Welcome home, Afifa! ようこそ！

Hello all!　こんにちわ！

This is my first post since i arrived at Indonesia 🙂 So, finally i have finished my one year exchange program, Young Scientist Exchange Program of Tokyo Institute of Technology and i have to come back to my hometown, to finish my bachelor degree.

I have finished my sotsuron (research project) for this stage and i had already present it in YSEP completion ceremony (which i will talk later in another post) 😀 All my things on Japan went well, my family went to Japan to picked me up + having holiday (which i will also talk later in another post) and we went home at the day of Idul Fitri (Moslem Celebration) two days after my completion ceremony.

It’s nice to come back again to my home but somehow i’m also missing my life in Japan, especially the part about public transportation. Back in Bandung, I am back to my dependency to my driver thus making it a bit hard for me to go anywhere i want. There is no Denentoshi Line, no Tokyo Metro, no JR Line, this is not Tokyo where I can just easily go wherever whenever i want~

However i am very happy now that i can eat my favorite food, i don’t have to do house chores everyday (yeay) and of course,being with my family and friends. Well I guess Bandung and Tokyo both has its own charm and i really love them both! 🙂

 

Once I got back to Indonesia, I directly went to my hometown, Surabaya for vacation. However I think it was a very special vacation. I spent time with my uncle, an acknowledged pianist in Surabaya, regaining my memory back about jamming and performing, especially about jazz and blues improvisation. I had one performance at Center Stage Cafe Surabaya 😀

jamming, regaining my lost music sense 😀 photo by Mas Ken Nugraha

I spent fun and crazy time with my cousins and their children, and all that i can say their funny attitude has not changed at all even now when they already have children. I had a photoshoot with my cousin, Ken Nugraha, a photographer at Taman Remaja Surabaya (TRS).  You can see most of his works here, his photograph is stunning! 🙂

meet Rasya, energetic, super smart, and handsome toddler, my 3 y/o nephew 🙂

violin photoshoot 🙂

 

I also visited 2 museum around Surabaya, which were really good. One is Mpu Tantular Museum (Mpu Tantular is one of the most famous poet in Javanese Old Literature from Majapahit Kingdom in 14th Century) and one is W.R Supratman Memorial House (W.R. Supratman is a violinist, the composer of Indonesian national anthem, Indonesia Raya)

playing violin with W.R. Supratman 😀

in front of W.R. Supratman Memorial House

Mpu Tantular Museum

W.R. Supratman Memorial House

Back in Bandung, after one week holiday on my hometown, Surabaya, I am trying to come back to my daily routine. I am preparing my last semester (hopefully) in my home university. If everything went well i can do my final presentation this semester based on my research result in Japan and graduate on April. Beside that I’m quite busy tidying up my room to be livable. Cleaning up and putting things out from my giant suitcases back to my room. But i really love my room right now it’s painted soft pink, and now it has a window alcove, overlooking my home’s front yard.

 

I am applying for Japanese course again, finally i am not in an elementary level) anymore I am moving to intermediate level! 😀 But i think i still have to review a lot about the last half on Minna no Nihongo II (which i scribbled frantically just before JLPT N4 Test).  I also had start my violin lesson, preparing for my ABRSM Grade V Music Theory Test, and even thinking to re-take classical piano and vocal course! 😀

I started doing performances and music project again I had performance with my music school, Ammy Alternative String at Full Moon Cafe, as a tribute to Wawan Juanda (an art and creative public figure in Bandung) with so many other musicians and artists such as 4 Peniti, Samba Sunda, Sisca Guzheng, RMHR, Tataloe, etc.

 

Ammy Alternative String, photo courtesy of Om Mukti of Mukti Mukti

よかった！

 

I will perform in a wedding this weekend, making jingle for my friend’s bread shop, and probably making soundcloud with my little brother. Well, I know pretty well that I will not be able to do some of my previous music activities. But I think the most important thing is to still be able to play, learn, and create music with honesty and sincere heart 🙂

Well, i think it’s enough for the update for now. For my beloved YSEP friends, I hope that we all have a smooth start for our new day back home! I will write later of my YSEP completion ceremony and my summer holiday! またね！

 

With Love,

 

Afifa Ayu Koesoema