ISWI – for now

I really want to write a proper post about ISWI, but I’m very tired and couldn’t find the energy after writing this quite long email for my family.

So here’s an annotated version of the said email.

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ISWI is amazing, there are lots of people and I made good friends with a number of people. One of them is a master degree from Uzbekistan who’s currently studying in China. We talked a lot while trekking the natural pathways that rounded this beautiful lake. I have lots of picture in the camera, but unfortunately didn’t bring a card reader with me. I will definitely try to find a way to upload the pictures.

I’m currently staying at a shared apartment flat between 5 person. A student who’s also a DJ, a mineral engineering technician, an engineer in something, and two female student in Ilmenau TU. I’m sharing the room with three Thailand girls who are really nice. We slept in the engineer of something’s room because he’s currently in the Baltic sea for a holiday.

The hosts here are very nice, they received 40€ for every student they host, so there’s lots of food and various kind of juices here. I’ve told them that I’m moslem and they made extra effort to buy chicken, fish and beef produce to fill up the refrigerator. But they still bought beer and they often drink it while we’re chatting in the night. It was very weird at first, but it’s an experience.

It’s a more or less a 15 minutes walk from my host to Ilmenau TU. I noticed a significant looseness in my pants, but it could always be because my pants’s fabric are being stretched from all the walking or I could’ve lost some calories. That will be very good.

I did not got the chance to do anything for my thesis, will try to work it out again after all of this is over.

The conference is quite amazing. The speeches and keynoted lecture the organiser has prepared are very fresh and most are things that I’ve only heard in the passing. One of the most interesting lecture I’ve attended was from a former kindergarten teacher who decided to become an anti nuclear activist. He worked with an organisation who tried to pressure countries who has nuclear plant. There was a line he said that struct me the most, “their government wanted us to believe that there are purpose behind the nuclear plant, they told us how it will become a clean energy power plant and how it will lower the cost of everything. But they did not mention the militarisation of these power plant. How there are silos that looks like a beginning of a rocket launcher.”

There’s also a lecture from a libyan journalist by the name Salah Zater. He’s quite famous for being a journalist who actively pursued controversial in middle eastern countries. He shared his experience of being a journalist in one of the most dangerous place on earth. It was very interesting and I enjoy it.

Anyway, there’s lots of parties, concert and open performance here and there. But me and several of my friends really enjoy taking walks around the city and appreciating the natural view and great forest (read: lots of selfie pictures and a-la candid pics). It’s really beautiful and I would love to bring you here one day.

To be honest I tried to pray regularly but I find it very difficult to wake up in the morning. But for dhuhur, ashar and maghrib, were done in an apartment which another Indonesian ISWI participant is staying. His roommate is often not around so we could cook nasi goreng and prayed in his flat. It’s also close with the ISWI HQ where all the events are mostly held, so its good.

It’s late and I just got back from an electronic-pop-dance concert in an Ice rink. Pretty tired but feeling very happy and elated.

I’m going to attend the Persatuan Pelajar Indonesia barbeque party on June 5th with other Indonesian ISWI participant. Will probably let you know more about it.