2024 Bali Exchange Trip Report

2024 Bali Exchange Trip Report

Day 1: Arrival at Bali – I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport

That day was the most awaited day for us because after waiting for so long, the day had finally arrived, the day of the arrival of the German students to Bali. We Indonesian students and teachers had been waiting at the airport since 4 o’clock. Although there was a slight system error at the airport so there was a delay in the arrival, initially we thought we would leave at 6 o’clock, but because of the system error, we had to leave at 8 o’clock. We were all very happy because we were finally able to meet them in person. When they left the airport we all gave them welcome gifts such as flower buckets, chocolate bars, etc. After leaving the airport, each of the host families invited their respective partners to dinner, then we went home and rested because they had been through a 15 hour flight.

Day 2: Opening Ceremony

Before the opening ceremony, all of the students of the student exchange were gathered in the hall waiting for the ceremony to start. At around 8:30, the students of Smpk 2 Harapan and the Balinese students of the student exchange held a welcoming ceremony that began with flower necklaces, and gifts that were made of Frangi Pani flowers to representatives of Brunsbuttel students. We all then sat in the chairs that were provided.

Then, the students of Smpk 2 Harapan participated in giving the German students a show at the opening ceremony, the event started with the Pendet dance performance as the opening dance, then continued with a greeting from the MC, a traditional dance performance from the students of Smpk 2 Harapan who invited several people to join in dancing with them, called “Ngibing”, followed by a speech from the principal of Smpk 2 Harapan and greetings from the representative of the teacher from Brunsbuttel, Mr. Zabel. Then a performance from the representative of Students Exchange Indonesia featuring the song “Pulau Seribu Pura” as well as a performance from the Smpk 2 Harapan choir to end the welcoming ceremony.

After the welcoming ceremony, the activity was carried out with a group photo. Then we all returned to the hall to carry out the next activity which was the school tour. We walked around the school to get to know the school environment starting from the library hall, band room, and so on until the end, after the school tour we got a break for 30 minutes.

After the break we all learned gamelan (traditional musical instruments) starting from learning gongs, kendangs, ceng-ceng, gangsa, etc., apart from learning gamelan we also learned Balinese dance, starting from ngagem, seledet, in the middle of learning gamelan and Balinese dance we got a break for lunch, our menu that day was chicken lalapan, an Indonesian style fried chicken with vegetables.

After going through all the fun activities we gathered back in the hall for evaluation and preparation for tomorrow’s activities.

Day 3: Mangrove and Turtle Conservation

At 07.30, we gathered together in the school hall of SMPK 2 HARAPAN for a briefing on today’s activities. Today was our first day of activities outside of school. We are visiting the Batu Lumbang Mangrove Ecotourism and also the Turtle Conservation and Education Center.

When we arrived at the Batu Lumbang Mangrove Ecotourism, we were warmly welcomed by the head of the Batu Lumbang Mangrove Ecotourism center. Before we started our activities, he gave us some knowledge and information about Mangroves, such as types of mangroves, products that are produced from mangroves, the conservation of mangroves, etc. After that, we continued on with our activities and went around the mangrove forest using canoes while doing a cleanup with our partners. Before we got on, they had us wear life jackets and also gave us a bag to pick up some trash from the mangroves.

After completing our activities at the Batu Lumbang Mangrove Ecotourism, we went straight to the turtle conservation in Serangan. The tour guide there gave us an explanation about turtles, why turtles are endangered, and turtle breeding. Then, we saw lots of different turtles of various sizes and species. Some of us also tried the new experience of releasing baby turtles into the sea. It was a great experience, and we all enjoyed it. They also gave names to the turtles before they released them, which was quite funny.

After that, we had lunch at a Javanese restaurant. Our friends tried foods that were completely new to them, some liked the food and some didn’t because it was too spicy.

After finishing our lunch, our energy was replenished so we decided to go to the Balinese souvenir shop called Krisna. We saw many arts and crafts being sold there. There were uniquely shaped wooden decorations, traditional clothes, and other crafts such as beach cloth and knitted bags.

After purchasing a few items, we had enough outside activities and we decided to return to our respective homes. A memorable day for us.

Day 4: School Activities

The 4th day of this student exchange, we did activities at school.  We arrived at school at 7:30.  After that we went out to the field to do gymnastics with the elementary school students.  Then we played traditional Balinese games with the students.  We played Enggrang, stick jumping, Bakiak, and Engklek.  Our favorite game was Enggrang, because it turned out that our German friends liked the game the most.  After that, we had a break for 30 minutes.  After the break, we packed for charity week, our German friends brought stationery to be given during charity week.  After that, we had lunch for 1 hour.  Then we continued packing for charity week by putting the items into cardboard boxes, so that it would be easier to carry to Karangasem.

After that, we were bored because it turned out that packing for the charity week was finished faster than expected.  So we tracked him out of school.  Visit forests, parks, rivers, alleys, etc.  So we can get fresh water and not just sit in the school hall.  When we got back to school we took a break and after 20 minutes we went back to our respective homes at 14:40. And that’s the end of the day for us.

Day 5: Goes to Karangasem – Charity Day

The day started with everyone meeting up at school, after a quick summary of the day’s activities, after that, everyone brought their bags and luggage to the buses and headed to Karangasem, the trip took around 2 hours and we made a few stops at a convenience store.

When we arrived at an elementary school named SD 2 Bhuana Giri, in Desa Butus, Karangasem, we were greeted very warmly by the elementary students, we brought the donations to the school, and the school was also given multiple microscopes donated by Prof Nowak Foundation, after that we instructed the elementary students to stay in a line so we could hand the donations one by one, after that we all walked to the main village hall, Mr Zabel gave a speech to the villagers, and after that we gave more donations to the villagers. Later in the afternoon, we headed to the main house Butus to have lunch.

After lunch, we headed to our family houses. Everyone and their partners stayed at the villager’s houses, after that we had a few fun activities with the family, a few of the members would even go to a nearby soccer field to play and hang out. Then later in the evening, we all headed back to the base house Butus to make traditional foods, we made a food called “Sate Lilit” which is made of minced chicken with shredded coconut and other delicious ingredients, we would start peeling onions, and other spices, we would also shred some coconut, it was kinda dangerous because your fingers can easily get scratched by the shredder, but luckily no one got hurt, then, the chicken paste would be wrapped onto a wooden stick and then would be cooked by grilling it.

Later that evening we all would sit in a circle and play a fun game called werewolf. After a long and fun game, we all would head back to our village houses and take a rest, it was a cold night that day.

Day 6: Goes to Amed

            We woke up at around 7 in the morning to pack our bags and prepare ourselves. First, we headed back to the base camp at Butus to have breakfast. We also played a few games of Werewolf after eating. Then, at around 10 o’clock, we finished our breakfast and headed to the Tirta Gangga Water Tourism Park. We arrived there at around 10.30 o’clock. According to the schedule, we were initially supposed to go snorkeling today, but because of the bad weather, we decided to visit the Tirta Gangga Tourism Park first.

At the Tourism Park, we saw many traditional structures, and a huge pond with tons of fish with stone paths to traverse the pond. We bought some fish food that was sold at the entrance and fed the fish there. There were fish of various species and sizes in the pond. We were amazed because some of the fish were huge. Some of us also got on small boats to get around the pond. Not only fish at the entrance we also saw someone hiring photo services with animals. There were snakes, bats, and ferrets. We were satisfied with our first location, so we decided to go to the next place for lunch. Our lunch spot for the day was right across the hotel. So after we enjoyed lunch with a beautiful view of Amed Beach, we headed to the hotel to check-in. Ms.Elly and Ms.Elis have already decided on rooms for us. We were separated into 4 rooms, the female student’s room from Bali, the male student’s room from Bali, the female student’s room from Germany, and the male student’s room from Germany. At that time, we had the opportunity to rest and spend time together. because the snorkeling was scheduled to be tomorrow morning instead, we decided to swim together in the hotel swimming pool. It was a lot of fun, we raced and played some games. We played rock paper scissors with a twist. The groups were divided into 8, then each group representative would rock paper scissors and the losing group would jump from the statue near the pool.

Our activities didn’t stop there. After that we cleaned up and got ready for dinner on the beach. When we arrived at the beach where we were going to enjoy dinner, we took photos and played together while waiting for the food to be ready. When the food was ready, we ate it together while talking and after that we returned to the hotel. However, before returning to our respective rooms, we gathered on the rooftop bar of the hotel and discussed today’s activities, and also had a briefing for tomorrow’s activities. We ordered drinks and snacks while chatting together. We played several games like telling each other funny experiences and things at school. After about an hour, we decided to go back to our rooms because we had to get up early tomorrow.

Day 7: Snorkling

On the 3rd of August 2024, we had our last day in Karangasem and it turned out to be a great one. We had to reschedule our snorkeling adventure from yesterday due to the weather, but today everything worked out. We woke up early and gathered around 5.30 – 5.45 AM to go snorkeling. When we arrived, we were all very excited to go snorkeling. Before we went into the ocean the guide explained what we were about to see. We were all geared up with life jackets, goggles, and fins. We were split into two groups on separate boats—one with students and teachers from Germany, and the other with those from Indonesia. We visited three different snorkeling spots, and it was amazing how lucky we were to see beautiful coral reefs and even turtles in the ocean. Although the waves got bigger and some of the Indonesian students felt a bit seasick, the German students had a blast in Amed.

We finished snorkeling at around 8.00 – 8.45 AM. And after snorkeling, we dried ourselves up, changed, and went back to the bus then went to eat breakfast at Amed Cafe. There we had pancakes, fruits, bread, etc. After breakfast, we headed back to the hotel to freshen up and check out and get ready to head back home. We made a stop at the Candi Dasa restaurant for a delightful beachside lunch with an incredible view. When we got back it was quite late, at around 5:00 pm, where our hosts were there to greet us, marking the end of our day.

Day 9: Flag Ceremony

On August 5, 2024. We arrived at school around 7:30 am and met in the school hall for a brief meeting. After that, we went and saw the flag ceremony at 8:00 am. We saluted the ceremony leader and constructor, sang the Indonesian anthem, and saluted the Indonesian red and white flag. After the flag ceremony, there was some leftover time, so the person in charge for the day explained a couple of things about the ceremony such as the Pancasila text, the national songs, and the roles of each ceremony personnel.

Next, we had a science lesson with our science teacher namely Mr Vicky. In the science lesson, we learned about parts of the cell, like the heart of the cell (Nucleus) and the epidermis of the cell. We used the microscope to look for these cells in some leaves and even vegetables. The test subjects are a durian leaf, a purple leaf (Rhodeo Discolor), and a few slices of shallots. We were told to prepare the items for the microscope, firstly we had to cut or slice the leaves of the durian and the shallots. Then we placed the slices on a thin glass called preparat. Then we added a little bit of water and placed a very thin glass on top of it. We brought the items to our microscopes and tried to see the epidermis, and some of us succeeded but some also didn’t.

Next, we had a break for 20 minutes, then we had dance and gamelan practice by our teacher namely Ms. Mariani and Mr. Putu. Firstly, Mr. Putu taught us about the parts of the gamelan like the lead instrument of the gamelan, the tempo of the gamelan, the melody of the gamelan, and more. He also taught us a very simple song to play with the gamelan. After that we studied the basics of Balinese dances, the group was divided into two groups, which were a group of boys and a group of girls. After that, we had lunch for 20 minutes.

Then, we made a souvenir which is a bamboo fan. We made it out of cut bamboo that was dyed with many colors, then we tried to wove the bamboo from top to bottom until we made a very big fan. After we made the fan we gave it to our teacher to get it finished and added some details so that our partners could bring it to Germany. Then at 14:40 we went home, and that was the end of our day.

Day 10: Goes to Vocational School

We all started in our own homes, that day we all met up at SMK Wira Harapan vocational school to do a school tour and a fun learning experience, we all met up at around 8:30 am, we had a tour of the school, the school looked amazing, almost like a hotel, in the school there are special classrooms made for some subjects of the school, like housekeeping, software engineering, laundry, and ect.

We headed to one of the special classrooms, it looked like a cafe and was really pretty. One of the students showed us his barista skills, and made a cup of coffee for us. It looked really good and appetizing.

Next we headed to the kitchen classroom, where we were given a pair of gloves, and a menu on how to cook a dish called Ayam sisit sambal matah, it’s a dish that is made from bits of fried chicken mixed with Sambal matah, it’s a mix of onions and spices mixed with shrimp paste, the dish was topped off with a squeeze of lime, when the dish is done, we tasted it a little, it was a little spicy, but very delicious overall.

We would bring our dish to the next classroom, it looked like a very fancy restaurant, we would put our dishes on our tables, we would soon have brunch and we would also eat the dish that we cooked, the meal was very delicious and very fancy.

That was our activity for today, then we all headed home and spent the rest of the day with our families.

Day 11: Goes to Bangli – Geopark

On August 7th, we had the most amazing day! We started by visiting the Batur Geopark and then enjoyed a relaxing dip in the nearby natural hot springs. We all gathered at school at 7:30 AM and left at 8:30 AM, arriving at the geopark after a two-hour journey with a brief stop at a convenience store.

Even though we were greeted by light rain upon arrival, it didn’t dampen our spirits as the activities took place indoors. We explored the geopark’s fascinating exhibits, including a room explaining what a geopark is, a geology room showcasing Earth’s formation, a biodiversity room with pictures and preserved animals, and a culture room where we learned about local traditions.

After the geopark tour, we enjoyed a delicious lunch at a nearby restaurant, and then it was time to unwind at Batur Natural Hot Spring. Some of us even treated ourselves to the available massage services. It was the perfect way to end our adventure-filled day before returning to school and home. What an incredible experience!

Day 12: Visiting Margarana & Rumah Desa

Today we started our activities as usual but enthusiastically. As usual, before leaving, we first gathered in the school hall to have a short briefing. Then, we left school and went to our first destination, namely Margarana National Monument Park. There we saw the graves of the Balinese hero, I Gusti Ngurah Rai and his troops who had sacrificed their lives for Indonesia’s independence. We saw around 96 tombstones bearing the names of these heroes. There was also a museum that we could enter there. Inside the museum, we saw ancient items, statues that resembled the faces of Indonesian heroes, and traditional weapons that were used during the World War.  The experience was very interesting and nice, because we could learn about the history, meanings, and importance of each item through the explanation that was provided next to the items. We also exchanged a bit of  information that we knew with our friends.

After that we went back inside our vehicles, then continued our journey to the next place, namely the village house in Tabanan, called Rumah Desa. Rumah Desa is a mandatory activity in this program, because the activities done in Rumah Desa teaches us about the culture and way of life in Bali. The first day at Rumah Desa we were given an introduction and explanation about the structure of the traditional Balinese houses, we were also given an explanation about the history of the Balinese house. Then we filled up our energy by eating lunch provided at Rumah Desa. Of course, the food provided is typical Balinese food, but the spice levels were lighter than usual. On the first night at Rumah Desa, we were separated into several homestays that collaborated with the Rumah Desa program. We were driven by a very friendly driver. Some students also got to stay in the rooms that were provided at Rumah Desa. After going to our respective rooms, we changed our clothes, packed up our things and got together at Rumah Desa to continue our activities that day.

The next activity we did was tracking the rice fields. We walked along the path directed by our guide, Pak Wayan. We passed coffee plantations and rivers to get to the rice fields. When we arrived at the rice fields, we were provided with some shorts, so our pants wouldn’t be dirty after planting and plowing fields. We then got to plow the fields using buffalo, then we planted some rice seeds. It was a very fun experience.

After that we cleaned up and went back to Rumah Desa to do yoga. Not only us, but many visitors from village houses took part in this yoga activity. There was an instructor who directed us, and we felt quite relieved after. We then ate our delicious dinner while chatting and exchanging opinions about today’s activities with friends. The activities during the first day at Rumah desa gives us an idea of ​​how difficult it must be to be a farmer, who has to work in the fields every day even when it’s extremely hot. So we must learn to appreciate their work, because some people still consider farming as a lowly job. But in reality, it is because of farmers that we can have our  food. After chatting and finishing our dinner, we were taken to our respective homestays by the village house driver and that concluded our activities for our first day at Rumah Desa. We also learned that to develop the local economy, the villagers created this tourism program to employ the people there.

Day 13: Rumah Desa Activities

The next day, we had breakfast at 07.30. After that, we got an instruction that we are going to cook Base Genep. Base Genep is a typical basic spice originating from Bali. The ingredients needed to make Base Genep consist of 15 kinds of spices mixed together. But before that, we will divide into 2 groups, and each group gets 50.000 (fifty thousand rupiah) to buy all the ingredients. After we are ready we go to the traditional market, and buy all the ingredients.

After we were done, we went back to Rumah Desa, to start cooking. We cook Base Genep, Tum, Fried Banana, Sate Lilit, and others. It was fun, but also tiring at the same time, but we really enjoyed it. When we are finished with all the dishes, we will have lunch, with all the dishes that we have cooked. After lunch, we have around an hour of free time. In our free time, we prepared for the next activities, and we also played some games.

After an hour, we continued with Balinese dance and Gamelan Practice, for the farewell party. The boys are practicing Gamelan, and the girls are practicing Balinese dance. After we all finish, we continue with the coconut oil process, making chocolate, and trying laklak. We have so many new experiences. After all that, we also have a little break, and we play a game called Mafia. After one round, we prepared for the farewell dinner.

After preparing, we meet all of our parents and start performing, and it’s such a wonderful moment, and i think it’s our best performance. After that, we spend our time with the family, and we all eat together. And finally, it’s already late, and our parents return home, but before that, we have a photo session. After all our parents leave, we go back to our room, and spend time together. We played another round of Mafia, and we spent our time until midnight. It was so exhausting but also fun at the same time. After that, we all go to sleep so the next day we can go hiking.

Day 14: Tracking Batukaru Mountain, Melukat

That day was our last day at Rumah Desa, we had to wake up early in the morning and pack up before having breakfast, after breakfast we said our goodbyes and headed to the bus. We would head to the foot of Mount Batukaru, we were given a bottle of water and were guided by a guider on where to go. The tracking took around an hour and it was very exhausting but very fun. The ground was so slippery at the time, all of our shoes got very muddy and a few of us slipped, it was tense but was very exciting.

After an exhausting walk we would finally arrive at Pura Batukaru, we would head to a spot called Wantilan Batukaru, it is basically a large open space that is used to do a lot of stuff, like dance practice, meetings, ect. We would take a break there to eat some snacks, cool off, and drink some water.

Next, some of us would change into balinese traditional clothes, but not all of us, because of periods and religious reasons, the ceremony started by rinsing our legs, arms, and head with running holy water. after that we would head to another place to do another ceremony, the ceremony uses a small metal bowl of flowers and a incense, the ceremony started by everyone putting their palms together, and then placing them on your foreheads, the next step is the same but you place small clumps of flowers between the fingertips, the last step is the same as the first one, after that we all were given Tirta, holy water that you need to drink 3 times, and then splash it on your head, after that, we were given Bija, clumps of uncooked rice mixed with the holy water, and is placed on our chest and forehead.

After that, the ceremony is finally done, we all would walk back to the Wantilan Batukaru, we took off our traditional clothes and head to our bus, we made a stop to have lunch, accompanied by some friendly dogs that wanted our leftovers, we made one final stop at a convenience store, and then we headed straight to our school, when we arrived, it was around 3 to 4 pm, we say goodbyes to each other and went home to pack and to rest.

Day 15: Farewell Ceremony

11th of August 2024. Today was the last day in Bali for the German group. In the morning, we spent some time with our respective families, before getting together at school in the afternoon at around 2.00 PM. Once we were at school, we had a farewell party. The people who attended this event were the students of the exchange program, the teachers of the program and school, and also the Balinese student’s parents. To start the ceremony, all of us gathered in the main hall and watched a video of the activities we did during the exchange program in Bali, continued by a speech from SMPK 2 Harapan’s Principal, and also a speech from Ms. Elly, and Mr. Zabel. Then, the German students were given certificates for their participation in this program. After that, we had a potluck party where each family had to bring some food.  We enjoyed the food while talking to each other, then we decided to play our last game of mafia in Bali. Then, we finished up our activities at school and headed to the airport. There, we took pictures, hugged, then said our goodbyes to each other. It was quite sad and shocking, because the 2 weeks in Bali went by very quickly. The German Exchange Group then departed, which concludes our adventure for now.