Tag: Tips

Home Away from Home: Proses Aplikasi Visa bagi Dependant (1)

Published on by Izza Dinillah5 Comments

Ketika memutuskan untuk menemani pasangan melanjutkan studi di Inggris, hal pertama yang menurut kami harus disiapkan (selain mental) adalah visa. Proses pengurusan visa memang memakan waktu yang cukup lama dan menghabiskan biaya yang tidak sedikit. Ketika mencoba mencari tahu mengenai pengalaman orang-orang yang mengajukan aplikasi visa dependant, ternyata banyak juga yang mengalami hal tidak mengenakkan. Pengajuan visa, baik bagi dependant maupun bagi orang yang akan kuliah, memang agak tricky. Banyak orang yang bisa mendapatkan visa dengan lancar, tetapi ada juga yang tidak berhasil dan harus mengulang prosesnya dari awal jika tetap ingin berangkat. Tidak sedikit juga sih yang memilih menggunakan jasa dari agency untuk membantu apply visa, tapi kalau mau irit sih lebih baik kita urus sendiri ya.. (apalagi model-model seperti kami yang suaminya penerima beasiswa, hahaha). Sebenarnya pembuatan visa tidak se ‘angker’ yang di bayangkan, asal kita apply dengan benar dan sesuai aturan. Untuk meningkatkan kemungkinan permohonan visa kita diterima, persiapan adalah kuncinya.

 

Mempersiapkan Aplikasi Visa

Ketika orang-orang bertanya mengenai proses aplikasi visa, tentunya kami tidak bisa menjawab dengan ‘asal’. Mengapa? Karena ini berhubungan dengan hajat hidup orang lain dan regulasi dari UK Visa and Immigration (UKVI) yang cukup sering berubah-ubah. Mirip lah dengan Indonesia… hehehe… Oleh karena itu, seringkali kami harus merujuk ke dokumen mengenai visa dependant berupa PDF (link) dan website UKVI (https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration). Sebaiknya, penjelasan yang diberikan oleh UKVI dibaca terlebih dahulu dengan teliti sehingga proses aplikasi visa tergambar dengan lebih jelas.

Wah, ternyata banyak ya, jenis visa UK? Betul. Banyak sekali jenis visa untuk tinggal di UK. Namun, bagi kita yang akan menemani pasangan melanjutkan studi, maka peraturan yang akan diikuti adalah peraturan dibawah Tier 4 (General) Student Visa (https://www.gov.uk/tier-4-general-visa). Jadi, walaupun kita bukan orang yang akan belajar, kita tetap mengacu pada peraturan tersebut. Dapat dilihat bahwa salah satu poin yang dijelaskan mengenai Tier 4 (General) Student Visa adalah mengenai family members. Lalu, apa saja syarat yang harus dipersiapkan? Berikut ini adalah rangkuman dan sedikit pengalaman kami mengenai proses mempersiapkan aplikasi visa, yang juga merujuk pada dokumen regulasi yang ada.

Surat pernyataan bahwa pasangan adalah pelajar

Untuk dapat mengajukan aplikasi visa dependant, kita harus dapat membuktikan bahwa pasangan kita akan melanjutkan studi di UK dengan menunjukkan dokumen yang membuktikan bahwa dia terdaftar sebagai mahasiswa di sebuah program di universitas yang durasi studinya lebih dari 6 bulan. Jadi, apabila pasangan hanya mengikuti short course yang kurang dari 6 bulan, kita tidak dapat mengajukan aplikasi visa dependant. Bagaimana cara mengetahui bahwa pasangan kita benar-benar telah terdaftar? Setiap universitas akan mengeluarkan surat bernama CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies), yang berisi nomor seri dan keterangan resmi mengenai studi yang akan dijalani oleh pasangan. Selain itu, kita juga sebaiknya meminta surat keterangan dari universitas bahwa pasangan diperbolehkan membawa keluarga selama masa studi. Biasanya, surat ini bisa diminta saat mengurus pendaftaran dari International Office. Surat keterangan dari universitas ini sifatnya tidak wajib, tetapi akan cukup membantu untuk meyakinkan pihak UKVI bahwa universitas memperbolehkan pasangan untuk membawa keluarga.

Kecukupan Dana

Salah satu hal yang cukup perlu dari jauh hari dipersiapkan adalah dana. Salah satu poin besar yang menentukan diterima atau tidaknya pengajuan visa kita adalah ketersediaan dana. Pemohon visa harus menunjukkan bahwa ia memiliki jumlah uang yang cukup untuk menunjang hidupnya selama berada di UK. Hal ini dapat dibuktikan melalui surat pernyataan dari bank yang berisi nomer rekening, nama pemegang rekening, dan jumlah uang yang ada di rekening. Biasanya, surat ini disebut bank statement letter. Banyak bank besar nasional yang sudah familiar untuk mengeluarkan surat tersebut sebagai persyaratan visa. Lebih bagus lagi, jika selain surat keterangan bank, pemohon visa juga bisa memberikan surat keterangan sponsor sebagai bukti cukupnya dana untuk hidup di UK. Beberapa pemberi beasiswa memang mengalokasikan sejumlah dana yang disebut family allowance. Surat-surat tersebut ditujukan kepada British Embassy sebagai syarat pengajuan visa. Nah, surat-surat tersebut harus bertanggal kurang dari 31 hari sebelum kita mengajukan aplikasi visa. Tanggal pengajuan visa sendiri adalah tanggal saat kita membayar visa fee secara online. Misalnya, saya berencana akan membayar visa fee pada tanggal 31 Maret. Maka, tanggal yang ada di surat yang membuktikan bahwa saya memiliki dana yang cukup untuk hidup di UK paling cepat adalah 1 Maret. Berarti, saya boleh membawa surat yang bertanggal 15 Maret pada saat pengajuan visa, tetapi tidak boleh membawa surat bertanggal 27 Februari.

Lalu, berapa banyak dana yang harus tersedia bagi dependant? Here’s the tricky part. Untuk menemani pasangan melanjutkan studi di UK, kita harus dapat menunjukkan bahwa kita memiliki dana sejumlah persyaratan dari UKVI yang mengendap di dalam tabungan selama 28 hari. Untuk amannya, mungkin dana bisa diendapkan selama 1.5 bulan untuk menghindari tidak dihitungnya hari libur atau akhir pekan. Jumlah dana yang harus tersimpan berbeda tergantung lokasi pasangan berkuliah nantinya. Jumlah dana telah ditetapkan oleh UKVI dan dihitung dengan mengalikan dana per bulan hingga 9 kali (asumsi tinggal selama 9 bulan). Untuk dependant yang akan ikut pasangan berkuliah di London, maka jumlah dana yang harus mengendap adalah £845/bulan/orang. Hitungannya, apabila Anda berdua saja dengan pasangan, maka jumlah uang hidup yang harus dimiliki untuk diri Anda sendiri (karena perhitungan dana bagi mahasiswa berbeda) adalah £845 x 9 = £7,605. Apabila pasangan akan berkuliah diluar kota London, maka dana yang harus mengendap adalah sejumlah £680/bulan/orang. Dengan asumsi satu orang dependant, maka total dana yang harus disiapkan adalah £680 x 9 = £6,120. Jumlah dana yang disiapkan tersebut tentu saja akan berlipat sesuai dengan jumlah dependant yang akan ikut berangkat.

Apakah harus menabung dalam mata uang poundsterling? Jawabannya adalah tidak harus. Kita bisa menunjukkan dana dalam mata uang rupiah, dengan nilai konversi yang telah ditentukan oleh UKVI. Berikut ini adalah currency converter yang dipergunakan oleh UKVI: https://www.oanda.com/currency/converter/. Silahkan masuk ke website tersebut dan mulai menghitung yaa..

Okay… sudah mulai pening? Bagaimana cara saya mendapatkan uang sebanyak itu? Banyak cara sebenarnya. Ada orang-orang yang memang sudah bersiap untuk pindah dan tinggal di UK dari jauh hari sehingga mereka bisa menabung. Ada juga orang-orang yang memang sudah memiliki dana sebanyak itu. Ada juga orang-orang yang harus menjual beberapa aset mereka untuk memenuhi persyaratan tersebut. Lalu, ada juga cara yang biasanya banyak orang terapkan, yaitu dengan meminjam uang dan menyimpannya sementara di rekening agar dapat menunjukkan bahwa dana yang dimiliki sudah cukup untuk hidup di UK. Percayalah, pada kenyataannya hidup di UK tidak semahal itu. Ketentuan jumlah dana memang dibuat sedemikian rupa oleh UKVI sehingga tidak sembarang orang bisa masuk dan tinggal di sana dan juga karena alasan pemerintah UK memang cenderung lebih konservatif dalam hal tersebut. Lalu bagaimana dengan pengalaman kami?

Kebetulan pada saat akan mengajukan visa dependant, suami Alif sudah satu tahun lebih dulu tinggal di UK (ceritanya nih suami mengambil program master dua tahun, lalu Alif menyusul di tahun kedua). Dalam kasus ini, sebaiknya kita menyertakan bank statement dari UK yang menunjukkan kecukupan aliran dana untuk biaya hidup penanggung (dalam hal ini suami) selama di UK. Nah, waktu itu bank statement yang didapat dari bank di UK hanya berupa print-out jumlah dan mutasi rekening saja, jadi bukan surat pernyataan resmi seperti di Indonesia. Selanjutnya, untuk bisa memenuhi jumlah dana yang disyaratkan, Alif juga memindahkan uang dari rekeningnya agar mengendap di rekening suami, sehingga lebih meyakinkan bahwa suami sebagai penanggung memiliki kecukupan dana untuk ‘mensponsori’ hidup pasangan atau keluarga yang akan dibawa. Oh iya, bank statement dari bank di Indonesia saat itu (Agustus 2015) bisa diperoleh dengan biaya sekitar Rp.100.000 – Rp.150.000 tergantung bank nya ya. 😀

Cerita Izza berbeda lagi. Izza memilih untuk meminjam dana sementara hanya untuk menunjukkan bahwa ia memiliki dana yang cukup untuk tinggal di UK. Dengan perhitungan jumlah dana yang dibutuhkan, ia meminjam uang dan mengendapkan uang tersebut di rekening suami selama 1.5 bulan, yang kemudian dikembalikan setelah visa didapatkan. Surat keterangan dari bank dipergunakan untuk membuktikan ketersediaan dana. Selain itu, pemberi beasiswa suami memang memberikan family allowance sehingga surat dari pemberi beasiswa juga meyakinkan bahwa Izza akan mendapatkan tunjangan living allowance sepanjang masa studi suami sebesar jumlah yang ditentukan oleh UKVI.

Wait, jadi uang mengendap harus ada di rekening pasangan yang akan berkuliah? Sebenarnya tidak ada ketentuan mengenai hal ini. Namun, berdasarkan hasil research pengalaman orang-orang yang mengajukan visa dependant, hal ini bisa berguna. Mengapa? Karena dengan begitu, kita benar-benar dianggap sebagai dependant yang bergantung pada pasangan yang mendapatkan visa utama. Nah, apabila memang surat keterangan bank mengenai pasangan yang diputuskan untuk dipergunakan untuk mengajukan visa, jangan lupa untuk membuat surat keterangan bahwa pasangan memperbolehkan kita untuk menggunakan dana tersebut untuk hidup kita selama di UK. Tanda tangan di atas materai! Then, you are ready to go.

Tes Tuberkulosis

Langkah persiapan pengajuan visa berikutnya yang cukup memakan waktu adalah melakukan tes TB (https://www.gov.uk/tb-test-visa). Ya, ini adalah persyaratan yang cukup baru bagi beberapa negara, termasuk Indonesia (sigh, sedihnya masih dianggap negara dunia ketiga yang dianggap sebagai endemik si TB ini). Tes TB ini harus dilakukan di tempat-tempat yang telah dirujuk oleh UKVI. Yang jelas, rumah sakit yang dianggap kredibel tidak banyak dan biayanya cukup besar. Silahkan cek di link ini untuk mendapatkan informasi lebih lanjut: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tuberculosis-test-for-a-uk-visa-clinics-in-indonesia/tuberculosis-testing-in-indonesia. Meskipun pasangan mungkin mendapatkan tunjangan untuk membayar tes ini apabila ia mendapatkan beasiswa, tidak ada beasiswa yang meng-cover biaya tes TB bagi keluarga. Oleh karena itu, siapkan juga dana yang cukup, ya.

Mengapa kami sebut tes TB memakan waktu yang lama? Pertama, karena kita harus mendaftar dulu di rumah sakit yang telah dirujuk. Karena jumlah rumah sakit tidak sebanding dengan jumlah orang yang tes TB, maka terkadang kita harus menunggu untuk mendapatkan jadwal yang tersedia. Biasanya, hasil tes TB akan keluar 2 hari setelah kita datang dan dites. Alhamdulillah kalau hasilnya baik dan bisa langsung mendapatkan sertifikat. Kalau tidak? Nggak jadi berangkat? Oh, no! Tenang… kalau ternyata ada indikasi bahwa terdapat bakteri TB, kita akan diminta untuk mengikuti treatment medis tertentu. Masalahnya, treatment tersebut memakan waktu hingga 6 bulan sebelum kita diperbolehkan untuk tes TB lagi.  It is a good time to start now untuk mencoba mengecek apakah ada bakteri TB di paru-paru kita. Karena TB bisa juga diderita secara pasif, tidak ada salahnya untuk melakukan tes TB (tidak usah di tempat yang menjadi rujukan UKVI) meskipun tidak ada gejala TB yang dialami.

Pengalaman yang Alif alami saat tes TB ini waktu itu sih langsung aja datang ke RS yang ditunjuk, jadi tidak pakai daftar terlebih dahulu. Asalkan datangnya pagi-pagi banget, tidak akan terlalu antri. Tapi biasanya kalau datangnya mepet-mepet di bulan yang banyak orang akan mengajukan visa UK, ya siap-siap aja antrinya agak panjang.

Jangan lupa untuk menyiapkan dokumen seperti paspor, pas foto (karena akan ditempel di sertifikatnya), dan uang cash untuk pembayaran tesnya. Sedangkan tips dari Izza, selama sebulan sebelum tes TB, ia dan suami secara konsisten minum susu (merk B**r Br**nd) dan vitamin agar paru-paru bersih (yaa… ikhtiar tidak ada salahnya, kan?).

Dokumen

Hal berikutnya yang harus disiapkan adalah dokumen. Bagian ini adalah bagian perintil-perintil, yang karena perintil jadi sering terlupakan. Semua dokumen yang akan digunakan untuk mengajukan visa harus menggunakan bahasa Inggris. Oleh karena itu, kita juga harus menyiapkan waktu untuk menerjemahkan dokumen yang dibutuhkan di penerjemah tersumpah. Jangan menerjemahkan sendiri, ya… Hehehe… Biasanya, ada beberapa rekomendasi penerjemah tersumpah yang telah dipercaya oleh UKVI.

Harganya bervariasi tergantung jumlah lembar yang akan diterjemahkan dan berapa lama waktu pengerjaannya. Untuk wilayah Jakarta pusat bisa ke UI Salemba atau ke daerah Pramuka yang banyak gerai penerjemah tersumpah. Bagi wilayah lainnya, silahkan googling sendiri yaa…

Dokumen apa saja yang diperlukan? Bagi dependant, dokumen wajib yang menjadi persyaratan visa adalah surat nikah dan akta kelahiran. Apabila sudah memiliki anak, maka akta kelahiran anak dengan nama jelas orang tua juga dibutuhkan. Selain itu, kadang-kadang dokumen mengenai tempat tinggal juga dibutuhkan. Hal ini bisa ditunjukkan dengan KTP beralamat sama, kartu keluarga, atau rekening bersama. Bagi kami yang long distance marriage? Perbanyaklah dokumen tambahan yang mendukung bukti bahwa kami memang telah menikah dengan pasangan (di poin berikutnya, ya). Dokumen-dokumen lain, seperti ijazah, sertifikat TOEFL, dan KTP, juga bisa disertakan agar aplikasi visa kita terlihat meyakinkan. Intinya, dokumen apapun yang dianggap relevan bisa diberikan.

Bukti pendukung (tidak wajib)

Pengalaman beberapa orang yang pernah ditolak pengajuan visanya bisa membuat kita deg-degan. Biaya permohonan visa yang cukup menguras kantong adalah salah satu alasannya. Selain itu, males yaa harus ngurus visa dua kali. Sekali aja udah bikin kita pusing, masa iya harus mengulang? Kalo bisa jangan yaa. Berdasarkan cerita yang kami tau dari beberapa orang, visa biasanya ditolak karena faktor seperti ketidakcukupan dana dan kurang kuatnya bukti  bahwa kita memang pasangan resmi/keluarga inti dari pengaju visa utama (pasangan yang akan kuliah di UK). Bagaimana cara mengatasinya? Hal ini bisa diantisipasi dengan melakukan persiapan yang lebih matang. Nah kalau sudah menyertakan surat nikah dan kartu keluarga masa  sih masih tidak dipercaya juga? Whaaaat? Buku nikah tidak cukup? Well, agak tidak masuk akal ya, tapi ini terjadi lho… Hal ini cukup risky terutama bagi pasangan yang tidak tinggal bersama atau bagi pasangan yang baru menikah. Lalu, bagaimana menyiasatinya? Izza mengikuti sebuah tips yang ia dapatkan dari sebuah blog. Saran dari penulis blog tersebut adalah menyertakan bukti hari pernikahan. Jadilah pada saat mengajukan aplikasi visa, Izza menyertakan foto-foto pernikahan, undangan pernikahan, dan juga surat keterangan saksi yang ditandatangani oleh saksi diatas materai. Alif juga melakukan hal serupa karena sebelumnya sudah pernah long distance marriage, jadi menyertakan foto-foto pernikahan berikut foto piknik bareng pasangan adalah salah satu solusinya. Waaah,,,kok ribet banget yaa? Demii visa dan izin tinggal bareng keluarga, kasih laah.. Hehehhe…

Selain itu, memiliki bukti bahwa kita telah memiliki akomodasi saat nanti di UK atau setidaknya undangan dari warga yang sudah tinggal di UK juga dapat membantu kelancaran proses pengurusan visa ini. Biasanya, pihak UKVI ingin memastikan bahwa imigran yang datang tidak homeless. Oleh karena itu, telah memiliki kontrak akomodasi sebelum tiba di UK atau meminta warga yang telah menetap untuk memberikan undangan perlu dipertimbangkan.

Sebenarnya pada saat kami mengajukan visa, syarat ini tidak ada. Tetapi, ada informasi yang menyebutkan bahwa sekarang dependant harus memiliki bukti berkemampuan bahasa Inggris. Ada beberapa negara yang dikecualikan dari persyaratan ini, tetapi sayangnya Indonesia tidak masuk di dalamnya. Setelah mengecek kebenaran informasi ini, kami tidak menemukan adanya persyaratan tes bahasa Inggris untuk dependant dengan tipe visa Tier 4 (General) Student Dependant visa. Namun, tidak ada salahnya (kalau memang mau dan mampu) untuk juga menunjukkan dokumen ini. Untuk lebih jelasnya mengenai persyaratan ini bisa buka link berikut ya.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-applying-for-uk-visa-approved-english-language-tests

 

Bagaikan pepatah mengatakan, persiapkan senjatamu sebelum berperang. Jadi, intinya sebelum mengajukan visa, persiapkan dengan cermat semua persyaratan formal dan biayanya. Yang juga perlu di ingat, bahwa dalam proses pengajuan visanya, pemerintah UK ini sangat hobi merubah-ubah aturan. Jadi sering-sering intip aja website resminya dan baca dengan seksama, biar tidak terlalu jantungan kalau ada kebijakan yang berubah, hehe…

Bagian selanjutnya dari artikel ini adalah mengenai proses aplikasi visa. Stay tuned.

AdventureNotes #22: Chester Zoo

Published on by Izza DinillahLeave a comment

Visiting a zoo has never been a choice for me while visiting a city. I don’t know why but I am just not interested in seeing animals and exploring more about them. In addition, zoos in Indonesia (the old ones, actually) are not attractive. However, this one stole my heart.

Chester Zoo is named as the best zoo in the UK. I think it is also ranked within the top 10 in the world. As I said, I’ve never been interested to visit zoos – anywhere in the world. However, when I browsed the internet about Chester, this attraction is mentioned on the top of the list. I visited the website and voila! I had to scratch myself out of my curiosity. The newest attraction in Chester Zoo is called ‘Islands in Chester Zoo’. What is it? It is some kind of an area that displays animals from the South East Asia for conservatory purpose. Uniquely, five out of six islands showcased in Chester Zoo are in reality located in Indonesia territory. There are Sulawesi, Sumba, Bali, Sumatra, Papua, and Sumatera. Wow, indeed. As an Indonesian, I haven’t even visited all of those islands. I was sooo tempted to go. Therefore, despite its high admission fee (I had to pay £20 for student ticket), I went there anyway.

The access to Chester Zoo is not difficult. From anywhere in the UK, we can just hop on a train to Chester. Arriving in Chester at around 9 am, I waited for a bus to Chester Zoo in front of the train station. The bus is scheduled to be one in every twelve minutes. I didn’t have to wait for long before the bus arrived. There are two bus stops near Chester Zoo. The first one is at the front of the parking lot and the second one is inside the parking lot, only a few meters away from the front gate of the zoo. I got off the bus at the front of the parking lot and had to walk around 10 minutes to get to the gate. As it was quite early, the door hadn’t been opened yet. However, the queue was already long. At 10 am, Chester Zoo is opened for public. If we have an online ticket, we can just go through the gate by showing the barcode sent to our email. As usual, buying tickets online is always better. The price is lower and you can also buy other attractions ticket, such as the monorail ticket, etc. However, you can always buy the ticket on the spot at the ticketing counter available there.

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As our first aim is to see the Islands, we traced the map and found the nearest route to the Islands area. On our way, we passed a monkey house where there are baboons and the black monkey (I don’t know what they’re called but they’re not chimpanzee). We also passed a bear, capybaras, zebras (there are lots of kinds of them! I just knew!), and some kind of deer. The Islands is located at the corner of the zoo. It is kind of excluded, but it is indeed for a reason.

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From far away, we can already see the top of Tongkonan, a traditional house from Sulawesi. It is colorful so you can’t miss that. Entering the Islands complex is like entering a new world. I don’t know if it’s the weather that day or the atmosphere, but the air is getting hotter, just like in a tropical island. I was amazed. There was this made up beach complete with ships and the white sands. As an Indonesian, we said that it’s typical Pantura (North Java Seaside Way). There was a small cabin with Jokowi picture on its wall that in Indonesia used to be called Pos Kamling (Area Security Post). There were also cooking utensils displayed on small bamboo stalls. Amazing! We got to talk with the zookeepers who recognize us as Indonesian. They asked us whether the place looks real. Indeed, it is. Super real! As we walked along the pathway, we could see Indonesian animals, such as Anoa, Babirusa, Banteng, Cassowary, etc. It is quite impressive how the zoo helps the animals adapt with the new environment along with its very different weather to the one those animals used to. As we walked along, we met some other zookeepers who told us that all of the decorations were made in Indonesia, from the ‘village-like’ toilets, small bamboo stalls, up to the wooden chairs and stone sculptures. Wow again for Chester Zoo. It takes the whole thing seriously. It gets more serious when we came into a tropical house where there are tropical plants and birds. I was so happy I could see a real tropical banana trees in here! I felt like I want to take the leaves to cook. Hahaha… typical Indonesian, right? The temperature inside the tropical house is quite hot, maybe around the same temperature as in Indonesia or other South East Asian countries. Before the end of our visit to the Islands, we went for a lazy boat ride. We could see the whole islands from a boat. It is for free, too. Just beware that the queue may be quite long, especially in holidays. As the boat ride ended, it was time for lunch. There is this Manado restaurant inside the Islands area with fusion Indonesian food. There is also this gift shop that sells batik and other Indonesian souvenirs. Seriously, UK just tastes like Indonesia.

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After a half day in the Islands, we had lunch and went out to the common zoo area. The place is pretty big, but don’t compare it to Taman Safari Indonesia. We took a monorail ride from one point to the other end of the zoo and explored the place. There are quite a lot of animals, such as lions, giraffes, komodo dragons, penguins, sloths, leopards, elephants, etc. It is quite tiring walking around the zoo. Yes, unlike Taman Safari where we could ride our vehicle to explore the area, here we have to walk, looking at animals inside ‘cages’.

Overall, I think Chester Zoo is worth the visit. That was the first time I went to a zoo and really read the information boards about the animals and explored the place quite thoroughly. A day in Chester Zoo is enough, but after that I still wanted to visit the city of Chester. And indeed, the city is also worth another article to write.

Mari Namai Emosi

Published on by Izza DinillahLeave a comment

Beberapa minggu yang lalu di awal Easter Holiday, saya bersama keluarga-keluarga Indonesia yang ada di Birmingham berwisata ke Wales. Perjalanan yang ditempuh dari Birmingham hingga sampai ke tempat tujuan cukup jauh dan berliku. Yah, mirip-mirip jalan di Puncak lah. Kami mengendarai bus dan masing-masing keluarga kemudian sibuk dengan obrolan masing-masing. Kebetulan, saya dan suami duduk di depan bangku paling belakang yang berisi sebuah keluarga. Saat itu, saya mendengar sebuah percakapan menarik.

Pemandangan sepanjang perjalanan memang sangat indah. Kami melewati banyak pertanian-pertanian kecil. Anak perempuan yang duduk dibelakang kami asik bernyanyi sambil sesekali mengobrol dengan ibunya. Di salah satu kesempatan, ia sempat berkata “I am happy, mom”. Saya bahagia. Lucu rasanya mendengar seorang anak dapat dengan begitu mudahnya mengelaborasi perasaan dalam ucapan dan tindakannya. Ia menamai emosi yang ia rasakan dengan ‘bahagia’ dan mengekspresikannya dalam nyanyian sepanjang perjalanan.

Lalu seperti biasa, saya yang hobinya terbang ke angan-angan ini langsung berpikir… bisa ya, anak-anak ini menyebutkan nama emosi dengan tepat, sementara orang dewasa saja kadang-kadang kesulitan mengidentifikasi perasaannya. Saya jadi ingat, beberapa tahun yang lalu seorang kerabat saya meninggal dunia. Pada saat itu, anaknya yang masih kecil menangis tersedu-sedu. Semua orang kebingungan menghadapi sang anak dan meminta saya untuk ‘mendiamkan’ anak tersebut. Pertanyaan saya, kenapa harus didiamkan? Kalau saya berada di posisi anak tersebut, mungkin saya akan menangis lebih kencang. Tangisan itu adalah refleksi dari perasaannya, bukan? Apa tidak perlu kita mencoba mengerti lebih jauh mengenai perasaan si anak sebelum ‘memaksa’nya untuk berhenti menangis?

Understanding emotion is surely a difficult thing. Bagi orang-orang yang tidak terbiasa menghayati perasaan, mungkin setiap emosi yang ada langsung diekspresikan lalu kemudian hilang terganti oleh emosi lain atau dihiraukan sampai tidak terasa lagi. Betul kah? Saya mengalami sih, masa-masa saat saya secara impulsif mengekspresikan emosi saya tanpa paham apa sih yang sebetulnya saya rasakan atau tanpa tahu penyebab munculnya emosi tersebut. Sebagai orang Indonesia yang mungkin kebanyakan dididik untuk tidak menunjukkan emosi ekstrim, terutama ekstrim negatif, saya juga mengalami masa-masa saat saya terbiasa menghiraukan emosi saya hingga akhirnya menumpuk dan meledak. Pada akhirnya, saya tidak tahu apa yang saya rasakan dan tidak juga paham apa yang menyebabkan saya merasakan emosi tersebut. Indeed, saya menyadari bahwa kedua cara me-manage emosi tersebut tidak sehat. At least menurut persepsi saya.

Kenapa Za, tergoda menulis tentang hal ini? Karena pada akhirnya saya menyadari bahwa emosi adalah bagian dari hidup manusia yang harus juga loh diberi perhatian. Kebiasaan-kebiasaan masyarakat untuk menghiraukan atau melebih-lebihkan emosi harus diperbaiki sehingga emosi dan perasaan berada di posisi mereka yang seharusnya. Banyak sekali penelitian yang telah menemukan dampak positif dari kemampuan regulasi emosi? Misalnya, seseorang dengan kemampuan regulasi emosi yang baik memiliki kecenderungan untuk dapat mengontrol diri, fokus pada tujuan, memiliki ketahanan yang baik, dapat menjalin hubungan sosial yang sehat, dan dapat beradaptasi dengan lebih baik di lingkungan. In the long run, kemampuan-kemampuan tersebut bisa memprediksi kesuksesan karir, hubungan sosial yang sehat, dan overall well-being.

Melihat dampak-dampak positif tersebut, saya jadi termotivasi untuk mengeksplor kembali mengenai emosi. Bagi saya yang sudah dewasa (katanya) ini, mencoba berefleksi dan mengerti mengenai emosi semakin penting lagi karena kemampuan orang tua dalam meregulasi emosi akan terlihat oleh anak dan mempengaruhi kemampuan anak dalam meregulasi emosi mereka. Nah, kalau sekarang saja masih kesulitan, bagaimana saya mendidik anak-anak saya nanti? Saya mencoba untuk mulai menghayati emosi dengan satu langkah kecil yang cukup mudah: Mari namai emosi!

Siapa yang bisa menyebutkan sebanyak-banyaknya nama emosi? Semua yang punya HP pasti tau feature emoticon. Ada berpuluh-puluh jenis emoticon, kan? Menggambarkan apa saja ya, mereka? Mungkin mengidentifikasi nama-nama emoticon adalah cara yang bisa dilakukan untuk mulai tahu berbagai jenis emosi. Pada umumnya, ilmuan mengacu pada penelitian yang dilakukan pada tahun 1970-an dalam menjelaskan emosi dasar manusia. Emosi-emosi tersebut adalah bahagia, terkejut, takut, sedih, marah, dan jijik. Jenis-jenis emosi tersebut kemudian dipopulerkan dalam sebuah film Pixar yang banyak dibicarakan, Inside Out. Saya senang sekali menonton film ini karena insight yang didapat cukup dalam. Selain ngena bagi anak-anak, isi film ini juga bagus sekali untuk ditonton oleh orang dewasa. Anyway, selain emosi dasar, ada juga berpuluh-puluh jenis kata yang dapat digunakan untuk menggambarkan emosi.

Selesai? Mengetahui nama-nama emosi tentu tidak berarti kita bisa menamai emosi yang kita rasakan. Ekspresi emosi manusia kadang-kadang tercampur, ambigu, dan sulit diidentifikasi. Misalnya, seseorang yang menangis belum tentu sedih, kan? Saya kenal orang-orang yang kalau sedang merasa sangat bahagia juga menangis. Berteriak belum tentu marah, kan? Kadang, teriakan juga bisa berarti takut. Maka, langkah menamai emosi selanjutnya adalah menyadari emosi yang dirasakan lalu menamainya dengan perbendaharaan kata emosi yang sudah dimiliki. Then, penjelasan ‘yaa… gitu deh’ bisa sedikit demi sedikit diganti dengan penjelasan mengenai emosi yang kita rasakan.

Mari namai emosi sehingga kita dapat lebih baik mengenali diri, dapat menjalin hubungan sosial yang sehat, dapat beradaptasi dengan lebih baik, dan tentunya dapat menjadi contoh bagi anak-anak kita nanti. Simple step counts.

Home Away from Home: Introduction

Published on by Izza Dinillah1 Comment

Home is where your heart is. Bagi banyak orang, rumah tidak sekedar tempat berteduh dari hujan. Rumah bukan hanya sebuah bangunan. Bagi banyak orang, rumah adalah tempat yang memberikan kenyamanan, dimana orang-orang tersayang berkumpul bersama. Pun sama halnya bagi kami pasangan yang telah menikah, rumah menjadi tempat, bagi suami maupun istri, dan anak-anak berada, untuk beraktivitas bersama, saling bertukar pikiran atau sekedar saling bertatap muka dan bercengkrama.

Namun, hidup penuh dengan beragam pilihan dan banyak kesempatan. Bagi kami, salah satu pilihan dan kesempatan itu muncul ketika suami kami mendapat ‘rejeki’ untuk melanjutkan pendidikan di negara yang bagi kami ‘bukan rumah’. Tentu saja kesempatan tersebut bermakna positif bagi suami, baik dalam konteks pribadi maupun kepentingan bersama. Selanjutnya, setiap kesempatan pasti memiliki konsekuensinya masing-masing. Banyak keluarga atau pasangan dengan kasus yang sama dengan yang kami alami, yaitu dihadapkan pada dua pilihan, dengan ikhlas menjalani long distance marriage atau dengan berbagai pertimbangan memutuskan ikut pindah bersama suami, membangun kembali home away from home. ‘Rumah’, yang jauh dari ‘rumah’ kami sebenarnya.

Seperti apa sih tinggal di luar negeri itu? Bagaimana kita bisa menyesuaikan dengan lingkungan di sana dengan keterbatasan yang ada dan perbedaan gaya hidup di Indonesia? Enak banget yaa bisa tinggal dan jalan-jalan di luar negeri. Mungkin, pertanyaan dan ungkapan seperti itu kerap terlintas dalam pikiran saat akan memilih untuk ikut menemani pasangan sekolah di luar negeri. Apapun yang pada akhirnya diputuskan, kami harus menjalaninya sepaket dengan konsekuensi yang ada, plus tidak boleh ada penyesalan dibalik pengambilan keputusan tersebut. Kami yang sama-sama pernah mengalami long distance marriage, memang setidaknya sudah pernah terlatih bagaimana untuk belajar lebih dewasa dalam menjalaninya. Perjalanan pernikahan jarak jauh tentu tidak mudah, apalagi kalau sudah ada anak yang menjadi tanggung jawab. Jauh dari pasangan seringkali membuat perasaan tidak enak, kesepian, sulit berkomunikasi (ya, walaupun dengan teknologi saat ini lebih mudah, tapi siapa yang bisa mengubah perbedaan waktu yang menjadi kendala?), dan lain-lain. Sedih yaa, kemana-mana harus sendiri tanpa pasangan. Apalagi kalau harus mengurus anak (yang bisa jadi lebih dari satu) sendirian. Banyak faktor yang menjadi alasan seseorang memilih untuk menjalani long distance marriage. Karir, kenyamanan, dan keuangan adalah beberapa hal yang umum dijadikan alasan. Biasanya, alasan-alasan tersebut adalah keuntungan yang didapatkan saat menjalani long distance marriage. Meninggalkan karir bukan hal yang mudah, apalagi ketika karir sedang bagus-bagusnya atau ketika baru mendapatkan promosi untuk naik jabatan. Siapa sih yang mau meninggalkan kenyamanan Indonesia yang abang-abang penjaja bubur ayam dan gorengan dari pagi buta sudah berjualan, tukang nasi goreng yang mangkal di depan rumah siap melayani saat kelaparan melanda di tengah malam? Ya, Indonesia dengan segala masalah dan kesemrawutannya tetap menjadi rumah bagi kami. ‘Dipaksa’ pergi dari zona nyaman itu memang tidak mudah. Bagi sebagian orang, tetap tinggal di Indonesia untuk merasakan kenyamanan dan kemudahan itu lebih menguntungkan dan tetap menjadi pilihan dibandingkan dengan menemani pasangan belajar ke negeri orang. Lalu ada lagi faktor keuangan yang tidak bisa dipungkiri merupakan faktor yang paling berpengaruh dalam pengambilan keputusan ini. Mau menemani pasangan kuliah di luar negeri? Ongkosnya darimana? Belum lagi memikirkan cicilan hutang yang tak kunjung selesai. Ketika masalah keuangan yang menjadi hambatan, sebagian orang akhirnya dipaksa untuk mengikhlaskan hati (ini agak kontras ya, dipaksa kok ikhlas..hehe) untuk menjalani long distance marriage.

Saat ini, kami berada di posisi ‘susah payah ikut pindah bersama suami’. Susah apanya? Kan enak bisa honeymoon lagi? Nah, ini adalah bayangan yang biasanya ada pada orang-orang yang baru akan ikut pasangan belajar ke luar negeri atau yang memang belum pernah mengalami long distance marriage. Kenyataannya? Well, ini dia beberapa konsekuensi saat memilih untuk menemani suami atau istri belajar ke luar negeri.

Pertama, harus meninggalkan pekerjaan (kalau sebelumnya bekerja). Bagi banyak orang, meninggalkan pekerjaan tetap berarti masuk ke ‘hutan’ yang nggak jelas juntrungannya. Apalagi di zaman yang semakin kompetitif ini, kenyataan bahwa nanti pulang ke Indonesia harus cari kerja lagi bisa jadi issue cukup menakutkan bagi banyak orang. Bye, bye financial security (walaupun ya, ini bukan satu-satunya tolak ukur financial security tapi bagi kami yang awam ini, tidak bekerja itu berarti tidak ada pemasukan). Kedua, meninggalkan semua kenyamanan Indonesia. Iya loh, walaupun banyak protes dimana-mana tentang macet, polusi, mahalnya harga kebutuhan pokok, meningkatnya kriminalitas, dan lain-lain, Indonesia itu tetap super nyaman. Bagaimana tidak, lelah macet-macetan? Panggil tukang pijat. Males masak? Beli di warteg sebelah yang selain harganya ramah di dompet, menunya pun sangat beragam, tidak akan bosan karena kalau sudah jenuh di warung depan bisa pindah ke warung yang sebelahnya lagi. Pilihan makanan dengan harga yang murmer, halal, dan cita rasa yang pas dengan lidah kita selalu ada di depan mata. Mau sholat pas waktunya jalan-jalan, masjid dan musholla bertebaran di mana-mana. Males nyetir? Hello.., transportasi publik di Indonesia itu murah banget dan sangat bervariasi. Disini, mana ada abang ojek yang mangkal di depan gang? Sibuk di kantor dan tidak sempat mengerjakan pekerjaan rumah tangga? Tinggal teriak ‘mbaaaak’ dan rumah langsung kinclong.  Intinya, hidup di Indonesia dipenuhi dengan fasilitas ‘kemewahan’ yang tiada tara, yang hampir pasti tidak akan ditemui disini. Ketiga, memangnya murah mau ikut suami ke luar negeri? Tentu saja tidak. Kami harus putar otak dulu untuk bisa memenuhi biaya visa, tiket pesawat, sewa rumah, dan lain-lain. Beruntung bagi orang-orang yang pasangannya bisa mendapatkan sponsor, baik yang menyertakan tunjangan keluarga maupun tidak. Setidaknya, beban finansial yang harus ditanggung tidak terlalu besar. Intinya, modal yang kami keluarkan memang tidak sedikit. Butuh menabung, berhemat, dan jual ini-itu hingga akhirnya kami bisa sampai disini bersama suami.

Home Away from Home. Melalui seri tulisan ini, kami tidak ingin menghakimi orang yang ikut atau tidak ikut menemani pasangan untuk melanjutkan sekolah di luar negeri. Kami tidak juga ingin menakut-nakuti pasangan atau keluarga yang sudah menetapkan hati untuk bersama-sama membangun rumah baru mereka di negara tujuan. Kami hanya ingin berbagi cerita, bahwa manusia sejatinya memiliki kemampuan luar biasa untuk beradaptasi, berimprovisasi untuk bertahan hidup, membangun ‘rumah’ yang jauh dari kampung halaman. Siapa sih, ‘kami’ ini? Perkenalkan, Izza (www.theadventureofizzao.com) dan Alif (www.theriatheria.blogspot.com). Kami adalah istri-istri yang akhirnya memilih untuk menemani suami berkuliah di Inggris, lebih tepatnya di kota Birmingham. Kami adalah istri-istri yang iseng mencari pekerjaan sambil ingin terus memberi manfaat bagi orang lain. Sampai pada akhirnya, kami melihat adanya kebutuhan akan informasi mengenai bagaimana keluarga-keluarga Indonesia survive hidup di tanah rantau ini.

Seri artikel Home Away from Home ini akan mencakup cerita-cerita pengalaman kami sendiri, pengalaman keluarga-keluarga lain, dan berbagai tips untuk keluarga yang mencari informasi mengenai kehidupan keluarga pelajar di Inggris. Kami akan membahas mengenai aplikasi visa, persiapan keberangkatan, akomodasi, beradaptasi dengan lingkungan baru, pengaturan keuangan, kehidupan sehari-hari, interaksi dengan penduduk lokal, pelayanan kesehatan, pendidikan bagi anak, serta komunitas warga Indonesia yang ada di Inggris. Mudah-mudahan, berbagai informasi yang akan kami berikan melalui tulisan di seri Home Away from Home bisa menjadi panduan bagi keluarga maupun pasangan yang berencana menemani suami atau istri melanjutkan studi di Inggris.
Terima kasih sudah membaca dan sampai jumpa di artikel berikutnya minggu depan! Next on: UK Visa Application for Dependants.

AdventureNotes #21: Leeds

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Leeds is a popular city among Indonesian students. It has at least two universities with good reputation, added with its quite affordable living cost. No wonder there are so many Indonesian students in Leeds. Besides for studying, Leeds is also quite popular for its tourism because it is located (almost) between two national parks, the Yorkshire Dales National Park and the North York Moors National Park. Both national parks are famous for their beauty; they are even mentioned as the must-visit places when you are in the UK.

I personally have not been to both national parks. Some of my friends have and they love it! Indeed, it is something worth to do. However, I have visited Leeds several times now. My purpose was mainly to visit a friend or to do something. Mostly, I went to Leeds to go to the airport, Leeds Bradford. Hahaha… Anyway, during my visits, several times I tried to explore the city. I cannot find a word that can represent Leeds, but just say that it is a combination of old and new.

I had enough time to explore the city (excluding its museums and galleries) during my last visit. I visited the Kirkstall Abbey, went to the Museum Quarter (without entering the museums), and explored the Corn Exchange. There is actually I place that should worth to visit but I haven’t got time to do it, which is the first Marks and Spencer outlet in Kirkgate Market. So, here’s my story…

I saw Kirkstall Abbey a few times when I had to go to the Leeds Bradford Airport. It is located a little bit out of the city center, but not that far that you have to allocate certain time to visit it. When I passed by, I didn’t know that it can be quite interesting visiting the place. Kirkstall Abbey is a complex of park, abbey ruins, a museum, and a small café. In normal days, visitors can come inside the abbey ruins and the museum. There is also some kind of farmers market held there once in a while. However, at the time I visited the abbey, I could not get into the place because it was holiday. I had to be satisfied by just exploring the park and looking at the ruins from the outside. I was happy, though, because I could take a lot of nice pictures.

Again, visiting cities during holiday can be tricky. I went to the Museum Quarter but I could not get into the museums because of it. Therefore, again, I had to be satisfied by just strolling on the streets of Leeds. I heard people recommend Leeds City Museum and the Royal Armories Museum as places to visit. However, it was quite interesting to see how the old buildings and the new developments are blending in the city. The shopping center, which is not too far for the Museum Quarter, is also a blend of old and new. There are many shopping arcades with interesting interior designs.

Near the end of the day, I ran out of ideas of where to go to. Then, my friend suggested me to see the Corn Exchange. Basically, it is a shopping center – or a vintage shopping center if I can say. The building was quite old and has been used as a shopping center for a long time. It is interesting to see the inside of this building because although it is old, the building is preserved well. It is simply gorgeous. I also like to see how the shops still maintain the ‘vintage look’, blending themselves to the surrounding architecture. My husband was especially happy there because there is a camera shop selling second-hand cameras. I was surprised that the shop still sells the analogue camera there!

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Anyway, that is my review about Leeds. It has not been much. However, if I visit the city another time, I would love to use it as the gate to the Yorkshire Dales National Park and the North York Moors National Park.

AdventureNotes #20: Cambridge

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Besides Oxford, another city famous for its smart students is Cambridge. Cambridge is one of the oldest universities in the UK, dating back to 1209. Wow! In my words, I think Indonesia was still in Ken Dedes and Ken Arok era when people in the UK began attending universities. Well, besides its long history, University of Cambridge is very famous for its high quality of education. People from all around the world dream of coming to Cambridge to study. Indeed, university life is the center of the city. From my observation, it almost seems that the city basically grows around the university. Personally, besides its education quality, Cambridge is a beautiful city to visit.

Getting to Cambridge is certainly easy. Like most cities in the UK, you can just hop on a train to reach this city. However, I think people need to beware because the train fare is quite expensive for Cambridge. To compare, a train ride from Birmingham to London costs around £10-20 return per person whereas the train ride from Birmingham to Cambridge costs around £50-60. It’s almost three times the cost, right? This is why I just visited Cambridge during the second time I live in the UK. I joined a university arranged trip, which can be quite cheap. At that time, I only paid around £15 for my return trip. If you are a student, you can search information about this kind of trip. It can be useful!

I didn’t stay overnight when I visited the city. It was a lovely daytrip because the weather was so nice that day. I won’t be able to suggest which one is better, to stay overnight or to have a daytrip because I am not so sure about how expensive the accommodation price there. However, I can tell that visiting the city just for a day surely not enough to explore the whole city one by one. I mean, there are lots of galleries and museums that you can come into. Indeed, exploring a museum for a day is never enough in the UK. They are massive!

So, what did I do when I visited Cambridge? Punting! What? It’s so mainstream and expensive! Actually… no, it isn’t. I booked my ticket online so I just had to pay £8 for around an hour punt ride. Of course, I chose the one with a punter. I’m not that confident to punt by myself. I’m not that good at swimming. Well, anyway, it was a good choice. During the trip, the punter told us about peculiar facts about Cambridge. We could see the back of Cambridge colleges and the view is simply beautiful. I love it! I think most of Cambridge biggest colleges are located near the river so we can see almost all of the famous attractions during our punt ride. Besides, it really helps us navigate our way later on when we explore the city by foot.

Just like Oxford, the main attraction of Cambridge is its university. And just like Oxford, we need to pay a small amount of admission ticket to enter the colleges. Well, not all, just the most beautiful and famous ones. The ticket price is slightly more expensive than Oxford, too. Therefore, I would suggest you to choose which college you want to visit. During my visit, I entered three colleges. One of them is free, which is Clare College. The other two, St. John’s College and King’s College are not free. However, it is worth it! The view was just beautiful. Moreover, at the time I visited the city, I think there was some kind of celebration or something. University of Cambridge students were walking around with their robes. Gosh, I really want to try wearing those robes. You know, each college has its own robes? I felt like I’m in a Harry Potter movie. You surely can visit some more colleges. A friend of mine said that Pembroke College certainly needs to be visited. I also wanted to go to Trinity College, but it was closed at the time I was in the city. Well, you can check them first before deciding to visit them.

So museums, colleges, punting… Cambridge also offers unique outdoor markets. I think it is occasional, but the open market in the center of the city is regularly opened. I went to an art pop up market and saw unique things. I also went to the outdoor market and see many distinct foods. It is interesting for me. Actually, I like to soak up the atmosphere there. Cambridge is also full of interesting small streets. You can explore them. I don’t really know about the shops, but I think it might be interesting to go into shops selling the University of Cambridge robes. I tried to enter one, but non-students cannot try on the robes.

As I said, a day in Cambridge only covers that much. I think another visit to Cambridge is necessary to find out more about the city. In my opinion, indeed, Cambridge is a very beautiful city.

Mar 26, 2016

AdventureNotes #19: Bath

Published on by Izza DinillahLeave a comment

When I first came to the UK, I didn’t know what Bath is. My friend, then, told me that it is a beautiful city and the home of one of the UNESCO World Heritage. I am not sure why I didn’t know about Bath because it is mentioned as one of the most beautiful cities in the UK and it is a must visit place. Therefore, I started to look into it, finding out information about the city, and finally decided to visit Bath.

I went to Bath during a summer break by train from London. As I was living in Hull at that time, the cheapest way to go to Bath is through London. However, it can still be quite expensive, around £30 for return ticket per person. Actually, Bath is easily accessible by train. However, if you want to get better deal on visiting this city, you can check day tours or Eventbrite because there are several day tours to Bath and Stonehenge, or other cities, from London. It can be a better choice if you want to visit more than just Bath.

Personally, I cannot find any city similar to Bath. I don’t know but I just don’t think it is comparable to any other cities. I think Brighton is the closest one, but Brighton is located on the seaside whereas Bath is mountainous. Moreover, there are actually so many attractions in Bath that I would suggest you to stay at least one night to really get to know the city. Therefore, I chose to make my own itinerary and spent a night in Bath.

Although it is advised to stay in Bath overnight, the accommodation price there is expensive. As it is a touristic place, like York, hiring a hotel room can be very expensive. I could not find any hotel offering a room priced less than £40. You are lucky if you are a solo traveler or you don’t mind to stay in hostels because YHA has a branch there. So far, it is the most affordable accommodation in Bath – well, except the AirBnB. However, I didn’t stay in YHA when I visited Bath. Instead, I slept in a university accommodation. How come? Every summer holiday, the University of Bath rents its student accommodation for visitors. The price is quite cheap, around £30 a night including breakfast. It is a dorm room, fully equipped. The only downside is that the bathroom is shared. I was quite happy to be able to spend a night there because then, I could also visit the university and feel how students live in dorms. The breakfast is quite good, too.

As I said, there are many tourist attractions in Bath. The most popular ones are the Roman Baths, Jane Austen Center, Fashion Museum, No.1 Royal Crescent, Bath Abbey, Pulteney Bridge, and the Circus, and the Royal Crescent. You can visit all of them, of course. However, at the time I visited the city, my constraint was money. Most of the attractions in Bath apply admission fee.

For the paid ones, I went to Roman Baths, Fashion Museum, and No.1 Royal Crescent. It was costly, but I think it worth the pay. In Roman Baths, I could see many Roman artefacts and get to know more about how Romans live in the UK at that time. Basically, it provides us with so many historical facts and stories. Besides that, we can also see the former Roman Baths, where people on that day take shower. It is very well preserved. This attraction is located in the middle of the city so it is hard to miss. Near the Roman Bath, there is a café called The Pump Room, where you can have tea afterwards. Well, I didn’t try it because I was in a low budget, but if you are interested you can absolutely try to have an afternoon tea here.

On my second day in Bath, I went to see the Royal Crescent and the No.1 Royal Crescent. They are located in the same area. The No.1 Royal Crescent is a show house, picturing how people in the Georgian era live. We can explore the different rooms of the house, including the furniture and else. There are guides there who will tell us stories and details about how people live back then. Unfortunately, most of the objects shown there are not really the original objects but loans from different museums and private collections. Well, it is good to know that people here really pay attention to history, saving meaningful objects, etc. But it will be good for the attraction to have collections on its own.

Although I didn’t plan to go to this museum, the Fashion Museum is certainly my highlight. The museum is rather dark, but the amount of the collection is imaginable. I could really see how fashion changes along time. The exhibition is enormous. I think, fashion lovers should visit this museum and will spend a whole day in this attraction. Again, despite its cost, it is very worth it.

Those are my picks, but you can explore Bath for more. If you are in a low budget, you don’t have to come into those paid attraction because strolling through Bath’s small alleys and streets is certainly charming. It is a city like no other.

Mar 19, 2016

AdventureNotes #18: Oxford

Published on by Izza DinillahLeave a comment

A lot of people know that Oxford is a name of a university. Do you also know that this is the name of the city where the university is located in? Almost the same as Cambridge, Oxford tourism depends on its university. Therefore, traveling to Oxford means coming into the university colleges, museums, and libraries – well, at least most part of it. I visited Oxford twice, first by myself on a super tight budget and the second with my husband and his friends with an enough budget so that I can enter some of the colleges there.

Oxford is a city located in the south part of UK. The city is quite reachable by train and bus. For me, I went to Oxford by bus, both from London and Birmingham. The bus from London to Oxford can be as cheap as £1 for one way. The bus is called Oxford Tube, which everyone can take from the front of London Victoria Station. I don’t know how much it will cost if you just get on the bus and pay there, but I bought my ticket online and it was just £1. The journey from London to Oxford takes around 2 hours. The city is also around 2 hours journey from Birmingham, from which I took a MegaBus that costs only £7 return. Quite cheap, right?

As the city is quite small, if you don’t explore the whole museums there, most people visit Oxford for only a day trip. As I said, the main attraction is its university. As most cities in the UK, the city has more than one university, but the one that is the oldest university in the UK and the most popular one is called University of Oxford. Similar to Cambridge, the university is divided into many colleges. Each college has its own complex, with accommodation, classes, halls, and sometimes its own library, too. Some of the colleges are open for visitors because of its beauty. Some of them are free, and some requires visitors to pay a “small” amount of money. Well, the most expensive one in Oxford is Christ Church College. It is indeed, the most famous college of all because its hall is the inspiration of Harry Potter’s Hogwarts Great Hall. When I visited the college, I had to pay more than £5. At that time, the college also opens a Bed and Breakfast so that visitors can try living in the dorm and having breakfast in the Great Hall. I must say that the place is beautiful, starting from the meadow outside the main building up to the inner part of the college complex, which includes dorms, library, chapel, and halls. However, I think the hall is not as I expected. In reality, I think it is quite small. It is still functioning now, holding dinners and breakfasts for the students. When I went to see the hall, the university staffs were preparing dinner as they set up the tables there. I also saw the accommodation building, which is in direct opposite of the library of this college. There, I saw a student who just wears pajamas to visit the library. I think the students basically live in the library and just go to their accommodation when they need to eat or shower. Haha… Well, actually you can choose to not live in the colleges but rent an accommodation a bit far from the city. It is cheaper.

Other Oxford attractions are also related to the university, such as the All Soul’s College (we cannot get in here because it is closed for public), University Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Bodleian Camera, and Radcliffe Camera. Those places can be visited by paying an admission fee. If you are really interested in knowing what’s inside, maybe you can buy the tickets. However, I am not. So, although I’ve visited Oxford twice, I only see those places from the outside. I heard that it is quite useful to join walking tours around Oxford to get to know the city better. Some of the walking tours are free, but some are not. If the tour is not free, it is a good chance that the price includes the admission tickets to several places.

Is Oxford really that expensive? Well, no. If you are on a budget, you can always go inside the museums. There are several museums in Oxford, which most of them are managed by the university. I went inside one of them just to pass by, and I think if I have enough time, I’d love to explore the place. Again, as many other museums in the UK, the place is arranged interestingly so that the image of dark and gloomy museum vanishes from my mind.

Well, the last place that I visited on my latest visit to Oxford is the Covered Market. It is basically an indoor market full of different kinds of stalls. This place is so interesting because you can find anything, from cookies to uncooked chicken. Some of the small bag shops and accessories shops are unique, I don’t know if they have branch elsewhere. There is also a really interesting cake shop with different decorations on the cakes. I love the place! I think it’s worth the visit.

For me, Oxford is… yeah, Oxford. I cannot find an exact adjective to describe it. I think it is quite interesting, although the city center is so packed. My husband doesn’t really like it because he thinks it’s vague (I don’t know why), but if you’d like to see how ‘the bright’ students live, you can visit Oxford.

Mar 12, 2016

AdventureNotes #17: Mainstream London

Published on by Izza DinillahLeave a comment

After a week off last week, this is the last AdventureNotes article about London. Yeay! This last article will explore about the mainstream London. London’s first visitors certainly must at least pass along these places to really prove to the world that they have visited this wonderful city! The whole passing along these locations can be done in a day and cheaply if you are not interested to go inside those places. However, the museums and galleries listed in my version of mainstream London can take up to one day visit. Therefore, allocate enough time if you really are interested in going into the museums and galleries.

Everyone’s list of mainstream London can be different from one to another. I make this list of mainstream London based on my experience and the Visit London website. So, here’s the list and brief explanation about each of them:

1.      British Museum – a must visit place in London. If you only have limited time, I would suggest you to pick one or two galleries to visit. The place can be very crowded during the peak season, so beware of not being comfortable inside this museum. It is a good photo spot, especially inside its famous center hall.

2.      National Gallery – if you are an artistic person and are interested in paintings, you can go inside. The place is huge and again, you have to allocate special time for you to visit. I like to sit around the Trafalgar Square, instead. It is located in front of the National Gallery. Sometimes there are celebrations or special occasions held there.

3.      Natural History Museum – this place is huge! I think people can go again and again to this place because it is so interesting! The admission is free, another advantage for budget traveler.

4.      London Eye – this spot is one of the iconic places in London. Strolling near the London Eye in the Southbank is already satisfying. It is indeed worth it to pay the price for the London Eye ticket. It is quite expensive, but there are promotional options to get a better price. I love the view from the London Eye at night. It is so beautiful!

5.      Tower of London – The place is located near the Thames River and it is now a museum. There are galleries and tours for you to choose when you are visiting this place. You have to pay for the admission ticket, though.

6.      Tower Bridge – this iconic place is a must visit in London. You can just walk along the bridge, take pictures near it, or even come inside the towers of the Tower Bridge to see exhibitions. Again, you need to pay for the admission ticket in this attraction.

7.      Madame Tussauds – there are Madame Tussauds in other cities, indeed. I don’t really know the difference between those Madame Tussauds, but if you haven’t been to one, you surely can visit the one in London. The admission price is quite expensive and the queue can be very long, but you can take pictures, a lot of them, inside.

8.      221b Baker Street – Sherlock! For Sherlock Holmes fans, this is a must visit place. However, I was disappointed coming inside this place to see the exhibition because it is not that interesting for me. With the price and the queue, surely I wouldn’t recommend you to come except you really a hardcore fan of Sherlock Holmes. I think, taking picture in front of it and visiting the shop is quite enough.

9.      Buckingham Palace – an attraction that you can see when you visit this place is the changing guard. It happens daily or once in two days at 11.30. The procession lasts around 45 minutes. Quite interesting, but not that much. During the summer, the palace is open for public and you can see the inside of the building. Again, it is not free of charge.

10.  Parliament House – definitely cannot go inside, but taking picture in front of the Parliament House is a must. It really shows that you’ve visited London. The best place to take your picture in front of it is from the bridge just next to the building.

11.  Big Ben – attached to the Parliament House, this is also the icon of London. Take a picture of yourself in front of this place!

12.  Westminster Abbey – located just on the square of the Parliament House, Westminster Abbey is famous as a place for the Royal Family to do their religious activities. You can take a picture in front of it, and you can also come inside to see the place.

13.  St. Paul’s Church – I love this building! Walking across the Millennium Bridge and seeing this building is just magnificent! You can take pictures and come inside the church. All free of charge.

14.  Piccadilly Circus / Soho – it is not a building but an area. The place is so famous and is always crowded. I like to just walk along the streets in this area. It is nice!

15.  Oxford Street – shopping! That’s the word comes to my mind every time I hear Oxford Street. Lots and lots of shops here, where you can just have your retail therapy.

As I said, it only takes a day to visit all these places if you are not going inside and just take pictures of them from the outside. Most of the places are located along the Thames River, so it is not difficult to reach them. I would suggest people to go to the Buckingham Palace first, and then walk through the St. James Park to reach the Parliament Square, where the Parliament House, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey are located. You can walk across the bridge from the Big Ben and follow the pathway to the London Eye. Then, cross the bridge again to reach the National Gallery and Trafalgar Square. From there, I usually take the tube to the Tower of London, quite near to the Tower Bridge and St. Paul’s Cathedral. The other places left are the British Museum, Natural History Museum, Madame Tussauds, 221b Baker Street, Piccadilly Circus, and Oxford Street. I like to categorize the places into their location. For example, the British Museum is not too far from the Oxford Street, which is adjacent to Piccadilly Circus. Then, Madame Tussauds and 221b Baker Street are close to each other. Finally, the Natural History is located in the museum quarter of London, where there are also Science Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum.

It is very easy to visit the mainstream London points of interest. If you like to take the bus, you can take London Bus Route 4, which passes along the Waterloo, Houses of Parliament, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and Barbican. Another bus route, London Bus Route 88, passes along the Regent Street, Oxford Street, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and the House of Parliament. See? You can even just stay inside the bus to pass these iconic locations. The district and circle lines of London Underground are also the main route if you prefer to use the tube as your mode of transportation.

That’s all about London – well, up until now. I am sure that there will be loads and loads more after I visit the city more.

Mar 04, 2016

AdventureNotes #16: Harry Potter London

Published on by Izza DinillahLeave a comment

Who doesn’t know Harry Potter? The book, the movie, everything about Harry Potter is famous! Thinking about Harry Potter makes people think about the UK, too. Indeed, the movie set is also located in various places throughout the UK. However, the Warner Bros Studio is located near London. For you who are mad about the story, welcome to the magical world!

To visit the Warner Bros Studio, we have to buy tickets in advance. The place is very popular and in peak seasons, the ticket is likely to be sold out or limited. Therefore, I would suggest people to really consider the time they are going to visit. Besides the date, we should also pick the time of the day we want to enter the place. I’ve visited the place twice, once at night time and once during the day. For me, both times are perfectly fine. It has its own charm on different times of the day. Therefore, don’t worry if you get a slot at night to visit the studio. The official website to book the ticket to this studio ishttps://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/. However, if you cannot find any ticket on your chosen date, you can also google other tours that may have the tickets, too. Usually, these tours also include the transportation price from central London to the studio location by bus. The price to enter this attraction is not cheap but it certainly worth it.

I wouldn’t say that the Warner Bros Studio is exactly in London. It is located near zone 7 London, which is called Watford Junction. From my city, Birmingham, it is almost half way to London. From central London, I think the journey can take up to 45 minutes by tube or probably 1 to 1.30 hours by bus depending on the traffic. From the Watford Junction station, we should take another designated Harry Potter Tour bus to the location. Minding the journey, I would suggest people who want to visit this attraction to start their journey around 1 to 2 hours before their allocated entry time. Sometimes you can enter a little bit before your allocated time. And don’t worry if you are late, too! You can still come to the place with your ticket!

Entering the studio is like entering a magical place, indeed! If you are a Harry Potter fan, you will love it! The entrance to the great hall, looking at the set of different places of Hogwarts, and taking pictures all around, all are unforgettable experience. There are indoor and outdoor areas of the studio with an additional area just opened last year. Nowadays, people can also see the Hogwarts Express that had just been exhibited there! OMG I SO want to go there again! I can spend hours and hours there. Don’t worry, you can spend as long as you want inside the studio.

What’s so amazing about the studio? Hmmm… not the Daniel Radcliffe or the Emma Watson part because they’re not there. For me, it’s the process of filmmaking. I can see how the people involved in the production were very dedicated to their work. I am amazed of the details, of the expensive tools and appliances they buy to make the movie ‘real’. I am amazed on the robot Buckbeak and the 2 meters tall Hogwarts miniature and the thousands of wand boxes hand-written by the crew. And surely, I am so fond of the butter beer! You should try the butter beer! It is non-alcoholic so as a Muslim it’s safe for me. It is rather expensive but for the sake of trying it!

I think coming out of the studio, I was left speechless. It is very amazing. But, you can also crave for more! Well, not many other Harry Potter setting is located in London, but there are some places you can visit to re-visit your experience watching the movie. You can join a walking tour or you can just visit them yourself.

The places in London that are used in Harry Potter movies include Kings Cross Station and St. Pancras Station. Both are next to each other. The famous 9 ¾ platform is located in the Kings Cross Station. If you can bear the queue, you can take pictures of yourself posing in front of it! Besides that, there are also Millennium Bridge, Charring Cross Road, and Leadenhall Market. The two mentioned last are the places that represent Diagon Alley. Gringot’s exterior is Australia House just near the Covent Garden. There are also Westminster Station, Piccadilly Circus, and London Zoo Reptile House that you can visit.

That’s not enough? There is another Harry Potter attraction coming up this June 2016. It’s Harry Potter theatre! It is actually an extended version of the Harry Potter story. Coming up in June, the ticket for the show is now sold out until March 2017. If you are planning to visit and want to see this, do make sure that you are coming after March to get the ticket.

I think there will be more and more additional attractions related to Harry Potter in London, considering how popular it is. Indeed, London is a good place to start feeling the real Harry Potter experience!

Feb 19, 2016