Expand the Sound of Angklung 2008 Part II

Hellooooo.. kembali lagi saya akan bercerita kisah perjalanan tim ESA KPA 3 2008..

setelah kemarin sampai pada kisah beberapa hari di Yunani, mari sekarang kita bahas kisah-kisah yang terjadi selama di Italia.. mafioso bonjorno italiano kopeto pedito. hehehhe..

19 Juli 2008

Setelah penerbangan selama kurang lebih 1 jam dari Athens, kami sampai di Roma pada siang menuju sore hari. Sampai di Roma kami dijemput oleh bapak-bapak Diplomat dari KBRI Roma, salah satunya adalah Bapak Pramudya Sulaksono, atau akrab dipanggil Pak Sonny.. Kesan pertama kali ketika kami datang di bandara Roma ini,, hmmmm... kotor dan kumuh. sedikit kecewa bahwa ternyata di negara Eropa ada juga yaaa kondisi kotor gini.. WCnya terutama. heuh.. :( sedih.. tapi ya sudahlah yaaa. hihihi,. tetep excited sampai di kota ini. Dengan satu catatan, HATI-HATI di sini banyak copet. Jadi kudu super super waspada sama barang-barang berharga kita.. :p

Meluncur dari bandara, kami langsung menuju ke hotel tempat kami menginap sebelum nanti pergi ke tempat festival di hari-hari berikutnya. Mengapa menginap di hotel bukan di Wisma KBRI?? Jawabannya adalah karena memang si wisma ini sedang diperbaiki dan g terlalu besar.. dan memang katanya kita g dapet restu untuk tinggal di sana sama Bapak Dubes Indonesia untuk Roma saat itu. sebelum cerita tentang si hotel, mari cerita dulu tentang pengalaman saya pribadi terkait Pak Dubes ini.

Cerita punya cerita, sebenernya tim kami masih geje bakal tinggal dimana selama 2 hari jeda dari tanggal 19-21 Juli, dimana kami tanggal 21 Juli nya baru bisa berangkat ke Bologna tempat event utama kami diselenggarakan. Padahal tanggal 19 Juli kami sudah meluncur ke Italia. Tentu saja saya jadi ikutan kalang kabut memikirkan 2 hari di Roma ini. Ya masssaaaa kami mau menggeje dua hari di Roma?? huaaaa. STRESS. akhirnya kami berusaha mencari jalan terbaik, tentunya yang paling diusahakan dan masuk akal adalah menginap selama 2 malam di KBRI Roma. Kang Burhan berusaha mengontak pihak KBRI Roma, si Bapak Diplomat yang Kang Bur kontak sih sangat ingin mengusahakan supaya kami bisa stay di sana, masalahnya tadi, bahwa Pak Dubes nya tidak memberi restu. Apa mau di kata, kami juga g bisa maksa lah.. Sementara Kang Burhan mengontak pihak KBRI Roma, saya justru berusaha meminta bantuan pihak Deplu. Saya terus-menerus menghubungi Pak Yusron dari Dirjen Diplik Deplu saat itu. Saya bercerita (re: mengeluh sebenarnya), tentang kegejean yang kami alami, dan saya curhat kok sepertinya sulit sekali melobi dan meluluhkan hati Pak Dubes Italia ini.. Akhirnya beliau membantu saya dengan menghubungkan saya dengan Mas Jedud, yang juga staf Diplik Deplu untuk mengontak pihak KBRI. Menurut Pak Yusron, mas Jedud ini akan sangat membantu kami.. Akhirnya setelah Mas Jedud mengontak saya langsung dari Indonesia, saya menceritakan (berkeluh kesah) tentang kurang ramahnya Pak Dubes Italia ini, dan sulitnya beliau untuk dilobi. Mas Jedud mendengarkan dengan seksama, berusaha membantu sebisanya. Dan VOILAAAA, sesampainya di Roma, kami dijemput di bandara, dan alhamdulillah mendapat akomodasi yang super memadai, yakni sebuah hotel bintang 3 di pusat kota Roma, dekat sekali dengan Termini. (What is termini?? Google it by yourself :D).

Terima kasih banget saya ucapkan langsung kepada mas Jedud. :D

Nah,, kembali ke cerita hotel bintang 3 tempat kami menginap ini, sebenarnya kami tidak sepenuhnya menghela nafas, karena ternyata pembayaran biaya hotel ini harus dibagi 50:50 dengan pihak KBRI, yang artinya kami harus mengutak-atik lagi neraca keuangan kami (halah), dan mencari ide bagaimana caranya supaya kami gak tekor.. heuheu,. Tapi tentu saja, dengan segala upaya, masalah ini terselesaikan.. :)

Hotel tempat kami menginap bernama hotel Notto,. Seperti yang saya bilang, berada di tengah-tengah kota Roma. Sehingga memudahkan kami untuk mengakses berbagai tempat dengan mudah.. :)

Sesampainya di hotel, kami beristirahat, sebelum esok harinya berjalan-jalan meng-explore kota Roma. hehe.

My traveling experience: smart and affordable

Hi readers, I am really excited to write this post because even I haven't traveled as much as Mbak Trinity or Mbak Claudia Kaunang, I think it won't be bad though to share my experience about traveling. 

My very first time abroad was around seven years ago when I was in my freshman year in senior high school. I joined one program named Expand the Sound of Angklung 2004, held by Keluarga Paduan Angklung SMA Negeri 3 Bandung. This is a cultural mission aimed to promote one of the Indonesian traditional music instrument called ANGKLUNG. Yeap, angklung is a traditional music instrument made from bamboo, and it is originally came from West Java, Indonesia. Back to the mission, it was held in some countries in Europe (Germany, Belgium, France, Scotland, Poland, and Czech) for 40 days. My position in this program was as one of the team's member, and my role was *of course* as an Angklung player.

Europe Map

My second time abroad also related to cultural program, it was the same program indeed, held in 2008. (You can check my previous post about Expand the Sound of Angklung 2008). Different from 2004, that time I had already graduated from senior high school, and was in my second year in university. The destinations of this program were Greek and Italy. I gave my role more intense that year because I was responsible to organize the preparations as marketing and public relation team. My position as international relations student in UNPAD (Universitas Padjadjaran) gave me a lot of advantages because I can get some links to help organized the program, such as link to Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Indonesian Embassy, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, etc. As the results, with all the helps, that time we didn't have to pay any fiscal tax, we got some financial assistance for the lodging, and warm-full assistance from Indonesian representatives there. :D Great isn't it??

Me in front of The Basilic - Vatican

Both of the programs above, were being held in quite a big group of 35-37 people. We were helped to arrange the tickets and the in-land transportation in Europe by local travel in Indonesia. But for the itineraries, visa, lodging, and other related programs, we arranged it by ourselves with help from friends who lived there and from the Indonesian embassies.

My third time going abroad was in 2010, in the practicum program held by my department, International Relations Dept. FISIP UNPAD. We went in group of 9 people, 8 students and one lecture (a good, kind, and handsome one :D). And our destinations were two major cities in Australia, those are Melbourne and Canberra. I think this trip was one of my best experience in organizing an independent trip. Although we had to struggle with all the factor X things called campus's bureaucracy, finally we MADE it. 

Our Team (from left to right: Diva, Iffa, Nabil, David, Me, Gheo, Ayu, Kang Indra, Lydia)

For the tickets, fortunately we could got an affordable one (but a full-service board GARUDA INDONESIA) from a Garuda Travel Fair 2010. My friends David and Nabil were the one who had to put so so so much efforts regarding this! Haha, thanks pals because of you two we could get a special price though you both had to wait two days in a row till midnight. By the way, we got a less than 5 millions IDR for one round-ticket Jkt-Melb-Jkt (1 stop in Denpasar). :D :D

For the visa, we could met all the requirements quite easy, except one thing, the invitation letter(s) from the institutions we were going to visit, because our trip is a formal-academic one and not a holiday. But after some correspondences with the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra, General Consulate in Melbourne, and Indonesia-Australia Student Association (PPIA), we finally got the letters *more than we expected* :D, and only by phone-interview, in a week we got the visa already! YEAY!

For the accommodations (lodging), we were also very fortunate. In the first three nights, we were welcomed by Kang Indra's/ Papap's family in Pakenham, Melbourne. It is Kang Indra's brother's family, Kang Cepi's family. We just need to give 100 AUD each person, but we in return we got a full delicious breakfast and dinner, also a very unforgettable barbecue party in St. Kilda Beach. For your information, the accommodation's cost per one night in Melbourne is quite expensive (around 25-30 for the cheapest without breakfast). That is why I called ourselves as FORTUNATE one, having Kang Indra's relatives who can help us along or time in Melb. Kang Cepi's wife, Teh Inda, is a very very remarkable chef. Her foods were very yummy, she even asked me about the food preference through email before we got there, is there any of us who has allergic in some kinds of food or not. We also get the opportunities to played along with their cute children, Raziq and Naya, whose English are MUCH WAY better than mine. Hahahahhaa. :D During our time in Canberra, we *again* got very fortunate for having a FREE accommodation in Wisma Atdiknas KBRI. I just need to send a formal letter to the attache in charge, with the recommendation from  PPIA Pusat (central Indonesia-Australia Student Association). We also got a full helps from the Indonesian students there who didn't mind to accompany us wherever we go by their car. *SO SO SO HAPPY*. Alhamdulillah.. For our last day in Melbourne before going back to Indonesia, we spent the night in a hostel in Spencer Streets near the Southern Cross Station (so we could easily catch up the earliest sky bus to airport in the morning).

For the in-land transportation, we used bus, tram, and train in Melbourne, and bus+free car in Canberra. In Melbourne, we could buy a daily single ticket that we could use all day for any kind transportation, it was around 10-11 AUD per ticket. If we plan to go after 6pm till 6am in the morning, we could get a cheaper kind of ticket. (I forgot the name). 

For the foods, it is not hard to find any Indonesian food, McD. Burger King, Subway, and Chinese, and other international food there. So if you're a Moslem, u don't have to worry to have a halal food. Once agaaaiiiin, we were so fortunate regarding this thing. Despite the fact of the yummy food made by Teh Inda, we also got the opportunities to have treats from our Indonesian friends from PPIA Victoria and PPIA Melb. Uni. Once was a rice and noodle curry, once was Italian food. :D :D Owhhh, forgot, we also got the treats in Canberra, from the Wisma Atdiknas, and from the embassy. :)

All I can say, the living cost in Australia is expensive in my point (re: wallet) of view. So, for having an affordable budget there, you can get it at least from the accommodation part, which drained our money the most. Find a friend who lives there, or a friend of your relatives or your friend. :) :) :) If you are or are not shopaholic, Victoria Market in Melbourne is a good place to spend your money for buying merchandises, clothes, shoes, and other things.

My fourth, fifth, and sixth times going abroad happened in one year, 2011. And the destination are all the same, one city one country, Singapore. It wasn't a vacation though, all were done regarding my task as one of the organizing committee of Angklung Orchestra in Concert IX, Angklung: the Musical, held in Esplanade Concert Hall, Singapore, 17th July 2011. 

Keluarga Paduan Angklung SMA Negeri 3 Bandung in Esplanade Concert Hall , Singapore
(me in the middle wearing pink gown)

Singapore is one one the most familiar country for Indonesian tourist. But I think it will be okay if I would like to tell few of my experience there. I'll give the details in other post, OK? :D In brief, all my trip to Singapore are the "pas-pas-an one" a.k.a tight budget. I went there by Air Asia (two of them were direct flight from Bandung, and the other were from Jakarta). I spent most of my nights in Teh Nisa and Kang Very crib in Tampines, but in my last trip (15-21 July 2011), I also spent my nights in some hostel and hotel with my partner in crime Chalaks. 

All riiiiiighttttt, I think the length of this post is more than I expected. I'll see you around in my next post.

Share it if you like.. :) 

X.O.X.O - Anggi -

Bangga Teramat Sangat dengan KPA 3!!

Rabu, 7 Juli kemarin, saya mendapat kabar tentang keberhasilan Tim ESA 2010 Keluarga Paduan Angklung SMAN 3 Bandung dalam meraih Winner of the Special Award of the Summa Cum Laude Festival yang diselenggarakan di Vienna, Austria, 2-6 Juli 2010. Bangga, terkejut, haru, bercampur aduk jadi satu.. WAW keren banget.. Walaupun saya tidak menjadi bagian dari tim tersebut, tapi sebagai bagian dari KPA 3 saya ikut merasakan bangga dan bahagia yang luar biasa..

Silahkan buka http://www.sclfestival.org/results2010.htm untuk melihat bagaimana nama KPA 3 terpampang sebagai tim terbaik yang memainkan lagu wajib dalam festival ini.. Ini kutipannya:

Symphony No. 1 in B flat major, op. 38, 3rd movement

Scherzo (molto vivace) - R. Schumann

Keluarga Paduan Angklung SMA Negeri 3 Bandung (Indonesia) -

Djiwa Margono

Winner of the Special Award of the Summa Cum Laude Festival

Tahun 2010 ini merupakan keempat kalinya KPA3 menyelenggarakan program muhibah kesenian ke luar negeri. Setelah sebelumnya di tahun 2002, 2004, dan 2008 kegiatan muhibah kesenian yang bertajuk Expand the Sound of Angklung ini sukses meraih pencapaian yang berbeda-beda, namun benang merah yang selalu dirasakan oleh kami yang pernah terlibat, baik langsung maupun tidak langsung, adalah rasa BANGGA.

Bangga karena kami dapat berpartisipasi nyata dalam pelestarian budaya bangsa. Bukan hanya bicara, tapi kami bertindak nyata.

Kebanggaan saya menjadi bagian dari KPA 3 bukan hanya karena KPA 3 bisa ikut mempromosikan angklung sebagai alat musik yang bisa disejajarkan dengan alat musik lainnya di kancah internasional, namun karena KPA 3, dengan segala prestasinya yang segudang, mengajarkan saya banyak hal.

Di KPA 3 lah saya mulai belajar berorganisasi dengan baik. Di KPA 3 lah saya mulai belajar tetang marketing, event organizing, dsb. Di KPA 3 lah saya belajar banyak hal sekaligus, bermain angklung, bernyanyi, bekerja sama, bertoleransi. Di KPA 3 lah saya belajar tentang hidup, dari para pendahulu dan dari para adik2 yang masih berseragam SMA. Di KPA 3 lah saya menemukan sahabat-sahabat terbaik saya, my best besties, Amny Hernita Nafisah, teman hidup dalam suka dan duka *halah bahasanya*. Di KPA 3 lah saya menemukan keluarga dan rumah kedua.

Apa yang telah KPA 3 berikan pada saya, menjadikan saya juga selalu memberikan waktu untuk tetap belajar dan menjadi bagian dari KPA 3. Tak pernah saya mendapat keuntungan materi atas segala waktu yang saya curahkan di KPA 3, namun hal itu justru yang menambah kecintaan dan kebanggaan saya terhadap KPA 3 menjadi priceless.

Terutama karena memang segala ilmu yang saya dapatkan dari KPA 3 terlalu priceless, mengingat bekal yang saya dapatkan untuk menjadi saya yang sekarang ini, dan saya yang lebih baik lagi di masa depan.. :)

Kayaknya sedikit lebay yaaa, tapi jika Anda menjadi saya, insha Allah perasaan yang sama akan menghinggapi hati Anda.. :)

Terima kasih KPA 3.. sangat bangga menjadi bagian dari KPA 3..

Semoga setalah 30 tahun perjalanannya, KPA 3 akan terus bisa menorehkan prestasi yang membanggakan bagi bangsa dan negara.. :)

JAYA KPA 3!!!