Alongside Tilly – a good friend from school – I lived in Jakarta, Indonesia, completing a three month internship. We worked for the Sivana Foundation, a small NGO, who hope to improve the quality and quantity of education available to Indonesian children. This was a wonderful opportunity, giving us an insight into how charities have to adapt to the local social and historical context.
Aside from work, Tilly and I spent much of our time exploring the local cuisine. Whether this was Gado- Gado (boiled veg, tofu and Tempe in a peanut sauce), Rendang (beef slow cooker and stirred continuously for 8 hours), or anything Tipa (our wonderful colleague and resident foodie) cooked. We also spent much of our time hopping from one cafe to another. This meant that we drank an inordinent number of Kopi Susus (iced latte with brown sugar). Partaking in Indonesia’s late night coffee drinking definitely filled the void of the British pub in the evening.
Alongside the food and work, Tilly and I spent much of our time exploring Indonesian. In Bali we learned to scuba dive, and snorkelled with turtles and manta rays. We travelled to Malang to climb mount Bromo and see Ijen (the worlds largest sulphur lake) and many more beautiful places. Indonesia is truly a magical place and I encourage anyone reading this, who hasn’t already, to travel to Indonesia and experience it for yourself.
Lastly a huge thanks to the Sivana team, who welcomed Tilly and I so warmly into their lives and culture, they truly made this experience.