I’ll borrow the initials of our 6th (Former) President which is SBY, nothing referring to him as I have my own abbreviation for that 🙂
I have done my Haupturlaub this year, yep! year 2023 just started yet I’m already in need of holiday haha took 16 work days off, where to? Australiaaaaaa. The flight itself took me 25 hours one way so 3 weeks indeed the ideal time and money to spent there.
I started to think, search, proceed to contact all my friends who lives in Australia, do I still have friends there? do they still want to meet me? haha it’s not a secrets that throughout time, friends drifted away or get closer, nothing against it, it’s called life. That’s why I always appreciate those who spend their time with me, I’m grateful for our encounter in Australia.
First touchdown, Sydney!
On top of my list for every time I visit Australia / Sydney (btw it will always be Sydney since the flight I chose always landed in Sydney) was to contact my ex-classmates Alvin 🙂 after 7 years (last time I met him was in year 2016) We went to have dinner in New Town, he’s already like a local, told the story about what had happened in that district, which ice cream shop that’s good, the abandoned Book and Movie Store, heritage building, etc. We also had a video call with another ex-classmates! to whom I will meet in my next destination.
I’ve told him my hotel area is very dodgy, I chose a hotel / hostel / motel however you named it which is close to Sydney’s Airport, due to my mother arrives the next day morning. I also told him that I went to have lunch in Wolli Creek alone and when I come back it was so hot, I always looked down while walking then an elderly man asked me “you good?” I was still not get used to people talk in English so there was a loading process in my brain, finally I can say one sentence “yes it’s just hot” and kept walking, I could hear he says “hey wait a second…” I ignored it, the hell was that! midday in a dodgy area. I know maybe nothing happened, perhaps he really just concerned but meh not regret my decision to ignore him. Alvin said maybe he thinks I’m a minor who’s walking alone, well if he thinks I’m a minor… I should be save because as far as I’m concern it’s illegal to do something to a minor. Anyway I’m so thankful that Alvin brought me back to hotel safely, he too agrees that my hotel is really dodgy! Thanks Pal! learned my lesson now. Disclaimer, the picture from Agoda didn’t do the justice.
Second touchdown, Brisbane!
Aldrich is there! Unlike Alvin, I didn’t have his contact before, thanks to Instagram, I found him again. Are you still in Australia? Where about? what are the odds that he indeed lived in Brisbane aaaaaa we have to meet! Little did I knew that when I texted him, he already bought a flight to Melbourne, he changed his and his wife’s flight so that we could meet up! Thank you!
During our catching up 17 years of story haha yes people this is how long I haven’t met or in contact with him. He told me that they will move to Indonesia first and let’s see from there. I hope Rachel will find Bandung as her home. I am so glad that I could meet him before he flew from Melbourne to Korea then finally to Indonesia.
Few days before my departure, we met again in Sydney! We three, Aldrich, Rachel and me did absolutely nothing in terms of searching a place to meet haha this is Alvin’s area of expertise, we won’t take it away from him 😉
All of this won’t happened if we didn’t go to the same primary school in Bandung, our alma mater, Yahya!
HA! Now you get the abbreviation right, SBY (Instead of our Former President’s name, it’s Sydney Brisbane Yahya)
Here when we were 15 years old, thanks Mikha for sending me the picture from our yearly book!
But nope, here where it all start when we were just 12 years old 😀
I really do hope we are glowing throughout each year haha I wish you all the best in your life my friends. I’m so happy that we met, both back then in year 2003 and now 🙂
