On the 24^th of June, 23 students from years 9-13 along with teachers Anna Rowland, Kirsten Phyland, Brendan Bawden and Mr. Mifsud travelled to Indonesia for the two-week 2023 Damascus College Study Tour.

We flew into Jakarta where we stayed at local school Bloombank for 1 week. This home-stay was absolutely amazing and very eye-opening to witness and immerse yourself in their culture and everyday life. Most students had been talking to different teachers at Bloombank for up to 3 year via Microsoft Teams, so, to meet them in person for the first time was very special and an experience I will cherish forever.

We participated in several activites in Jakarta such as fishing competitions, lots of singing and dancing (special mention to the four teachers who shamelessly sang ABBA’s Dancing Queen on our last night at Bloombank), as well as attempting to teach Mr Mifsud basic Indonesian, a cooking class, and a visit to the Safari Park where we stayed in Tree Houses with indoor slides that were enjoyed by all four teachers (I have video evidence for anyone questioning this).

The friends we made during our Bloombank stay and the smiles that lit up the younger kids faces when we played games with them or even just waved at them through the bus window made this week incredibly special.

Although our closing ceremony was filled with mixed emotions, we were all excited to escape the 38-degree heat and 100% humidity Jakarta weather and relax beach and poolside in Bali.

Bali while so different to Jakarta was just as spectacular. We spent our days bargaining at the markets, swimming in the pool, watching traditional dance performances and listening to Mr Mifsud scream as he went down slides at WaterBom Park. It was just what we needed after a jam packed, fun filled schedule in Jakarta and I think we were all very appreciative for our free days in Bali.

To sum up the two weeks in Indonesia is very difficult as we saw and experienced so many things that personally I can’t do justice with words. A huge thank you to Anna, Kirsten and Mr Mifsud who made the trip so fun and were often just as silly and loud as the students. But, an even bigger thank you and all my appreciation goes to Brendan Bawden who organised the entire trip and kept our family members updated regularly with his photos, videos and posts. The trip would not have happened without him and to look after 23 students overseas is definitely a stressful job so terima kasih banyak (thank you very much) Bawdy!

For anyone reading this and studying Indonesian at school, I cannot encourage you enough to continue studying, as this trip is an experience of a life time and one you do not want to miss out on.