Early mornings are nothing new for ETA Gabriel “Gabe” Umland, who regularly wakes up at 5:00 am at his site to beat the daily Surabaya heat. However, the month of December featured some particularly early mornings as he found himself waking up for sunrises all across Indonesia.

This month Gabe’s alarm went off at 1:00 am to hike mount Batur, 2:00 am to hike mount Rinjani, 3:00 am to hike mount Kelimutu, and 4:00 am to hike Padar Island, just to name a few.

While each sunrise left Gabe speechless, even better than the sunrises themselves were with incredible people with whom Gabe shared them. They collectively reminded Gabe that experiences are less about the experience itself and more about who it’s shared with.

Some sunrises were shared with total strangers, who soon became fast friends, and some were shared with other ETAs. By connecting with other ETAs Gabe got a better glimpse of the incredible diversity of their experiences and found comfort in celebrating their victories and meeting them in their struggles, much the same as they do the same for Gabe.

While early wake-ups are never easy, they are always worthwhile. Thus, while the month of December left Gabe somewhat deprived of sleep, it also left him rejuvenated and excited to watch the sun dawn on the new year. Gabe looking forward to what his next five months in Indonesia will bring as he works his way around Indonesia one sunrise at a time.

Gabriel “Gabe” Umland is currently teaching at SMAN 1 Cerme, East Java.