Outstanding Moment

Kemaren sore aku ngerjain tugas SIG buat bikin majalah sama Rere, Yuni, dan Solene. Seperti biasalah, di saat ngerjain malah ngomong nglantur kemana-mana. Bahas tentang Perancis lah, ngajarin bahasa, and sharing budaya. Solene open minded banget orangnya. Dia ga enggan buat jelasin negaranya ke kami. Waktu diajarin ngomong kupu-kupu, dia bilang cute banget kata-katanya. Maklum lah, ga da kan kata kayak gitu di Perancis.

Terus tiba-tiba aja dia nyeletuk tentang homeless people. Gila aja, katanya di Indonesia ga ada yang kayak gitu. Dia Cuma pernah nemuin sekali doang pengemis di jembatan penyeberangan. Di Perancis malah banyak banget katanya. Yauda deh, pas banget waktu Kak Vina minta tolong buat bagiin makanan ke kampung di Pancoran Buntu 2, aku ajakin dia. Biar lebih tau and familiar potret Indonesia yang sebenarnya kayak gimana. Di kampung itu, didominasi oleh pemulung. Banyak anak kecilnya, n aku ikutan kegiatan Maddani Community buat ngajar Bahasa Inggris n matematika ke mereka. Seneng rasanya bisa berbagi.

Waktu awal nyampe perpus Maddani, aku takut Solene bakalan alergi karena tempatnya yang ga terlalu bersih. Apalagi waktu dia ambil minyak kayu putih buat bau bauan. Jadi ngerasa bersalah ngajakin dia kesana. Untungnya, dia suka and excited banget sama kegiatan Maddani. Katanya, di Perancis sih ga ada kegiatan ngajar gratis kayak gitu karena dari sejak dini sampe umur 18 tahun Pemerintah Perancis ngegratisin sekolah buat siapapun. Dia jadi sedih, anak-anak disini kurang diperhatikan masalah pendidikan, n di negaranya malah sebagian dari anak-anak disana malas sekolah.

Sekitar mau adzan Isya’, kami semua mulai membagikan makanan ke rumah-rumah sambil nyebarin brosur buat gabung belajar di Maddani Community. Anak-anak disana pada heran liat dia. Dari awal bagiin makanan sampe akhir, mereka pada ngikutin kami. Jadi susah jalan n balik ke perpus paling telat. Bersyukur banget bisa ngasih kesempatan mereka buat liat bule. Kalo kayak gitu, bakalan lebih mudah buat memotivasi belajar Bahasa Inggris, kan? J. Untungnya juga, Solene ga marah ato bete sekalipun. Dia malah seneng banget, gandeng anak-anak disana, bahkan gendong salah satu dedek kecil dari mereka. J

Abis muter-muter kampung, kami semua makan nasi bungkus. Solene lahap banget ternyata. Dia suka oseng kacang panjang. Waktu diajarin ngomong ‘kacang panjang’ dia kesulitan. Pokoknya orang Perancis agak susah buat ngomong yang ada “ng” nya. Hehe... waktu masih kelompokan, dia suka nyebut ‘kupu-kupu”. Katanya cute banget. Ada-ada aja, ya. Btw, solene juga suka sama kucing lo. Dia punya dua di rumah. Cantik n ganteng banget.

Kayaknya, dia sekeluarga tertarik dengan islam. Solene minta ajarin make jilbab, sewaktu skype sama mamanya n ada adzan, mamanya dengerin adzan dulu. Waktu dia liat masjid, katanya indah. Wah, semoga cepet dapet hidayah, ya. Amin.

Lebih dekat dengan bule adalah salah satu Hajatku. Alhamdulillah terkabul sudah. JJJ

Feels Alone

Sometimes, ngrasa kesepian. Entah kenapa jalanku harus selalu jauh dengan keluarga. Sejak SMA sampai sekarang, entah berapa moment kebersamaan yang tak bisa kuhadiri. Jujur, rasanya jadi jauh sekali dengan keakraban kalo ngumpul bareng lagi. Kalaupun mereka cerita tentang moment tertentu, aku lebih banyak ga taunya.

Hidupku memang sangatlah kontras dengan kakak. Sampai berkepala dua pun, ia tak sekalipun pernah jauh dari keluarga hingga lebih dari sebulan. Sedih baru kerasa saat lagi sendiri n butuh temen curhat. Pasti rasanya beda kan kalo mau curhat sama orang lain. Pasti akan lebih nyaman kalo dia adalah keluarga kita sendiri.

Hidup di lantai 2 tempat kost, memang didominasi oleh orang Palembang. Ngrasa ga nyaman kalo lagi kumpul bareng n mereka ngobrol pake bahasa daerahnya. Ga sulit memang, akupun bisa mengerti. Tapi tetap saja aku harus berpikir dua kali untuk bisa mengerti.

Karena tinggal di lantai 2 inilah aku mulai jauh dan sangatlah menjauh dengan teman-temanku dari Malang. Selain gaya hidup yang berbeda, akupun tak suka dengan cara berteman mereka. Aku suka bersifat netral. Itu pula yang seringkali menjadi bahan teguran teman2 Malang terhadapku. Sejujurnya, aku tak ingin menjauh dari kalian. Tapi, disinilah tempat nyamanku. Prinsip hidupku juga mirip dengan teman2 Palembang. Jadi maaf, kalau selama ini aku selalu tak acuh terhadap kalian. 

Between Money and Charity

Hari ini sudah jelas, aku belum bisa ikutan jadi panitia buat 2 projects. Sayang banget yang internship, padahal itu bakalan jadi salah satu tool awal biar aku lebih mengenal perusahaan n kesempatan kerja. Udah niat banget buat ikut. Siap komitmen tingkat dewa deh, pokoknya! Takdir kali ya... semacam pengingat biar aku ga terlalu sibuk di semester pertama.

Kalo yang lain, lose juga buat jadi panitia English Debate Competition. Lumayan buat ngasah English speaking skill ku. Apa boleh buat, waktu seleksi interview aku jawabnya asal n ga liatin niat n komitmen. Besok katanya mereka kumpul. Cukup kecewa sih kalo liat progressnya karena ga da part aku disana.

Meski sedikit tertohok, harus tetep bangkit, dong! Aku bakalan cari peluang di bidang lain. Kayak kepanitiaan event bisnis di kampus. Wajib dapet tuh! Bagus buat future career biar cepet lunas utangnya. Haha...

Target aku saat ini lebih cenderung cari info n relasi buat future job. Tapi aku juga ga lupa sama kodratku sebagai manusia. Tetep wajib kudu harus berbagi dengan sesama. Jadi, selain sibuk part time job n cari pengalaman berorganisasi, tiap hari Jumat uda aku jadwalin buat dateng ke kampung Maddani, salah satu komunitas belajar anak-anak pemulung. Aku ngajar Matematika n Bahasa Inggris disana. Minggu kemaren baru mulai ngajar. Seru sih, tapi ya harus ekstra sabar juga. Anak kecil masih pada hiperaktif kan? Jadi sedikit susah diatur.

Aku selalu bilang pada diri sendiri, suksesmu kelak jangan hanya kau dan keluargamu nikmati sendiri. Ingat sekitarmnu. Mereka butuh uluran tangan dari orang sepertimu. Bantulah mereka. Jangan enggan menyisihkan harta dan waktu biar mereka juga bisa senyum n hidup berkecukupan. J

Share More to Get Even More

Tanggal 4-5 kemaren aku ke Idul Adha di Bogor lo. Jadi panitia kurban gitu, karena aku sie konsumsi jadi wajib ikut. Kalo ga da aku, ntar bisa-bisa pada ga makan semua tuh. Hehe... orang aku sendiri aja juga belum expert.

Sumpah desanya terpencil banget. Sampe muter-muter gitu nyarinya. Uda berangkat siangbolong, malem baru nyampe. Ga kena macet sih, tapi emang rumit nyarinya. Aku uda kayak terong digoreng deh pokoknya, lemes bangeettttt.... mual, pusing, haus, polusi angkot, semua jadi satu. Belom lagi sopirnya bingung jalan. Berhenti, jalan lagi. 3 kali lebih ada deh kayak gitu. Pas uda puncak banget tuh, untung ada yang kasi permen. Dewa banget pokoknya. Kalo ga gitu aku bisa muntah kali.

Begitu sampe lokasi, istirahat bentar, langsung deh masak buat dinner. Yang laen enak pada bisa istirahat smabil ngemil, aku mulai sibuk di dapur. Gapapa kok, toh banyak juga yang bantu. Serunya lagi pas makan bareng. Mereka nikmatin kok, ga da yang complein. Syukurlah... lolos tahap pertama haha...

Malemnya nonton Hunger Games. Lagi tayang di tv. Dasar aku ga suka film action, liatnya sambil tidur deh. Ga taunya waktu bangun, uda ada cowok di samping aku. Langsung deh bangun. Ga boleh kan sebenarnya. Ntar bisa bikin mereka mikir aneh-aneh lagi. Ugh!

Besoknya bangun jam 3 buat breakfast. Trus Sholat bareng sama warga di Masjid, sarapan, n lanjut motong-motong hewan kurban. Aku sih ga terlalu explore banyak tentang desa itu, karena jobnya banyakan di dapur. Mereka ngurus dagingnya, aku nyiapin bumbu n masak. Sebelum balik ke Jakarta, kami makan bareng pemilik rumah trus foto-foto deh.

Banyak sih pengalaman baru disana. Aku merasa benar-benar jadi cewek sejati dan diakui disana. Jadi lebih confidence buat masak n semakin bulet niat buat ngebantu others. Disana tuh baru taun ini ada kurban lagi. Sekitar 2 tahun ga da yang nyumbang. Belom lagi air yang limited n akses ke kota yang susah. Sumpah, kasian.

Masalah remaja, aku ngerasa beruntung karena bisa jalan bareng sama senior-senior. Serasa ga ada gap. Disana aku juga nemuin temen cowok yang benar-benar sederhana. Kagum banget deh sama dia. Uda kebapakan, perhatian, n ga banyak gaya.

Dia beda dengan senior-senior yang sempat kukagumi. Mereka semua buayaaaa!!!!

Foreigner

Nice experience, very nice!

Akhirnya hari ini aku dapet kesempatan buat ngobrol sama Solene (Mahasiswi IESEG-French). Dia friendly banget, kita sama-sama pengen tau tentang negara asal masing-masing. Awalnya mau ngerjain tugas story telling buat SIG Class, tapi malah ngobrol jatohnya n tugas terpaksa harus dilanjutin besok. Kurang dikit kok, kira-kira 1 jam sebelum kelas kita bisa ketemu.

Dia jelasin banyak banget. Dia yang aktif nanya. Pengen tau tentang cara baca alfabet indonesia gitu. Trus dia kasi liat juga foto-foto di Perancis, makanan-makanan disana, dance, n bahasa umum yang cukup sulit bilangnya. Waktu ngomongin tentang tarian, dia aku ajakin buat liat oplosannya Soimah. Hehe... interest banget kliatannya, mungkin karena semua element ikutan joget.

Abis gitu, terpaksa harus pisah karena kampus uda tutup jam 9 malem. Sayang banget, aku betah tuh kalo mau lanjut mpe jam 12 malem. Sekarang aku pengennya dateng ke rumah dia buat ngerjain Magazine Project. Cari waktu free yang lama lah. Biar bisa puas-puasin ngobrol bareng. Aku juga planned buat masak n hang out bareng. Isn’t that interesting?

Pokoknya dia salah satu cara buat improve English skill aku n confidence juga yang paling penting biar berani speak up. Sebenarnya ini buat fulfil curiosity aku sama orang asing. Aku suka n tertarik banget sama mereka. Target aku, at least once in my whole life I have to stand on the abroad ground. That’s it. Simple, right?

Terserah deh mau jalnnya kayak gimana. Entah workshop, seminar, training, student exchange, ato kerja. Pokoknya harus pernah ngehirup oksigen negara lain langsung dari tempat asalnya. Pengennya sih ke Jepang, Korea, Cina, Taiwan, Jerman, US, n Paris. Doain ya... say Amiiin please... J

Hi guys!

Here are my essays for completing the APU's enrollment. Just check it out. I do really hope that it will be useful for you as your refferences. Enjoy!

3rd APU's Essay Requirement

How would APU tuition reduction scholarship assist you in reaching your educational career and goals?

My fate was sealed. Although I received a scholarship for senior high, my father ‘s untimely death made me wonder how I was going to attend university.  Without my father’s income, there was not enough money to pay for my university education.

Despite my financial limitations, I still wish to pursue higher education. There are  many teenagers who have to work to help provide for their families instead of attending university. Just like these teenagers, I have a responsibility to take care of my family. However, I believe getting a higher education is the best way to make a better life for my family. A great education will not only grant me the chance to gain the knowledge, but also the life skills necessary to be successful in life. Therefore, I can confidently  face the world and make a change for my family as well as other people in the world.

Plato once said, “The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future.” Because I am committed to becoming a leader, education is very important. Education will allow me to learn more about myself as an individual and improve my natural abilities. As I meet teachers and friends from different backgrounds, they will guide me and help strengthen the natural talents that I have yet to discover.  My interactions with these teachers and friends will also expose me to and increase my understanding of diversity. Enrolling in APU will allow me to deepen the leadership skills I gained during my time at Sampoerna Academy. It is my life’s goal to help others so that they can have a better life. However, if I am to commit to helping all of humanity, I must first overcome my own fears and receiving the tuition reduction scholarship will afford me that opportunity.

(302 words)

2nd APU's Essay Requirement

Please write about any previous commendable experiences, any extracurricular activities you hope to pursue after you have entered the university, and your plans after graduation from APU.

Today I live in a country that still needs a lot of improvement. Because of this, it is my responsibility to help my country.

Every Saturday morning, I participate in many community service activities with members of my senior high school. I work as a volunteer teaching local elementary school students. I have talked with these elementary school students about environmental issues,  the arts,  and any other topics the students wanted to discuss. In addition to the work I did at the local elementary school,  I got a job managing and reproducing as compost the organic waste of another local. I really enjoyed collaborating with my students so much so that I served as a traditional dance tutor at another local, Islamic elementary school.  After  dedicating more than a half of my time in senior high school to community service activities, I realized the importance of giving others hope.

 

Moreover, it was only natural that I take on the role as the HIV/AIDS ambassador of my school. I worked together with the National AIDS Commission on organizing an event to celebrate the annual HIV/AIDS Day. As the person in charge of that event, I really wanted to get my friends involved  and raise their awareness about how HIV/AIDS affects our community. Just as I worked with the National AIDS Commission and my friends to help support a worthy cause, joining forces with the multicultural students of APU can further help me achieve my dreams of solving many global issues.

 

As indicated by the above experiences, I intend to further my extra-curricular activities by joining the APU volunteerism and local exchange programs. This will allow me to contribute to the improvement of global communities, especially for Japan as my host country. During my time in  this program, I will gladly share my senior high experiences in order to help others understand better people’s living conditions in developing countries. With this knowledge, together we can promote peace and understanding between developed and developing countries as well as create a plan to help improve the lives of people in developing countries.  After that, I will come back to Indonesia  and  invest my time in making a better life for Indonesian people. I want to encourage all people around me to take care of themselves and enhance their life skills in order to succeed in life. I want to rebuild their confidence to face the world, and strengthen their passion in education. That is all I have to do in order to initiate change.

(420 words)

1st APU's Essay Requirement

1. Please write the reason(s) why you wish to attend APU and how you intend to approach your studies within your first choice of college (APM/APS).

“Learn Today, Lead Tomorrow.” — Sampoerna Academy’s motto.

This motto reflects Sampoerna Academy’s commitment to create  future leaders. Being a student at one of Sampoerna Academy’s campuses has tought me a lot about leadership. Through programs such as Pathway to Leadership and Solo Camp I have learned the importance of prioritizing, helping others succeed, and seeking first to understand than to be understood. I wish to further implement these values at APU. However, in order to fulfill my commitment as a future leader, I should learn more about global issues and commit to addressing and solving these issues.

I need an education that encourages my academic achievement, helps to increase my self-esteem and  my understanding of the world around me as well as teach me the importance of improving life skills. This will raise my global and environmental awareness. I can not remain in my comfort zone; I have to engage people from around the world so as to deepen my understanding of other cultures. Remaining in my native country will not give me a true look into how the real world works and will neither help me to become an open-minded person or assist in my dreams of becoming a model leader to all the local, national, and international communities around the world.

Communication, in my opinion, is one of the most important ways to get closer to a community. It allows me to understand their needs, wants, and problems so that I am better able to help them. Applying to the college of Asia Pacific Studies in Asia Pacific University will allow me to learn the cultures and societies around me and enrich my languages skills. Furthermore, being a part of an international class exposes me to different global  perspectives. Students can work together, share ideas, and discuss ways to solve global issues and create peace within the world. This will serve as my first step towards relating to global communities and helping to establish a better life for all people.

APU’s traditional dance clubs, such as Geisou, will further develop my global connectedness and understanding. Learning about the arts, cultures, and traditions of other countries not only satisfies my curiosity, but it also speaks to my personal interests and hobbies. I really enjoy practicing and performing Javanese traditional dances. Every since I was in elementary school I have participated in Javanese traditional dance. During my time in senior high school,  I joined “The 1000 Masks Festival”. It was during this festival that I began to wonder how it would feel to share Javanese traditional dance with people from outside of my own culture. APU’s multicultural week will grant me the opportunity to share my culture with others from around the world. I really would like to be a member of APU and all of its cultural activities so that I can teach others about my own traditions as well as learn about many other world traditions.

Someone once said, “Experience is the best teacher.” I believe that studying at Asia Pacific University will allow me to have many diverse experiences. These experiences will  promote my personal development and  positively influence my cultural awareness through its strong global environment. The global and different cultural lessons I will learn at APU will help  me to become an agent of change for both my local community and the communities of people around the world.

(563 words)