I am back!

After my one-and-a-half-year hiatus – I am finally back! Long story short, my life has completely changed for the better, some changes are minor whereas others are major. Let’s start with the major ones, I turned 16 and I am finally attending college in the States! Looking back on my older blog posts, I realize how much significant memories it all brought back, and I want to cherish the memories I am making now just like how I cherish my older memories. As for minor changes, here is what I look like now, the same old me, just a little bit taller but definitely chubbier.

03.20.18

Over the past few years, I basically transformed into a different individual, a more mature and cheerful one. I am a freshman in a college located in Pleasant Hill, California which is over 8000 miles away from my home. It has been exactly 9 months and 9 days since I left Medan, I faced many challenges during this major life transition, some of which are really tough. Despite all those, I think I managed to tackle it one by one with the support provided by my friends and family. They made this place feel exactly like home, as if I have not left Medan at all. I’m here to share my experience with you guys, be it about studying abroad or travel, I plan to treat this blog as if it is my diary where I write stories about my life. Writing has always been a way for me to connect and communicate with others, and I think this blog is a perfect opportunity for me to share my thoughts and emotions. Thank you for giving me a space to express my ideas and stories, I hope you look forward to reading my future posts!

-N

Zoos.

A couple of months ago, I had the chance to interview Ms. Kristin Abt who was a former zookeeper in Maryland Zoo, Baltimore, United States. However, she did not continue to pursue her career as a zookeeper, but became a teacher in my school instead. Below are the excerpts of my interview.

As a zookeeper, Ms. Kristin finds the job both challenging and beneficial at the same time. She suggests that those who are interested should study biology or animal science to obtain knowledge on animal behaviour. Volunteering early can also help gain experience. When asked what her favourite part of the job was, her reply was training animals to control themselves. Zookeepers are usually assigned to care for a specific group of animals which is good as they then get to bond with the animals. Even though the job does not pay very much, Ms. Kristin still enjoyed her occupation due to her love for animals.

Ms. Kristin mentioned that being a zookeeper can get one very busy at times as they have the responsibility of cleaning cages, talking to visitors and also attending staff meetings. Cages get cleaned everyday and disinfected every few weeks or so. Visitors are warned that animals that have sharp teeth can be aggressive at times. According to her, a lot of safety precautions are taken to prevent animals from escaping. This includes placing animals behind bars and electric fencing. Also, zookeepers have to double check to ensure that the locks are secured. When an animal escapes, they will have to follow a protocol to close the doors and evacuate visitors to a safe place. Particular individuals like vets are usually in charge when incidents like these occur.

Animals that are kept at zoos from young are most likely not able to survive in the wild. This is due to the fact that animals have to learn from a very young age to adapt to their environment. Thus, they need to be taken care for their whole lives. According to Ms. Kristin, factors that make a zookeeper good are being adaptable and not being afraid of revolting work. You would have to pay close attention to the weather, animals and events. To check for any illnesses is not difficult, a sudden change in the animals can mean that something is not right, She mentioned that once you get attached to a certain animal, it would be hard to be separated from them. Also, time management is crucial as there are so many things to do in a day. When asked what animals children usually are most interested to see, she said exotic African animals such as elephants and giraffes.

From this interview, I can conclude that it takes a lot to be a zookeeper. The job may not be suitable for one who does not have a strong liking for animals. It needs a lot of patience and responsibilities. Even though zoos act as attractions for people to visit, educational or amusement purposes, I believe that animals trapped in zoos need to be freed. They are not able to live their lives to the fullest living in cages. I am against the idea of zoos as it tortures the animals. As my english teacher Mr. Mohan once quoted, “A lion is only king when it stays in the jungle.”

-N

UN Week

In the light of the United Nations day, my school celebrated it for a whole week by raising funds for a local charity. The first day of the week started with an opening ceremony, followed by the annual food festival, where teachers prepare delicious food for sale. The second day of the United Nations week, was dress down day. We had the chance to wear an outfit of our choice to school, but we had to pay a fee Rp. 20.000. My class and I decided to "dress up" instead of "dress down", by wearing suits and dresses. However, we did not stay in suits and dresses for so long as it was getting warm. It was a very fun day, as the whole class got to spend a lot of time together. Not only that, my whole class performed a dance to the song "Better When I'm Dancing" Although the performance wasn't perfect, every moment spent practising was not wasted as what matters is the fun that we had. Also, we only prepared it for one and a half hour at the very last minute. Throughout the week, a garage sale is held during break and lunch time. Also, teachers received dares from students, for example, the principal of our school did an ice bucket challenge. There were also many fun games held throughout the whole week. Here are some pictures from the dress down day:

Class photos from early in the morning

Outfit #2

Patrick : "Draw me like one of your French girls."

And here is Patrick trying to model

Overall, it was a very fun week as the whole week was filled with entertaining activities. I wish school days were like this every day. I am looking forward to more school events, I hope that the upcoming event is even better than this one!

-N

SF Travel Food Diary

A few months ago, I had the chance to visit the city of San Francisco and these are some of my absolute favourite meals from my trip!

1. Clam Chowder from Hog's Oyster Island

This dish has an overall striking visual appearance. What else could be more perfect than a bowl of clam chowder, loaded with diced potatoes, bacon bits, fresh chunks of vegetables and a ton of fresh clam? It was a little bit thin and not as thick and creamy as clam chowders usually are, but it was still very delicious!

2. Eggs Benedict from Sweet Maple

This dish features the classic eggs benedict staples - a crisp english muffin, perfectly poached eggs and a tangy hollandaise sauce. What makes this meal unique is that instead of the traditional ham or smoked salmon, it has an asian twist, they substituted it with fresh shrimp and crab meat. The sauce underneath the runny yolks has a very refreshing citrus flavour. It  is also served with asparagus, and chunks of sweet potato and yam.

3. Sushi Burrito from Sushirrito

What do you do when you cannot decide whether to eat Mexican or Japanese? You have a sushirrito, it is a combination of a sushi and a burrito! The flavour I had was called Mayan Dragon. It is filled with crispy chicken katsu, carrots, pickled red cabbage and jalapeños, and a curry sauce that has a blend of some unique spices and flavour. Every bite I took was very satisfying, and the chicken katsu has a crunchy, crisp texture when you bite into it.

4. Deep Fried French Toast from Sweet Maple

This is the best french toast I ever had on earth. It is not just any ordinary french toast, it is battered and deep fried. The french toast itself is crispy and golden brown on the outside, and creamy on the inside. It is served with some fresh fruits, powdered sugar and thick maple syrup, that has a light roasted flavour. I am not sure if I can go back to eating regular french toasts after tasting this crispy, buttery delight. It is also served with soft, fluffy scrambled eggs and pieces of bacon that is to die for!

5. Kauai Pie Ice Cream from Lappert's Ice Cream

What is better than an ice cream on a hot summer day? I had this in San Francisco. Kauai pie is a traditional Hawaiian dessert, and this is the ice cream version of it. This is one of the store’s specialty

flavours, as it is unique and cannot be found anywhere else. It is a coffee-flavoured ice cream with bits and pieces of chocolate chips, desiccated coconut, macadamia nuts, on a chocolate covered cone.

6. Chips with Guacamole from La Taqueria

What is better than an ice cream on a hot summer day? I had this in San Francisco. Kauai pie is a traditional Hawaiian dessert, and this is the ice cream version of it. This is one of the store’s specialty flavours, as it is unique and cannot be found anywhere else. It is a coffee-flavoured ice cream with bits and pieces of chocolate chips, desiccated coconut, macadamia nuts, on a chocolate covered cone.

Overall, I think that SF generally has amazing food. I can't wait to someday go back there again! See you guys on my next post!

-N

Happy Birthday, Indonesia!

17th August marks Indonesia's independence day. 71 years ago, the first president of Indonesia, Ir. Soekarno proclaimed the independence day of Indonesia. On 18th August, I celebrated the independence day at school, where it is an annual event. The day started with the whole school marching together along with the school's marching band, before the flag raising ceremony. We sang the national anthem, prayed for the national heroes who have passed away and read the proclamation text. The celebration then continued with performances from students from our school. Those performances included traditional dances, national songs, drama acts and Indonesian traditional costume fashion show. The rest of the day was filled with fun games and activities provided by the teachers.  An example of the game is kerupuk (chips) eating competition, it involves the tying of chips onto strings raised in the air and we have to try to finish it without using our hands. The purpose of this game is to remind people about how people in Indonesia lived in poverty during the colonisation. I really enjoyed this day as I got to spend a lot of time with my friends, and it just reminds me of how much I love my country.

Sack race

Celine

Kerupuk eating

Charisa

Celine & I

Fayola & Celine

Sarong football

That's all for my post today! I will try my best to update as often as possible in the future. Thank you!

-N