[SING OUT ASIA: Japan Visit 2012] DAY 0, "The Departure"

April 28^th was a bit gloomy in the morning. Jakarta got much rain recently, so I don’t blame the dark sky eventhough it supposed to be brighter, since April 28^th is one of the biggest day in my life. There’s two big event happening in that day:

1.                                             1.  The announcement of role for Engibu (the stage player) of Enjuku Theatre

2.                                              2. The departure of flight GA 886 toward Haneda, Tokyo. And I’m going to fly with it!

イヤアアア, I had mixed feelings that day. Going to Japan was one of my biggest dreams ever since middle school. When I failed at the exam for taking a four years scholarship in Japan’s university, I thought I wouldn’t have better chance than that to go to Japan without troubling my parents. I’ve tried another scholarship test last March, but again, I failed. That time, a little part of me almost give up and wanted to just wait for miracle to happen.

It was February when Kaikiri-sensei (sensei from ENJUKU theatre) gives the opportunity to join in a multi-cultural program called SING OUT ASIA. The purpose of the program is to gather youths from all over Asia to join as one and learn about leadership and multi-cultural issues. The program this year took ten days, so a lot of my fellow ENJUKU members hesitate to go. Ten days was a big deal since new semester just started in our universities.

While me, I don’t even hesitated to grab the chances while I can. Having friends from abroad is one of my dreams too, and I think SING OUT ASIA is my first chance to realize that dream. I’m glad I decided to join in that day. I got new friends as I expected. We go together, traveling around Java Island in Indonesia, and it was an unforgettable experiences.

I only regret one thing, though. I was so awkward when meeting new people and got panicked so I tend to be silent when near people I just met. It was a great disadvantage, because while all the other members from Indonesia already made friends in the middle of the week, I’m still struggling to start a conversation. Ah, stupid me. ==a

 So, the trip at the start of March ended, and I got back with my usual daily life. That is when SING OUT ASIA: Japan Visit 2012 came into talk. There’s some problem before it was decided that three of Indonesian member from the previous trip will joining the Japan Visit. April was a busy month, but long story short, April 28^th came and I together with Bila and Tres from ENJUKU will be going to Japan as Indonesia representatives.

The day before April 28^th, I stay at Kaikiri-sensei’s apartment along with Tres and one other ENJUKU member, Nida. Bila will go to the airport straight from her home because she hadn’t packed her belongings yet, not to mention that her house is quite close to the airport. Three of us will meet at the airport at 06.30 in the morning.

That morning, it was hard to get up early because we sleep late at night. Tres was making a special café at Sensei’s apartment that night, and we had fun telling stories and also asking about Japan to Sensei. I don’t really remember, but maybe we go to sleep at 01.30, while Bila pull an all-nighter for packing her belongings ==a

My sleepy face in the morning. I was just testing the new camera, kekeke.

I woke up at four and was extremely sleepy and exhausted because of dance practice we’ve done the day before. But the fact that I have two things (as I mentioned above) to looking forward to that day, I have nothing to complain.

We departed from Sensei’s apartment at 05.30 (I don’t really remember) and caught up in an early traffic jam. Me and Tres got really anxious because our plane supposed to take off at 07.30, while check in must be done one hour before that. It’s not just me and Tres, but Sensei and Nida also got anxious. Sensei told us to call Bila who already arrived at the airport to ask for another flight in case we are late. Once we get out from the traffic jam, we rushed to the airport and miraculously made it in time. It was so nerve-wrecking that I think I’ve lost one year of my life because of all that heart-racing experience ==a

We only had 15 minutes to say our goodbye to Sensei and Nida. So we got back to the lobby and say our goodbye, when a pair of strange girls came to us and suddenly said a few lines from ENJUKU Short Drama. I don’t even realize who are those girls until Bila and Tres start laughing loudly. It was Ichi and Pebri, also our fellow member from ENJUKU. I was really surprised, especially how they can get to the airport so early. It must be not easy, because as far as I know, they still work on something at ENJUKU office when me and Tres left to Sensei’s apartment the night before.

Soon after we realize that it was Ichi and Pebri, another strange pair came close to us. They wear a long, white coat—the one which always wore by people who wanted to go to Makkah from Indonesia. They also wore black sunglasses and mask covering their mouth, so it was scary at first until I realize that two suspicious men was….  ENJUKU silly Dancho (leader), Santos and my silly rival, Indra!

I was really moved that they actually went to the airport just to see us off, not to mention that it was still very early and they even wore the strangest clothes of all! We took a commemorative photo before saying our goodbye. And so, finally we took off to Japan by transit at Denpasar, Bali.

Left to Right: Nida, Santos, Bila, Ichi, Indra, Tres, Me, and Pebri

Photos during our flight to Denpasar, Bali

We transit in Denpasar at first and have to wait around 3 hours or so before getting on board. We spend our time by playing silly games and wrapping our goodies for our friends in Japan outside the international flight lobby. We met a foreigner who invites us on a conversation. He asked where we’re from, because we were wearing thick clothes at the blazing hot Denpasar. He thought that we’ve come from a cold place, and was surprised when he knew that we actually came from Jakarta. I told him that our destination is Japan, which is cold around that time, and was surprised when he said that he also going to Japan with midnight flight. He told us that he came from Canada which is colder than Japan, and said that he might die if he wore clothes as thick as our when he’s in Denpasar. It was quite funny though, because for me, I only wore a shirt with hoodie and long sleeves, along with long jeans which cannot be considered too thick as an Indonesian. That is why I thought that meeting foreigner is always a lot of fun because the difference in our way of thinking is always more than interesting.  

I never had the chance to ask that foreigner’s name, though. We parted as soon as we enter the lobby to check in. We have to wait another hour before we can get into the waiting room. We use the time to go to praying room. Bila was in charge of our belonging. Her face was so funny that I decided to take a picture of her waiting in front of the praying room.

After finished our praying, we go straight to the waiting room, but have to pass the immigration first. We still in a daze, not fully believing that the next plane we’ll take will really bring us to Japan. We have a few worries before boarding though.

When we arrive at the waiting room in front of the gate, there was a lot of people in another gate while it almost as dead as silence in our gate. When those people went aboard, we realize that we are the only one who waiting in front of our gate. I checked our boarding pass again and again, worried that we might be waiting at the wrong gate. Tres went to ask one of the Garuda (our airplane company’s name) officers, and they said we don’t have to worry because there was only 20 people for our flight and we are the earliest passenger who had check-in, thus explain why it’s only the three of us at the moment.

It was really a rare experience—I mean, in a plane which had 215 passengers capacity, there’s only 20 passengers. It feels like our own home since we can sit anywhere we like. The flight attendant also gave us more attention because there was not much people. We can even ask for more snacks when it’s normally one snack per-passengers!

It took around 7 hours from Denpasar to Haneda, Tokyo. I barely can sleep because of the excitement. In the middle of the flight, me and Tres were kinda threatened Bila to tell us about the result of ENJUKU’s role audition. Bila told us the result when the time is exactly like the time when Sensei gave the result announcement to the rest of the member back in Jakarta. I’ve got a quite feminine role so I was worried if I can pull it out greatly or not.

I don’t remember the exact time we arrived at Haneda. My watch is still on Jakarta time, so the last thing I remembered is that it was around 21.30, but of course, it’s later at night in Japan time. I got off from the plane and feel the chilly wind of Japan for the first time. It’s colder than I expected and I don’t even have my jackets on my on-board belongings, so I decided to grit my teeth and pretend that I was strong against cold, haha =v=

We passed the immigration smoothly and met with Mr. Hatano at the lobby. The rest of Japanese member already headed to our Yoyogi along with the Thai members because they have to catch the last train.

Well… it was awkward with Mr. Hatano at first. It’s been more than a month since we last meet and I’m really bad at starting a conversation. Bila was unusually silent, too. Good thing that Tres is talkative especially in Japanese language. But even so, I still think that she’s quite nervous too. Then I realize that all of us might be pretty nervous. It was our first time in Japan, and all of us still get pretty amazed with the fact that we’re really in Japan at that time. I even thought that someone as strange as Santos would come out and shout, “You’ve been punk’d!” and we’re actually in a big box with Japan scenery all the time.

So, with that weird thought on my mind, we arrived at the Yoyogi Youth Centre. We will spend our first night in Japan there. There were Japanese members and Thai members waiting for us there. From Thai, there are Gug, Foam, and Benz. While from the host country, there are Yuuki, Yuki, Shuuhei, and Yuka present. They said the others Japanese member will join in later because they still have part-time job to do that week.

Again, it was awkward for me when I first met them after a long time. Tres looks like she doesn’t have any problem getting along, especially with Yuki who she shared a room with back in our trip at Jogja. While Bila—meh, that kid will be doing fine wherever she go so I think she don’t have that much problem in getting along too.

We go straight to our room to get some rest before our big adventure in Tokyo the day after. Yuki was our room leader, and she gave us some souvenirs from her trip to Korea. Cute and kind Yuki =v=

Well, I think that’s covered our first journey to Japan. I don’t even know that my body is actually very tired if I’m not lie on the bed after unpacking my belongings that night. I thought it was like a dream, being there, breathing the air of Japan—the land which I always dreamed of. I’m afraid that if I’m to sleep, I’ll wake up in Jakarta.

But everything is not a dream. That night is just the beginning.

(Continued to Day 1: Walking and Train, First Adventure in Amazing Tokyo)