The last weekend of August 2026 marked the start of a critical week for me. That was my last weekend in Trieste before departing back to Jakarta and eventually back to my family house. It was unimaginable to leave a community you grew together with for a year. However, coming back to your first home was also as important. This is a reflection of the week with two weekends: from Molo Audace, Trieste, Italy to Rengge Beach, Pari Island, Indonesia.

How to say goodbye to the city and the people that held you for a year

Many of us shared the same schedule to depart from Trieste Airport on the ungodly hour of August’s last day. Many more had different schedule at the same day. This particular weekend was the last for many of us in Trieste and we wanted to make the most out of it.

One last run through the coastline

The ambitious me wanted to do a final half marathon to mark my last days in Trieste. However, I’m glad that after discussing with my friends, it led to a morning group run along the coastline through Barcola Park to Miramare Castle. I couldn’t think of anything else more fitting than this: a Saturday morning run on my favorite track with friends.

It made me think of my running conversations with friends. It usually started because I invited my friends to somehow run with me. I think about the times I went to the gym with Nar and Cedric. Nar often started his strength training by a quick jog. Cedric would blast his phone with hype songs and ran on the treadmill. I always smiled during my running session when he finished his dramatically by passing out on the floor.

Ari and Malek were different types of athletes from me (yes, I consider all of us as athletes when you practice something for a long time!). Malek was a judo player so he didn’t do long runs. In fact, during our last run at the beach, he sprinted so fast, leading us at the front. Ari was a veteran on calisthenics. At some point on our second semester, she decided to allocate time for cardio training. We shared the same schedule on the treadmill every Tuesday evening and it definitely made me enjoy my Tuesday routine more.

It is gratifying when someone told me they wanted to start running, being partially inspired by me. When Burak said he wanted to start running, I was excited to pass on my knowledge (but also strongly on Strava, I love Strava, thank you Strava developers). I haven’t read Haruki Murakami’s book on his running journey, but Burak was the one who recommended me that book.

Anyway, after our running session, Ari had the briliant idea of jumping to the water. I brought them to my favorite spot to swim there, Porticciolo di Cedas, because it’s shallow and less crowded. Malek taught me how to do back float (yes, I cannot swim) and Ari dared us to walk barefoot to the bus stop.

It is also fun to note that the beach is definitely a social heart of the city. You could meet anyone hanging out there. In fact, we passed two scientists (including one of my supervisors, yippee!) of my section during our run and it was a sweet encounter to meet them for the last time, especially outside of our institution.

We made our own lunch after the run. Ari brought tuna from Ecuador and I am still happy thinking about the quick tuna salad with her recipe.

The sea is my protector

By Sunday afternoon, we went to the Grand Canal of the city, hoping to visit the monthly flea market. We got the schedule wrong, so we ended up vising the city’s iconic pier, Molo Audace. Truly in my friends’ fashion, all of us dipped our feet to enjoy the cold water amidst the summer heat.

As I dipped my feet, I said “Yeah, I will miss the ocean,” then Bee said “You literally come from an archipelago country.” We laughed and I told them that it is right. Still, like what I had thought before during my runs, “The Adriatic Sea has been my protector, the witness to the ups and downs of my life here.”

No one is departing alone

A day before my departure, we ushered Esther to the train station, to catch the bus to Rome before reaching L’Aquila 🚸

Tea was spilled, back and feet were abused to carry her suitcases to the station, but our laughter still lingered.

In these moments under the full moon, I realized no one is departing alone and I want to make sure that it is true until the end.

Cats and dinner

This is how our last night in Trieste went! We visited a cat shelter in the city–fully run by volunteers. Being there made me want to visit local animal shelters in Indonesia too (or even better to volunteer there). I fell in love with a cat who was giving me endearing eyes.

We had a big dinner at a Turkish restaurant called Unico, recommended by Burak. I shared a big grill with Krit and William. Moreover, Burak treated us with baklava. I was obsessed with it, I ate too much of it!

After a big dinner, we liked to walk to ease our tummy, also known a passeggiata in Italian. We went towards our favorite gelato shop in Trieste because there’s always a room for gelato.

Close to the shop, there’s a church that Burak had been telling me to find. It was a random side quest from that I failed to finish until the end of our stay. Thankfully, he brought me there so I can finally see it with my own eyes. I gained a new side quest from him which I gladly took: buy a Turkish teapot and learn how to use it in Indonesia. I guess that night was the moment I realized I loved the Turkish culture he had showed me.

The answer is to just cry hard on your flight

I cried hard during my flights to Indonesia. I didn’t even cry when I came to Trieste. Moreover, I’m glad that I got to spend more time with friends between our connecting flights.

We parted ways with Malek and Hanan at Trieste Airport. We said goodbye to Burak at Rome Airport because he was heading to Canada unlike the rest of us who were heading to Southeast Asia. At the Abu Dhabi Airport, we had dinner, then the Filipino gang ushered me to my gate as my flight was earlier.

Considering the amount of tears I shed on the plane, I realized that I would look even worse if I were alone the whole time, in between the flights.

In my deepest heart, I knew I cried because I grew to attach my own self to them. I felt brave because of my friends there, I was able to achieve many things by it. A rhetorical question lingered on my mind, “What am I without them? What can I do without them?”

It’s a rhetorical question for an obvious reason. Quoting my favorite saying from Bee as we discuss this: “When the people in a group shine too brightly, the group has to come apart, because otherwise, you will never be able to observe how brightly they can shine alone”

Visiting my home country after one year

The air was too humid for my own liking. People were louder that I was used to, but friendlier indeed. After spending one year with international students who don’t speak my language, it was intriguing to hear my mother language being spoken everywhere.

The strongest reason for me to come back home is to pay my father a visit as I missed his funeral on early August. At that moment, it was clear that he was my first home, my family was. To the south of Jakarta’s heart, my family brought me to visit his grave right after my arrival. It was a striking view with wildlife existing in such a highly urbanized city.

Reconnecting in Pari Island

If you have read my past blogs, you would know that my past colleagues in Indonesia loved to travel. After arriving in Indonesia, I was happily surprised that they were planning a travel to a nearby island on the weekend. That’s possibly the best way to reunite with people who brought me joy before: adventuring Indonesia’s nature like before.

With one year in between us, it’s lovely to reconnect with people in your life, finding that some things don’t change. Cornel was traumatized by the “traditional” boat ride. Kayla and Mitha kept reciting office stories that made me my tummy hurt. Kak Sarah was the trustworthy photographer who became the mom of the group. Luqman was as fun as ever, just like our previous adventures, but took many responsibilies being the only man in the group. I could always trust Kak Tiara to converse on the topics of research, our country, and nature.

We played like literal kids. We rode our broken bikes (seriously, each of them has a problem like you can’t brake or the seat is off) to visit all the beaches: Perawan Beach, Rengge Beach, and Star Beach. They really had starfishes the last beach and you were allowed to pick it up–but only for a minute! We snorkeled for a while, then we went for a banana boat ride (we were convinced to only do it once in a lifetime because it was funnily hurtful). After being wet, we still rode the bike to Star Beach to hunt the starfishes, submerging ourselves back in water again.

The highlight of my trip was probably during the sunrise at Rengge Beach. We didn’t see the sunrise at first and we were taken aback as it peeked out and rose slowly. In the early morning, the tide was low so we could walk around the coastal area that’s usually submerged and filled with corals, seaweed, and mangroves. We carefully walked to not step on the corals.

As I was walking, partially submerged in water, I realized I’m back to the sea. I just said I will miss the sea last week, but funnily I forgot that I’m always just hours away from the sea here.

I thought of reasons. During my study, I was bold on putting my focus to my country which is blessed by nature. As I was surrounded by the vast nature, I let myself feel whether this is what I was meant to fight for: I thought the answer is definitely yes.