Life Update: Letter to 2017

You guys. It's December already. Crazy, isn't it?

I don't want to sound so cliche, but this year has passed so freaking fast I remember I just turned 22 yesterday, but now I'm almost 23. Crazy. Crazy.

And anyways, just like real writers who got their own writer-blocks; I had my own too. That's why I've been abandoning this blog which once I liked so much I never spent a day without opening it. But here I'm back again, trying to gather all of my old self to write.

My life was once a wreck-ship.

Last September, I was finally back to university. For those who might not know, I'm a medical student. I graduated with Bachelor of Medicine last April and I supposed to begin my hospital rotation right away in May, but I decided to take a break for a semester. Why? Because, well, long story short, my parents almost got divorce around that time. I have to admit this, because the hell no, you can say my life is wonderful because I got to travel all the time, but no. No. The reality is that everyone has their own story. This year has been the toughest. 

Remember my eurotrip last May? I had to admit again that it was a runaway trip from reality. Hahahaha yes you can laugh, let's laugh together. 

I even almost decided to leave uni without continuing the hospital rotation, which means that I can't have my 'dr' title, and has been preparing for master degree in UK. Believe it or not, I enrolled to IELTS course, studied for hours and visited a few education agent so then I was going to start my Master in September. It sounds so crazy, like I was running away. Back then I said, 'No - I'm not running away. This is what I feel is right for me. I have to do this. Being a doctor is no longer my dream."

Now, everytime I remember it, all I know for sure that I just lost my path. The future I've dreamt was no longer to be seen and it felt like my castle just crumbled overnight (Taylor's lyrics is just so fit here). 

But, as you can guess, Allah knows what best. 

And I'm forever thankful that I decided to go back to uni. 

My rotation begins in two weeks.

It's just a day after christmas. And I will start in anesthesia department. I'm sooo excited, and nervous, but mostly so excited all at the same time. 

I never regret that I will graduate six months later than the original time, because do we all have our own timezone, don't we?

I got a kitten.

Her name is Alaska. She's so unbelievably adorable. She's now three months old and she just can't stop following me around. I used to really dislike cats, I jumped everytime a cat walking towards me - but I don't know. I guess I have this resolution of 2018 that I wanted to change most of everything in my life. Then I decided to get a kitten. 

December 13.

Taylor Swift turned 28 today. Wow, I still remember vividly ten years ago I was reading a teen magazine about Taylor Swift's 18 birthday party.

Good things. So many good things.

My parents. My new group of friends, who already felt like my own second family. Rainy days. Hours spent reading good books. Many days without Instagram. Being grateful. Him.

Proof.
"He does not burden a soul beyond that it can bear. And one day, you may look back and think to yourself, 'Alhamdulillah it didn't go the way I wanted to' because you may have been blessed with something so much better."

Be Extra.

Like that stranger who holds the door for you at the cafe you previously bought your coffee at.

Like that stranger who asks you if you're okay when they see your face looking all pale.

Like that stranger who smiles at you when you both realized are reading the same book.

Like that stranger who stands up and decides to give you a seat on the train.

Don't you know how much you can change someone's bad day into a happier one or even someone's happy day into the perfect one?

Be extra.

The Controller

One of the things that make our lives miserable is when we try to control everything.
You wont understand everything that's going on in life.
He has a plan and He knows how to bring the good out of it.
Keep going and try to be grateful.
Without gratitude, patience is impossible and without patience, happiness and success is impossible.

[source]

Vienna with Dilara

Finally, Vienna!
A city I've truly been dreaming about ever since I read and watched Nodame Cantabile almost a decade ago. Sungguhan ibukota musik klasik yang super classy!

Kunjungan ke Vienna yang ini 10x menjadi lebih exciting karena aku akhirnya ketemu lagi dengan teman lama aku semasa sekolah di London, Dilara!
Rasanya sepanjang perjalanan dari Praha ke Vienna agak lebih excited dan berdebar-debar gitu, dan benar aja begitu sampai di terminal dan akhirnya ketemu Dilara, hahaha we both were freaking out!
We screamed and we hugged and we laughed so much, it was so funny!
It's been five years since we last met with each other and no wonder tho! 

Banyak alasan yang membuat aku jatuh cinta banget sama Vienna. 

• Vienna bersih. Bersiiiih banget. Selain bersih, kotanya juga lebih tertata rapi dan elegan. Jadi, kalo dibandingin sama Paris yaaa, jomplang banget. Ibarat Paris itu Pasar Santa, Vienna ya Farmer's Market atau Food Hall. 
• Transportasi umum yang bersih dan super nyaman. Menurut aku agak mirip dengan metro di Berlin, tapi untuk harganya yang 14euro untuk dua hari dengan fasilitas yang bersih dan nggak bau pesing, itu very worth-it enough. 
• Diverse! People of colour! Aku nggak ada ekspektasi kalo akan ada banyak banget imigran di Vienna, dan begitu aku masuk metro dan melihat sekeliling, dan benar aja banyak banget orang-orang dengan paras middle-east. 
• Muka Mozart dimana-mana. I mean, padahal Salzburg lebih bisa dibilang kotanya Mozart secara doi lahir disana. Tapi, benar-benar negara musik klasik, ya!

Tapi ya nggak bisa dipungkiri juga kalo Vienna itu kota yang terbilang cukup mahal. Kayak untuk makan di restoran, beli magnet kulkas atau gantungan kunci, bahkan beli-beli jajanan di supermarket agak berasa mahalnya. 

But still, Vienna is such a lovely city afterall.

Menurut aku, tiga hari di Vienna sudah cukup untuk explore tempat-tempat turistik yang bisa dikunjungi, karena kota ini nggak seperti London atau Paris yang kayaknya nggak abis-abis tempat yang bisa dikunjungi.

Di hari pertama begitu aku sampai di Vienna, aku nggak kemana-mana. Sampe di apartemen Dilara yang super airy dan klasik dan nyaman dan lucu dan ugh anything I could ask for if I'll ever be able to settle down in Europe, kita istirahat sebentar dan langsung ke supermarket untuk belanja makan malam. 

Besoknya Dilara nemenin aku keliling Scohnbrunn Palace, St. Peter Church, Hundertwasserhaus, Austrian National Library, Volksgarten dan downtown-nya yang aku lupa namanya itu. Terus kita juga agak setengah mati cari Wiener Schnitzel yang halal, karena rata-rata pasti terbuat dari babi. Tapi, akhirnya nemu juga yang terbuat dari ayam dan meskipun agak mahal, tapi enakkkk banget! Apalagi dipaduin pake nasi yang aku curiga impor dari Timur Tengah haha sumpah enak banget. Saking enaknya, pas pulang ke Indo aku kepikiran dan kepingin makan lagi dan ada dong yang jual di Grand Indo (lupa nama restorannya)! Ohya, kita juga sempat lihat-lihat Weekend market yang jual barang-barang bekas. Tapi kalo kata Dilara sih, "They're just simply selling junks!"

Terus besok harinyaaa, karena Dilara nggak enak badan akhirnya aku memutuskan untuk jalan-jalan sendiri. 

Dan apalah artinya di Vienna tanpa datang ke The Prater? 

Pasti yang udah nonton Before Sunrise punya obsesi sendiri untuk datang ke taman bermain legendaris itu. Dan benar aja dong, itu taman bermainnya simpel banget. Nggak ada heboh-heboh macam Disneyland, bahkan kalo bisa dibilang mah mirip banget sama taman bermain di pasar malam. 

Setelah dari Prater, aku jalan menuju downtown lagi dan foto-foto aja sampe puas dan ketemu sama teman baru dari Couchsurfing, Jakob.

Waktu itu kita ketemu di depan St. Peter Church dan langsung cus ke kafe dan duduk disana berjam-jam untuk cerita. Suka! Doi pintar dan wawasannya luaaas banget. Dia juga udah tinggal di berbagai negara, dan ini yang aku suka dari orang-orang Couchsurfing. Open-minded and well-spoken.

Kita cerita dari sejarah kota Vienna, cerita dia selama tinggal di Beijing dan Mesir dan rencana jalan-jalannya di Jepang. Apalah aku ini yang masih bau bawang nggak ngerti tentang dunia.

But he asked a lot about things too to me! Indonesia kayak apa, Jakarta kayak gimana dan sebagainya. 

Sampe saking serunya terus nggak ngeh kalo udah tiga jam lewat duduk di kafe, akhirnya aku bilang kalo Dilara nungguin aku di apartemennya. It was a really really good talk!

Malam itu aku dan Dilara akhirnya memutuskan untuk jalan-jalan aja dan duduk di riverside sambil minum-minum. Ofkors aku minumnya coke dong hahaha.

That evening was cold, but I liked it so much. We talked and talked and talked. Talked about this and that and this and that and finally we looked at our phones and it was 10 PM already. It was so weird how it's been five years since our London time. It was so weird how people are connected with each other. I basically live at the opposite of the world, but Dilara made me feel like home in Vienna. It was both so weird and funny. I don't think I'll ever stop bragging about how London changed my life, but that how my life really is.

Dilara <3

The sky that evening. 

Bonus: Dilara's cute and dreamy apartment!