The beauty of a journey isn’t in the destination, but in the people you meet and the memories you create along the way.
After the final demo finished, we still had 3 days left to make memories here in the Philippines before going back to Indonesia on November 8th. With a ton of help from our PNU friends—Aly, Mona, Jaira, and Yella—we made the most unforgettable memories in our last days! We did karaoke, explored Intramuros more, tasted halal street food, had a photoshoot, and strolled together to buy some pasalubong. I will cherish these moments forever in my heart...<3
On November 5th, 2024, we went to karaoke together at IntraMall in Intramuros. We walked there from PNU, which was quite tiring, but every time I walk here, I get to take in the lively views of Manila. We arrived at 2:00 pm and paid for 2 hours of karaoke. I think I sang more than everyone else, LOL. We sang a lot of songs together, and one of the things I’m most grateful for is that all six of us know a lot of songs. We could sing anything and enjoy every song together. I’m so glad for this, actually, guys! (As if they’ll read all of this on my blog, LOL.) Anyway, I had so much fun with our karaoke session, and I hope we can do it again someday...<3
After karaoke, we strolled around Intramuros. We’d visited here on our first days in Manila, but we hadn’t had the chance to explore much. This time, we made the most of it. While exploring, we stopped at a street food stall to try the local street food (no pork, of course). I found the taste similar to street food in Indonesia.
After sampling street food, we continued our stroll. I love the buildings here in Intramuros—they look so classic, artsy, and vintage! I took a lot of photos of the buildings, and I’m really happy with how they turned out.
After walking around for a while, we paused to watch a beautiful sunset. It made me emotional, realizing how everything looks so beautiful when it’s just about to end. I hope we can see such a beautiful view together again someday, guys (as if they’re reading all of this, AGAIN?!).
It was already dark outside, so we ended our journey for the day and decided to continue in the days to come. We still had 2 more days here!
On November 6th, 2024, we didn’t have much time for activities because some of us had to go to Araullo High School to collect our final evaluation grades from the cooperating teachers. In the afternoon, I had to attend a Zoom meeting to present data for my research at Sriwijaya University—it’s part of my final assignment for the 7th semester. The Zoom presentation took a lot of time, so we didn’t do much else that day. However, since I’m done with my data presentation, I’m one step closer to graduation! Yay!
In the evening, Ma'am Vicky and Ma'am Dhana invited us to dinner at SM Mall, at Kenny Rogers Roasters. The food was amazing, and they served so much that my stomach felt ready to burst!
On November 7th, 2024, our last day with Aly, Mona, Jaira, and Yella (huhu, T_T), we went to a photo studio called Dos Studios Self-Shoot Photography in Manila. We took a jeepney and e-Jeep to get there. Once we arrived, we took a bunch of cute photos! I really loved the results.
After taking photos, we went to Jollibee for lunch and ate together. We also had a stop at Goldilocks to buy some polvorans. Afterward, we headed to Quiapo by jeepney, where we visited a souvenir shop. I bought a lot of pasalubong, such as keychains and pencil cases with unique Philippine designs. I hope my family and friends will love the pasalubong I got for them. I also bought 4 mangoes—I was curious to taste them back home with my family. After buying enough pasalubong, we returned to the hostel.
That night, we had our last dinner together. We made spaghetti with corned beef and tomato sauce. It was delicious and special because everyone was there: Aly, Mona, Jaira, Yella, Kak Fanny, and Matthew (the last two are Indonesian students at PNU). It was a meaningful dinner because everyone was there for our last night in the Philippines.
The night became more emotional when Aly, Mona, Jaira, and Yella gave us heartfelt messages and gifts. I cried a lot... Karin cried a lot... Aly cried a lot... Actually, everyone cried, some with tears and others with laughter (if you know what I mean, haha).
When it was almost late, they finally went home, and the six of us had to clean up and pack because we had to be ready by 3:00 am for our flight back to Indonesia.
Finally, morning came on November 8th, 2024. All of us were ready by 3:00 am and waited for PNU's van to take us to the airport. Soon, we arrived at the airport. Our route back was the same as when we arrived: Manila - Hong Kong, Hong Kong - Jakarta, and Jakarta - Palembang. The flights had long layovers, so it was hard to know what to feel—happy or sad! Between the Manila - Hong Kong and Hong Kong - Jakarta flights, we had to wait about 4 hours. Between Jakarta - Hong Kong and Jakarta - Palembang, we even had to sleep at the airport because we landed in Jakarta at night, and our flight to Palembang was the next morning. I was a bit happy because our time together lasted a bit longer, but also a little sad because, well... waiting at the airport is exhausting. But I think I was more happy than sad.
Finally, we arrived in Palembang on the morning of November 9th, 2024. I felt so sad. I didn’t know how to feel again! Sorry, huhu, please bear with my feelings... T_T I was happy to be home, but sad because... is everything really coming to an end? Such mixed feelings. Shortly after arriving, we all went home with our families and friends.
And that was it... Our journey, my journey in the Philippines, has come to an end. But we’re still going to be friends and plan get-togethers, for sure!
I want to say thank you to my friends—Salsa, Karin, Kinan, Rama, and Akrom—for being such good company for me. When I learned I’d been accepted into the SEA-Teacher program, I was a little scared because I thought you all looked like smarty-pants and maybe a bit arrogant (SORRY). But no, you were all so welcoming and warm. You all laughed at my jokes, and we matched each other so well. Salsa, who gets tired easily; Karin, who is LOUD like me; Kinan, who’s soft, kind, warm, and such a MOM; Rama, who’s SO WEIRD—maybe even weirder than me; and Akrom, who’s like our Kuya. We filled in each other’s gaps and matched perfectly. I loved doing things together, and I hope we can meet as a six-member team again soon.
I also want to thank Aly, Mona, Jaira, and Yella for being SO LOYAL. Thank you for being our friends and tour guides in the Philippines. I hope we can meet each other again soon!
Thank you to Mr. Banigon, 10-Newton, 10-Descartes, and Analie for the warm welcome at Araullo High School.
Thank you to Mr. Banigon, 10-Newton, 10-Descartes, and Analie for the warm welcome at Araullo High School.
There’s so much more I want to say, but I can’t write it all here! Much love to everyone...<3
So, this is the end of my blog. Thank you for reading until the end!
With Love,
Lala.
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