pembuatan visa student New Zealand

sebelumnya gw pernah ngepost apa aja yang diperlukan untuk bikin visa Jerman dan Norwegia. semoga itu membantu yaa hehe.. kali ini gw mau share pengalaman gw membuat visa student ke New Zealand. tips pertama dari gw: mending urus sendiri aja. ga seribet yang kalian pikirin kok. lagipula apapun yang diperjuangkan sendiri pasti hasilnya lebih seneng. trust me :)
soo... ini dokumen-dokumen yang kalian butuhin:

1. paspor asli (pastinya)
2. form INZ 1012 dari pihak embassy yang harus kalian isi. form ini bisa download di website embassy new zealandnya. form ini bagi gw sebenernya agak ngebingungin untuk diisi sendiri. but no worries, kalo kalian bingung juga, bisa diisi ditempat pas kalian ngajuin visa.
3. 2 lembar foto 3.5 x 4.5 cm background bebas. tapi kalo gw milih aman aja jadi background putih
4. LoA dari pihak universitas
5. karena gw penerima beasiswa LPDP, jadi gw tinggal ngasih Letter of Sponsorship/Guarantee untuk ngegantiin bukti dana di bank, asuransi kesehatan selama kita disana
6. chest x-ray. nah yang ini agak tricky. karena kalo kalian lebih dari 12 bulan, harus medical check up. sedangkan gw 12 bulan doang, jadi hanya diperlukan chest x-ray. pembuatan med check ini harus di rumah sakit yang kerjasama sama INZ loh yaa.. kalo enggak mereka ga bakal terima. list rumah sakit juga bisa diliat di website imigrasi NZnya
7. SKCK dari POLDA atau POLRI. ini juga harus diperhatiin. sebenernya SKCK hanya diperlukan kalo kalian studi lebih dari 12 bulan. tapi kemaren gw diminta SKCK karena katanya dapet beasiswa LPDP. jadi menurut gw bikin aja untuk jaga-jaga. bikin SKCK ini juga ga ribet dan kelar sehari kok. SKCK bisa ngasih yang asli atau fotokopian. kalo fotokopian harus dilegalisir dulu di kemenlu sama kemenkumham
8. fotokopi Kartu Keluarga. fotokopiannya ga perlu di legalisir

kurang lebih segitu sih. untuk kalian yang mau ambil PhD mungkin ada beberapa dokumen tambahan. pembuatan visa ga lama kok. 7 sampe 14 hari insya Allah udah jadi. pokoknya mah coba baca-baca dulu aja website mereka. tapi menurut gw pribadi, websitenya agak membingungkan dan menimbulkan banyak keraguan (cailah). oya, untuk pembuatan visa NZ ga langsung ke Immigration New Zealand (INZ) nya. jadi kita harus melalui VFS Global di Kuningan City. kalo ada pertanyaan mengenai dokumen pembuatan visa atau apapun itu bisa telfon ke mereka.

hope this helps and good luck! 

up in the mountain

this post is an absolute throwback time. one year ago, i went to Colorado after 3 amazing weeks in Hawai'i. because we were only there for a week, our schedule was pretty crazy with knowing how to get around, meeting with professional partners, meeting with rotary club  and organizing impact business plan. At first I thought with the hectic schedule we could only see little of Boulder, but thanks to my great partner Mr. David Steinmann, we could see 'more' than the others.

the second day we were in Boulder, each team got a scheduled meeting with their partners. at first it was only a lunch, but then David brought us to the mountains. we stop twice to take pictures because the view was breathtaking. 

during our conversation in the car, one of my teammate told us that she never seen snow. David, the nice person he is, ask us if we wanted to go to the part of the mountain where there's still snow, so he brought us to Brainard Lake Road. he even prepared coats for us because it was colder up there. turns out it was a pretty awesome day. we had a great time to know each other while enjoying the snow in the middle of summer! haha

beautiful places in Hawai'i: Diamond Head Mountain

many many apologies for not posting anything for a long time. been quite busy (or most of it just being lazy). so I will continue to post incredible places that I got to visit while I was in Hawai'i. this one is Diamond Head mountain. if you go to Waikiki and even look at the postcard that were being sold in supermarkets, you'll definitely see Diamond Head in the background. this mountain is quite unique because it has a crater in the middle of it. so at first when a friend invited me to hike the mountain, my first thought was: "how could you do that? are we going into the crater? is the trail quite safe?" well this is me when i thought the crater filled with lava or something (haha). but theen.. just like you can see on the last picture, there were just some buildings and trees down there.

hiking is not my forte at all. i don't like the feeling of steep trail and how i couldn't breathe after conquering those trails. this was not an exception. i join because i simply curious and it was the last days in Hawai'i so i was thinking why not? and it WAS very tiring. there are a lot of stairs and lots of steep trails. but the views totally worth it! and because i was with a bunch of groups, so it wasn't that bad i guess. after all, after you get down, you can go to farmer's market. it was very near with the Diamond Head entrance. in there, you can buy homemade ice cream, loco moco, and takoyaki! just think about those wonderful food when you're hiking those trail and believe me, you'll be more energize ;p

dining in D.C.

D.C. kept surprising me. First of all, the weather. they told us that D.C would be hot and dry, not like the weather in Colorado. well it was, on the first day we went to The White House. but the next day.. cold as hell! i don't know what happen, but we ended up bundled with jackets and coats every time we have to go outside because the temperature dropped. besides the dreadful weather, D.C surprises me with a range of good restaurants!

Jyoti

it's an Indian food restaurant located in Adam's Morgam neighborhood. all the food are sooo good. i normally don't pick Indian food for lunch, but this place is an exception. if you're a small portion eater, the rice and the naan is quite big. it's better if you share it with a friend. for the price range, it's from 8-16 usd. not bad right?

Shophouse Kitchen

i love the idea of Southeast Asian food fusion! the spices are perfect for our tongue, and the portion is just right for my tummy! this one is located in Georgetown, and ranging from 6-8 usd.

Thomas Sweet

craving for something cold and sweet? this place is the best place to go! they have a range of ice cream flavors. i personally love the mint choco chip one. they're not green like the ones they sold in Indonesia, but just plain white. but when you taste it, the mint is so rich! you can pair your scoop of ice cream with cones or cups. located in Georgetown.

Bangkok Palace

i remember that day when me and several of my Indonesian friends went to visit The Embassy of Indonesia. we craved asian food so much, the embassy people picked this spot! the owner was so nice, and he speaks Indonesian quite fluently! it is located behind the embassy's office. the stir fry chicken was excellent, but the tom yum, not so much.

Ankara

we had a dinner date with one of embassy employee. this was actually a new restaurant when we came there. the food is good, but a bit pricey. ranging from 10-30 usd. lamb chop was sooo yummy! Jacob, the owner, can speak Indonesian language! located only a few blocks from The Indonesian Embassy.

Las Canteras

another dinner date with embassy employees. but now it's getting bigger! this place is in Adam' s Morgan neighborhood, close to Jyoti. this was actually my first time trying a Peruvian cuisine. i made a mistake ordering a seafood platter because they were all deep fried and it makes me a bit nauseous afterwards.

beautiful places in Hawai'i: Protohub Honolulu

i know that this place is not outdoor and probably not a usual tourist site. but if you're an entrepreneur and you need a place to consolidate or merely a place to meet other people who has the same passion as you do, than Protohub Honolulu is the perfect place for you! even if you want to do an event and have a hard time finding a place, you can book it here.

Protohub Honolulu is a co working space that specializes in events and programs that foster a supportive community, develop professional network, connect investors and entrepreneurs, provide entrepreneurial training, and implement funding/investment programs. for more info on this amazing space, check out their website: http://www.protohubhonolulu.net/en/about

with amazing decorations and comfy couches, i wouldn't mind staying long for brainstorming with a cup of hot coffee ;)

beautiful places in Hawai'i: Kualoa Ranch

this is actually the place where so many movies got filmed including Tears of The Sun and the ever famous Jurassic Park! that's why I chose this place at the very beginning for my team's learning journey in Hawai'i (others are Pearl Harbor, Hanauma Bay, H Power, Hawai'i Food Bank, and Iolani Palace). 

Kualoa ranch is actually a very unique place where they have a sustainable land management system called Ahupua'a. let me tell you a bit of history behind this magical place. over 1500 years ago, the first voyaging Polynesian landed in Hawai'i, in Hakipu'u valley (foothill of Kualoa). the original owner of the land was King Kamehameha III, but he sold it to Gerritt P. Judd in 1850. A few years later, Kualoa's adjacent land (Hakipu'u and Ka'a'awa) were brought by his son, Charles Hasting Judd. from sugar mill to becoming an auxiliary army airstrip, Kualoa went to so many process to become what it is today. 

i could go on and on with the picture here haha! place as beautiful as this is definitely worth to conserve for the future.

beautiful places in Hawai'i: Japanese Garden

In the upcoming days (or maybe weeks if i'm totally lazy to open my laptop), I will post all the beautiful places that I got to visit while I was in Hawai'i for three weeks. and believe me, there are a lot! first up, it's in the backyard of IMIN International Conference Center, the Japanase Garden. If you're selected to be the participant for YSEALI Institute on Environment 2016, you'll be likely to stay in Hale Manoa. the place is just walking distance! in fact, the photo session for your participants profile in susieastwestcenter.com will be taking place there. beautiful and serene, the place is definitely worth for a photo op!

the picture above is the final product from the photo session :)

different kind of new year

 please do ignore the picture. i know it's hideous. and yes, if I have to go to Mekah i have to cover my head. 

aside from that, i am super thrilled to finally go to the house of Allah, to be praying so close to Ka'bah. my family and I actually went there in the end of 2014. we arrived in Soeta airport on December 30th and had to wait for several hours until we actually get on the plane. thankfully the travel gave us a good waiting room with food on it (yes, food is always a good idea ;p) around 12 am December 31st we get on the plane to Dubai for about 7 long hours. arrived in Dubai, we continue a two hour flight to Jeddah.

rather than the sound of a booming fireworks, all i can hear is the sound of adzan from Masjid Al-Haram. rather than people shouting happy new year and blowing their trumpets, all i see are Muslims from around the world shouting their prayers to Allah while surrounding the Ka'Bah. it felt so content to know that many of the earth population were there to celebrate their religion and their love for Allah.

I hope someday i got another chance to go again. AMIINNN...

 after four days in Mekah, we went to Madinah. my favorite part of the trip was seeing the Masjid Al-Nabawi architecture especially the famous big umbrellas that can close and open so majestically. always a photo op whenever i'm there. 

snow problems

gw dari dulu emang pengen banget ngerasain salju. normal obsession lah ya dan pastinya dirasakan juga sama semua orang yang tinggal di negara tropis. abis kayaknya seru banget bisa lempar-lemparan bola salju, bikin snowman, trus suasananya kayak putih-putih romantis gitu. 

tahun ini, tepatnya di acara ISFiT 2013 Februari kemaren, my dream to finally feel snow come true. tapi jauh dari kenyataan! yaa mungkin karena gw mikirnya yang cakepnya doang kali. emang sih menyenangkan banget ngeliat salju pertama kali (but i managed not to dropped my jaw and roll around instantly if you're wondering). gw cuma lompat-lompat di dalem hati. tapi gatau kenapa, pas di pesawat dari Turki menuju Oslo, gw ga ngeliat apa-apa dibawah sana kecuali hamparan hutan dan rumah-rumah kecil yang ditutupin sama salju putih dan gw inget gw langsung berpikir "oh my god take me home noooow!" in fact, 70% gw merasa takut dan 30% merasa excited. aneh? betul.

dan setelah sampe Trondheim, gw merasakan -20 derajat! wooow! awalnya sih reaksi gw cuman "mm.. dingin. tapi ga sedingin yang gw bayangkan." haha emang dasar gw sombong, 2 hari setelah itu gw kesel banget sama dinginnya sampe-sampe gw pengen nendang salju. karena gw harus jalan dari rumah host ke halte bus, dan hari kedua workshop gw harus jalan mondar mandir nyari gedung, kaki dan jari tangan gw harus menanggung akibatnya. beku cooy! belum lagi ingus gw yang keluar terus-terusan bikin syal gw bau dan lengket-lengket najong. 

belum selesai kenegatifan gw tentang salju, kalo lo jalan, harus hati-hati banget sampe-sampe keliatan kayak pengantin solo, karena biasanya jalanan yang biasa dilewatin orang bukan ketutupan sama salju tapi sama es (just like an ice rink). gimana enggak? kalo lo buru-buru (dan sebenernya gw harus jalan cepet ngimbangin jalan temen-temen workshop gw yang punya kaki lebih jenjang daripada gw), yaa bisa-bisa kepeleset deh. walaupun emang pemandangan biasa banget sih orang kepeleset di Norway. tapi gw tidak mau mengambil resiko pantat gw biru dan malu, jadi gw berhati-hati setiap jalan.

ada satu lagi ya ngerepotin tentang winter. harus rajin-rajin pake pelembab, entah itu buat muka ataupun buat badan. baru 3 hari aja badan gw udah bersisik kayak uler. dan body butter gw pun hanya membantu sedikit. sayangnya waktu itu gw ga bawa pelembab muka (that was my biggest mistake!), alhasil muka gw carut marut. ya pastinya lah! muka kan ga ketutupan sama baju pas jalan. paling-paling cuma bisa nutupin sampe hidung (itu juga kalo ga bikin kacamata lo fogging). jadi lah gw beli pelembab di toko sana yang harganya bikin sakit hati. well seenggaknya muka gw terselamatkan (sampe sekarang lho!) so in my conclusion (and in my defense), terkadang gw merasa out of this world bisa ke negara bersalju, and the most exciting stuff about winter is the fashion! gw bisa pake layers of clothes tanpa harus keliatan kayak orang gila. tapi, seperti hal lainnya di dunia ini, salju dan winter has its pros and cons.

get friendly with the locals

you read the title correctly. yes, when you're having a solo trip or group trip to any small cities, better get friendly with locals there. when i was in Cappadoccia, Turkey with Gaby, we're not just lucky to have found a cheap hotel (for 20 lira a night!), but we felt blessed when the staff there, Cihan and Mehmet befriended us. we were treated dinner (when we actually only get breakfast with the 20 lira we spent for a night). and because we were staying in a room for 10 people (5 bunks and 1 bathroom that is), we found more new friends, which is Zeb and Ansel from US, Ben a.k.a uncle Ben from England and Ella from Prague. we had a great time playing cards and guessing some ridiculously hard riddle (thanks to Ansel) until 2 am. and the next day we all got treated lunch at Cihan's uncle house.as to break the ice, we have tons of games to play there, and after that we talk a bit about religion and culture in our societies. i love how they are all open minded. i guess that's what traveling (a lot) do to you. when you meet a lot of people from different countries, culture and religion, you get to here their stories and their point of view.
my luck didn't stop there. when Gaby and I went to buy dinner in a local restaurant, we found out that the owner's wife is Indonesian! such a small world eh? he treated us with not some traditional Turkey tea, but with Sariwangi!! i am so happy to finally tasted some Indonesian products ;p and he gave us a postcards to write, and he said he will send it to Indonesia (yes, back to us). although it still didn't come to me (yet), i'm still excited to receive it :)
see? there's no negative side getting friendly with some locals. at least that what i think.

perfect ending

i would never guessed that i would have an amazing time in Cappadoccia. Gaby and I always think that our stop here was a perfect ending to our trip. 

to get there: from Ataturk Airport, go to the metro (you could ask people where the metro is), then buy one trip coin (it'll cost you 3 lira) to Otogar. that's where all the buses to go from and around Turkey. out from the metro station, search for building number 24/26, they got a night bus to Cappadoccia at 8:30 pm which will cost you 60 lira. it'll take about 12 hours and with the amount of money you spent for the trip, you'll get comfortable seat, mineral water plus coffee/tea/coca-cola. not bad right? for reminder, do not get off in Nevsehir. get off in Goreme, because although both of this city looks alike, but the real attraction is in Goreme. 

a dose of turkey

touchdown in Turkey!

i was really excited for the trip because it was my second trip to Europe. by the way, i was in Turkey for a stop over for 7 hours! so i thought, why not go out for a couple of hours to see the town? so i got a visa (yes, you could make the visa on your arrival and it'll cost you 20 dollars). but keep in mind, it's only for 30 days travel, and you could only use it for one arrival. multiple arrival, well you have to pay another 20 bucks. cause that's what happens to me unfortunately.

i thought it will be a tad bit warmer than Norway (well it was), but it's still felt friggin' cold to me. but i actually like the change of weather. it's good to be in a colder weather than Indonesia.

must visit: Amelienborg Palace

this is it folks. one of the main attraction if you're visiting Copenhagen. the changing guard of Amelienborg Palace. i love how they're really dedicated for being a palace guard. and fashion wise, i love their fur hat ;) there's a museum in one of the building. you could see a quarter of inside of the palace but it'll cost you. and since i didn't have the money (again), i have to be satisfied just to see the changing of the guard which is at 12 pm sharp. so don't miss this one!

and of course,

where else in the world 

you could pose with a cute guard? ;)