So, for about six days, from September 29 to October 4, 2026, I got to volunteer at what I consider one of Indonesia’s biggest annual book and literacy events, the Indonesia International Book Fair (IIBF 2026). Funny enough, it was actually my first time attending the event lol. I got the chance to join Water Lily Literary, a group under Kompas Gramedia that I was already familiar with. From what I knew, they were the ones bringing all those interesting imported books to Gramedia bookstores, and after checking out their social media, I found out they also host some really cool book club events. So I thought, why not give it a shot? I signed up, went through an online interview, and Alhamdulillah, I got accepted as a Book Advisor/Book Assistant volunteer along with six other people! AND HONESTLY, THIS WAS ONE OF THE BEST PARTS OF THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE. I was so happy to meet all of them because even though we were complete strangers at first, we somehow got really close in just six days. It genuinely felt like we'd known each other for ages. I literally connected with every single one of them, including the Water Lily team themselves. It's crazy how a shared love for books can bring people together like that. On the first day, I also got the chance to visit the Gramedia office in Palmerah Barat, which was a whole new experience for me. Like, imagine visiting the office of a huge bookstore company and finding an actual bookstore inside the office itself lol. After that, I headed to JICC (Jakarta International Convention Center) to help with the book loading, and let me tell you, THAT SHIT WAS EXHAUSTING HAHAHAHA. The actual booth duty started on the following days. I spent around three days at the children's book section and two days at the adult book section. Overall, I had such a great time throughout those five days, not only because I got to talk about books with fellow book lovers, but also because I learned so many new things about how the publishing industry works and what goes on behind the scenes at a publishing company. It was genuinely interesting to see a side of the book world that I hadn't really experienced before. AND AS IF THAT WASN'T ENOUGH, I ALSO GOT TO MEET JESSICA VERANDA, MY FORMER OSHI FROM JKT48'S FIRST GENERATION, WHEN SHE CAME TO SHOP AT THE WATER LILY BOOTH!!! 😭 I MEAN, WHAT ARE THE ODDS??? Unfortunately, I was too starstruck to ask for a picture, and now I'm left with nothing but regrets HAHAHAHAHA. WHY AM I LIKE THIS. OHH, AND I ALSO MANAGED TO GET MY HANDS ON A COPY OF MARTYR! by Kaveh Akbar, WHICH EVERYONE AND THEIR MOTHER &FATHER SEEMED TO BE LOOKING FOR, SO THAT WAS A NICE LITTLE SOUVENIR TO BRING HOME HAHAHA. THERE'S ACTUALLY SO MUCH MORE I WANT TO TALK ABOUT, BUT THIS POST WOULD TURN INTO A WHOLE ESSAY IF I DID. Overall, this was such a wholesome, heartwarming, and genuinely happy experience that I'll probably remember for the rest of my life. Six days might not sound like much, but somehow, they gave me so many memories, new friends, new knowledge, and little moments that meant more than I expected. I came for the books, but I left with so much more than that. Thanks Water Lily Literary!