By : Mataya N. Korompis
Once the school term break in December until January started, I didn’t go outside of Indonesia. I didn’t go to places like Japan, China, and other countries, but instead my family and I stayed home together. Usually, when I stay home for the holiday, I often just wake up late and do the ‘eat, sleep, repeat’ routine. Not very exciting. But for this Grade 5 break, I managed to enjoy it; to spend time with my family! Although I went to a lot of places in Indonesia, the most fun part was being able to spend time with my family, including my other relatives who I don’t get to see every day.
Firstly, the first major event in my holiday happened when my cousins, my cousins’ friends, and my aunt invited me to play at an indoor playground called ‘Edokko’ in a mall named Lippo Mall Puri. The place was very fun to play in. There was a ‘mountain’ that we could climb, a sand playing area, a lot of things to play with, in fact! Then, suddenly, while I was playing with my cousins, we spotted some mothers yelling out in
panic for their children to come. My nanny who also came was confused, so she asked what was wrong.
Several days after the blaze incident, my family, relatives, and I went on the new Whooshtrain to go to Bandung for a one-day trip. It was a very fun trip; the train was very clean and comfortable. The windows showed us an amazing view of the green parts of Indonesia, since we had to pass through it before arriving in Bandung. We had to take two trains; one that’s interior was designed like an airplane’s design, and another that was styled like the MRT bus. My family said things like, “Wauu…bagus sekali!” and “Ooh, lihat yang itu!” at the view. It was understandable; when you look out the train you can see a very beautiful view.
When we arrived in Bandung, I assumed that there was no difference. Bandung felt like Jakarta. It had lots of honking cars, lots of roads, and not as much green as there is in places like Bali. The fun part was that we got to ride in a car that was really, amazingly big so we could all fit in. First we went to a café and traveled around the city. After that we just went to eat. I ate fish at the restaurant and found it tasty, but it still didn’t exactly give me a clear insight on the differences between Jakarta and Bandung. When we went back home I was very tired; we walked a lot, spoke a lot, and had to arrange a lot of things so we would have a good trip. But it was fun, so I hope to experience a trip with my family again someday.
Finally, probably the last major event that happened in my holiday was going to a friend’s sister’s birthday party. We went to an indoor playground named Buumi in a mall called Plaza Senayan to celebrate. It was fun, but there were a lot of people I didn’t know there which then made me feel a bit awkward. I played around with myself for a while but then grew bored. But I was a bit scared to approach anyone and ask if they wanted to play in fear of rejection. I confided in my mom who told me to just enjoy myself and just ask. And I did and didn’t get rejected! I’m happy I asked, because if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have enjoyed the party as much as I hoped I would. After the party, we all relaxed a bit, and some ate ice cream. The ice cream was good, and the experience was great. I learned a lesson that day as well, so it was a nice experience.
I loved the trips I took. I spent time with friends and family and had a great vacation. I know that most holidays I spend will probably be spent outside of Indonesia instead of something like my vacation this term break, but someday, I’d like to have a holiday like this again. It helped me cool down and forget about working and school, so it really helped me! I recommend having a holiday like this. It won’t cost as much as a trip away from home would take, yet it still is more fun than most people think. Don’t judge a book by its’ cover, because sometimes it can be an amazing story.
The Binusian 