A Classic Story to Remember in Yogyakarta

by ERSHA NUR RAHMA (Indonesia)

I didn't expect to find Indonesia

I didn't mentioned that this is just a journey to a pleasure. But, this is a way to study in an adventurous trip to learn everything. I went to Yogyakarta on 8 September 2019. Several days before my friends and I went to Yogyakarta, Me and one of my friends named Hasna seems to be prepared many things to considered. From 'before' left to Jogja till returned home, we made the details of the trip. Our two friends had the different purpose of the trip. While, our aim to Jogja was not put "the trip for pleasure" as our priority, but they planned it. But, Hasna and I chain a tricky way to cancelled their plan. Unfortunately, we had trouble bought train tickets to left and back home. Finally, we bought tickets according to the new procedures in forced. We got a train departure schedule at 5:00 a.m. In the morning, four of us left to Jogja together. (I'm glad at first, after that the condition made Me and Hasna thought to "never repeat the same thing to happen" again). That day, we actually took a test for English proficiency in the one of Universities in Jogja. On arrival at the test place, it still quiet there, we waited for about 4 hours. After the test, we needed to take the bus to Malioboro St. But, the bus not came as usual due to weekend day (Saturday) the traffic might be so crowded. So, just wait till the bus came. 1 hour 30 minutes we've been waited, finally come. Approximately 1 hour, we arrived at Malioboro St. We looked for a mosque for midday prayers and short breaks. After that, continued to walk to find some foods and drinks. Long discussion over, we had to go to Malioboro Mall foodcurt to bought food and drink. Along the way didn't meet with foreign tourists, and shocked! we met a group of foreign tourists sitting opposite the place where we enjoyed our food. A hope to talk with them, but ended with our own ego. Whereas, practice to apply our speaking ability in English should be with courage (poor us, we lost). Only see from a distance there is someone with self-confidence enough approached to help the 2 foreign tourists order their meals. We finished to eat, took some photos of the foodcurt atmosphere(wanted to take some photos with the foreigners too, but we didn't). For fear of being left behind by the train we decided to walk, one of our friends ordered a taxi to drive us to the train station. Guess what?! Creepy thing happened. The contact of a grab driver who is being contacted by our friend answered the order in a sentence that scared us. "which street are you on?" "at Abu Bakar Ali St. Sir" "where was that Miss? I didn't know" "near underpass after traffic light" "Still didn't know where was that Miss. Should I killed myself? haha" Oh My God! we continue to walk till Agus Salim St. tried to find the other contact of grab driver, fortunately we got on the grab. When we arrived at the train station while waited the train, I felt like an actrees on drama scene. Someone stared at my eyes all of a sudden. Gosh! I got a tremble. when the train comes, I hoped to sit next to a foreign tourist standing in front of the train door in front of me, luckily I felt like I got a fortune cookie! I didn't know how it felt at that time, I had forgotten. I felt that my fatigue paid off with little things that made me happy. Things that I could learn from my story was: 1. About patience to wait. 2. Struggle to reach goals. 3. After difficulties, happines come. 4. Faced against ego. 5. How to turn fear into fearless. 6. Unexpected things happened. 7. The precious moment of the fortune. 8. An extraordinary experience like no one ever could.