. Seriously. I think I’ve become more independent.

Is a year enough? Never! The time is never enough. I wish I have more time to stay here, travel, and learn. Well, maybe some other time. I’m a bit sad that I have to leave. I’m half-sided now. I am looking forward to go back home but I am not looking forward to leave this place. This is annoying, I know.

Anyway, I was worried that I won’t be able to survive and won’t like living far from home but I’ve made a new home here. I have great friends, nice classmates, friendly housemates, and awesome life. I want to go back to Jakarta but I’m not too eager to live my life there anymore. I seriously want to travel around the world if I can. Send me anywhere and I’ll be there. Haha. But, for now that’s a bit of an imagination. I have to go home in a few days, but I hope I’ll be back here.

I’m grateful for this past year and I hope I’ll have a great year ahead.

 Sep 22, 2013

My Last Few Weeks in UK

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Time flies!

Indeed. It’s almost been a year since I came to UK for the first time. Now, it’s time to move on and face the real world. OH NO!

So, after the Ramadhan, almost a month traveling around western part of Europe, now it’s time to pack and pack and pack. I don’t know how on earth am I going to finally finish packing my stuffs. The first (and hopefully only – macem jodoh aja) package had just been sent this afternoon. I hope it’ll arrive in Indonesia well, without any problems. Aamiin!

Around two weeks ago, I submitted my dissertation. Yeay! After 3 months of research and more months writing I finally made it. I was so relieved that I finish it. However, that’s not the end of the challenge. Now I need to focus on finding job – and finding job in this economy is not easy.

What do I do then, that I’ve finished my study? I feel like my primary job nowadays is packing. My to do list changes from writing this and that to packing this and that. Oh! And also finishing all the food that I have in my freezer. It’s going to be unhealthy last few weeks in UK, really. Again, I don’t know how on earth am I going to finish all that food.

Anyway, I still have some more jobs to do as a student ambassador. I think I really am going to miss that. I also need to have a quick travel to Scotland. Yes! I have to go to Scotland! Then… finally finish all the unfinished business here – meeting friends and lecturers and stuffs like that.

I feel rather empty, really. I’m not that busy in a way but I feel like I have loads of things to do. I am half excited that I am going home but I am half sad that I am going to leave this place – not particularly Hull but yeah… I like living in the UK eventually.

So… yeah, looking forward for the last few weeks in the UK – I’m gonna make the most of it. And hopefully I can come back here again.

Sep 11, 2013

Please DO clean your stuffs!

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After series of packing stuffs, a guy from accommodation office came and check the whole house. It’s not that I have to move out now, it just reminded me more that I need to move out soon. LOL.

There is only Stephanie and I in my house now. Just the two of us! So today we decided to clean our kitchen! Yes, the thing I would never do in Indonesia, I do it here. Cleaning the kitchen. Guess what we found.

We basically opened all the cupboard and decide what we are going to do with the ‘non-possessed stuffs’. There are three alternatives, whether we throw it out, keep it, or give it to charity. All the left over food – which is gross anyway – we throw it out. I don’t even think anyone would ever want the left-over food. We found oyster sauce, dried mushrooms, bottles of salt, bottles of vinegar, packs of sugar and guess what… tens of packs of flour! We’re gonna have to open a bakery to use all the flour, really. So other than the vinegar – which we’re going to use to clean other kitchen stuffs – we throw them all away.

BUT, it’s only half-clean. We needed to decide what we’re going to do with the cooking stuffs; you know, the pans, pots, and cutting boards. We literally can open a shop here to sell those stuffs. LOL. So finally we cleaned them all and put them in the separate cupboard for everybody who will come to use. How lucky you are if you’re coming to our house. It’s all clean and provided for you. Haha!

Another thing that we needed to take care of is eating utensils, such as plates, glasses, cups, spoons, and stuffs like that. The same thing happened with the eating utensils. We cleaned them all and put them in the separate cupboard. I can’t believe how many of them we have now.

Other than that, the detergent, laundry stuffs, and cleaning stuffs. We have a crate of them. Literally a crate. Three kettles, a rice cooker, and a toaster – yuhuuu I think our house is the most complete house among all the student houses. We also still have loads of tea bags, chocolate powder, baking soda, all the baking stuffs, and canned foods.

The thing is, why don’t you all clean up before you leave? You see, when you left all the foods and those stuffs, the people coming after you won’t know what to do with those things. They will either cleaned them all or worse, just left them there without knowing anything until a year later. Seriously. One year left over food is just gross. It reminds me though – that I will have to clean up my kitchen stuffs soon. The art of moving away…

Sep 11, 2013