Hi everyone!! My name is Rebecca Jamgochian and I will be taking you along with me on my journey through Indonesia! I'm a local girl born and raised in Goleta, CA, an avid surfer and ocean lover, and am a student at Santa Barbara City College. I have never been to Bali before, but am more than excited, to say the least. Come along with me!
Thoughts about this program:
What are your expectations for the program?
I am entering this program with the hope that I will come out of this study abroad with new perspectives and gained knowledge. I would love to meet friends on this trip that I will have for life; already I can tell that these people are ones I will cherish. The kindness and generosity of my peers are extraordinary, and I cannot wait to learn more about each and every one of them. They all have something to teach me and I'm ready to learn!
My personal goals consist of lots of growth as a traveler and person, expanding and extending myself through uncomfortable areas in different directions and I want to become more at home in uncertainty and unfamiliar places. This is what I believe helps me grow as a person!
What are your feelings as you start this adventure?
I am nervous, but most excited as I embark on this journey. Although I have never spent more than ten days alone away from my twin sister and family in Goleta, California I am more than willing to take this step into self-discovery to obtain a greater perspective on the outside world. I am so beyond stoked to be in a new country with an open mind!
The privilege of studying in a foreign country is something that I am so grateful to have and know that not everyone has access to this type of education. With this new place, comes a new ocean that is unfamiliar to me. I am fascinated as a surfer and ocean lover by everything beneath the surface and cannot wait to delve deep into the tropical oceans of Bali, Indonesia, and study all the ocean's beauty.
Santa Barbara to Bali timeline: 6:00 pm Arrive at SB Airbus station 6:20 pm Say goodbye to family; hugs and goodbye wishes 6:30 pm Airbus leaves 8:30 pm arrives at LAX 9:00 pm Get checked in and drop off luggage 9:30 pm Make it past TSA and find our gate 9:45 pm time for nighttime matcha and coffee run with the study abroad kids 12:10 am board plane 12:50 am fly out of LAX 7:00 am stay up and pull an all-nighter and watch "Eat, Pray, Love" until 7, and then fall asleep TIME CHANGE 3:00 am Eat breakfast on plane 4:45 am Land in Taipei 6:30 am tea time! 7:15 am work on the blog 8:30 am breakfast noodles! 9:20 am plane leaves to Den Pasar Arrive in Bali!!!!
As soon as we got there, I ran from our hotel down the cobblestone pathway, smiling ear-to-ear at everyone and running right into the ocean. The jaunt down took no less than two minutes to arrive at the beach, or as they say in Indonesia "pantai." |   |
DAY 2: I woke up in the morning "Selamat Pagi" is how you say "good morning" in Indonesian, ate breakfast full of fresh fruits, eggs, rice, and grilled veggies then headed to Uluwatu temple. The cliffs at this temple rise over 70 meters, or 230 feet tall and have cascading trees and greenery that flow over the sides of the cliffs with an ocean presence that will take your breath away. I know it sure did to me! I was in complete awe of the raw beauty this place holds. The stone carvings, the monkeys (although mischievous), and the foliage are what make this place so beautiful. I could've spent all day here if it weren't for the heat!
Monkey Business
Left: Baby monkey at Uluwatu Temple waiting to steal sunglasses, a water bottle, and phone. Nora's sunglasses were traded, Nicole's phone has been retrieved but her orange phone case now has a home in Uluwatu, and sadly Branch's water bottle got snatched, then chucked off the side of the cliff. Time to get a new one?
Middle: Monkey thief!
Right: Monkey chilling
Welcome Dinner in Jimbaran!
What to do on an afternoon off in Bali?
I have you covered! Look no more. I checked the surf report and saw that Bingin beach had some good waves one afternoon after class and a few classmates and I headed out on an adventure. We surfed, shelled, tide pooled, explored and watched a beautiful sunset.
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I am so thankful for the opportunity to be here, and cannot wait to write more about all the adventures and learning this trip provides!
Terima kasih,
Rebecca :)
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