The test had so many components, and my vocabulary is like a child's. And I didn't know that my vocabulary would be tested in the "Listening and Speech" test.
SO OH WELL.
Whatever. I'll pass overall anyway. I think I did relatively okay in the rest of the tests.
With the Bahasa Indonesia tests over and done with, half of my semester here is over.
And I'm just beginning to settle in.
My internship starts next Monday.
I'm beginning to do a list of things that I might miss when I'm back home in Singapore.
1). The nasi padang place near the UGM Graduate School
The food there is very affordable, and has a homecooked flavour to it. 3 types of side dishes, 1 glass of es teh plus rice would cost around Rp 7000. Today I got 5 types of side dishes (can't resist the little little pieces of gorengan)), half a slice of papaya and a glass of es jeruk cost me Rp 9000.
Thinking about it makes me hungry again.
The male undergraduates who go to that place usually pile their plates high with rice (I've seen mountains sitting pretty on those plates before). I think the cost of the meal is calculated by the types of food and not the amount. I'm not sure. I haven't tried piling it on high yet since I don't think I could finish the types of mountains they have on their plates.
2). The wild little buses that go round and round in the city
Sorry, no picture. I'm usually too busy trying not to fall off the bus while boarding/alighting. I can't whip out my phone to take a picture. Earlier today, I took the bus from my department to Feng Yi and Shalina's area since I needed to post some postcards and to get my laundry. I was on the bus for a very long time and it cost me Rp 2500. Okay, so the seats are small (and the elbow of the guy sitting beside me was in my side the whole time), but it does get me to wherever I need to go. The time of arrival is dependent on how many stops the guy makes, and how long he stops each time. Not for the faint-hearted (the bus driver was driving against the traffic this morning!) or the impatient.
3). Mad laundry service
Laundry in Yogyakarta could be a luxury in Singapore. I drop my laundry at a laundry shop. How much I pay is dependent on the weight and the charge per kilogramme of clothes that shop charges. For example, I dropped off 3kg of laundry last Sunday at the laundry place near Shalina and Feng Yi's place and it was ready yesterday. The guy writes me a note (which he ultimately doesn't use because he knows my face and name) for Rp 7500. My clothes came back today nicely ironed, with a lily scent and in a clear plastic bag. 1 kilogramme of laundry cost Rp 2500 to launder at the shop, and customers need to drop off a minimum of 2kg. The people at the laundry shop label each piece of clothing article with the customer's name (which I have to cut off in a bit) so they know what belongs to who.
Some laundry shops along my street can charge up to Rp 4000 per kilogramme of laundry!
(Ah, current exchange rates are at Rp 6775 = S$1 or thereabouts)
Please compare this to Singapore's rates and level of service.
4). Snacks and instant noodles
I'm surprised I haven't mentioned this yet, since it's a whole culture here.
There is an entire row dedicated to instant noodles in the supermarket, as well as another row dedicated to snacks and other munchies. Forget Twisties. This here is the real deal.
And, things like Milo powder come in small sachets so people can buy small amounts at one time. It's easier to store too!
Although there are many things I like about Yogyakarta, one thing continues to puzzle me. The national post offices.
I go to 2 different branches, depending what I have to do during the day. I get charged differently for posting the same thing! For example, I posted a postcard back home for Rp 3000 at the post office near S and FY's place a few weeks back. Today, a postcard back home cost me Rp 4500. And then, I got charged Rp 4000/postcard at the post office at the university last week. When I tried to ask about it (with my inadequate language skills), they got impatient (there were lots of other people sending stuff at the office) and told me that it was the normal rate. =\
It's in the same city, kan?
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