I spent the first 16 years of my life in Gresik, a small industrial town in the north of Surabaya, East Java. Then for the next 5 years I continued my study in Surabaya. I'm currently exploring the wonder of visual communication design while working on some projects a little here and there. Mostly I'm in Surabaya and coming back to Gresik every one or two weeks on weekend.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

The more I interact with people that speak the language I'm currently practicing (eq: English), the more my confidence to keep learning and improving grows. People with different background and culture also give me insight into things in life that I might not encounter or experience yet. Such as:

I once met a master student from Netherlands who is allergic to milk, egg, and can't eat meat because she is vegan. It makes me realize that there are many people out there who can't consume food as freely as I can and I realize how fortunate I am (and many Indonesian people) because I don't need to worry about allergy effect whenever I eat.

Then there's this friend from Portugal who is a graduate studying Pharmacy. When I asked him about his university because I consider applying for a master degree there, he provided me with so much information about how life is in Lisbon and kept pointing out why his university is the best choice for studying (although, turned out, the major I aimed wasn't available in his university yet).

I met both of them through one of AIESEC Surabaya programs named 'Earth Heroes Project' when I acted as local volunteer. We did socialization from school to school and direct action to small villages about how to preserve the environment in Surabaya. There are still so many stories I'm excited to share like about the projects and my other experiences in travelling, reading, writing, etc. I also like to show off the place around the city I live in, pointing out unique points or hidden stories behind the place, especially about the local myths. Who loves a good (albeit horror) story? Old cities usually have their own interesting urban legend ;)

P.S: I'm often in my hometown, Gresik, on weekend if anyone wants some pointer to go to Bawean island. Haven't heard of the island? Do try googling it! It's this little paradise in the north of East Java :)

P.P.S: I will likely verify my profile when I have earned 'more than enough' money by myself! :P

Interests

• photography
• stamps
• sightseeing
• travel
• adventure
• exploring
• creative writing
• postcard
• visual art

Music, Movies, and Books

Music? I love the original and other language versions of 'A Whole New World - Aladdin & Jasmine'

Movies? Haven't binge-watched some movies in a while..

Books? Almost anything written by Ilona Andrews, Ceci Giltenan, T.A. White, Patricia Briggs, Jeaniene Frost, Kresley Cole, and many urban fantasy/time-travel romance authors.; Bumi series by Tere Liye, and too many to mention. (Lately I fell in love with many Chinese webnovel series that focused on themes such as transmigration, revenge, power struggle, ancient era, etc.)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

The recent one is... I attended my first international conference last July 2017 and somehow I got the third best presenter award for one of my papers. The journey to achieve that was really one my turning points to be more confident.

Teach, Learn, Share

Persevere... and reflect! :)

What I Can Share with Hosts

Insights about situation and places in the local area, with some recommendations and tips.

In addition, my current university occupies a very big area in one place. If you are interested for a tour or an exploration to the campus's libraries and canteens (yes, our canteens serve many different kind of local foods and drinks with student-friendly prices; each department has their own canteen and we also have this main canteen in the center of the university), then I'm your girl.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, China, Germany, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Singapore, Thailand, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Indonesia, Scotland