The Departure and The Journey

The Departure.

I only had 3 days to prepare everything after I finished all KKN reports and stuffs. I had not printed any important documents, packed anything, even thought of anything to bring. I really thanked my mom who was there to help me prepare all the things faster. Although we also argued about what to bring and not, the rice cooker for example, I could finally pack my stuffs, both the loads and the lefts.

On those 3 days, I queried myself why I didn’t feel nervous nor excited. I just felt so-so, like everything was just going as it supposed to be. I only worried I could forget to print documents need for the enrollment. I even forgot my bad English speaking. But when I saw my mom, I had another query, “is she proud of me?”. It’s been a habit in my family that we never showed our love in words. We might look ignorant but we actually cared. So the real question is, how did they feel about my departure?

4^th September 2015. It was the D day. I made sure my luggage was not overweight. Well, it was 29.1 kg equals two third of my weight :v I only had one big luggage, one backpack filled with important things, and a tiny bag filled with the more important things. After saying goodbye to Eyang and my room and a visitation from Yusra, my mom and I left to the Airport. I couldn’t say how happy I was having other visitation form my friends. I had not met them for months and they probably will have been graduated when I come back, so it was really nice seeing them coming for me. Maya, Nana, Farah, Rifqi, Bang Fauzi, Rian, Denis, Tepen, thanks for the arrival. Fitri, thanks for the call. Septi, Firly, Luna, Lia, and others that I couldn’t mention one by one, thanks a lot for your pray! (ini latihan bikin kata pengantar buat skripsi ^^).

with Yusra

with Maya and Nana

with Maya, Farah, and Nana

with Maya, Farah, Nana, Rian, and Rifqi (Maya is very good at taking selfie, huh?)

with Tepen, Rian, Denis, Maya, Farah, Nana, and Rifqi. Thanks for coming :)
(I forgot to take picture with Bang Fauzi)

The Journey.

I could say that the journey began when I hugged my mom for the last time. No, I didn’t let my tears dropped (sadly, the picture of me and her was on her phone). I entered the international departure at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport with challenged energy and a bit nervous (finally). However, it was my first alone abroad experience. I was a bit astonished knowing I flew on a two corridors plane (biarlah, saya memang norak). My trip would be Jakarta-Dubai-Milan-Trento. I flew with Emirates which were already fulfilled by foreigners. The plus points of this flight was because they served halal food and it was usual seeing the stewards do their praying on plane (actually I have no idea about the other airplane companies) and also they had TV for each passenger hehehe (biarlah, saya memang norak (2)). 

In summary, it was 8 hours of flight + 4 hours of waiting for connecting flight + 6 hours of flight = 18 hours of time I could bear to finally arrived safely in Milan. If I counted my flight from Yogyakarta, it should have been 24 hours of journey. Allora, Benvenuto in Italia! I finally could step on the real ‘Milan’, not just that ‘MIpa seLAtaN’ :))

Dubai Airport condition while waiting for the next flight

From Malpensa International Airport

But, the real journey had just begun. I had to find a way to go to Trento. What I knew that I should take a shuttle bus to Milano Centrale, a Railway Station, then I took the train to Trento there. I thought the shuttle bus was kind of Damri in Indonesia, and everyone would use it so I could just follow where people went. But I got it wrong. Malpensa was a very big airport and it had many other alternatives transportations. I misunderstood the ‘bus terminal’ sign as the shuttle bus stop. As I followed the direction I went to wrong bus stop which were bus that went to the other terminal of the airport. So, I had to go back to the arrival door. I couldn’t find an information desk or someone I could ask so I really had to understand my situation that time. I was a bit confused since there were also bus or train ticket sale on the airport. I gambled whether to buy there or not but I finally decide to reread the direction again. Then I could find the way out of airport and the shuttle bus was waiting outside.

The cost from Malpensa to Milano Centrale was 8 euros and it’s the same as the cost of bus that offered the ticket in the airport. I should have just asked them and bought the ticket then :’) oh, my precious time… Anyway, the journey took about an hour, which I hadn’t expected before. Then I realized it was very close to the departure of the train to Trento! I didn’t enjoyed the Milan’s view since I glanced at my watch thousand times hoping the bus could run faster than the time expected by the Google Maps. As the bus stopped about 30 meters from the main gate, it was not more than 10 minutes before the departure. I took my luggage and pushed it while running for the train to the gate.

Then, I got confused whether I should change my printed ticket with the real one or not (as we did in Indonesia). And again, there was no place to ask. Since it was so close to the departure time, I immediately looked for the place I could get into the train. I almost forgot that it was a Centrale, a central station! I wouldn’t find the train right after the main gate. Then I saw the direction was aiming upstairs! But no, it’s impossible for me to take that so big luggage through stairs, not in that rush time. So I ran to the back of stair and found the escalator! hooray! And thank God the departure platforms were just right in front of the escalator. But the other problem came, which was….I didn’t know where the train I should get into……There were about, probably, ten trains or more there (I couldn’t remember, I was in panic) And thank you for the Signore who didn’t speak English for finding the correct train for me. Then I ran again (still pushing my luggage) to the right car, and finally the whistle was blown, a sign that the train should be departed at the moment. So I just took my luggage into the closest door to me. Then the train left Centrale and I had to move to the correct car and find my seat. I could finally relaxed my body as I found seat number 15A on car 4. 1,5 hours of relaxing time that should be used wisely.

End of my ignorance, now my energy came to be the problem. My train (frecciabianca) was heading to Venice. So I had to stop at Verona Station and change the train to Trentino regional (frecciargento). I didn’t know why I couldn’t bear my luggage out of the train and thanks to someone that helped me lifted it. Then, I found out that I had to move to another platform through the underground way. Since there was no elevator nor escalator (or may be I didn’t see it), I took the stairs down and moved my luggage stair by stair. It had been only 5 stairs when an Italian man came up helping me carried my luggage to the underground. I didn’t know how to refuse his help since he only knew Italian. I just couldn’t stop saying “Grazie” and told him that it was OK to let me carry it upstairs. He was about to go when seeing my struggle in lifting the luggage, then he helped me again carried my luggage upstairs :’) Well, another good impression of Italian people.

Verona Station

View from frecciargention. You could only see mountains along the journey.

I was out of energy. In the train heading to Trento, I wondered my bedroom so much. It was important to know Indonesian people who lived in your destination. I didn’t feel worry about how to get to my housing since a friend of mine, Bang Taufik, had offered a help to pick me up at the Trento Station. We had to take a bus to the student residence (San Bartolameo). It was a fortune that there was a person to carry my luggage since I might not be able to carry it any longer through the rising way from the bus stop to the housing. And he also helped me explained the facility of the housing. Actually, someone from the housing should do it for me but since it was weekend there was no one could help me. And at last, he gave me some rice for dinner since he knew I didn’t have it (actually I told him that I had no food to eat for dinner haha). Anyway, thanks for the help, Bang!

After making my bed and cleaning myself, I enjoyed the rest and my jet-lag time. Finally, I enjoyed my first sleep in Italy ^^