Meeting My Online Language Buddy In Person (by Aiden Schloneger)

While our SST group was in Philadelphia, we were all assigned Indonesian language buddies to help us practice our bahasa Indonesia. Me and Antoinette were assigned Yaya. We talked to her quite a bit in Philadelphia, and made plans to meet up with her once we reached Indonesia.
This picture was taken during a snack break on our second outing with her to Malioboro, which is a common tourist destination in Yogyakarta. Yaya and Resti showed us around to all the shops and helped us bargain for good prices. We are shown in the picture eating sate and fruit bowls with ice which helped us cool down on the hot day. This was a great experience because not only was I able to get to know Yaya better, but I also was able to get to know her friend. It helped me realize that even though we are from very different cultures and countries, we still have much in common, like a love for exploring and eating good food.