This post is the part 2 of the title "Summer Break this year."
This time, I'm going to write on my stay at a volunteer center in Jakarta, Indonesia.
On May 20th, I finally arrived at an international airport in Jakarta.
It was the longest flight I'd ever had.
I changed three flights to come to Indonesia. I changed the flight from San Francisco at Hong Kong International Airport, and then I changed in Singapore. I think it took 20 hours or more in total. Besides that, I had a big jet lag when I got to the airport.
Before I left US, I already got Indonesian visa for 2 months. So, I didn't have any problems at the immigration.
Just after I passed through the gate, I saw so many Indonesian people trying to get us as their customers. They were taxi drivers, bus drivers, and money changer.
I did travel China two years before, so I was a bit used to seeing such scenes. I knew it's not special to see crowd and merchants like this in developing countries.
I took a taxi, and headed for a volunteer center where I would work at.
However, it was a heavy traffic in Jakarta.
There, many children walked on the highway and sold bottles of water and snacks.
At this point, I realized that I came to a developing country.
Even 5 or 6 years old children were trying to get money by themselves to survive. I was heart on my mind to see such children.
To tell the truth, I was not sure if I would be able to live there for 4 months then. Everything around me was changed so suddenly.
When I was in US, I had really fun time with my friends. It was a lot of fun every day.
Also, a day before, I was with my friend at Palo Alto where I'd wanted to come for a long time, but a day after, I was in a country where poor children walked on highway.
I could get to the volunteer center where I would work for 4 months after two hours after I left the airport.
There, I met two volunteers and 4 children whom I would teach and support for. One of two volunteers is 30 years old woman from Philippines, and the other is a about 50 years old man from India. I introduced myself to them and they taught me the policy at the volunteer center. After that, I filled in forms which are all necessary for volunteer.
They noticed that I was exhausted because of the long flight. So, they said to me that I can go to bed. I slept in airplane the day before, and I finally could sleep on the bed.
I got a strong loneliness and a sad feeling on the second day at the center.
Itry to be honest and am going to write on what I felt and did there.
It was holiday in Indonesia on my second day. So, my work was off all day.
I woke up in the morning. After a couple of hours, I felt big loneliness. I couldn't imagine that I would work there for 4 months.
I don't want to say this, but I was so confused by the sudden change of the environment. Everything was changed so quickly as I mentioned above.
Before I came to Indonesia, I really wanted to live in a developing country. I thought I am a kind of special in the world. It is because I know only Japan and US which have two of the most powerful economy in the world.
I wanted to know other world and I even thought it's necessary to know those things.
However, I admitted then that it is easy to only imagine but it is not easy to act.
I'm not saying any special, but I didn't know that before that.
And, the stay at the volunteer center in Indonesia was way over my limitation.
I realized that I am not special at all, and am also weak.
I knew I would be depressed if I had stayed there. And it was mentally impossible for me.
It was very shameful of me, but I had no choice except for leaving Indonesia.
Actually, I talked with my friends whom I made in US a lot on Skype. They tried to understand me and helped me a lot.
I couldn't stop crying while I was talking with them.
Then, I truly decided to go home in Japan.
It was only a five-days stay at the volunteer center.
I explained about my problem to other volunteers, and I apologized for that many times. Literally, I couldn't accomplish anything there.
Then, I headed for the airport.
However, I learned a very important thing. That is I am not strong mentally.
Before I came to Indonesia, I thought I can do anything I want and I was confident to myself too much. So, I misunderstand myself that I don't have any impossible thing.
But I was not.
I'm sure that I could develop myself from this experience. I failed, but I could know about myself more.
Sorry, I don't have any pictures of my stay in Indonesia.
OK, next post is about a short stop in Kuala Rumpur, Malaysia.
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