I very much enjoy travelling. I like to visit new places, meet new people, taste new food, learn new culture and most of all experience new things. I really hope to be able to visit more places in the future :)

Friday, October 22, 2004

Astaghfirullah...

Remember my story about the Mathematics International Party?

Today I heard from my friend Faisal, that one of the food that I ate on that party was made of pork! Oh my God... I really didn't know that... Because my friend said that it was chicken meat!!!

Astaghfirullah.... Please forgive my carelessness, ya Allah...

Bapak... ampun, Pakkk... Nggak sengaja...

Saturday, October 09, 2004

Party - Part 1, The Food

Today Mathematics International (MI) held a party to celebrate the end of Sommer Deutsch Kurs.

Despite my exam on Monday, I still went to this party. It's not that I'm a party animal or something (in fact, I only went to parties held by MI), but the most important is, I want to try the food! :D

You see, every year when new students come, MI will hold a welcome party. But after the new students finished their Deutsch Kurs, then it's their turn to make a party for the management of MI, Deutsch Kurs teachers, and also other old students. Since the students of MI come from different countries, in this party, each of them presents their traditional food. So for me, this party is very interesting because I can get to know the food from quite a lot of countries (and also, a very important remark: they are free!!! :D) For example, today I ate food from Ethiopia, China, Turkey and also Pakistan.

From Ethiopia, I ate something like a pancake (but I think the best word to describe this food is dadar) with an egg curry (again.. this curry is more like gule) and quark. I expected the pancake to feel sweet, or at least salty, like a normal omelet. But it was totally different! The pancake taste sour! I was quite surprised when I tasted it. And the curry tasted something new. I mean I don't think that I've ever tasted any food with spices like that. It's not the same with the spices used in Indian food or even the spices used in Akoto's food (which come from Ghana).

Well, since this Ethiopian food tasted something new, I'm sorry to say that I didn't really enjoy to eat it. But I really enjoy the fact that I can taste Ethiopian's Food. Maybe I will ask Tadesse, whose lovely wife has kindly cooked for us and who live just one room away from my appartement, what the ingredients and how to cook it. Perhaps he will even give me some of his food ;)

Next... from China. Today they cooked one dishes, but with many variants. I think they applied the same spices for eggs, chicken, beef and pork :D Unfortunately I must say that I prefer the spring roll that Chinesse student presented last year. Again, I felt that the taste of the food is quite new for me. It's not the tipical Chinesse food that I used to eat in Chinesse Restaurant. Aber na ja... Ich probiere noch mal wenn ich eine Chance haette.

Then from Turkey... They presented many kind of salad. I tried one of salad that use Joghurt. Not bad... But the food that I like better is the Couscous. According to Sema, my Turkish friend, Couscous is another kind of wheat. The shape reminds me of the egg of Gold Fish, but it taste quite like rice... I mean I can feel the amylum :D Another food that I tried is rice, covered with the leaves of grape (?) Sorry... I forget what Sema told me. But Sema also told me that usually, they use Spinach. The taste is quite ok... I suspect that they use olive as ingredient.

The last is from Pakistan. For me, this food from Pakistan is the most acceptable food. Maybe because the spices are quite 'familiar' for me and also because the taste is very strong. They cooked something like Nasi Kuning, rice with curry spices and curcuma. But unlike Nasi Kuning, this food use also chilli or ginger. So the taste is quite hot and spicy. And if usually Nasi Kuning use chicken meat, this food from Pakistan use Lamb. Hmmm... tasty... :)

So, those are the new food that I tasted tonight... Quite ruin my diet, though... Aber es ist mir egal... the chance to taste new food from all over the world (and free!) is not happen every day. So I'm happy and full now! :)

Party - Part 2, The Dance

Still from the End of Summer Course Party, Abschluss Feier.

Like always, another important part from this party for most of people is the dance time. Just like any other party.

But damn... I don't like dancing. Especially not when there are many people around. I like to move my body when listening to good music, sometimes do stupid dance (dancing with stupid movement ;p) But I just can't dance together with another people. Even when I was younger, when my sisters dance together, despite I wanted to dance with them, I just can't move my body. My body felt like numb.

Last year I managed not to dance. I dance for only a while, just before went home (because the song was quite good, YMCA).

But this year, Bic told me, "Come on Lulu... You've been here for one year! You should try to dance!"

Actually, my resistance was already weak... so I tried to follow her to the dance floor. Yuhuu!

From what I've seen, I thought dance is easy. I used to think that if I want, I can dance easily. But that's not the case... In fact, eventhough I want, it's quite hard for me to dance... To adjust my dance style with the music and to move my body freely.

The problem is, I know only one dance style... dangdut style. The style where right hand and left hand move forward and backward in turn >:D That style suitable only when the beat is not to fast. But other than that, I have to think for another style... Pfuih... it's not an easy work after all...

But after about half an hour, I decided to go home... I have an exam on Monday... and when I saw Professor Korn attended the party (although only a while), I got quite nervous. So here I am... back in my room... with my notes, sipping a cup of fake Capuccinno and listening to Joni Mitchell singing Both Sides Now and Sarah McLachlan singing about how the World is on Fire.What a contradiction with the party thing. But you know what... I enjoy both party and staying in my room just the same :)