It took until college before I felt like I had something that others could celebrate. But on that first day, when I was basically lifted onto the center of the school field near the flag pole, and given a rein made of flowers and a bouquet, it seemed like the first time in my life that I felt someone had high expectations of me. Having traveled through six airports with 20 hours of flying and six hours of driving, with eight meals in between, I finally reached Bukittinggi, Indonesia, where I participated in a Welcome Ceremony with over 600 students and 40 teachers.
Despite only being able to smile, nod, and say senang bertemu ("happy to meet you") in the local language, I was carried past lines of students who took pictures and cheered. It was as if I was some kind of world renowned celebrity about to give a motivational life speech, which it turned out I did do, right there on the spot, despite feeling unprepared. Even though I was a complete newcomer, everyone started treating me like family, and many of the ibus (Indonesian word for "mothers" or "ma'am") considered me their returning son (laki-laki). I think this moment says a lot about the importance of community bonds.
The first week in Bukkittinggi was filled with attending weddings, visits from government officials, and relaxing during lunch breaks and on local daytrips. Due to both the culture norms and my new arrival in this welcoming community, I never had much alone time at first, which I definitely appreciated. There were so many cultural differences here in Indonesia that I needed all the help I could get to start to feel more comfortable.
