Kabun teh Wonosari

After finally adjusting to the time difference and (sort of) getting a hang of my walk home from school, I was ready to take a relaxing weekend with the rest of the members of the CLS Indonesia program at the beautiful Wonosari tea plantation. The plantation was only about 45 minutes by bus from our university.

Bus ride to Wonosari with Phoebe!

When we arrived, I could only notice how beautiful it was: endless fields of bright green tea plants surrounded by mountains and a clear sky. We spent our first few hours walking through the plantation, learning about the varieties of teas that are grown there (green, black, and white).

For class, we were assigned to interview the pemetik teh, or tea pickers, using the language that we've learned after two weeks in class. As usual, I was nervous to speak, but the women were very patient with us and we got to learn a lot about their job.

In the evening,  we enjoyed language games and free time, where I had the chance to nongkrong (hang out) with the friends I've made in class in a relaxing and picturesque setting. Sometimes I wonder how I got so lucky to be able to spend my summer learning something I love, meeting interesting new people, and seeing incredible places I never would have seen otherwise.

I went to sleep at 8 pm, a late bedtime for me here in Indonesia (I've been waking up at 4!), and had a rather comfortable rest. Although it was certainly not without Indonesian language practice, the weekend at Wonosari was an enjoyable treat after a constantly stimulating and intense two weeks in language class.

My class!