Maybe you didn’t know that I came from Indonesia. I will be joining an exchange program by Nacel Open Door to the United States of America. I want to tell you about my expectations by joining this exchange students’ program.

 I want to be a successful person or a prominent figure in the future.
I want to be able to help many people in the world.
I don’t want to be an ordinary person. I hope when I am dead, many people will still remember
me in their minds.

I want to understand American culture from this trip, the difference of habits that they
have in terms of politics and education, and others. I like to learn from each and every one of them.
I want to know whether racial issue is still problematic or not in America.
I want to understand why their people are permitted to own a gun. I want to
know why many gossip magazines are significant and why their divorce rate is quite high.
Strange, unusual questions such as these, are the ones that I would like to know.

I want to be involved in more activities there. I don’t want to get culture shock or homesickness. I want to join many sports club, every season. I want to join a music club, or, maybe….drama? who knows? To be involved in an environmental organization is also what I expected. Oh yes — dance! I will show them BALI JAIPONG!!! I am very nervous of this. I hope my dance will not be bad,and I hope they have their utmost appreciation for me. I hope they will not have too many questions about this dance.

I want to be a great child for my host parents. they have accepted me without me paying them anything. So I want to show enthusiasm, bright personality, high morale, tolerance, good manners, empathy, and of course SMILES. I want to be a great Indonesian ambassador. I want to change their perception about Indonesia. Some people might think that the country is full of terrorists, but not all Indonesian people are like that.

 Well, I also still want to hear latest American music from MTV! Oh I am going to miss that, because I know that my host family don’t like to watch it, they just like to listen to it. I still want to go to malls and movie theaters! I know that in my city, I can’t watch movies. Uh it’s really sad for me. I know I will go to the REAL theaters though. I really wanted to see that. I want to attend a concert, I want to go to music stores!!! and–something that maybe can’t be realized — attend TRL live in the New York Times Square!!

Why do I say that it can’t be realized? because I am in Waseca, Minnesota. It’s too far from New York. It doesn’t mean I don’t like Minnesota, because I do. However, I want to go to New York. And Los Angeles? Hollywood!! the latest information I got is that my cousin went to Las Vegas, and there will be no snow there. I like SNOW! can’t wait for winter here!

My feelings now, (well, I can’t even describe it!), I don’t want to go, but I want to go!!! I don’t want to say goodbye to my friends in Indonesia, but I want to see them — my host family, my friends in America…
I will miss my friends in Indonesia though. I love them. I don’t want them to forgot me (hahaha..)

Least but not least, I want this year be the best year of my life. And I know it will be.