So sorry for the absence of posting, I have been extremely busy! School quarter finals, basketball, family vacations and many other events can really get you behind! So we have a lot to catch up on(:
Recently me, and some other basketball players in my grade have been playing up with the high schoolers to help prepare us for what varsity will look like next year. I am very proud of our team. So far we are undefeated. We play Indonesian university students which helps to create more competition. I'm sooo excited to play with the girls next year!
For school, we have been having quarter finals. This means we take a test, participate in a simulation or write an essay for teachers to see we have understood what was taught to us. After all of the finals and grading have been completed our school has something that is called a SLC, which stands for Student Led Conference. The idea is for it to be kind of like a parent-teacher conference except the child is showing and explaining his/her work to their parents. I am very proud of the goals I have accomplished this first semester at JIS. The adjustment was a lot easier than I expected it was to be.
Since we just had finals that meant this past week was spring break. Many families at my school traveled to Bali, but my family decided to go a different route. We traveled to Yogyakarta (the Y is pronounced like a J). This is located around central Java and is a great area to see if you are interested in learning about Indonesia's culture and history. While I visited, I went to the Borobudur temple. That is the largest Buddhist temple in the world. Let me tell you, it is probably the most beautiful thing I have ever, and will ever see. It was estimated to be built in 824, making it over 1700 years old. It has different levels that describe the different lifestyles of the buddhists that visited it. The temple is surrounded with meaningful carvings that describe the story of Buddha. I left my hotel at 4:00 AM to watch the sunrise from the top of the temple. Gorgeous landscaping encircles Borobudur that includes the active volcano Mount Merapi. And according to my tour guide Indonesia was originally a Buddhist and Hindu nation. They converted to Islam many, many years later. I learned about numerous stories of past kingdoms and relationships with other countries when I took a tour of the Sultan's Palace. I saw Batik and silver factories and even took a few souvenirs home with me. ;) Overall my trip to Yogyakarta was incredible and I will definitely be going back sometime soon.
Visit my Instagram for pictures of Yogyakarta- @kmalmquist or http://instagram.com/kmalmquist
Many other things have kept me busy like trying to fill my house with furniture (we are getting there) and I even went to a Demi Lovato concert with some friends. No matter how busy I am, I never can get Holy Cross out of my mind and how much I have come to love and miss the people that surrounded and supported me there. Applying for courses in high school, moving, and hearing where my HC classmates have chosen to attend high school has made me come to terms with the fact that eighth grade will not last forever and we have BIG changes ahead of us, good and bad. We will all be choosing new paths this fall. I will never forget and will never stop being grateful for the life I have and the people I have met, and I hope that everyone thinks this. I don't meant to be cheesy and annoying, but we do only live once, so make the most of it.
Have a great Easter everyone! XOXO
- Kaylin
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