By lunchtime, I started remembering some of their names and became closer to the high school kids rather than the middle schoolers. We ate another delicious meal that included telur balado (a spicy egg dish) and mixed vegetables like carrots, broccoli, and some sausage, along with watermelon to refresh us in the hot, dry weather of Ngabang.

The afternoon was dedicated to preparing activities for the upcoming days. I worked on PowerPoint presentations and helped prepare gifts for the next day, which included new pencils and Yupi heart-shaped gummies.

Later that night, we had a bonding session in one of the classrooms. It was a lot of fun, with the room filled with laughter and shared stories. In addition to sharing, we did some TikTok dances and sang along to popular songs.

Afterward, we introduced ourselves to the kids since they hadn't been there during the welcoming night. For your information, there are no dorms for the elementary students. They attend school during the day and go home in the afternoon. You could feel the excitement in the air through their screams, chants, and claps. After the introductions, we were divided into groups based on the students' classes and began the sessions. In total, there were four sessions.

My room was decent. It had air conditioning and comfortable beds, and I shared it with three other roommates. The boys, on the other hand, had a very different setup. They had no air conditioning and all 21 of them slept together in one big room. I unpacked all my things and took a shower, which was freezing cold since there was no heater. Despite that, it was refreshing and made me feel alive. Dinner was simple, we had fried eggs and some veggies. After dinner, there was going to be an event hosted by Sekolah Kristen Makedonia.

The meal was scrumptiously delicious. For an airplane meal, it was the best I’ve ever had. The main dish was rice, sliced beef, and some tasty beans. There was a cruffle, which is a crispy and crunchy waffle covered in chocolate that made my tummy jump for joy. There was also a pack of mixed nuts, but due to my acne, I wasn’t allowed to devour them like the rest of the meal. For drinks, I asked for warm tea and some water. Still listening to One Direction, I fell asleep again. The next time I woke up, we were on another island, with beautiful skies and clouds visible. Unlike Tangerang, where the skies are filled with pollution and dirty air.

When it was my turn, I introduced myself as Ele. The crowd was super energetic, and I loved how they had a cheer (yel-yel) every time someone said good morning, good afternoon, or good night. Since it was nighttime, they cheered, "Malam-malam-malam, Makedonia yes!" Everyone took their turn introducing themselves, and the event continued.

We traveled by a medium-sized bus to Ngabang. We should’ve gotten a bigger bus because our luggage didn’t fit in the storage compartment below. Initially, I sat at the front of the bus, but I was later moved to the very back by the documentation team. I’m still annoyed by that because I chose the front due to my injured leg and the extra space I needed. I guess that’s just one of the perks they get for documenting the whole trip. I ended up sitting between a good friend of mine, Habel, and Ryu on my left. I had never properly introduced myself to Ryu before, so this was our first time meeting and talking. He was chill and very nice—he even dozed off on my shoulder a couple of times, but so did Habel. On Habel’s right was a senior student named Brandon, who is part of the student council. I talked to him almost the entire bus ride. He’s very friendly and fun to interact with. We didn’t just talk but also sang along to the music playing on the bus. To Ryu’s left was Leon, another senior student. This bus ride was the first time I spoke to all three of them. They were great seatmates, which made me feel better about being moved to the back seat.

The bus ride took around 5-6 hours, with breaks in between. For lunch, we ate the best "nasi campur babi," and I devoured it quickly. The portion was huge, but it was too delicious not to finish. After lunch, we went shopping for necessities at a mini-market. I bought coffee, wet wipes, tissues, and a 1.5-liter bottle of mineral water. Some of my friends bought extra clothes and bags from a store next door. Soon after, we continued our journey to Ngabang.

It was a one-hour session, but it barely felt like half an hour. The kids were such a joy and recharged my energy after the exhausting preparation the day before. I was so glad to listen to their stories, help them, and share a bit about life back in Jakarta.