Our Journey

Our journey began in December 2005. We held our Holy Matrimony and Wedding Reception in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

Pre Wedding Photo @Bangkok

We met each other in 2003, when we took our Master degree together in AIT (Asian Institute Technology) Thailand . We were in the same school department but different subject. We came together with friends from Petra University as well. Love started from there! From friendship and then...Love..^_^. And why I chose him, because he is special and I knew I could depend my life and my family on him. He said that he was not from wealthy family, and bla bla...but I was sure God has sent me Mr Right ^_^.

Friends

Photos taken at Bangkok

After married, we continued to work at Bangkok, Thailand until 2006. We started new life with nothing. We rented a room with private bathroom. I only had TV, rented refrigerator, small electric pan and other invaluable stuffs. At that time, we did not have much money. But, we just did not need any special things.
In 2006 Benny got full scholarship to take PhD program in Tokyo University, Japan. I was pregnant our first child and son when Benny took that scholarship and he moved to Japan. We just moved on and hoped everything was just fine as we left our job and started everything from the beginning again.

In January 2007, our first son was born in Jogjakarta. Benny couldn`t accompany me at the hospital because he was at Japan, but he came after our son was one month old. We named him Joshua Kiyoshi Suryanto and we called him Kiyo. Joshua, as Christian name and written in the Bible servant of Lord, Kiyoshi was taken from Japanese name and has meaning holy or pure, Suryanto as his father`s surname.

Kiyo S

I brought Kiyo after 4 months old to Tokyo, Japan. My life has been changed with one little prince ^_^. It was not easy though, especially when you live in very tiny room with limited financial. But, there we were.......like or not, regret or not...and today I never regret my life. I was enjoying living abroad in an expensive country. Although we lived only with the scholarship that we`ve got 172,000 yen/month, then decreased to 158,000 yen/month -_-, I have enjoyed travelling around with our small budget ^_^. Not to mention how many times I felt desperate having one little boy and my husband was so busy. Again......I have to count how many blessings I have got in my little family.

Benny had joined many conferences inside and outside Japan, and I had been blessed that several times I could travel with him. My parents came to visit us as well. Here we were at......

• Tokyo 2007 my parents came to visit us. We brought them to see around Tokyo and Hakone (to see Mt Fuji). That was the first time we did onsen (bathing in hot pool without put any clothes on) and my mum did too! ^_^

With Mum and Dad

• Europe 2008, Benny had conference in Stuttgart. I and Kiyo traveled with him too. As we didn`t have big budget, we chose cheap flight with longer flight. Carrying Kiyo in our lap for long trip! But we made it....Yeay! We only went to Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Paris, Cologne and Brussel.

Frankfurt, 2008

Stuttgart, 2008

Paris, 2008

• Beijing, 2008. Benny and his colleagues had a chance to visit in one of the university in Beijing. Again, as you saw in this pictures, Kiyo and me traveled with him! I also joined with them to Great Wall Trip. What a lovely and tired trip!

Great Wall, 2008

Beijing 2008

Beijing 2008

• Sapporo 2008, Benny had joined conference (or JCI conference)

Sapporo

• Toba, Osaka, Kyoto, 2008. Benny had conference in Toba Island. We came to join too and then went to Kyoto and Osaka as well.

Toba

Osaka and Kyoto

• USA 2009, Benny had conference at Philadelphia. We flied to New York, and travel by bus to Philadelphia, and Washington and back to New York again. While I stayed at New York for one night, Benny traveled to Michigan to visit colleague.

New York, 2009

In the end 2009, my dad had asked me to go back with Kiyo for a while, since my mom had been getting ill. My mom had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, stage 4. She had operation in 2006 at Siloam Hospital Jakarta. One month after my mum`s operation, my dad got heart attack and he decided to get operation in Singapore. While my mom accompanied my dad at hospital, she also did check up at the same hospital and doctor said that the cancer was still there (not cleaned yet). My mom did not want to have second operation, so she just did chemotherapy for several times and lost her hair.  Year by year, her cancer was going up and down, until one day my dad called me to go home. It was not worst, but my mom was just very sad and always cried. So, Kiyo and me went back home and went to Singapore as well to accompany my mom and dad did health check up. This was the last trip I had with my mom......My mom and her grandson..

I love you Mom

• Corfu, Greece and Czech, 2010. Benny had conference at Greece and meeting with colleague at Czech Republic, but this time I didn`t come with him.

Corfu, 2010

In 2010, there was two big things that happened in our life, death and life. First, God has called my mum in May 30th, 2010. She has passed away and couldn`t wait longer to see my second child. Second, my second child, my first daughter was born in Japan. I was so sad my mum has left me, but God has sent me a cute little baby and we named her Joanna Kimiko Suryanto. Joanna as Christian name and Kimiko from Japanese name, Kimi means hope, beauty and ko means child, Suryanto as her father`s last name.

Kimi

Koshigaya Hospital, Saitama

• Taiwan, Nov 2010. Benny had another conference in Taipei, and this was the first travelling with full team. At that time, Kimi was about 4 months old.

Taipei

• Prague 2012. Benny had a meeting with his colleague in Cezh University.  And that was my second chance to go to Europe again, although we just went to Dresden (Germany) and Prague.

Prague 2012

Dresden

• Amsterdam, 2012. Benny went there for conference again. At this time, he went alone.

Amsterdam

• Hiroshima 2012. Benny was attending JCI conference (if I:m not mistaken). 

Hiroshima, 2012

Then, in March or April 2012, Benny had been accepted in one of the universities in Edinburgh. It was a big decision for us, whether to take it or not. We accepted the offer and waited to visa application process. It was not quick and easy to go through visa application, but finally it went well. There we are in Edinburgh...And setting the new life again with full team. Let God lead us in His way.