And so it goes..(6/21/11)

Last day in Cikarang…and I knew we had to made it count! I had heard about this place at the country club complex called the “Outbound” that had a high ropes course, rock wall climbing, and a zip line named the “flying fox”. How could I NOT want to do that?! That’s awesome! Luckily, I was able to talk most of the rest of the group into joining me on this adventure and we spent a good portion of our day there. We started off with a delicious breakfast at the golf course (I just order pineapple since I had eaten before in my room…plus, I’m becoming a minimalist. I can sense it).

As we finished eating, I was getting antsy and ventured out to find this place we were to go to. It was spectacular! I was PUMPED to climb that ladder and zip line across the rice fields. Apparently, we had to go through the Tarzan-line ropes course to even GET to the start of the zip line; something I was up and ready to do..but had a to do a little convincing to get my colleagues on board.

There are some great shots that you could find on facebook, but needless to say, it was exhilarating! I had a lot of pent up frustration from the past week. I felt like we had wasted a lot of time sitting around and not “doing anything” so when it was my turn, I ran up the ladder, across the ropes course and flew down the field TWICE in the same time it took everyone to go through once. I didn’t want to let another opportunity pass me by and I’m glad I had this experience. After that adrenaline rush, Bettina and I jumped in the Country Club pool and had a little swimming and sun bathing time. Most everyone was in class so we had the place to ourselves and didn’t worry about looking like fools as we canon-balled into the deep end…repeatedly…like, for an hour.

When we were all tuckered out we returned to our dorms and grabbed some lunch at our favorite restaurant. We’ve ordered the exact same meal since day one “Nasi Goreng Ayam Spesial” and have had the same waiter this whole time. In our last week here, we could walk into “Happy Nice” and he’d just fill out our order for us…quick learner. We really enjoy that place and atmosphere and I know that I’ll miss it. After our relaxing morning, we went back to our rooms to clean up, pack, “get our daily dose of internet J” and get ready to make our departure back to the states. Saying goodbye to our helpers Mr. Long and Mr. John was a little hard for me. I’m becoming so sentimental these days! Geez! Mr. John was SO hilarious this whole time; he was definitely our comic relief. No matter what we were struggling with, all you had to do was talk to Mr. John for a while and he’d make you bust a gut! And Mr. Long (a former Air Force colonel) was our problem solver and substitute father figure during our two weeks here. If you had any problems, you went to Mr. Long. He was a joy to have around and we were so lucky to have those two guys taking care of us. I even hugged our driver, Mindun! He didn’t speak a word of English but just smiled and laughed as we greeted him each morning. I really think I’m going to miss this environment.

Now, we’re just sitting in the Korean airport waiting for our flight to take us home.

As I listen to the grown men snore and babies cry, it hits me that these are my last minutes abroad. Once we get back to Des Moines we’ll all go back to our regular lives and may only see each other if we plan a reunion. I’ve bonded with all the members of this group and it’s weird to think that we could be so easily separated. I have loved and embraced this trip for all that it is. Even though I’ve had my share of complaints, I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Sign me up. I’ve learned so much about myself through this process and I pray to God that this isn’t my last time abroad. I’ve been bitten by the travel bug, and may have to make this a habit!