Hello I am posting this from home! I am back since two days ago. The trip went well with one huge and two medium suitcases. The suitcases have been accumulated, supposedly only carried two but the other one was a bonus from my Europe Vacation - if you know what I meant.
So after the gradution which was on May 24, the day I flew to Zurich, Switzerland, visiting my great aunt, Oma Lydia - continued to Paris and Amsterdam (it took me to many places to visit them).
The trip was a graduation gift kind of from my parents. After all, 4 years in high school, two years in SMA Santa Ursula and another two years in United World College of Adriatic - I graduated!
I can't wait to be in university! Wartburg College in Iowa! Here are some pictures from graduation!
The Madrigal Choir opened the Closing Ceremony. Last time to sing all together with also Stefano, il maestro.
Our super patient and lovely and funny Mathematics teacher, Julius Krajnak (read: Yulius)
Chicas! Some of my favorite people in the college!
Me and my bestfriend. We finally spoke up (instead of made up, we never really broke up we just didn't talk for a while hahaha)
Mike Price's tutorial group, all second years: Marko, Rafaela, me and Alex Mair.
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Oh,bene,Italia! Lei mi hascossotutti glianni! Thanks to Google Traduttore xo
I was selecting photos that are going to be sent for the photo competition that is held by the college for all the photography students. Happens to send all photos I took in this country, Italy, recently from January to April this year.
When I was going through all my files, I got this sudden feeling that I am going to miss this country so much, more than I miss the school, the fact the school itself its special because of its location as I mainly said, the school is the gate to enjoy this country. The feeling and sensation of being an IB student is mostly the same in all IB schools, but as the result of the UWC Movement that was placed in Italy makes everything completely different.
It is all coming to an end. Tomorrow is second years dinner with the teachers. Thursday is the last day of school - I am so lucky, full day as jackpot, I should enjoy all my last classes: last Philosophy class, last Italian class, last Math class (the exam is already scared the hell out me), last English class and last Economic class. Should I be happy? Or should I be sad? Boh.
Oh, well, Italy! You have shook me all the years!
The beauty of the Nord, the region where I live, Friuli Venezia Giulia.
The amusement from the south, Colosseo. This picture was taken by an American teenage tourist who didn't really get it when I told her my auto focus was broken.
Mantova is a city in Lombardia, three hours by bus from Duino. We went this morning, leaving from Piazza at 6.45. Arriving at 10am, we first headed to the main Piazza delle Erbe, the Piazza was really big, It is surrounded by the Palazzo Ducale, a white church (that I have no idea what's called), some old buildings and cafes.
Then we headed to Chiesa di Sant'Andrea, it is a really sophisticated church that has a Dome. Believed that the blood from the Christ crucifixion buried on the ground and ritually each Good Friday it always comes up to the surface. The church is grand, the painting are so impressive, Henry Thomas said "It's an intensive labour-skill". Those great paintings were drawn by hands, covering all the walls and ceilings of the church. Great God!
After being there for about 45 minutes, we visited the Palazzo Ducale. It is a place where the Gonzaga family used to live. It has 500 rooms, could contain forty-five hundred people. I asked Henry he said it was a 200 years reconstrcution since the 12AD. Somehow, the Palazzo has been a bit transformed modern, and was by chance there was a contemporary arts showcase, so the urban and classical atmosphere were blended.
There was a room that has painting of the Gonzaga's horses on the wall. Gonzaga horses were famous! The pictures don't show complete parts of their body, because it was covered by curtain, everything was so flirtatious, sexy. There is also a room whose ceiling has a picture of the Gonzaga family having a direct communication to God. Very impressive! Henry said the Palazzo is the Mantova's Colosseum. For sure all the paintings are the most expensive possession in the world. Oh, I (the daughter), Roberto (the father) and Jeanne-Marie (the wife) pretended that we were one of the Gonzagas, walking down the stairs graciously, waving our hands elegantly. I mean, the Gonzaga used to step onto those floors.
Palazzo Te is a Frederico II gateway from his horrible life in Palazzo Ducale, and it was also a place where he tried to runaway with a girl Isabele Bosso (a beauty symbol that time). That girl apparently had the same name with his mother's Isabelle Deste, and therefore there was this mother-son conflict about future wife. Isabelle Deste was one of the most inteligent woman on her period.
Inside it was just so beautiful. There was a room that has a complete story of Venus and her love story. Nudity was all around, but Henry really explained it in a very instinctive, desirable and rational way of thinking - we really understood the meaning of everything.
Then we had a free time, I and Djana, my friend from Bosnia went out for pizzas and sat around Piazza Le Donne. Afterward, we headed to Palazzo Te. It was huge, it has this beautiful garden. That day there was a Lunar Park taken place on the east part of the castle, there was also a little football stadium. I went take a look, it was a blast, the Lunar Park I mean.
Mantova was beautiful. The more beautiful part is actually having Henry Thomas to elaborate every single details of it. I am going to miss it a lot next year!
Henry's famous fingers and the curious UWC Student
The white church that I mentioned before
Ludmila, my Latvian prima
Me, taken by Ludmila
Pabel (Peru) and Blanca (Spain)Victor (Catalonia)
The Great dome of Sant'Andrea
Frenchy brand and Mantovan bikes
Me in front of Palazzo Te
Lovebirds, Clara (Belgium) and Pablo (Mexico), garden of Palazzo te
This weekend has been really fabulous. After a great prom last night, finally at around 2 in the morning my mother post a photo into Mama&Papa group written "Congratulation My Daughter as a Jakarta Post Contributor from Venice/Italy" - which officialy marked that my article has been published in the Jakarta Post, Sunday's edition, here is the link of the online version. I am really happy. Ever since the first time I wrote it and getting some messages on how the article is going to be proceeed and the feeling of waiting whether the article is going to be published ot not give me this kind of sensation. I really took it as a big deal, it has something to do with my future career, a journalist, or writer. Most importantly this is my first English article and immediately qualified to be put in the nation's largest English-language newspaper in Indonesia!! The targets are expatriates and Indonesians who work in English environment working place in general.
Two years ago, before coming to the college, we subscribed to the Jakarta Post, because my father thinks it is really important for me to read English newspaper to get used with English reading, and it was also useful to support my activity in English debating - when I was in high school.I always want to write an article about Italy (this country is very beautiful - you know beautiful things need to be shared), ever since I have been to so many cities here for example Naples, Sardegna, Padova, Rome, Mantova Venice and some European countries (Germany, Spain, Croatia - should really go to Slovenia tho) in general regarding my whole experience as scholar, however tho I never really managed and had time to do so. My father always encourages me, once after coming back from Project Week in Naples, or any places I have been to.
This time was just so right, Venice Carnival was a real celebration of the Italian beauty, also the fact that this year Italy celebrates the 150 years of unification, which also talked in the article (and I did not go last year). Moreover since I was given a camera by my parents as Birthday and Christmas gift and started using it properly or seriously last year after the Naples Project Week. Oh, the Chief Editor of the Jakarta Post once texted my father basically said, it was not a waste to give me the camera, because the pictures were just great, the editors love them. He also said "Well done to your daughter, she deserved it." Nothing can make me happier than hearing a press-elite in country said such things. This kind of details give me confidence and the willingness to take on more challenges for my future.
I was also offered to write a story, still in the same newspaper but different section, in Youthspeak - about my journey and experience here as a scholar, and also next Fall in the United States, however it is still discussed by the editors! It is a really good grip - a way to express my hobby and train my journalistic skill.
These weeks I have been so happy. A Sardinian Project week, a Roman vacation, a new crush, a prom, a publication, a cultural visit to Mantova and tomorrow a Sport Festival! I am so grateful and thankful. My life is beautiful and it is always good!
Yours sincerly, Nastiti
This how it looks like in the paper. This was posted by my mother in our family Blackberry's group :) You see the article on the right-side? It is an article about the Unification of Italy in Rome from a Reuters journalist, somehow feel proud that my article is put next to it, I mean he is a professional!
Posted by daddy. I sent 4 photos to them ( I have 36 great pictures from 600 something). They put the four of them finally!
This is how the online version look. I prefer the printed one tho. It's classy.
I should have been doing my Biology Lab Report right now - since the deadline is tomorrow. It's important indeed, but sometimes there are less important things that will make you happier - I decided to post an article about our Project Week in Sardegna.
I can consider myself lucky when it comes to Project Week. Last year I went to Naples, it was my first choice. We worked a lot yet visited so many cultural places. This year I was almost unlucky. Not getting any of my four preferences, at the end chose a PW that was canceled because of an external problem and got in Sardegna - I think it was my 6th choice at the end.
Project Week is not always about the place where you go, but the content - the activities of the Project. Personally, I am always attracted to a Project that is going to do something with arts and kids. Sardinian Project Week with Carla Monni (because there was another one with Roberto), really made my week.
Friday, March 5 We left the college at 11.30 catched a train to Treviso, it was three hours train. The flight was at 15.00. We arrived in Alghero around 16.00. Picked up by Carla's father and aunts. The trip from Alghero to Carla's village was long. About two hours. But the view was beautiful. It was so green; mountains and they have lots of sheep everywhere. Arrived in Carla's house, we chilled out from some hour, had lunch and practicing. We practiced our dances; Bolywood, Polka, Blues Brother also Italian Drama and Siyahamba. The coolest thing is that we got to learn Sardinian dance, taught by Carla's family, her aunt, mother, father, uncles. The living room turned out to be a place to dance.
Saturday, March 6 Eventough it was Saturday, we had to get up early at 7, since we are visiting two different school location. One location was for Elementary School and Middle school the other location was a kindergarten. We taught English, played English game with them - for sure introduced who we were, where we came from. Many students thought I was Japanese! With the kindergarten kids we played the jungle games. They had fun with us. They are so cute, around 1-4 years old. We also perfomed a show that consisted of all the dances that we have in the college. Cup dance attracted many audiences, they asked us to teach them how to do it. In the night, we went to La Sala - a party before the Carnival, held in a common building. It was great, people danced in masks, even somehow it turned to be really random since they just did what they wanted to do. But we had fun.
Sunday, March 7 It was the only day when we could really had a good sleep. Waking up at 12am and had lunch, practicing and going out to join the Carnival! It was a blast. The fact that Orune is such a small village with 5.000 people that makes everybody knows each other really well. The people that we met in the Carnival are the people we met in Sala. Everybody knows each other basically. The Carnival was a blast, it went around the village. There were 4 major booths carried by trucks. There were Simpsons, Mickey, car ganks and I forgot the other one. But it was just amazing. People were very welcomed to us as visitors. They offered free salami, wine. We danced. There was many songs and musics: our favorite was Il Capitano. For so many times the Sardinian dance was done. The Carnival finished around 7pm. We went back to Carla's house, had dinner and practicing!
Monday, March 8 We had to wake up at 6 because we had to catch the bus that will bring us to Oliena, Maria Salis' village - since there are only three orario everyday. We reached Oliena early in the morning, looked around the city. We visited MAN (Museo dell'Arte Nuova), apparently since it was Monday it was close, but after talking with the keeper, magically we were allowed to enter without a need to pay however weren't allowed to take picture. The museum was amazing. That time they were showing Aborigin arts. It was wonderful. One of the prettiest artworks I have ever seen in my life. Around lunch time, we headed to the village part of Oliena and worked helping a Caritas to move out tons of foods from a container. We had lunch with them. After lunch we went back Nuoro, this time to Carla's grandmother's house, because we were having another show somewhere near there. Once managed to visit a church, saw a choir practicing. And went back to Carla's grandma's place had dinner and did some other new Sardinian dances.
Tuesday, March 9 We woke up at 6.45 to catch the first bus to Nuoro, not that we missed it but unfortunately there was no bus that really went there somehow. So we waited in Piazza until Carla's family members picked us and brought us to first Carla's grandma's place then we walked to a Casa Famiglia house. It was such a deep experience to do activities with people with disabilities. One cannot see, one cannot see and hear, one is just too old and out of his mind, one cannot see and you can only communicated through his palms. We did a lot. We first played the jungle games, then we made a stories togehter. It was funny, about a prince who was looking for love and somehow realized his princess was a guy or something. We also perfomed Bolywood dance and asked them to dance with us. They were really happy. They smiled a lot, they laughed. It made us happy too. We also performed for the last time. We went back to Carla's house had pizza together, had a talk till late night knowing that it was our last night in Sardegna. I felt sad, because I had been having a great time. Precious.
Wednesday, March 10 Sayonara, Orune. We took the earliest bus at 5.30 that will bring us to Oliena. We waited for an hour for the bus that will bring us to Sassari. Arrived in Sassari we still had one and half hours before catching the bus that brought us back to Alghero. We kind of walked around and had breakfast. Visited a church, apparently has two Sardi fathers who had lived in Sumatera and speak Indonesians, man it was random. However, I didn't manage to meet them since we had a bus to catch. So, we took the bus to Alghero, around 1pm I flew to Rome, some other students went back to Treviso. And Rome has another batti cuore story to tell! Which I am going to share latter.
For me Sardinian Project Week was memorable. We learned, we gained yet we gave. It was just so cool, I think we danced the Sardinian dance for like ten times in a week, wherever we were with people they just did this dance. At the end we knew it by our heart. It was a wonderful experience. Thanks a lot for our super Sardinian organiser: Carla Monni and the co-organizer Maria Salis. Ballu Sardo!! AYO!!!
ps: Ayo is a way to say let's go in Sardinian. Apparently back home in Indonesia we also say Ayo to ask someone to get out to do something like Let's go eat (Ayo, makan!).
The kids were just too cute
The beginning of the carnival, it was just the beginning you know
Typical Sardinian houses
A man in donkey, I guess it is kind of a pride to be able to ride it
Sardinian old lady and the kind of clothes they wear
Carla's youngest sister (left) who dressed up as a man
Some Minnies, made the crowd!
Ballu Sardu is just every-freaking-where!
Mother and Son. Native American costumes.
Another Minnie Some of the girls from our group; Luisa, me and Allisha
Typical Oliena houses. They have this famous painting
Our second perfomance in Nuoro
Franco, the guy who will always dance and ask girls out.
I believe it is not just an ordinary sequence of numbers for the Italians since they are celebrating the 150 years of the resurgence or Il Risorgimento - or the unification of the Italian Peninsula. It reminds me of the Venice Carnival's theme from Sissi to Senso - the unification is drawn from the ex-Austrian territory (for example our city: Trieste) to southern Italy such as Sardinia, Sicily and Naples.
We had classes today, as I know that all the Italian students are having a national holiday, unlike us. But it was really nice to have such a special assembly or INA kind of given by our History teacher, Eunice Price (who is also the author of one of the History IB Diploma Course Companion) about the Italian-ness of Italy since 117 AD.
The President of the college was also there to answer some questions, many Italian students critically asked about the recent political situation and some kind of distinction of the North part and the South Part of the Italy. But the President believes that there won't be any kind of separation between the South and the North - they are all one - Italians.
At the end, all the Italians: students, teachers and staff sang the national anthem. I was surprised some of my teachers who as I know aren't Italians joined too, apparently they also have Italian passports eversince they have been living in this country for such a long period and blend themselves into the culture.
I was actually thinking I would love to have one too - I love this country. And again passport does not define your nationality, instead it gives you more accessibility and opportunity. I was also thinking it would be nice if one has a chance to choose their nationality based on the country that they feel suit them the most, or draws them. If I got a chance to have an Italian passport - I would NOT deny! This country is beautiful moreover some of the cultures are a little bit similar with home: the family values, togetherness, the food, the cell-phones some of the bureaucracy problems too. Also the fact that Indonesia is divided into 31 regions and each region has their own languanges (dialects) but we are all united with one language Indonesian.
There was also a video that closed the celebration, it was about how the UWCAD students think about Italy. They basically said so many beautiful words, descriptions and they are just grateful to be here. I could not imagine if I were in the other UWC college, I suppose the cultural experience I get would be really different maybe none. And I think that what makes this college special, the location - in Italy.
Italian students who were dressing up: Rosalba, Marta, Francessco
Italian shoes I assume - or at least worn by the Italians
Italian faces
Our Historian, Eunice Price
The President, Mr. Facco Bonetti
p.s: On the unification day found out that my article about Venice Carnival will be published as feature in The Jakarta Post either tomorrow Saturday or Monday!! Will be soon post articles about our Project Week in Sardegna and the Long Weekend in the capital city of Italy - what's that? ROME!!
Venice was becoming the fullest city in a world for a day. Yes, it was the Carnival 2011. Will soon upload the good quality pictures and stories (didn't know that my photo resolution was too small). See you soon, since I need to study, am having Italian trial tomorrow!
