May 31 2009 / An Unforgettable Moment in Life
by Rafika Ramli, Indonesia 08-09
hosted in Ferndale, CA
My name is Rafika and I am from Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. My country has more than 300 ethnic groups and more than 700 local languages, but to communicate with each other we speak Indonesian (our official language). There are 17,508 islands in Indonesia, which has more beaches than any other country in the world.
I do really love my school. I’ve gotten involved in many activities that I’ve never done before. I live on a dairy with 500 cows. I come from a big city and now I am staying in a rural area. I’ve been dreaming of living in a rural area. I really love that! I like to ride a bus because I can see all over Ferndale. Such a pretty place: trees, cows, sheep, llama.
Indonesia’s culture and America’s culture are way different. In Indonesia the school is more strict and there are more manners required. In America, it’s more free. Sometimes I miss so badly my familiar Muslim world of my home country: I miss masjid (mosque), adzan, and Muslim people. However, my host family, my friends, and my teachers understand about that. My teacher shares her room for me so I can use that to pray. People around me are so nice.
I arrived here in summer. Summer is supposed to be warm but in Humboldt County, especially in Ferndale, summer is freezing! But, I am getting used to it. I like to hang out with my friends in Ferndale. We go to the movies, I played powder puff football, and we go to dances. I went skiing with my liaison and her daughter (also my friend in school) and many fun things!
I have a great host family, fun school, nice and friendly friends, a wonderful liaison, and amazing volunteers. So, they all make my exchange year be so wonderful and a very unforgettable moment. In conclusion I am enjoying my exchange year here! Be a part of us! Love from me.
