Study Tour Trip to Yogyakarta

Hi everyone! About a month ago, I left on a four day school study trip to Yogyakarta. The 11th grade class and around 10 teachers go on this trip every year. I was more than thrilled when my school asked if I wanted to come along. Here is a brief recap and some pictures from the week:

On Tuesday, January 14th, at 5:00 am, the school met at a local mosque which had a parking lot big enough for the six buses that would bring more than 360 students and teachers across the island of Java. The sun hadn't even risen yet but the students were all awake and excited to start the journey! Along the way, we sang karaoke, practiced English, and took many, many pictures. We traveled most of the day and didn't arrive to our hotel in Jogja until 8:00 pm. After more than 15 hours in a bus, all I wanted was a nice, warm shower.

Karaoke time on the bus! I belted out a few of my fav Tswift songs.

Pit stops call for more pictures!

The next morning, I woke up and was ready for a fun day in Yogyakarta! The first stop was Gadjah Mada University which is one of the top schools in Indonesia. We were able to tour part of the campus and listen to a professor in the Animal Science Department. At the end of the session, if the students asked a question, the professor gave them a chocolate bar. Needless to say, there were many eager hands that went up! This stop was a great opportunity for students to see if this somewhere they would want to attend university someday.

Tour of the Animal Science Department.

Group picture!

After stopping for lunch, we made our way to the De Mata Trick Eye Museum. This was a huge hit for the teenage students who were looking for the perfect picture for Instagram. I had a lot of fun with the teachers taking pictures as well. Next, we went to a large Bakpia store which was insanely busy! Bakpia is a famous type of dessert made in Yogyakarta. Upon learning I would be joining my school on the trip, my Ibu (host mother) asked if I could bring bakpia home for the family. I brought home a box of the chocolate flavored and cheese flavored and they did not disappoint! We finished the day off with shopping for souvenirs on Malioboro Avenue which is the most famous shopping street in Jogja.

Ibu Tri (my bus teacher buddy) and I at De Mata!

One of the boxes of Bakpia I bought.

The following day, Thursday, January 16th, was our final day in Jogja. The first stop was a jeep tour to Mount Merapi which is actually an active volcano. The last eruption was in 2006. Unfortunately, an entire village was wiped out and many people lost their lives. We were able to see the devastating impacts that a volcano can have when we visited a museum which had remains from the village. After the jeep tour ended, we went to the Prambanan Temple which is a 9th century Hindu Temple. It was absolutely breathtaking and definitely my favorite destination of the trip. We were running short on time and didn't get to spend nearly enough time there so I am definitely planning on returning there someday.

Found in the village destroyed by the volcano.

Jeep tour!

A view of the Prambanan Temple from afar.

The BMR tour guides that were on our trip were awesome!

We're the three best friends that anyone could have :)

We left Yogyakarta around 9pm that night and returned to Bogor around 7am the following morning. I spent the day resting and eating bakpia! :) Overall, I had an amazing experience and I am very grateful that my school asked me to come along. Since I am teaching 11th grade this semester, it was the perfect opportunity to spend time with the students and get to know them better. Thank you for reading and for your never-ending support!

Beautiful sunset at a restaurant on the way home.