secondhand love

 i admit.. i fell in love with this secondhand store. me and Gaby found it on our way to Bodo centrum. there was all kind of CDs and DVDs ranging from indie to pop, from oldies to modern. if i have some money, i'm definitely buy the horror movies collection. and there's also books (too bad it's in Norwegian), vintage furnitures, and i even found a vintage candy machine!

perjuangan mencari aurora borealis

dari awal emang gw ga terlalu optimis sih bisa ngeliat tuh keajaiban alam. tapi gara2 disetanin banyak orang yang bilang "bulan ini lagi banyak lho auroranya" lah, terus "wah kemaren2 aja gw ngeliat sekali tuh. kemungkinan besar bisa ngeliat kalo cuacanya lagi cerah". kan jadi tambah semangat gw. udah nyampe Bodo, gw tambah semangat karena langitnya lagi cerah banget nget nget (sampe ga ada awan dan bintang) dan pas gw sama Gaby nanya ke penjaga hotel dia bilang lagi ada (dikuatkan dengan application di iPhonenya). gw sama Gaby abis makan malem sekitar jam 8an langsung cabut ke tempat yang rada tinggi dan gelap. harusnya sih kita ke gunung tapi karena udah malem dan kita kere, mau apa lagi. hanya bisa mengandalkan kaki dan doa -_-" sedih emang. akhirnya kita settle di deket bandara. karena lapangannya gelap banget dan ga banyak orang maupun mobil yang mondar mandir. masalahnyaaa... anginnya kenceng banget! sebenernya sih derajatnya menurut gw lebih dinginan pas pertama kali sampe Trondheim. tapi karena dibantu angin, jadilah gw sama Gaby menepi di sebuah toko biar ga kena anginnya. nunggu sekitar 45 menitan sambil kedinginan dan kehabisan omongan akhirnya kita nyerah. pulang jalan kaki lagi di cuaca yang sangat dingin dan tiba2 lupa jalan pulang. gw BT. malem itupun gw sampe ga bisa tidur ngarep bisa ngeliat aurora dari jendela hostel gw (karena hostelnya viewnya gunung dan laut).

akhirnya mata gw pasrah dan gw terlelap. besokannya Gaby punya ide cemerlang yang bikin harapan gw balik lagi: "eh ta. kan kereta kita malem tuh. terus kita ngelewatinnya padang salju yang bener2 ga ada lampu. siapa tau bisa ngeliat dari dalem kereta." iya juga sih gw mikir2. dan gw jadi semangat lagi buat menjalani hari di kota kecil itu. setelah nunggu berjam2 di stasiun, akhirnya gw naik kereta. dan gw berniat ga bakalan lelap tidur. pokoknya mau ngeliat keluar jendela terus sampe kepala gw sakit nengok ke samping. sejam berlalu - ga ada. dua jam berlalu - gw mulai ngantuk. akhirnya gw tidur (dan pastinya merem melek terus kayak anjing penjaga). pas gw melek kesekian kalinya gw baru sadar. ya pantesan gw ga bisa ngeliat apa2 diluar. lampu di dalem keretanya ga dimatiin! shit. emang nasib dan ga jodoh.

how to get to: Bodo

the view from my hostel

Bodo is in the northern part of Norway. from Trondheim, you could go there by train straight to Bodo. you don't have to stop at Fauske first (from my very own experience 'cause my ticket said i have to get off in Fauske). it will took about 8 hours to get there, and you don't have to worry if you're gonna miss the station. cause it will be the last station ;)

the train (NSB) was so comfy, i especially love the toilet. haha! there's a mini cafetaria in the train. and the food's price is reasonable i think, around 20-70 NOK. there's also wifi. but it's going to be unstable because well hello! you're in the middle of a snow desert. and i suggest you book your seat from your country. because if you book there, it's gonna cost you a lot. and if you don't book at all, well, here's hoping. 

recommended place to stay is Bodo Vandrerhjem Hostel. it's not near the train station, but it is in the train station! plus it's only 5 minute walk from the Sentrum. 325 NOK for one night you get wifi, heater, TV, and bed linens. there's also a coffee slash hot chocolate maker in front of the information desk and it only cost you 10 NOK. it was delicious! but too bad the staff is not that friendly.

if you're on a budget like i do (especially in Norway because everything is expensive there), try not to spend so much money on food. do like i did. buy a bread in a bakery. it usually cost 10 NOK, and then buy some meat in the grocery store. for pork you will get 10 pieces for 20 NOK and for lamb you'll get 4 pieces for 30 NOK. not bad right? and maybe if you're lucky like i did, you'll find 3 for 30 NOK breads package! if you want to eat something different for your next meal, try Big Bite. for 39 NOK you'll get "sandwich of the day" and a drink. great deal if i may say.

must visit in Trondheim

 so it was -7 degrees outside, and our workshop decided it was going to be fun to do a scavenger hunt. what?! well i had a great time i won't lie. my group was amazing and we work pretty well as a group. despite the cold, we went to some amazing place in Trondheim. one of it was the Gamle Bybro or the Old Town Bridge. it got beautiful view and we were there when the sun was almost setting so it was the perfect time to take pictures ;p this bridge is near Bakklandet neighborhood. so let's just say my freezing feet and nose are defeated by the awesomeness of Trondheim.

the second place would be Kristiansten Fortress. the view was really breathtaking! you could see all of Trondheim and the infamous Nidaros Cathedral (well, the tip of the building though). if you dare and if you're lucky, maybe you could go here to see sunrise or sunset. i was there when the sun is almost set, but not setting yet, so i got a very clear view of all the city, mountains, and the sea. it was amazing. you could go here from Bakklandet as well. it's not too far, i think it was about 1 km. so if you're the chosen one for ISFiT 2015, come to these places and share your own thoughts. how bout it?

The Cathedral

the must see in Trondheim, Norway is Nidaros Cathedral. it got a really ancient feel to it and may i say, even though it will come across a little bit weird, but the cemetery around this cathedral is beautiful and not scary at all. well maybe because i came here at day. at night? maybe another story ;p too bad i didn't have the chance to come inside. because we have to pay 50 NOK, and i didn't have that much money at that time. this cathedral is located not far from Studenter Samfundet (the red round building).

the girl on fire

let me introduce you to Kaja, the president of ISFiT 2013. she's only 22 and her future seems to be looking so bright. she's actually my new role model because she has the courage to actually apply to become a president of this international student festival despite the consequences and many 'labor' hour. but of course she was helped by many incredible volunteer, but i still couldn't think of how much work she had done to make ISFiT incredible. to meet her in person was amazing because she's actually really a humble person, likes to know a little bit of the participants, and she has this kind of charismatic aura. enough said.

snow on my toes

one of my most favorite event in ISFiT: Ski Day! although i'm not really looking forward to the day where i'm going to fall off my butt hundreds of time ;p but you know me. i love to try new things. so i won't miss this one. skiing in Norway! 

so there i was. using a borrowed ski with no proper shoes, sliding in a cross country field. i was doing great at first. no falling and feeling i'm actually will be good at skiing. that was my mistake. over estimating my capability. because when i tried  going up the hill and skiing down, i can't stop and my only way to stop was of course falling off my butt. so that's my not so tragic story. on the other hand, i really enjoyed sliding down the hill with only a plastic paper, drinking those delicious cup of hot chocolate and hot dog, the feeling of not feeling my toes anymore, dancing along the Gangnam Style music, and participating in a Guinness World Record attempt of the world's biggest hold hands with many different nationalities (or something like that). yep! you got that right. i actually participate in GWR attempt. and we made it!

workshop capture

30 people. 4 amazing workshop leaders. 10 amazing days. 1 workshop. 

i knew when i was accepted by ISFiT that i will get many new friends from every corner of the world and get amazing experiences, but i didn't expect to have this much fun with my workshop. i'll admit that i'm not an extrovert person, and i am a shy person. i have a huge insecurities about myself. but somehow, being in this group changes all that. they brings out the best in me shortly saying.

thank you for all the debates (that i'm sorry to say, sometimes slowly eating my brain cells ;p), all the documentaries that we watched, all the games that we played, and of course-my personal favorite-the last day of workshop. i will never forget all your embarrassing moments that you guys shared. and i am sure you won't forget mine -_-" and the epic "monkeying" the monkey business workshop!

i'm not going to say goodbye to you all, just a simple "see you later". because we will meet. sooner or later.

what to bring to the festival

kalo udah tau keterima ISFiT, pikiran gw langsung mengarah kepada: baju apa yang mau gw bawa kesana. haha! karena mumpung lagi winter, jadi gw bisa bereksperimen sama layering :) tapi yang gw tulis disini barang2 yang menurut gw bisa membuat lo terlihat fashionable tanpa membuat lo kedinginan (karena dinginnya bisa mencapai -18 derajat lho).
1st. pastinya bawa coat. mending bawa satu coat yang bubble (karena tahan angin dan ga basah kalo lagi snowing) dan satu lagi yang coat biasa
2nd. bawa kaos kaki wol yang tebel. kalo enggak bawa kaos kaki seenggaknya 3. soalnya kalo kaos kakinya ga terlalu tebel dan lo ga pake dobel, kaki lo bisa beku
3rd. buat sepatu ga usah masalah. pake sneakers juga menurut gw udah cukup yang penting kaos kakinya udah hangat. tapi menurut gw mending pake boots ato kalo buat cowok pake sepatu Timberland ato yang kayak buat naik gunung gitu. tapi just for heads up, sepatu apapun yang lo pake ga akan membantu lo untuk ga kepeleset di es2 yang ada di jalan
4th. bawa sarung tangan yang terbuat dari kulit. soalnya kalo sarung tangan yang biasa walaupun dari wol ga mempan menurut gw
5th. bawa baju tradisional (buat dipake pas Peace Prize Ceremony atau Opening Ceremony). pasti lo stand out soalnya kebanyakan orang pake baju formal biasa
6th. satu set baju dan sepatu formal. ini salah satu kesalahan gw soalnya gw cuman bawa satu sepatu dan itu sepatu boots. jadi pas lagi ceremony gw udah cakep2 pake kebaya sama rok batik, tapi sepatu gw boots. dar!
7th. bawa makanan atau barang2 dari Indonesia (authentic Indonesian of course). ini sih kalo emang lo mau mengenalkan budaya Indonesia ke temen2 workshop lo ya. soalnya kita ga dikasih waktu buat perform budaya kita, jadi sepinter2nya kita aja buat nunjukin ke mereka. disela2 workshop juga pasti bisa

i know it's a little bit long, tapi menurut gw barang2 ini crucial banget to bring. sooo.. good luck with your ISFiT 2015 application :)