I remember that night as I just finished my class and I was on my way back home. It was a usual tiring day as I was walking down the bus’ shelter, crossing the super long bridge to take another bus route, it was so tiring both physically and mentally. I opened up my phone and looked up for the result of my latest test for the student exchange program to Beijing, only to find out I failed. All over again. I could not hold back my tears as I cried on my way to the bus, in that public space.
In a flash, all the memories of failures came across my head. I remember back in high school, I held no money more than transportation fee as usual. But I braced myself with a friend to go miles away to the southern part of Jakarta, back and forth so many times after school and went back home late, for the student exchange program tests. These 2 kids of 14 years old running under the rain in the middle of the night, miles away from home, to get to the bus, only to try many times for the student exchange tests and found out that we still failed. I remember we were there running under the rain while witnessing the other students are being picked up by their parents in a nice car. Well… :”)
As the time went by, I could not count anymore on how many opportunities of student exchange, international workshops or forums that I have applied but none seemed to show a success, yet I did not give up. Until one day there was 1 mail coming saying that I am accepted to attend the ASEAN Youth Leaders Camp in Mahasarakham University (would be held in August 2014), in Thailand. Like…. OK THANK YOU GOD!
BUT…. There was a but.
The program will cover everything but the flight ticket..
Ok now I’m thinking, I even had some days I could not go to university just because I did not have the money for my daily transportation. Even tho it got better after I worked, but still, how could I possibly purchase the flight ticket?
So long story short, I managed to get sponsorship from my own university that they paid my flight tickets to Thailand so that I can join the program. Little did I knew, my initiative then became the pioneer for a new “public secret” program from the university that after my Thailand trip, the university put a certain budget for 1 student from each major to go to an international program abroad each year. Of course, they should come in a competitive way and the university will choose the most promising program & student. But I was lucky that I started this first and because my name was already in the university’s list of one of those students who usually went to competition for the university, so it was easier for them to give me the money.
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| Ugh, look at us there! Porudly waving our flag in the international stage! |
This program to Thailand was like a stepping stone for me, that after it, I kept on being accepted for international programs. One of the most amazing moments was on the earlier of 2015. On February 1-3 I will be sent by my University to go competing in the Nanyang Technological University Model United Nations.
Then shortly after that which was on 28 February to March 1, I will be presenting my paper on the CamTesol Call for Paper Conference on Phnom Penh Cambodia.
I thank God that I already had a few jobs that time, thus I can help myself by going here and there even though there were still costs for it.
This junior year was such as a year of achievement for me. I started my stepping stones of attending international events, I went to many competitions of English Debating & Model United Nations, as well as I had promising jobs. On may 2015, I was accepted for an internship program at Bakrie Center Foundation, and I can tell you I did well there J besides, I was also teaching English for 3 directors at BPKP with a pretty good payment J both of the jobs did help me to build my professional careers in terms of building good networks and also help me to learn while also implementing my skills and knowledges to the professional world.
I told you right? Rain will stop. And it will be changed to a beautiful rainbow if we were trying to make it.
I don’t really believe in a luck. What I believe is, I can create my own luck. Why? Because if everyone else needs 40-50 trials to achieve 1 thing, I myself need 100-200 trials to achieve it. But once I succeed in overcoming the tiredness and the challenges of those 100-200 trials, my achievement will be much bigger than the average person.
Yes. I don’t have much luck, but I can create my own.
And have a look at some memories of my junior year spent in international events:
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| Introducing you, the official delegation of Universitas Bakrie for NTU MUN Competition |
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| Me, awkwardly pose because I asked a stranger to take me a picture in the banner so just the haters won't say I lied. hihi |
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