How I Missed My Jogjakarta Trip

Sadly, I had to pass my opportunity going to Jogjakarta with my friends last Saturday. Listening to their stories, they seemed to have a lot of fun there. I admitted that I regretted not joining them in the trip. Now, I would like to tell you about what I did on Saturday, so that I could not join all of my classmates in their trip to Jogjakarta.

I have learned to play piano since I was a child. I spent my childhood living in Banyuwangi, and 5 years ago, I moved to Malang. When I moved to Malang, I directly searched for a piano teacher. Then I met her, Erna. She was a lot older than me, and she was a very kind teacher. She was a very patient teacher, and she gave me piano lesson until now. Last Saturday was her wedding, and she asked me to play piano there. This was a very difficult decision for me to make, whether I join the study tour to Jogjakarta or attend the wedding. Day by day, I though hard about the matter. After having had discussion with my parents, I finally decided to attend the wedding, because it’s the last time I can spend my time together with my piano teacher. Next month, she would move and live together with her husband in Sumba. I’ve known her so well I nearly considered her as my own sister.

I practiced hard for the piano performance. I was asked to play a song titled The Maiden’s Prayer. The week before the wedding, I went to Erna’s house to have a piano lesson, and then suddenly she asked me whether I could be her bridesmaid. Finally, I agreed to be her bridesmaid on the wedding day.

On Friday, I watched all of my friends preparing themselves for the study tour. They looked very excited about going to Jogjakarta. Deep inside my heart, I regretted my decision very much because I was going to lose this wonderful moment with my friends. But after all, that’s the decision that I took, and I had to take all the consequences.

In the early moning on Saturday, I was picked up by my teacher at 5.00 a.m. in the morning. Then we went to the salon and had our make up. The salon was very full, and I was so shocked to find out that there were 5 couples who were married on that day. We had to queue for a quite long time until it came to our turn. Finally, we had our make up on, and it’s the time to wear our dresses. Then I saw my teacher with all her make up and her wedding gown on. She looked very beautiful that day, and that time, I realized that I made the correct decision. If I had missed this wedding, I would not been able to look at my best friend on her one and only wedding ceremony, an event which is very important to her. I was very grateful that I was able to attend her wedding.

Then the busy day began. We went to the Tugu hotel and took pictures there. The hotel was awesome, and it has very unique places inside it, consisting of old pictures and statues. It’s quite creepy though. But anyway, we passed the photo-taking session well, and we’re all very happy.

Next, we went to the church for the wedding ceremony. This time, I was very nervous. The event organizer crew asked me to walk on the aisle by myself, and then followed by the bride and her father. I was so shocked and nervous knowing that I have to walk by myself in front of everyone in the church. Everyone in the church looked at me, and I was very nervous. The party numbed

my feet, and I felt that I couldn’t walk properly. However, everything ran smoothly, and I had my part done. Finally, the ceremony began, and everyone listened to the priest attentively. When it came to the part when the bride and groom had to say their vows, th bride suddenly cried and everyone in the church was carried away. I almost shed my tears when the event organizer crew asked me to give tissue to the bride. The ceremony went very well and finally, the couple were officially married.

After the ceremony in the church, we went to the salon again, to re-do our make up. Again, the salon was so full and we had to wait long before our turn came. We spend our time chatting, and I was very happy because the groom was very funny. He speaks in Sumba accent, and it was very unfamiliar to my ears. So, I enjoyed a lot chatting with them.

At 5 p.m. we went to the New Hongkong Restaurant, the place where the wedding celebration took place. We hid in a place while waiting for the guests to come. After about 2 hours of waiting, we were finally allowed to enter the building. The building was decorated very beautifully. Balloons were everywhere, and pink ribbon were attached all over the building. Everyone looked at us and I tried to give my best smile. Many people said both the bride and I looked very beautiful at that time. The celebrations ran well, with so many people singing and dancing. There was this little girl, who performed a ballet dance very beautifully. Some of my teachers’ students also showed their talents by playing the piano and violins. There were so many delicious dishes available on the table, but unfortunately my gown was so tight I didn’t dare to eat too much. Haha. So I ended up eating only a little that night. Then the time came, when I had to give my piano performance. I was very nervous, but finally I did it. Everone clapped at me, and I was very proud. My teacher smiled at me and I felt very happy for being able to make her happy and proud in her wedding day. Then the celebration went on. Everyone enjoyed the party so much. They sang together, they enjoyed the food, they danced together, and everyone was very happy. The party was closed by the bride and the groom, singing a song together. The song was in Latin. The bride played the piano, and both of them sang very beautifully. Then suddenly a singer went up to the stage and continued to sang the song. The couple then went to the center of the stage, hand-in-hand, and then they danced in the center of the stage. Finally, when the song ended, both of them kissed each other, and it was the moment that I won’t ever forget. The scene was so beautiful I nearly shed my tears once again. Finally, we took pictures together and we were all very exhausted yet happy.

Yes, I missed my trip to Jogjakarta with all of my friends, but I was happy for the decision that I took. I was very happy and grateful that I was able to witness the most important event in my teacher’s life. I felt very fortunate that I was able to take part in the event. On the other hand, I promised myself, that whatever happens, I should join the study tour next year. I hope that we are going to Bali on our next study tour. Yipee.

My New Year Holiday

Most people in this world spend their New Year holiday together with their family, relatives, or friends. They usually have a party, watch fireworks, and eat delicious dishes. In my last New Year holiday, I went to China together with my family. We went to so many places in China. We visited several famous cities in China such as QuangZhou, ShenZhen, Macau, and Hongkong. We spent for about 5 days in China.

The first day of our trip, December 28th, we arrived at BaiYun International Airport, QuangZhou. After putting our bags in the bus, we visited a famous statue, the Kuan Im Goddess statue. In the afternoon, we visited a very beautiful building, the GuangDong Olympic Sports Center. After that, we had lunch in a famous restaurant and ate delicious Chinese dishes. Then we checked in a hotel and took a nap for a while. In the evening, we watched a very beautiful parade and dance performance. The next day, we went to ShenZhen by bus. We directly went to the Window of The World. There, we could find the miniatures of famous places in the world, such as Eiffel Tower, Pisa Tower, the Pyramids, etc. We spent some time there taking photos and buying souvenirs. Next, we went to a seafood restaurant nearby and ate very delicious seafood dishes. After having lunch, we went to the hotel and took a nap. In the evening, we went to the Meridian Park, and we watched another very beautiful traditional dance show.

At the third day, we went to Macau. Macau was famous for its big casinos and beautiful modern hotels. After we arrived in Macau, we went to the Lisboa casino and took a look. We did not enter the casino because the entrance fee was quite high. My sister was not allowed to go into the casino because she did not meet the minimum age requirement there, which is 17 years old. Next, we went to the famous Wynn casino, which was very big and beautiful. It is very popular with its dancing fountain. We watched the dancing fountain and took photos. At last, we went to the luxurious Crown hotel and spent some time there. The hotel was very nice and big. The tour guide explained that the cost of staying in that hotel was very high. After spending a night in Macau, we moved to Hongkong and spent 2 days there. At the first day, we went to the Disneyland and were given a free time there. In Disneyland, we played, watched parades and firework show, bought souvenirs and took photos with Disney characters. After some time, the tour guide called all of us and it was time for us to go back to the hotel. Our free time in Disneyland was too short. We were not satisfied because we couldn’t enjoy all the rides and attractions. After taking a nap in the hotel, we were dropped in a shopping district and given a free time for shopping. The shopping district was very big, and we bought a lot of things. That day was the 31^st of December and the street was very full of people who wanted to celebrate the New Year and to watch fireworks on the street. All the restaurants were very crowded so we bought meatballs, bread, and coffee, and we went back to the hotel. We spent the last minutes of the year in the hotel, eating meatballs together with my family and we prayed together, thanking God for all His blessings for the whole year. The next day, we packed our things because that was our last day in China. We went to the Victoria Peak and visited the Madam Tussaud’s Wax Museum. After taking dinner, we went to the Hongkong International Airport, and had a 7-hours flight back to Indonesia.

Finally, we reached Indonesia on the 2^nd of January and we felt very happy, yet exhausted. We had bought so many things and the bags were very heavy. We bought so many souvenirs for our friends and relatives. We were so grateful that we had a very nice voyage in China and that we have a safe trip back to Indonesia. We are looking forward to our next trip together.

My Sister

I have a sister named Alicia, who is 14 years old this year. She has a unique appearance and personality. My family, her friends, and I love her very much. In this essay, I would like to tell you about my beloved sister.

My sister is very tall. Eventhough she is only 3 years younger, she is far taller than me. She is even a lot heavier than me. She has a dark – coloured skin, different from my other family members except my mother. She is short-haired with chubby cheeks . She smells like a baby, a familiar aroma of which she got when she was still a child. She has a deep voice like a boy. She loves sports very much. She plays soccer and basketball in her school. Not only does she like to exercise, but she also enjoys both cooking and eating. She eats a lot, and in fact she is also a good cook. Many of her friends like to come to my house to taste her delicious cooking.

My sister has a unique personality. She is a strong-willed person. She sticks to her her principles. She will defend her opinion if others find it disagree with her. She is a person who is subject to challenges. She loves challenges. The more difficult the problems she has the more interesting they will be for her to solve. She also positively thinks about matters. For example, if she got a bad mark on her test, she would not regard it her failure. In response to the bad mark, she will study harder. She also values friendship a lot. She would not like to set off problems with her friends.

My sister has so many friends and everybody likes her. My sister is a very unique person and I am proud of being her elder sister.