True Traveler

Janet and John Anderson are among the people giving most contributions to my English. We firstly met ten years ago (Feb 1996) on a ferry boat when I was on the way home from a school vacation in Bali. Talking to them was an unforgettable experience since they were the first foreigners to whom I talked to in English. They were a couple who just got married for two years and were on their around the world travel.

For improving my English,I asked whether we could be pen-pals. Since they were traveling, they recommended me to correspondent with their parents living in Michigan. Firstly through snail-mail which was about 1500 rupiahs to send a letter from Indonesia to the USA. However, after the monetary crisis in 1998, the cost was ten times higher and it was not affordable by me. So, they recommended me to write via email. And since then I started exploring the Internet, which has become one of my interests now.



They are unique people to me because they prefer not to settle at certain place. They keep traveling from time to time, city to city, country to country. During the ten years of our meeting, as I can remember, they were only settle in certain place for awhile and travel again, and again.

Beach (phobia)

I could not swim. Therefore, when I was above the water, e.g. on a bridge or on a ferry boat, I used to wonder how deep the river was and what if I fell into. But one day when I went to Kuta beach, Bali years ago,I found that water was not as scary as I thought. I found it was very amusing to be in the water, even though I could not swim. Some years later when I went to Parangtritis beach, Jogjakarta, I felt the same way. I spent almost three hours in the water and did not stop until sunset. So fun!



But after the tsunami happened last Monday (July 17, 2006), I doubt whether in the near future I still can play in the beach without worrying about being "attacked" by the water. I know disaster does not happen everyday. I do aware that my life or death does not belong to the water. But my old fear about water has come back due to the tsunami. Maybe for the near future, being in the water would not be my preference.

Thanks Anali !

Aha! It is a surprise to get a comment for this blog, especially because it comes from a mile-away blogger, Anali, a lawyer living in Massachusetts (It's always hard to spell this state without looking at searching engine). Last month, when I started blogging I just wanted to have a medium for expressing my ideas. I've learned that by writing I can feel more open-minded and more expressive. And whenever I have problems, writing can always relieve my burden. I never thought that by blogging I can interact with new persons whom I never knew before, like Anali and several others giving comment to my other blog (in Bahasa Indonesia).

It surely motivates me to keep writing, especially in English. At home, I used to write my diary in English since it was safer and less accessible by everyone at home. But now, in this blog I love writing in English because it's more accessible.

Thanks to Anali for dropping in here and for motivating me through your comment.

July 19, 2006/12.40 PM

AFTER SO LONG

It's been awhile for me not to write nor speak in English. As I can remember, the last time I used it was for a job interview resulting in failure a month ago (because of my poor speaking or the absence of experience, I don't know).

To me personally, I hope this blog can be a space for sharing knowledge and experience about English by which my English (and perhaps yours) can get better.

Please feel free to comment, correct and contribute to this space.

Regards