2022 Bali Exchange Trip Report

2022 Bali Exchange Trip Report

DAY 1: OPENING CEREMONY AT SCHOOL

It was the most anticipated day for us since we had arrived and helped prepare everything since 7.30 AM. All of the students of SMPK 2 Harapan were waiting and by the time the two vans arrived, we were all covered with excitement and anticipation. We were so curious to see each of our partners in real life, along with the teachers. The Balinese dancers performed their dance and welcomed them with a flower welcoming necklace. Then, we also watched some welcoming speeches from our principal, Mr. Junaedi, and from the German teacher, Mr. Tobias Zabel. Not only in the beginning but we were also entertained by the performance from the choir group of SMPK 2 Harapan.

After the opening ceremony ended, we took a picture in front of the lobby and headed to the hall. At the hall, we had a coffee and snack break, where we used this moment to get to know our partner more. Then, we headed to the classes, in which each of them had prepared to present a certain island in Indonesia. They were so prepared and it was reflected by the decoration in the class, the costumes the students wore, and a board with an explanation of the culture on that island. If we were lucky enough, some classes even offered us to try the island’s unique snacks or food.

Then, it was time to learn some of the Balinese culture itself. We headed to the canteen area to learn how to play gamelan, taught by the teacher and some of the students who played the gamelan earlier. The teacher taught us about the notes, and how to hit the notes, and we kind of learned a simple song. Before continuing our next activity, we had our lunch first. After that, not only gamelan, but we also learned how to do Balinese dance. There were two types of the dance, for the girls and the boys. Both were taught by a teacher and some students as well.

Finally, it was time to call the day off. The German students and teachers went back to the hotel. We certainly had a great day to start our long journey together.

 

DAY 2: PEMUTERAN

         By 8.30 AM, we already gathered in school and went to Pemuteran by van. Along the way, we stopped by a restaurant on the side of the street in the Bedugul area, where we had lunch with a view of the beautiful lakes and green scenery. It was probably a 3-hour ride and it was so worth it. We checked into our rooms that had already been told to us previously and settled in. Because there were not enough rooms in Reef Seen, some of our friends like the boys (Sastra, Riyu, and Dywa) had to stay in a hotel across the street. It was such a perk because, in that hotel, there was a pool. We then decided to have a short swim together there. More like, we played water volleyball. That was the first time we interacted with them altogether because we couldn’t talk much in the van or along the ride.

Around 3 PM, we then went to the sea turtle conservation that was located in the hotel area. We observed the different sizes of the sea turtles and asked some questions to the officer in charge. Then after we all took a look, we gathered and started to discuss the pieces of information we got while observing. It was not too late so then some of the German students explored around the hotel and did some snorkeling while the others were resting for a bit.

At dinner time, we walked to a restaurant nearby. This is where we could talk and have a deeper conversation with each of our partners. We shared knowledge and facts about random things happening in both countries. Or maybe about personal life too. A core memory was made here where the German students taught us how they used to say something before they ate together. So then we all were holding hands and said “Piep, piep, piep, wir haben uns alle lieb, guten Appetit.” Ever since that day, whenever we got the chance to eat together. we always did that first.

Dinner was over and we were heading back to our hotel. The teachers were gathered in one of the teacher’s rooms and talked while we tried to play a game in which all of the people could play together. The game was Werewolf, and in that game, we had to act a role according to the rules. It was so much fun especially because it was played not with both of our first languages. So yeah, there must have been some adaptations but we definitely had so much fun that night.

DAY 3: PEMUTERAN

In the morning, after breakfast and getting ready, we gathered to attend a class by Chris Brown. During the session, he shared about the beginnings of Reef Seen, his environmental passion, how he met Claus, and stories of local young talents he helped pursue their music passion. The topic was primarily about sea turtle conservation, covering their status, breeding habits, various species, and legendary stories of turtles hatching eggs on the beach in front of Reef Seen and returning years later. We also discussed the ecological differences between Indonesia and Germany.

After the discussion, we had a few hours of leisure time. Some rested in their rooms, strolled around the resort, and a few went snorkeling to explore the coral reefs in the sea. Time passed quickly until late afternoon when we headed to Mangrove Pejarakan in West Bali, about a 30-minute journey.

The West Bali beach was quiet, unlike the southern part of Bali. Mangrove Pejarakan is the largest conservation area of mangroves in Bali, part of the West Bali National Park. Unfortunately, due to low tide, we couldn’t explore the mangrove area thoroughly and only circled around the outer part by boat. After about 20 minutes of mangrove sightseeing, we proceeded to a nearby snorkeling spot.

The snorkeling spot was 6 meters deep, close to a deeper diving spot. There were many coral reefs covered in mud due to the proximity to the mangrove, and we saw numerous fish.

After spending about an hour snorkeling, we returned by boat, enjoying the sunset on the way back to the resort. After dinner, we gathered for a short game session and decided to end the day by resting.

DAY 4

In the morning, we woke up and had breakfast before we packed up to get ready to leave our accommodation and go home. After we finished packing and were ready, we gathered and put our belongings into the elf, then we gathered one last time with Mr. Chris Brown to discuss about what we learned while there and also asked him about some things we were curious about. After that, we got together again to pick up certificates for the turtle release we did yesterday. Then we said our goodbyes and left. On the way, we stopped at a restaurant for lunch because the journey was quite long and it was already noon. After we finished eating, we continued our journey until we arrived at our school, where our parents were already waiting to pick us up. Then we headed home. When we got home, we tidied up our things and then got ready to go out again to buy ice cream at Gusto Gelato because we had planned it beforehand. Then we gathered again at Gusto Gelato to enjoy the ice cream, and after that, we went back home to rest before getting back to our routine the next day.

DAY 5 : SCHOOL ACTIVITY

In the morning, we had our breakfast at our homes and prepared for school, as all activities for the day were scheduled to take place there. We arrived at school by 8:00 AM, engaging in casual chit-chat before we started the day’s events. At 8:30 AM, we started our first activity with introducing and playing three traditional games. The three games we played were Bakiak, Egrang, and Megala-Gala. Masya, Nasya, and Dywa explained each game beforehand, and then we all began playing together. Surprisingly, some of us had great skill in these traditional games, including Riyu, Sastra, Mina, Philip, Ardine, and Alexa. It was a joyful experience, allowing us to have fun together and learn new things.

Following this, we did tracking around the school to collect various plants for microscopic observation. Upon returning to school, we took a 30-minute break to rest and enjoy snacks. After that, we headed to the laboratory to identify the collected plants using microscopes in groups. Ms. Kade, Ms. Tatin, and Mr. Vicky guided us through the identification process, making the laboratory class both enjoyable and fascinating as we could directly identify the plants around us.

Our day continued with the German students practicing Megamel and Balinese dance in the auditorium. This marked their second rehearsal, and the results were commendable. They were very cool because they could memorize every note and movement very well. The practice session lasted approximately one and a half hours. Afterward, we were picked up by our parents and concluded the day with family activities at our homes. Overall, it was a fulfilling day of cultural exchange, learning, and shared experiences.

DAY 6 : KINTAMANI AND BATUR

We started our morning in our own homes, ate some breakfast then went to the school to gathered before going to Kintamani. We hopped on 2 van, and went straight to Museum Geopark Batur. It used to be an ordinary museum about the Batur Volcano until it developed into one of the UNESCO heritage in Indonesia. There was a guy that became our guide throughout our visit there, and what an interesting fact that Mr. Toby is a geography teacher, so he then explained so many things regarding volcanic, and geographic things. We saw so many cool rocks and volcanic things along with the explanation from videos and the board of informations. Not only about geography but we also looked into so many dioramas about Bali and its uniqueness. Like the Subak irrigation system, the diversity of the floras and faunas, and many Balinese concept.

After took some pictures in front of the building, we went to a restaurant to have our lunch and some coffee break then headed to our hotel, or more like a glamping site, Alam Caldera. It was quite early in the afternoon so we got a lot of leisure time. Some of us slept in our rooms, some went out to see the beautiful Mount Batur view or the Black Lava area in front of us. By 3 pm we gathered in the small free green space in the hotel to play dodgeball together. With the slightly breeze air around us, we played until we were quite sweaty. Then we took showers, have some dinner together in the main area of the hotel and talked about Mount Batur which we will climb the next day. Because Sastra brought with him a guitar, we got to sing along together some songs like “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran, while sitting in a big circle and just had our best time together.

DAY 7 : BATUR MOUNT

Wednesday, August 31st morning. At 3 o’clock we gathered in front of the hotel and prepared to go to the start point in Batur mount. We climbed for about 3 hours to get the sunrise point with a slippery sand track. We arrived at the top at 6 o’clock while enjoying breakfast and taking lots of photos until at 7 o’clock we went down and returned to the hotel. we rested at hotel, had lunch, and headed to the hot springs at 1 pm.

after returning from the hot spring we prepared for dinner at 6 pm. we cooked a barbeque happilly until we ate together. After dinner, we gathered and discussed the concept of melukat explained by Riyu and Kayla. after that, we have free time. there was showering, packing things, until finally we rested.

DAY 8

In the morning we check out from Alam Caldera and continue our trip to Tampak Siring and Tirta Empul, when we arrive there all of us change our outfits into traditional Bali clothes, that is Kamen, because that is one of the rules to enter the sacred spiritual cleaning site. When we entered the area, we started first by gathering and observing all the information, like the history and ancient stories of Tampak siring and Tirta Empul. After that we go to explore the whole area, some of us go to the Tirta Empul to try the spiritual cleansing. After we finished from exploring Tirta Empul and Tampak Siring we had our lunch at RM Pangkon which serves traditional Balinese food. After some time sharing our thoughts about our trip especially in Tirta Empul and Tampak Siring while enjoying our food, we go back to SMPK 2 Harapan school to get picked up by our parents and go home.

DAY 9 : VISITING THE HARAPAN FOUNDATION

It’s currently the 11th day of our program in Bali, and we are going to visit Harapan’s Foundation. We had breakfast at our own houses, and gathered in SMPK 2 Harapan at 8 in the morning. We had a little briefing before we go, and 30 minutes later went to the first Harapan Foundation’s school, that is SMK Wira Harapan. We had a little stroll around the school. We saw all the vast choices of majors such as Computer Science, Hospitality (including the front office, the restaurant, the room dummies that’s used for student’s there to train, and many more). At the restaurant, the sound of Rindik played by some of the students from SMK Wira Harapan warmly accompanied us while we’re enjoying a little snack. Not long after, we joined ourselves at the SMAK Harapan which was located in Sesetan. There, we did another stroll around, and had lunch in the hall. At the end of the day, each of us were given some souvenirs and took some pictures. That marks the end of the day! We then went home from sesetan, and had our own different activities

DAY 10

It’s the last saturday we had, after breakfast and gathering at school, we went to “Rumah Desa” it’s kind of place that show us the native balinese people’s life. It is located in Tabanan regency. The first exciting thing we learned about is writing on a “lontar”, so it is basically a dried leaf from palm tree (Borassus flabellifer) and we were writting

our name with balinese letters called “Aksara Bali” with a balinese curving knife called “Temutik” and we started to curve our name on the lontar, after the name created, the locals rubbed it with charcoal so the comes our name appeared on the lontar.

Later on we were also making some balinese medicine and handycraft, nevertheless we made coconut oil from an original aged coconut, starting from peeling the skin and opening the shell. And the most important part is slicing the inner coconut and squeezing the coconut water out, and the last part is boilling it untill the water and the oil separated at all because coconut water contains oil. Well the top activity of the day comes out, we were tracking a really preserved ricefields and learned about their cultural irrigation system called “Subak”. We were taking a part as an local farmers, we learned the technique to plant rices and plowing the land with two cows, it was so fascinating because we really felt how the locals living and survive their life with taking an advantage of a large ricefields. Day before evening we were practising balinese traditional instrument called “Gamelan” and balinese traditional and cultural dance. In the evening the show had come, we performed what we learned before and it was very delightful, buddies were capable to perform the show well. In the end of the day we were having our first dinner at Rumah Desa and took a sleep afterwards.

DAY 11 : COOKING CLASS RUMAH DESA

We started the day by waking up and tidying up the beds in our sleeping area. Then, we prepared for the day’s activities and packed our belongings as we were planning to return home later in the afternoon. Our morning agenda included getting to know and cooking traditional Balinese cuisine. We were divided into two teams, each given the task of buying ingredients for our cooking session.

Visiting a traditional Balinese market was a unique experience for the German students as they could witness how the local community sells their goods and learn about local spices. At the market, we hurriedly searched for the items on our list, carefully calculating our expenses with the money provided. After finishing our shopping, we returned to immediately start the process of cooking Balinese dishes.

We began by grinding the ingredients, making chili paste, and chopping vegetables and meat to prepare 13 different types of dishes. The place still employed traditional methods such as making coconut milk with a wooden grater, pounding spices with a mortar and pestle, and the best part was being able to taste the food we were preparing. Some aromas may have been strong for the German students who weren’t accustomed.

Lunch was served in a festive manner, with a wide variety of dishes we had cooked. After filling our stomachs and organizing our belongings, we headed to the car for our next destination, the Margarana Heroic Cemetery.

We spent about an hour learning about the history of Bali’s people’s struggle against the Dutch through ornaments and the graves of the warriors in Margarana. There were numerous graves in the area, originating from the Marga village residents and some well-known heroes who participated in the war, such as I Gusti Ngurah Rai.

On the way back to school, we rested in the car, and before we knew it, we arrived at our destination in the evening. Our parents were waiting to take us home.

DAY 12

The last day of student exchange activities in Bali. We gather at school in the morning to have breakfast while having a briefing session for the closing ceremony of our student exchange activities in Bali. After that we start practicing for our performances, especially gamelan for the German’s student. When all of us is already done for the practice, we start to rehearse for the closing ceremony in the school field that have been set up with stages and decorations for the ceremony. For about 2 hours, all of us join the rehearsal we finally have our lunch and then get back to our houses to get ready for our closing ceremony. At around 17.00 in the afternoon finally we started the closing ceremony. Started with a short film of all of our activities, then welcome speeches, our friends from Germany gamelan performance and our school choir. At last, we finally finished our ceremony and go straight to the airport. When we arrived at the airport, we gathered at one point to take picture and we also hugged each other as a farewell before they returning to Germany. We felt very sad because the days we spent together passed by so quickly. After they entered the airport, we (The Indonesian Students) went back to our own homes, marking the end of our journey in Bali.