Selamat Siang!
It’s been quite a while since my last blog post. The second semester at Universitas Halmahera has already begun, and a lot has happened in the meantime. In this post, I’ll share my experiences and activities from the past few months.
First of all, I now have a motorbike! I’m very happy about this achievement as it makes me much more independent and allows me to get around more quickly. The motorbike was provided by the university’s third vice-director, Mr Nus. I am very grateful for his generosity, as it is his own personal vehicle. I use it several times a day and have now got used to driving on the left. Whether I’m heading to a café or the beach, the motorbike is my most faithful companion!
So, what have I been up to? There’s too much to fit into a single blog post, so I’ll limit myself to three of my favourite activities. Firstly, the climb up Mount Dukono, one of the world’s most active volcanoes. I’ve actually been there twice now.
The first attempt took place on 14 November 2025. Together with Mister Echo, a university staff member, I planned the ascent of the volcano. First, we rode the motorbike deep into the jungle, over hill and dale – or, as is customary in Indonesia, through palm leaves and coconut trees. After a while, we reached the starting point of the hike. From there, it took us just under two hours to reach the spot where we planned to camp.
The hike wasn’t too strenuous. We walked through dense jungle, which provided some shelter from the sun, but it was still very warm. Once we arrived at the campsite, we pitched our tents and prepared dinner: instant noodles and chicken nuggets. We wanted to set off early for the summit to see the sunrise, so the night was short. However, we took longer than planned in the morning and didn’t set off until after sunrise.
The path no longer led through the jungle now, but initially over volcanic rock and later through volcanic sand. The closer we got to the crater, the stormier it became. The fog grew thicker and ash swirled through the air, which is why I had to wear a mask, and the smell of sulphur was strong. Just before the crater rim, we had to wait for a while for the weather to improve slightly. Eventually, we were able to climb up to the rim.
However, the view into the crater wasn’t quite what I’d imagined. Fog and clouds of ash shrouded it almost completely. Every now and then, for a few seconds, you could make out the floor, which was constantly breaking open as the volcano spewed ash non-stop. There was no lava to be seen, though. The descent went smoothly, and we cooked something for lunch on the way down.
Back in the village of Mamuya, at the foot of the volcano, we were all covered in dirt. Fortunately, there are hot springs there, created by the volcano. These natural pools are like giant bathtubs, so we bathed in the warm water with our dirty clothes on and washed ourselves. That was my first ascent of Dukono.
Just under two weeks later, five Australian medical students visited Tobelo. I accompanied them in their daily routine at first, which gave me an insight into the town’s two hospitals. I realised that, although studying medicine was very interesting, it was definitely not for me. Having heard so much about Dukono from me, the students wanted to experience the volcano for themselves, too. Together with Mr Apner, I planned another climb of the volcano, this time without an overnight stay and with an extremely early start.
Unfortunately, the weather was even worse than last time. Visibility was limited, but everyone still enjoyed themselves. Our guide was Angelo, a 13-year-old boy from Mamuya who had already reached the summit over 30 times. I plan to climb Dukono a few more times until I finally experience good weather and can clearly observe the volcano’s activity.
Having now reported on a leisure activity, I would also like to report on a university activity. At the beginning of December, the English faculty travelled together to a children’s home in Galela, north of Tobelo. The faculty is still relatively new and has therefore not yet produced any graduates. The standard duration of study is eight semesters, but currently, there are only students up to the sixth semester as the faculty has only existed for just under three years.
The children’s home in Galela is Muslim, while the university is Christian but open to all religions. I found this collaboration very pleasant, and it is a fine example of the peaceful coexistence of Muslims and Christians in North Halmahera.
Upon our arrival, we began with a prayer. Everyone prayed individually so that each person could pray according to their own religion. We then organised various language games to encourage the children to learn English. There were also theoretical presentations demonstrating the advantages of knowing English later in life. Naturally, we also promoted the degree programme a little. The activity lasted two days, with us returning to Tobelo in the evenings.
On the second day, the children were very sad to see us leave, as they had really enjoyed learning together.
I particularly enjoyed these three activities, which gave me a great deal of pleasure. There is plenty more to report on the run-up to Christmas and the festive season, which I will cover in a separate blog post. Stay tuned! There were numerous Christmas parties, as well as a big Christmas celebration and New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day celebrations.
Until next time!
Yours, Cedric
This text was automatically translated using an AI-powered translation system.
