As you might not know, I had recently returned to Yogyakarta to continue my studies after having spent two months in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan for an internship at Total E&P Indonesie, which began on the January 25th and ended on March 25th 2016. And boy, it was two months that really changed my perspective on life - at least for the near future.
I landed in Balikpapan on the 24th of January. It was a warm Sunday and I could still recall my first impression on the city as I made my way to the hotel. Being a gaijin with no friends or relatives in Balikpapan at the time somehow worried me for a second, but then I imagined all the possibilities in meeting new people. The city itself seemed like a quaint place to live in despite its mild hustle and bustle, no wonder Balikpapan won the Adipura award consecutively!
Long story short, my internship started off and went on quite well, I had made a lot of friends and colleagues to share thoughts with, from engineers, staff, operators to fellow interns and all the other people I got to know outside of the workplace. I knew there was nothing to be worried about in getting out of the comfort zone and setting foot on stranger shores because in the end everything will always work itself out as long as you appreciate and enjoy the process.
The internship aside, Balikpapan proved itself to be a place I wouldn't mind revisiting or even living in, despite its high living cost. I just can't seem to point out the stuff that make the city enjoyable as it was for me, so it's safe to say that it might be the food, the weather, the sights and the people altogether.
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