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    It's past Christmas, and pretty soon we'll be saying goodbye to 2015 and welcoming 2016. I don't know about you, but, to me, time is flying faster than I expected it would. As with any other year, too many events took place that would make this blog post too long and boring for anyone to read. It started with coming back to OCC after Christmas break, followed by a restful (and somewhat boring) summer, intensified with transferring to a different college, plateaued with academic work, and ended with Christmas break. Let me try to recap this year as best I can.

Perhaps the most stressful time was towards the end of my summer break. It was nerve-racking, to be honest, packing my things into boxes and hoping USPS will ship them safely from Nevada, MO to Lookout Mtn, GA. It was stressful not knowing what to expect in Covenant, but it was also reassuring to know I have framily (friends who are like family) to fall back on. I was saying goodbye to people, and at that time I wasn't sure if I would see them again. When I was on the plane, I was both uneasy and excited at the same time, and there was that familiar feeling of stepping into the unknown again. Transferring reminded me a lot of my experience before I went on my internship to the Middle East-- lots of "I don't knows" and "Why am I doing this". 

However, Covenant proved to be a good change. I don't think I'm doing so well as a student, but I've made so many new friends so far that I think I'll stay. Perhaps the best part about Covenant is that I have seven other Indonesian brothers and sisters to rant, laugh, and share life with. I don’t know what I'd do without them. I’d probably go crazy and hide my true nationality, because I’ve been told that I could pass for a mix. Having a support system that understands the cultural cues and meanings has been beneficial to me, and it's nice to have a little piece of home in a foreign land.

Nevertheless, with a lot of change comes a lot of conflicts and hard times. I was placed in food service, which is basically the default job every freshman has at Covenant. At first, I didn’t mind. I’ve been in food service for two years at OCC, so I didn’t think the food service job at Covenant would be any different. Never have I been so wrong. Fortunately, I made good friends at work, so we have our own support system just for the Chartwells workers. With friends who understand, work is still a drag, but at least it’s more manageable.

Still, with a new workplace, new friends, and new surroundings come the new academic standards. As I said before, Covenant is a liberal arts institution, and the classes are five times harder than OCC’s. This first semester has been hard, especially given the fact that I was adjusting to a different world. Yet, no matter how hard my homework gets, I am thankful for professors who try to understand and extend grace when I mess up.

In conclusion, this year has a lot of memories to look back on. My journal is completely filled with all kinds of rants, prayers, praises, and doodles. There are definitely big changes such as reverting from being the only Indonesian student at the college to being one of seven. There’s also a significant shift in surrounding, too. Instead of a typical college campus in the heart of a small city, I live on a mountain. Not many people get to say that, so I take pride in it. 2015 was great, but 2016 will be even better. Until then, readers.