So long, farewell to PST...

Well, there goes 10 weeks. 10 weeks filled with mostly sweat, tears (happy and sad), and endless laughter. I have made life long friends both American and Indonesian and learned more about myself than I could have ever imagined. I was challenged far more than I anticipated and yet, I was able to overcome these challenges (mostly) successfully. With PST being over, I am not sure whether 10 weeks feels like a long time, a short time or both. That being said, I am extremely excited to finally be at site, but will miss my fellow ID-12s dearly. Below is a recap of some moments during PST that I feel define my first 2.5 months here in Indonesia. But first, what is PST...

PST---Pre Service Training:

Important note: Peace Corps loves acronyms and just about every session or department or training has an acronym. At first it is insanely confusing, but once I got the hang of it, it helps me remember. To add, I think PST would have been at least a week longer had we not used so many acronyms.

PST is something that I had heard about from returned PCVs (Peace Corps Volunteers). They described PST as tiring, or overwhelming. I am here to both confirm that this is indeed true and also to say it was much more. Think 10 weeks of 7-5 days filled with 148 hours of Bahasa Indonesia classes and 48 hours of secondary language. After language classes we travelled with other villages to participate in sessions on topics such as safety and security, TEFL (teaching English as a Foreign Language, Indonesian schools and culture, and more. Our language skills were evaluated in week 7 and out teaching abilities in week 10. I started to dream in Indonesian around week 6.

All in all, PST was about the people and the relationships. I have only known my fellow volunteers since September 30, yet we have been through so much together. I owe many of my successes to my new friends. As we learned more and more about Indonesian culture and our new lives, the volunteers are the ones I turned to in order to discuss everything new, awkward, and sometimes uncomfortable. We laughed, and cried and talked about who we missed and what food we craved from back home. Most importantly, we kept each other motivated. Each day, each one of us, through our struggles and triumphs, continued to support one another. That is something I will be forever grateful for. So much love for my ID-12s. Although my primary project during service is to teach, I truly feel that I am learning even more. I am grateful to have this chance to open my mind and heart and expand my comfort levels. Stay tuned!

side note.....my Host Family:

My PST host family..Ibu Rosita, Bapak Budiarto and my sister Tasya

To conclude my first post, I want to say a little something about my PST host family. I arrived in Indonesia bright eyed and bushy tailed. Not knowing what exactly to expect and not really understanding just how much my life was about to change. PST was difficult and strenuous on both my physical and mental states, but this family welcomed me into their home with open arms. My Ibu and Bapak speak no English and so our first communications involved many gestures and pointing. Although there were language barriers with my Ibu and Bapak, I have never laughed so hard nor have I watched as many soap operas as I did with them. These are ways that we communicated. My sister Tasya, pictured above, served as not only my translator but my closest friend during PST. She is a senior in high school and her English is incredible. As I continued to learn Bahasa Indonesia, Tasya helped me communicate everything that I couldn't. We chatted about anything and everything. From the most handsome celebrities, and the latest Ariana Grande song to English grammar and Indonesian history. Leaving my family in Kediri was tough, many tears from both myself and my Ibu, but I know I will visit in a few months when I return for an English competition. I am thankful to have met such wonderful people who ensured I was always clean, full, and loved.