Tag: livethelife

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

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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

At the Near End of Ramadhan

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I wrote something in the beginning of Ramadhan. And now it’s nearly the end of Ramadhan. After almost a month fasting and experiencing the Ramadhan life in here… well, I can say that this is the most memorable Ramadhan for me!

How can I say that? First of all, I am quite sad. In my opinion at least, when you are sad and feel like you are going to miss something, then that thing must be precious and special… And because you miss it, you must have a pleasant memory about it. I am sad that Ramadhan this year is going to end very very soon. Time flies, really…

And, when you expect that the Ramadhan feeling in here is not that strong as in muslim majority country like Indonesia… well, it isn’t that strong. But I think, the condition of being in a country where most people don’t fast or even know anything about Ramadhan makes muslim people a lot closer to each other. I don’t know because I wasn’t that diligent to go to the mosque during Ramadhan in Indonesia, but I feel like the mosque in here (well, in the university) is so much alive. It’s like the centre of muslim people’s (well, some of them) life.

In addition to that, for me, the mosque feels like home. The university mosque here is small. Don’t even try to compare it with MUI. It’s too small. But I really like it here. Again, because there are not that many muslim people, we gather in the mosque almost everyday. Well, for me it’s more like not too many days and for some it’s more like everyday. The environment is very comfy. We have our ifthar here, pray Maghrib together, eat dinner, up to tawarih together. It is so much fun! The ifthar is free by the way and it’s nice for single fighters (anak kos) in here because there’s always some more food left so we can bring it home for suhoor. And the prayers were very very nice. It’s not too long or too fast and you won’t even notice that you’re in the UK.

Moreover, as it brings muslim people together, I have so many friends. You know, people that you see sometimes in the mosque when you pray… now you get to know them. You know their name and where they live and you feel like you’re a family. Seriously…  Well, again this writing is not generalisable. It is my opinion and own experience so please read it with this awareness in mind although I think there will be a few people who share the same idea as me.

So, it really has been a great Ramadhan for me. Although I’m far away from home, I’ve found a new home. LOL. To be honest, I like the Ramadhan here more than in Indonesia. In my own experience, I can focus more on doing Ramadhan deeds and I think the obstacles – as in going to the mall or doing unimportant things – are less in here. I am sad, really… that Ramadhan is going to end soon. Anyway, it’s a pleasure that I can experience Ramadhan in here and I think I won’t forget this moment. Make the most of the last few days of your Ramadhan! 🙂

 Aug 06, 2013

Ramadhan in the UK

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Finally, after thousands of reblogs (lebaaay), I got my urge to write back. I’m going to write in English now – again, finally after some mixed language entries, LOL. So, according to the theme nowadays for Muslims all around the world, I will write about Ramadhan.

This year’s Ramadhan is quite different for me, and probably my family as well. Why? Because we are separated! I am fasting here in the UK, my sister is fasting in Thailand and my parents are in Indonesia. Well, but I am grateful because I can have this kind of new experience to fast alone, far from home. Yeay! Anyway… how’s Ramadhan in the UK?

First of all, Ramadhan is Ramadhan. I mean, wherever you are, the essence will always be the same. So, although UK is not a Muslim-majority country, Muslim people here still fast and try to be close to Allah more than any other months (well, as long as I know). If you look at the mosques here, it’s almost the same with mosques in Indonesia. They have different kinds of programs for Ramadhan, they also provide ifthar and held tarawih prayer. The point is that in Muslim community, Ramadhan is still Ramadhan and we do what we usually do in Ramadhan with no difference (actually, this year’s Ramadhan must be better than the previous one!).

BUT, again as a non Muslim-majority country, Ramadhan here is different than Ramadhan back in my country, Indonesia. What’s different? LOTS! LOL. I am exaggerating. Okay, here’s the differences…

1. This year’s Ramadhan is in the middle of summer. Yes, you’re right! If you live in tropical areas, you may not experience the seasonal different which affect like your whole daily life. In here, in this Ramadhan, we fast in the middle of the summer in the UK and as we have to fast from the sunrise until the sunset, we have like around 19 hours to fast. Is it difficult? Well, if you think about it you will think that it is. However, if you do it… it’s not that bad, really… It is manageable.

2. As Ramadhan is in the middle of summer, it is HOT in here. It’s not like super hot as in Indonesia. At least I’m not that thirsty. But it is still hot. The temperature nowadays is more to over 20 degrees Celsius. If you’re Indonesian and live in Indonesia, you may think that WOW, that’s not hot. But trust me, when you spend months in the UK, over 15 degrees Celsius can feel really really hot.

3. Again, related to summer, the night time is very short. We have around 5 hours of night time that we have to use to pray and be close to Allah. Yes, I heard that we have to spend the most of our Ramadhan night to pray. So, within 5 hours you have sooooo many things to do from ifthar until suhoor. I personally choose not to sleep at night because I’m afraid I’ll sleepover. LOL. I don’t want to miss suhoor because it’s a barakah time and I want to pray Qiyamullail. So, in these past few days, I didn’t sleep at night and I slept later during the day. Your daily life literally flipped around! It is quite easy for me because I don’t really have to work everyday, but if you are working in the UK with like certain office hour… I don’t know what to do. Haha

4. The atmosphere.  Of course, different place has different atmosphere. As not so many Muslims in here (well, comparing to Indonesia), the Ramadhan atmosphere isn’t really obvious. People live their life as usual, there’s no difference with any other months. It’s neither positive or negative as I don’t really care about it but sometimes I miss the Ramadhan atmosphere in Indonesia. Anyway, it’s rather out of context but it is nice that this year, Channel4 have a special Ramadhan program everyday (Ramadhan reflection) and every week (Ramadhan in UK). So, at least we still have Ramadhan TV programs here. LOL (no Para Pencari Tuhan, though)

5. I am alone. This is personally about me. If you’re in the UK with your family then it’ll be alright. For me, I live alone here so I have to fast and arrange my Ramadhan alone (poor me, wkwkwk). For me, I am still getting used to the way I have to arrange my Ramadhan by myself. You know, life is so much easier in Indonesia regarding Ramadhan. I mean, in terms of food and you needs. You can just buy things anywhere, whenever. People even open their restaurants for suhoor. What a life! Here, you have to arrange it by yourself. I have to cook, think what to eat, think what to do and when I have to do that. I’ve learned a lot. I am lucky though because someone just moved in to my house and she is a Muslim. It’s nice to have someone around during ifthar and suhoor because our ifthar is at around 9.30 when everyone’s already having their night out or ready to sleep (I don’t think they’re asleep though) and the suhoor is at 1.30 because Subuh time is at 2.30 when people are asleep or still drunk in bars. Plus, I also have some Indonesian friends here so I can still come over and get together with them.

That’s pretty much all, I think – except the fact that we cannot have the ‘Ramadhan foods’ like in Indonesia (well, we can if we want to cook it by ourselves which… I don’t). See, Ramadhan is still Ramadhan, in whatever situation you are. What we, well I, have to do is to make the most of it; strive to conquer (caelah bahasanyaa) all obstacles to be a fully taqwa person at the end. Insha Allah.

Happy Ramadhan, everyone! Taqabbalallah! 🙂

Jul 13, 2013

Walking Everywhere

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Tulisan ini nggak di request siapa2 sih, tp berhubung sedang flash back, jadi inget sesuatu yg lucu waktu dateng pertama ke Hull.

So, in my second week in Hull I was going to meet Mbak Tina for the first time. I remember that we planned to go to Hull Fair. It really is a big fair in Hull yaa… jadi yang datang bulan September, harus banget nih yaa dateng ke Hull Fair. Macem pasar malam di Indonesia cuma orang sini lebay aja yaa.. Haha.

Anyway, ceritanya waktu itu kita janjian, ketemu jam 5 sore di rumah Mbak Tina. Karena anak baru sampe di Hull, I don’t know places, right? Segera lah aku meng-google maps-kan (ini bahasanya gimana sih harusnya?) alamat nya Mbak Tina, ngeliat peta, lalu memutuskan untuk jalan kaki. Yup! Daripada nyasar naik bus (udah mana bayar kaaann) mending nyasar jalan kaki. Haha.

The information in my apple map showed that I need to walk around 25 minutes to Mbak Tina’s house. Berjalan lah saya. Lalu, si Ibu (my mom in Jakarta) me-whatsapp aku.

Ibu: Lagi ngapain Mbak? Hari ini janjian mau ketemu orang Indonesia ya?

Izza: Iya. Ini aku lagi jalan ke rumah Mbak Tina.

Ibu: Naik apa, Mbak? Jauh ya rumah mbak Tina?

Izza: Jalan kaki. Sekitar setengah jam gitu dari tempat aku.

Ibu: Kamu bisa jalan? Jauh juga ya kaya dari rumah ke kantor ibu.

Lalu yg setelah itu dibahas adalah…. why did my mom asked me ‘kamu bisa jalan?’ Hahahahaha… Ya bisa lah bu… hihi. Mungkin si Ibu nanya karena I was the kind of person who didn’t like walking, especially in polluted Jakarta. Hahaha.. Dan percakapan ini teteup loh dibahas terus di Hull. Hehehe.. I don’t think I’ll walk as much in Jakarta, really.

Daaaannn… setelah sekian lama disini (caelah berasa lama ajeee) akhirnya terbiasa juga jalan kemana2. Mulai dari jalan ke university (10 minutes to Wilberforce building areas), ke LIDL (15 minutes plus pulangnya bawa belanjaan berat), ke Newland Ave (ujung ke ujung demi belanja murah which takes around 45 minutes sampe balik ke rumah lagi), ke kantor kelurahan which is rumahnya Mbak Tina (30 minutes one way), sampaaaiii ke city centre kalo niat banget dan udaranya lagi cerah (which takes like an hour one way).

Semua berawal dari kebiasaan. Awalnya shock dong yaa harus jalan kemana2. Haha. Tapi karena udah expect dari awal, nggak segitu kaget juga. Pertama kali jalan ke city centre rasanyaaa pegel banget n cape banget. Tapi, lama2 toh biasa2 aja. Cape banget kalo pake lari2 ngejar bus atau kereta yaa (hehehe.. pengalaman pribadi). Intinya, kehidupan di Hull akan diisi dengan jalan, jalan, dan jalan (kecuali klo lagi punya unirider dan gamau rugi, ke Newland Ave aja naik bus. haha) karena modes of transportation disini hanya bus. Daerah2 yang penting dikunjungi di Hull cenderung walkable kok dari daerah student housings dan university jadi nggak perlu khawatir.

Sarannya adalaaah… persiapkan diri dengan alas kaki yg suitable untuk jalan kemana2, yang nggak bikin kaki sakit. Hehehe… Olahraga dikit2 boleh laaah.. dan siap2 kurus! (amin… hehehe). Selamat mempersiapkan diriii.. Let’s walk everywhere (unless I have the unirider, LOL).

Jul 05, 2013