Journey to The West

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 My Journey as a Volunteer Begins



On August 25, 2025, I left home on the back of my father’s Beat Street motorbike. The ride to the airport took about an hour. From there, I boarded a Sriwijaya Air flight at 9:30 a.m. to Makassar, and then continued on to Jakarta.


I arrived in Jakarta around 6 p.m. and met a friend whose phone had broken. I lent her mine so she could contact her family and friends. We had a quick meal together before she went home by online taxi.


That night, I stayed at the airport hotel arranged by UEM. Although I was tired, I couldn’t relax because my visa hadn’t been processed yet. After a shower, I went out looking for an internet café to apply for my visa on arrival, but couldn’t find one. I returned to the hotel with empty hands.


The next morning, I woke up early and made a simple schedule to keep everything organized before my evening flight. At 8 a.m., I went for my yellow fever vaccination, then to an internet café at 9 to work on my visa. I had a quick lunch while exploring a bit of Jakarta before returning to the hotel in the afternoon. I packed a fried chicken rice box for later at the airport, checked out, and headed to Terminal 3.


At the airport, I exchanged money and waited for my flight. That evening, the long journey began: Thai Airways to Bangkok, Ethiopian Airlines to Addis Ababa, and finally on to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.


Upon arrival, we were welcomed by UEM Africa staff member. We exchanged money and then headed to the hostel. That evening, we went out briefly before enjoying a huge dinner. The portion sizes surprised us—they were far larger than what we were used to in Indonesia!



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Orientation in Dar es Salaam


The next day, we attended an orientation led by Madam Lea Enocc. The session opened with a prayer from a pastor who also serves as the director of UEM Africa. He shared a Bible verse for us to reflect on during our volunteer journey.


The orientation continued with explanations about our tasks, placement areas, and practical matters we needed to know. At noon, we had lunch, and later in the afternoon, we visited the Indonesian Embassy in Dar es Salaam. We returned around 3 p.m. and continued until 4:30.


That evening, knowing it was our last night together before heading to different regions, we decided to spend time as a group. We had coffee, laughed, and enjoyed dinner with the other volunteers late into the night.



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Arrival in Rwanda


Early the next morning at 6 a.m., we left for the airport. I flew with Kenya Airways, with a five-hour transit in Nairobi. By 9 p.m., I finally landed at Kigali International Airport.


There, I was welcomed by Madam Jeanine and another RDIS staff member. We drove for about two hours before reaching my accommodation at the RDIS office compound. Upon arrival, I was warmly greeted with plenty of food.


But there was one big challenge: the cold air at high altitude. From the very first day, I struggled with shortness of breath and needed time to adjust.



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Settling in


At the compound, I lived alongside Batista and Erik. They took care of the place—Batista in particular cooked all the meals and kept everything clean, while Jamari worked mostly night shifts as a guard.


I officially started working at the RDIS office on September 1st. However, since I didn’t have a laptop yet, I couldn’t begin my tasks right away. The first days were more about adapting, observing, and slowly getting used to the new environment.


One of the biggest adjustments was the language. Most people in Rwanda speak Kinyarwanda in daily life. At first, I found it difficult to follow even simple conversations, greetings, or small talk. But little by little, I began learning basic words like “Mwaramutse” (good morning) or “Urakoze” (thank you). Each word I learned made me feel more connected to the people around me, even though it will take time to become truly comfortable.



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That was the beginning of my journey as a volunteer in Rwanda—leaving home with mixed emotions, navigating the stress of visa applications, finding joy in new friendships, and finally arriving in my placement with both excitement and challenges ahead. Everything still feels fresh in my memory, and I know this is just the start of a much longer story to come.



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