I stepped into Indonesian soil at exactly 1:55 PM in the afternoon of May 26, 2012 and all it took to get there was a seventy-peso taxi ride. This I did without leaving my own country. How is this even possible? You can literally be in foreign territory if you're inside an embassy.
I had decided barely a day before to join my friend Earvin for a ten-week Bahasa Indonesia class being offerred for free by the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Manila. The class will be held every Saturday for three hours for ten weeks, at the end of which all participants who attended at least 80% of the sessions will be presented with a certificate. I was not interested at first due to ridiculous reasons but later on realized that I had nothing to lose by learning a foreign language, especially when it's free of charge!
I was nervous and a bit shaky when signing the visitor's log. It was 5 minutes before the start of class and I was cutting it close. As soon as the guard handed me my visitor's ID, I made my way into the lobby where the class was to take place. It was a big relief when they announced that actual lessons won't start until the next meeting. Since it was the first day, we were treated to a program which was attended by the Education and Culture Attach. There were film clips and slides on Indonesia, with the films focusing more on the island paradise of Bali.
The overview was interesting but what really caught everyone's attention was the announcement that the top 5 participants would be rewarded with a cultural trip to Indonesia! My friend and I vowed to do our best and ensure that we make the top 5. For now, I'll have to content myself with the quick trips for the next 9 Saturdays and hopefully soon after I'll be heading to the actual place itself! Indonesia, here I come!
