Finally, after having a two-day holiday before the departure day (July 23rd), I traveled to Jakarta with my parents to prepare the remaining items I needed and make sure I would not be late for the gathering in Jakarta.
I stayed at Swift Inn Airport in the Aeropolis area. This place is usually occupied by pilots or flight attendants who want to take a short rest. When I arrived in Jakarta, it was already late afternoon heading into the evening because the ticket I booked from Banjarmasin was scheduled at 15:40 WITA. The flight from Banjarmasin to Jakarta took around 2 hours, so I arrived in Jakarta at approximately 16:40. However, because I had to collect my baggage first, I left the airport at around 17:00.
After that, I immediately went to Swift Inn Airport in Aeropolis. The journey from the airport to the hotel only took around 15 minutes. When I arrived at the hotel, I immediately organized my belongings and rested for a while because my parents and I had not eaten lunch since leaving Banjarmasin.
After taking a short rest, my parents and I went outside the hotel to find some food. It turned out there were many food options around the hotel, such as grilled bread, ayam geprek, ayam penyet, grilled ribs, and many others. My parents and I decided to eat grilled ribs at a restaurant in front of the hotel. After finishing our meal, we returned to the hotel and rested.
The next day, my parents and I went out to look for the remaining items needed for the backpacking program. We spent a lot of time searching for these items, from morning until around 19:00. After shopping, I immediately returned to the hotel and reorganized the items that were previously missing, such as a white robe (gamis), batik shirt, and an analog watch.
The following morning, my parents and I prepared to check out because my mother had already booked my flight for the next day at 06:00 WIB. I checked all the items that had been packed into my carrier backpack and rearranged them neatly so that everything would be easier to find and take when needed.
For example, I placed my ihram cloth at the very bottom because it took up quite a lot of space. Above the ihram cloth, I placed my sleeping bag for the same reason, as it also required a lot of space. After placing those two items, I put my school uniforms on top of them.
Oh, and all the items I mentioned had already been vacuum-packed. The items such as the ihram cloth, sleeping bag, and school uniforms were all compressed using vacuum bags to save space. On top of the school uniforms, I placed my daily clothes and jacket, which were also vacuum-packed.
After that, I placed my sandals, instant drink sachets, and food seasonings such as sauce, soy sauce, and other food supplements.
After all my belongings were ready, I immediately closed the zipper of my bag and did not open my carrier bag again because I was afraid that some items might fall out or get lost.
Since I stayed at Swift Inn Airport Hotel in the Aeropolis area, my parents and I received a free airport transfer facility from the hotel, and there was no additional charge at all. Because I was going to the airport using the hotel’s transportation service, I had to follow the schedule provided by the hotel. The hotel’s departure schedule was at 13:00, and it matched perfectly with my hotel checkout time, which was at 12:00 WIB.
When the time showed 13:00, I immediately went to the front of the hotel to check whether the car assigned to take us to the airport had arrived. When I arrived in front of the hotel, the car from the hotel had already arrived. I was invited to get into the car and put my belongings inside, such as my carrier bag, suitcase, and laptop bag.
When I arrived at the airport, I immediately unloaded my belongings and took a trolley. While waiting for my friends, I looked for a prayer room and quickly performed the Asr prayer.
After finishing my Asr prayer, I rested and looked for the nearest place to sit.
When my backpacker friends arrived at the airport, I immediately approached them and invited them to go to the IDN Backpacker Program gathering place on the lowest floor at Gate 5. When I arrived there, I saw many teachers who were ready to welcome the students who had just arrived. My friends and I immediately approached the teachers and greeted them respectfully.
After that, I separated my belongings from my mother’s belongings because my mother was also carrying a suitcase. The next day, she would continue her trip to South Kalimantan, specifically Banjarmasin, which is where my mother and I live. Then, I sat together with the teachers and my friends.
A few moments later, one of the teachers called me. The teacher informed me about the NICOTINE TEST. I was given instructions on how to take the nicotine test. After understanding the procedure, I immediately went to the restroom to do the test. Alhamdulillah, the result of my nicotine test was negative.
After that, I showed the negative nicotine test result to the teacher who had instructed me to take the test.
After completing the nicotine test, I sat down and rested while waiting for the other friends who had not arrived yet.
After waiting for several hours, all the backpacker students finally gathered at the airport. We were immediately given jungle hats, IDN shirts, and IDN vests. After every student received their items, we were instructed to wear all of them as our outfit for our journey from Indonesia to Vietnam.
After all students had worn the provided uniforms, everyone gathered at the tribune area where the World Cup watch event had been held at Terminal 3 of the airport. There was an event where teachers and parents gave messages and advice, explained what we should prepare for the future, and we also took pictures together.
After the event ended, all students were given around two hours of family time. Those two hours felt very short because after that, we would separate from our families, relatives, and friends for a long time. During the last two hours, some students spent more time talking with their parents, some joked and laughed with their families, and some cried because they would be separated from their loved ones for one year.
The two hours finally ended. All students were asked to pack their belongings and prepare for boarding. We were also instructed to check in. To reach the check-in area, we had to go up two floors. All parents of the backpacker students accompanied us until the check-in area. At that moment, our hearts started beating faster because this was the moment when we would separate from our families.
After all students had checked in, some students took pictures in front of the international departure sign as a memory and also as a way to say goodbye to their parents and families.
After everyone had said goodbye and separated from their families, we entered the security checkpoint. All belongings were checked, including carrier bags, backpacks, watches, and even belts.
After passing through the security checkpoint, we went to the gate that had been assigned by the airport, which was Gate 2. We all sat there while waiting for our flight. We also performed the Isha prayer there because a clean and comfortable prayer room was provided.
After waiting for several hours, we received information from the airport that our plane was delayed. Our departure time was postponed until 02:30 in the morning. All students felt tired and disappointed because we had prepared everything, but suddenly the flight was delayed.
A few moments later, the airport announced that we could finally board the plane because the time had reached 02:30. All students were happy to hear the announcement. We took our belongings and immediately went to board the plane.
Inside the plane, all backpacker students were very excited because it was their first time traveling abroad by plane with their friends.
The flight attendants welcomed us warmly and happily. By the way, the plane we took was Vietnam Airlines, so the flight attendants used Vietnamese and a mix of English when communicating with passengers.
The journey from Indonesia to Vietnam took approximately 4 hours and 30 minutes. The 4 hours and 30 minutes on the plane felt very long.
After a while, the plane took off, and most students immediately found their most comfortable positions to sleep. After some time, my friend sitting next to me and I woke up because the flight attendants served dinner.
We were offered two menu choices: the first was shrimp with rice, and the second was chicken with rice. Because I had eaten chicken too often in Indonesia, I chose the shrimp and rice menu instead.
After the flight attendants had distributed food to all passengers, they prepared various kinds of drinks, such as tea, milk, water, and others. My friend and I chose water because we were very thirsty.
Okay, let’s move on to the moment when we finally arrived at the airport in Vietnam.