Excuse me, do you know where to exchange tickets for
foreign tourists? I tried
asking that to several people at the train station. I also approached several
counters and asked the staff the same question, they also could not answer it.
Nearly everyone who I asked could not understand what I was saying because they
could not speak English. Even though my legs were getting tired, I still walked
while dragging my suitcase. I had surrounded the big station and saw the
clock on the wall many times, the departure schedule of my train was getting
closer, made me my fingernails biting. My mind said, “this is just a
beginning”.
Source : personal
At
the age of 18, I travelled abroad by myself for the first time. I participated
in AIESEC volunteer activities. The incident above is something that I also
experienced when I was in Shanghai train station, China. Fortunately, I finally
found the train ticket exchange counter which was specifically designated for
foreign tourists. I got off at Hefei, Anhui Province. A woman held a white
paper "DILLA - INDONESIA" and I immediately approached her, she was
Rafei - my house family.
The
thing which I remember most from my house family is that they deliberately
bought some new cooking utensils and cutlery for me. They researched about
halal food, my foster-mother also prepared Chinese chicken soup and bought the
meat at a halal store. I was very impressed and appreciated their concern.
During my stay with them, I learnt a lot and gained new insights, such as local
wisdoms, socials, cultures, and even politics in China.
I
did several things out of my comfort zone, which was walking to travel around.
In Indonesia, I used to use a vehicle to go somewhere. In China, walking is a
natural thing to do because public transportation cannot stop at random places.
I had to walk from my house to the nearest bus stop. After getting off the bus,
I walked to elementary school with a long distance that kept me complaining
because it was Ramadhan, fasting period for Muslim. My AIESEC volunteering
program was teaching elementary school children in Hefei Sub-urban area.
During
the voluntary work, I taught elementary school students in different classes
with a rolling system. It was because I love children and use to play with
them. So, at first, I thought that there would not be many problems when I
taught elementary school children. But it turned out, my head shakes and sighed
a lot. The language barrier was quite a challenge, I spoke English but they
could not. Fortunately, I had my interpreter partner to make it easier for me
to interact with students. Although sometimes they were very noisy and
"chaotic", but they were a nice kid. At least, I also gained
additional skills regarding how to deal with children. The most touching part
was on the last day of teaching, they made a small surprise for me.
Source : personal
In
this program, 6 participants were coming from several countries. They came from
Lithuania, Italy, Austria, and Turkey. Each of them had different personalities
and backgrounds, but that was what makes it interesting. We often talked about
a lot of things and hang out together. One day, we went to one of the
high hills in Hefei which was one of the favourite places for locals to have
fresh air. This was my first time to go hiking, so I did not go too far. In the
end, I gave up and chose to sit, while my friends chose to continue their
journey. Many people had passed me, including children and elder people. I was
embarrassed but amazed, In China, there were a lot of people had a healthy
lifestyle.
Then
the program finished, I said “goodbye” to my students, participants, committees
and my host family. I continued my trip to Beijing since I ordered a return
ticket from there. Previously I almost could not extend my visa in Hefei
immigration office (but luckily it worked). A new problem was coming, I did not
get a ticket to Beijing, apparently, in the summer people had booked tickets in
advance. But I chose another option, I bought an economy class train ticket at
a normal price but without a seat.
Due
to a misreading, I realized that my train would depart in 10 minutes. I
went to the clerk immediately, showed the ticket, while running and carrying a
lot of stuff. It was only train number 4, while my train was number 12, the
staff forbade me to get on the train that was not on my ticket. My SLR camera
bag had fallen, but I took it again and continued this frenzy of running.
Finally, I managed to get into train number 12 and immediately lifted my
suitcase and bag. After sitting for a while, I just realized that my SLR camera
bag wasn't there. I went down and tried to look around, nothing. I was going to
run back, but the sound of the train was leaving. In the end, I chose to get on
the train, then cried for a while. When I look back to that moment, it was sad but also silly.
Travelling
in China is one of the best travel experiences. Why? Because this is my first
time going abroad and doing it with the solo traveling. I do not only travel
but also learn to understand "China" by living in it and trying to
adapt to the environment. This made me gain a lot of new insights and
perspectives. The experience I got was very interesting, not only joy but also
sorrow. Lots of unexpected things happened, these made me to be more brave,
independent, and more open-minded person.
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