Preparation: Getting My Passport – A Journey of Firsts

    One of the first and most crucial steps in preparing for the SEA-Teacher Program was getting a passport. Since this was my first time traveling abroad, I had never gone through the passport application process before, and neither had my three friends who were also joining the program. So, this was going to be a new experience for all of us.

Finding the Nearest Immigration Office

    To make the process smoother, we decided to apply for our passports online first to check for available slots and avoid long queues. After some searching, we found that the nearest available appointment was at the Kediri Immigration Office. However, there was a small catch—only electronic passports (e-passports) were available at that location. It didn’t make much difference to us, so we decided to go ahead with it.

    On the scheduled day, the four of us traveled to Kediri, accompanied by two lecturers who helped guide us through the process. Since this was our first time dealing with immigration paperwork, we were eager to learn and pay close attention to each step. From document verification to biometric data collection, everything was a completely new experience. It was both exciting and nerve-wracking, but overall, we felt a great sense of accomplishment by the end of the day.

In queue, passport on progress

    Once we completed the registration process, we were informed that our passports would be ready in approximately one week. That meant we would have to return to Kediri to collect them.

Planning the Passport Pickup

    When the day finally came, we had to decide who would pick up the passports. After some discussion, we agreed that only Bagas and I would go, while the two girls would stay behind. There were a few factors to consider, including travel costs and schedule conflicts. To make things easier, they prepared authorization letters, allowing us to collect their passports on their behalf. Since the immigration office had given us a pickup window from 10 AM to 3 PM (WIB), I decided to stay overnight at Bagas' house the night before so that we could leave early in the morning. This way, we wouldn’t have to rush, and we could avoid any unexpected delays.

    The next morning, we set off on our motorbike journey to the immigration office. However, there was one small problem—I was incredibly sleepy. I have always had a tendency to feel drowsy during long trips, and this time was no different. Throughout the ride, I struggled to keep my eyes open, and at one point, I even dozed off and accidentally rested my head on Bagas’ shoulder while he was driving. Bagas, being the kind of friend who never misses an opportunity to tease me, found this hilarious and even recorded a video of me sleeping on his shoulder! I didn’t find out until later, but when he showed me the video, I couldn’t help but laugh at myself.

    When we finally arrived at the Kediri Immigration Office, we went straight to the passport collection counter. We had all the required documents with us, including the authorization letters from our friends. The process was surprisingly smooth—within minutes, we had our new passports in our hands! Holding my passport for the first time felt surreal. It was a small booklet, yet it represented something much bigger: the start of my journey abroad.

My first experience to grab passport

    Before heading back, we decided to take a short break in the prayer room inside the immigration office to rest for a bit. Since I had barely gotten any sleep, I wanted to make sure I wouldn’t be too drowsy on the way home. Even after resting, I still felt sleepy during the ride home. To avoid another “falling asleep on Bagas” incident, we stopped by a convenience store to grab some drinks and snacks. I figured that keeping my mouth busy with food might help me stay awake, and thankfully, it worked!

    As we got closer to Bagas' house, we had less than a few hundred meters to go. However, we noticed that the sky had turned incredibly dark. The clouds looked heavy, and we had a bad feeling about it. Suddenly, out of nowhere, it started pouring rain—heavily! We panicked for a moment because the rain was so intense, even though it had only just started. Fortunately, Bagas’ house was only a few meters away, so we rushed as fast as we could and made it inside just in time before getting completely drenched.

    That day was a rollercoaster of firsts—first time applying for a passport, first time collecting it, and first time experiencing such an eventful trip just to get a single document. But more than anything, it was another step closer to my SEA-Teacher journey in the Philippines, and that made all the effort worth it.