Alexander's Indonesian Journey of Discovery

A year after his Journey of Understanding, Alexander Fisken from London embarked on a new journey, all the way to see his Encompass friends in Indonesia…

“A year on from the fantastic experience of the Encompass Journey of Understanding, I got the chance to visit the country which most interested me after the programme. This country was Indonesia. News about Israel and Palestine surrounds us all the time, while American media is ubiquitous throughout the world, but one thing which the Journey of Understanding taught me was how little I knew about Indonesia. I was told it was a beautiful and friendly place, but I had to see for myself, and that is what I did in April this year.”

“I arrived in Jakarta and swiftly took an overnight train to Malang, where the friends I had made from the Encompass programme live. The reunion was wonderful, it was incredible to see the people I had become so close to over the course of a couple of weeks in a completely new setting.”
“It felt as if nothing had changed, and everyone was so unbelievably welcoming. Experiencing my first motorbike rides, I got taken around all the fascinating places Malang has to offer, from beautiful sun rises to awe-inspiring waterfalls. It really is a beautiful place, and the attitude and friendliness of the people made it so enjoyable.”

“A day arrived when I was invited to talk in a secondary school, and spread the word of the Encompass programme. We met up with representatives from Encompass Indonesia and faced the crowd of expectant 17 year olds. During the Journey of Understanding it was impressed upon us that it did not end there, that part of the responsibility of being selected to go on the programme was then spreading the word, and it felt wonderful to be doing so.”
“The crowd was remarkably receptive, and spoke brilliant English, even though many were afraid of making mistakes. I was delighted at the enthusiasm shown, and the interest in my home country of England and home city of London. I really hope the talk gave those young adults an increased enthusiasm for inter-cultural understanding, which is, after all, the message behind the Encompass Trust.”

“Following that we took an overnight bus to Bali, the site of the bombings that provided the impetus for the inception of the charity in 2002. A visit to the Bali memorial was extremely emotional, and it is shocking that in this day and age, where global communication is apparent and available that such hate and division can still result in such drastic and despicable acts. I can actually understand the difficulties some Muslims would have with Bali. Being a largely Hindu island, it differs quite a lot from Java. Alcohol is freely available very cheaply; there are nightclubs everywhere and there are lots of extremely drunk tourists not necessarily on their best behaviour. This is where charities such as the Encompass Trust have such an important role to play. The importance of bringing people together who otherwise would never meet, and never understand each other is vital to breaking down the barriers and converting the hate to friendship.”

“That is why it is so important that people who have been on the Journey of Understanding to go back into their community and spread the message of love and friendship that they have learnt. Without charities such as these, progress will never be made and atrocities such as those in 2002 will continue, and there will be even more unnecessary deaths.”

“If my experience last year was the Journey of Understanding, this was my journey of discovery. I learnt so much about the fantastic country that is Indonesia, got a better understanding of the friendly and open culture there, saw some of the most beautiful and impressive things I’ve ever seen. All that’s left for me is to say thank you to Nova, Dista, Hadi and Irul and all their families for making my time so meaningful and valuable, and for teaching me so much.”