Transportation in Denmark

Bicycles are EVERYWHERE

Denmark is the second Scandinavian country I've visited during my travel to Europe. Well, I only visited the Zealand though (to be exact Copenhagen and Torkilstrup). To be compared to Stockholm I've visited earlier, Copenhagen is more crowded with bicycle. No wonder, 50 % of Danes living in Copenhagen are biking to work or school. And guess what, biking Danes are so skillful with their bikes that they are trying to compete with cars or buses. #becareful

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With an integrated transportation infrastructures, Danes can easily change from one mode of transportation to others. Trains are available for 24 hours, connected to free wifi and providing bicycle carriage/car.

Bicycles are allowed to enter the designated carriage/car in the train

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Sweden's Food Waste

On the fourth day of my ended summer school, Mr. Erikkson who has been dealing with the food wastage in grocery stores research in Sweden presented his findings. Well, it is actually 'not so surprising' that Sweden's food wastage is enormous, just like other developed well-off countries. And guess what? Households waste ruled all (63% among other wastes):

Screencapped from Mr. Erikkson's presentation in GCUA Summer School 2014

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Swedes, Danes and Germans

Source: http://tinyurl.com/nju5uye

Finally, my summer school and stop overs hustle bustle have almost come to an end. Although now I'm still 'stranded' in Stockholm Arlanda, at least I have free internet connection and free time to blog #hurrah. 

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So yeah...these past 16 days, I've been traveled to three European countries. Do you want to know what is the most interesting part of traveling? Is it gaining new experience? Or embracing cultures? Or maybe the privilege of shopping for fridge magnets from the countries you've visited #grin? Errr...I would say no for these three things. For me, 'sensing native characters' is the most interesting message from traveling wisdom.

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According to my current experience, I would say Danes are amiable, helping hand and warm. Seriously, when I was in Copenhagen, I really thought I was in Yogyakarta. I felt myself like at home. Copenhagen is Denmark's capital city and I have this idea in my mind that people living in the capital city are mostly arrogant and ignorant. But Danes living in Copenhagen are completely demolished my wrong 'accusation' about metropolis people. During my four-day visit to Copenhagen and Torkilstrup, it happened a lot when I was lost or couldn't find my way to places I wanted to go. When it happened, I just randomly asked someone and ALL OF THEM (all Danes I've asked) answered my questions pleasantly...with smile...with a perfectly understandable English. Imagine you're a solo traveler, lost and confused in a strange country and someone opens his/her arms to help you**. How awesome is that?! FYI, one of the plus points of Scandinavian people is they speak English f.l.u.e.n.t.l.y.

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(Married) Solo Traveler's Story

Source: http://tinyurl.com/ldqm6oa

During my solo traveling, I realized something. I'm married and shared my life with my husband. I'm someone's wife. A wife who supposedly accompanying her husband: fixing his meals, talking-conversing-listening to him and supporting him during his hard time at lab. But instead of doing those, I've been away for almost two weeks, immersing myself in my summer school activities (slash assignments) and drowning to the excitements of my traveling plan. I'm a bad wife.

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In the midst of my summer school in Uppsala, I happened to face the fear of nowadays people: disconnectedness. I have no idea why the summer school organizers put us in the hostel which has beyond poor internet connectivity in the country which promotes to have one of the best connectivity in the world! So yeah, I then couldn't connect to the internet as I pleased, finally have zero blogging productivity and zero ability to talk to my husband via skype or hangout. And experiencing that for two weeks was bloody sucked #horrible!.

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Today, during my second day in Torkilstrup, Denmark, I called my husband (*since the guesthouse owner has a super speedy internet connection #yeay!) and we realized something. It is R.E.A.L.L.Y H.A.R.D to be apart. I couldn't help but crying for missing my husband badly, so did he. He said he regretted letting me go abroad for 18 days. He just realized 18 days are too long. Well, my dearest hubby, you might not know, but I honestly never enjoyed my solo traveling. Being a solo traveler when you actually have someone to go along with, is dreadful! Seeing many lovey-dovey couples during solo traveling made me missing you even more. I always wish you were by my side...accompanying me...talking and joking with me...and enjoying our travel together. I'm officially missing you, mas!

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Snake Fruit Goes Global: Challenges and Opportunities

Finally! This afternoon I'll be heading to Uppsala for my summer school #yeayforme #nayforhubby. Grin. I'm worried and sad leaving my husband all alone for the next 18 days, but I'm as well thrilled to attend the summer school #dilemaseorangistri. Nonetheless, the ticket is in hand, the schedule is set and the clock is ticking. Wish me luck.

This is the poster I'm going to present in the summer school

 (my husband played a HUGE role in the making of this poster #loveyou,hon :*)

Applying Visa To Scandinavian Countries in Indonesia (VFS Global)

My Schengen visa in Swedish

Earlier on Monday, I went to Kuningan City Mall to apply visa to Sweden. I know it sounds weird applying visa in the mall instead of embassy, but since June 25, 2014 the Embassy of Sweden has a new rule on its visa application submission. Actually, the embassy is still in service once a week to receive applicants (every Tuesday; 08.30-11.30), but it will take way longer (+/- 15 days) to issue a visa via embassy. However, if you go directly to the VFS Global which is located in Kuningan City Mall, you can get your visa on hand in three working days (if your documents are complete; medical travel insurance is the most important document). The faster service sure implicates in extra fees charged to the applicants #asusual XD. The Schengen visa costs IDR 1.000.000 and the service/logistic charge is IDR 326.000. As for me, because my sole purpose to visit Sweden is for study/education, I don't have to pay the Schengen visa fee #hurrah #swedenisawesome. Other European countries might have their own policies in the waivers of visa application fees. Hence, I only need to pay IDR 326.000.

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1st Anniversary: Life is (not) just a bowl of cherries

Source: http://tinyurl.com/p45qyd8

It's been a year since I married him, my husband. Yep, today marked our very first wedding anniversary. Time flies, eh?! Do you think we have our anniversary celebrated? Nope, he's now still visiting his family in TangSel, and I'm still lying in bed (while stubbornly typing #grin) due to a fever dan cold #dizzy.

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I'm not gonna say that we've always been in seventh heaven for this past 365 days. There's sad and cranky moments, but more of joyful moments have happened. We're getting understand each other, we're getting good at reading each other's moods and gestures….well, we're basically getting cling on to each other a lot. 

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Last time we have our conversation, my husband asked me this question, "How many percent do you think you've known me?". I was jokingly answered "85%". And when I asked him the same question, he answered "more than 90%" and I immediately revised my answer to "I'm 90% too", followed by his pinch on my cheek and our laughs.

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We might not be a perfect couple, but we're aiming to get closer to Allah every day. Reminding each other, supporting one another and promising to (still) be a partner after this world. Happy anniversary, my love :*! One year down…lots more to go :)

First mission: Colloquium

My colloquium ppt
(designed by my dearest hubby :))

"Alhamdulillah…all praises to Allah", it's all I can say. Another chapter has been through. Even though colloquium* doesn't sound like a deadly word, but having it experienced is surely awesome. A killer moderator lecturer, gives it a nerve-wrecking twist #grin.

Honestly, I typed and presented my research proposal in English not to impress the colloquium attendees, as almost all of them (particularly my classmates) have noticed my superb English ability #tongue. Moreover, nobody obliges the graduate students in BAU to type or present their proposals in English. The thing is, I'm pretty confident with my English ability, thus I'm almost always did my assignments or presentations (or even exams) in English. That's why making and presenting my research proposal in English is just an ordinary thing. Ergo, "excellent English and this is the best research proposal I've ever seen so far" praises by the killer moderator lecturer doesn't really surprise me; I considered the praises as a bonus for my hard work in preparing it.

I would actually thank my saddening Taiwan study experience as a series of events that moulded that very confidence of mine. I would never become like this without that experience. I would not step into so many challenging doors without that confidence. So, thank you…again :). First mission, accomplished.

*Colloquium is a presentation of one's research proposal before conducting a research. It is attended by an appointed moderator lecturer, academic/research advisors and fellow colloquium participants.

Two-semester Contemplation

Source : http://tinyurl.com/mdwykmu

This semester has finally ended. To be exact, it was dramatically ended just today with an online statistical analysis remedial exam #sweats. Frankly saying, I don't feel satisfied with my academic performance. This semester is basically quite similar with last semester. I remember that I was only performed as a typical student who topsy-turvied to survive from a red elimination zone***. 

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For your information, when you're enrolling to BAU graduate school, you'll be addressed as a "regular" or "trial" student. A "regular student" is a student who has previously graduated from the same major/department as the major/department being enrolled at BAU. This "regular student" will have two semesters to prove his/her academic performance at the enrolled department with achieving a minimum GPA of 3.00 at the end of his/her second semester. Whereas a "trial student" is the one who has graduated from the different major/department as the major/department being enrolled at BAU or a student who has graduated from the same major/department but lower standard university compared to BAU. A "trial student" only has one semester chance to prove his/her academic performance; it means that a trial student must achieve a GPA of more or equal to 3.00 in order to proceed his/her study in BAU graduate school, at the end of his/her first semester. I was being addressed as a "regular student" because I was graduated from GMU's Food and Agricultural Product Technology department which of course similar with BAU's Food Science department. Hence, this second semester is quite an emotionally stirring period for me. If my GPA (from this past two semesters) is lower than 3.00, I'll be forcibly kicked out from BAU. 

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For Better Or Worse (part 2)

It's been a long time since my last post (*let's consider 6-month blogging absence as an awfully long time for a reason so-called "gosh-i-don't-even-have-time-to-keep-up-with-an-appropriate-social-life-due-to-this-academic frenzy"). Yeah, that's a mere start. 

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As for this second part of "for better or worse" post, I would actually "share" a tiny part of my marriage life. Share also means documenting this past almost-7-month marriage journey in this blog. I believe that record and documentation are part of a good traceability system (*sok gaye yang mentang2 baru belajar food traceability XD). 

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Source : http://steadyflowblog.com/on-marriage/

So..yeah..after almost 7 months marrying this man, I would say that I still need some adjustments. Marrying Mr. Right who shares more than 80% similar interests with you, doesn't mean everything will work just perfect. Remember there is around 20% gap to be filled and adjusted (*percentage varies between couples :)). That's just normal when a husband wants his wife to meet his perfect standard, vice versa. For example, my husband is dying to make me ride my motorcycle slower-and-safely and talk/act less bitchy (judes in Bahasa Indonesia) to others when I'm in a bad mood***. The problem is, both are things that have been marked as "so me" and definitely hard to be reversed. But you know what, we call these hard to be reversed matters as "the art of marriage". In art making, difficulty and time never counted. An artist will devote his/her life to obtain his/her art-related dreams, as in a sculptor who can spend years only to make a piece of statue. So does marriage.

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