Eliminating the Limits   change yourself: change the world

Reading time: < 1 minute

Hi – just a quick post, some people have been wondering on how to apply to study abroad. I am not the right person to ask because I am studying in Jakarta myself, but I found a very interesting (and useful) website that might be able to help you to conduct your research if you plan to study abroad. Please go to HotCourses, www.hotcourses.co.id, and help yourself! For more information, you can contact my friend Nooraini Indrana (nooraini.indrana@hotcourses.com), she works at HotCourses in London. Good luck for your studies!

Reading time: 1 – 2 minutes

Because of Twitter, sometimes we forget the joy of being alone.

Because of Twitter, we rarely completely enjoy something since we are now too busy tweeting about that.

Because of Twitter, we lose the excitement of getting to know strangers.

Because of Twitter, we speculate too much over something.

Because of Twitter, it becomes too easy for us to believe in something though we have not proven that what we read is true.

Because of Twitter, we judge people only upon what they write.

Because of Twitter, our mask gets thicker, and thicker, yet it becomes easier for us to fake ourselves.

Because of Twitter, we think we know someone too much.

Because of Twitter, we stalk people, we want to know everything about them.

Because of Twitter, sometimes we don’t respect people’s privacy anymore.

Because of Twitter, we forget that we are human who have the ability to control our behaviour and blame a social networking website instead.

Reading time: 8 – 14 minutes

Thank you—for making Indonesian Youth Conference a dream that comes true.

On Friday, January 23, 2009, IYC was only an idea that I presented in front 59 other Global Changemakers from 36 countries, who participated in the Guildford Forum, which was held in Surrey, UK.

On another Friday, precisely March 13, 2009, I published a Facebook® note for my friends, asking if there are people who were interested to participate as volunteers in this project.

We spent approximately six months to develop the program concept, and one year to practically prepare the programme.

We held two pre-events.

Make Your Voice Heard! Blog Competition was held in partnership with the Jakarta Globe in August 2009 to celebrate International Youth Day–yet we also launched our website on the same day. The topic was Online All The Time: Youth & New Media – The Impact of Social Networking and the Online World on Indonesian Culture.

Road to Indonesian Youth Conference was held to promote about the event and call for provincial delegates with the theme Follow Your Passion, as we wanted to emphasise the fact that no matter what our passion is, we can make a positive contribution for Indonesia. It was held in 4 schools & universities (SMA Negeri 82 Jakarta, SMA Islam Al-Azhar 1, Prasetiya Mulya Business School and Institut Teknologi Bandung).

These events were closed by a press conference attended by 42 media offices, held in EMAX Kemang on July 15, 2010.

www.indonesianyouthconference.org was visited by 145,240 unique visitors, resulting in 3,663,507 hits until July 13, 2010. Apply IYC! sub-site alone was visited by 12,386 people; Saatnya Suara Kita Didengar! sub-site has 1,280 registered users who posted more than 500 blog entries (but only 290 published) and it has been visited by 46,358 people; Forum & Festival IYC sub-site, where people can order ticket to, was visited for 105,847 times in only one month.

A community-formed group, IYCers, has 482 members by now. This group was not formed by IYC at all, it was built on IYC supporters initiative alone.

Earlier this month—July 1 to 4, 2010, IYC had finally taken place. We brought 33 young activists from 30 provinces to attend the forum. AIESEC Indonesia, Shahnaz Haque, Gilang Ramadhan, Nina Moran (Gogirl! Magazine), Tambok Setyawati (BNI), Anies Baswedan (Universitas Paramadina), and Fajar Anugerah (British Council Indonesia) shared their knowledge and experience to these provincial delegates. We also brought 392 visitors to the festival to 16 series of seminar/talkshow sessions, in which they could attend 5 of them by only paying Rp50.000,- (approx. $5).

The themes were:

• Education (Arief Rachman & Beben Supendi Mulyana)
• Environment (Yadi Haryadi & Verena Puspawardani)
• Diplomacy (Fariz Al-Mehdawi & Dino Patti Djalal)
• Anti-Corruption (Transparency International Indonesia)
• Culture (Didiet Maulana & Ayudya Soemawinata)
• Film-Music-Photography (Mira Lesmana, Pandji Pragiwaksono & Arseto Adiputra)
• Politics (Jerry Sambuaga & Bima Arya Sugiarto – moderated by Najwa Shihab)
• Global Citizenship (Mercy Corps)
• Health (Elsar Hayer)
• Activism & Volunteering (Coin A Chance!, Satoe Indonesia, SLB Prima Bakti)
• Changemakers Corner (Guinandra Luthfan Jatikusumo, Eko Ramaditya Adikara, Dina Puspita, Hendrik Bera)
• Pluralism (Hasta Nirmaya, Pekik Nur Sasongko, Dhimas Dhifka Saputro & Lola Amaria)
• Media (Desi Anwar & Armando Siahaan)
• Economics (Rivandra Royono)
• Entrepreneurship (Yoris Sebastian, Sandiaga Uno & Goris Mustaqim)
• Music Clinic (DREW)

These sessions were closed by the performances of PROJECTHREE, L’alphalpha, Pandji Pragiwaksono (feat. LAMURU), DREW, Efek Rumah Kaca, and Saung Angklung Udjo.

This really exceeded our expectation. We only expected to sell less than 366 tickets, according to the capacity of the venue, Komunitas Salihara. For us, it was a huge success. Not quantity-wise, but how the visitors felt about IYC. How they shared their ideas, thoughts, and knowledge they obtained at IYC to a broader community, through Twitter and other tools. We could feel this positive, vibrant energy coming from them. From what they said, from what they have learned. It was beyond everything else. We felt ecstatically happy.

A few things that made me smile:

“I am so impressed with last week’s IYC. I am so proud of all the bright young people I met. Thanks for organizing it, Alanda. Keep the flame alive.” – Dino Patti Djalal, Presidential Spokesperson for International Affairs & core founder of Modernisator

“Glad to know that there are young Indonesians who want to be agent of change. Youngsters who give a damn. Kudos IYC.” – Armando Siahaan, reporter of The Jakarta Globe

“Bantu gue ucapkan SELAMAT kepada IYC, kemarin mereka telah menciptakan perubahan yang baik untuk bangsa.” – Pandji Pragiwaksono, presenter & musisi

“Masih sedikit sekali sumbangan yang saya lakukan untuk bangsa, dan masih sedikit sekali yang bisa saya utarakan untuk sharing. Namun, saya bahagia bisa ikut terlibat di dalamnya dan diberikan kesempatan sharing bersama generasi muda yang luar biasa.” – Beben Supendi Mulyana, Founder of Komunitas Jazz Kemayoran

“Anak-anak muda yang dateng ke IYC hebat-hebat, mereka datang dengan kesadaran untuk mencerdaskan diri sendiri dan berdiskusi. Seneng ngeliantya. There’s hope.” – Raditya Dika

IYC was also featured on more than 46 media, including:

We made into the Jakarta Globe’s front page, got another article inside, and an editorial feature. All three of them were in the same edition.

Click here for the full article published by The Jakarta Post.

We also got featured, for one full page, by the Media Indonesia on its special youth section, “MOVE”.

On January 23, 2009, back in the UK–I did not know that this would happen, but I had faith in it. I had (and still have) faith that if we believe in ourselves, we can make something happen. Even two weeks before IYC, we still did not know that this would happen. We had not been able to secure the funding, we had almost literally nothing. On July 4, 2010, we made it. IYC actually happened. Yes, it did.

It was completely, inevitably, our wildest dream that came true. Plus, with all of your responses… We could not say anything. We could not speak. But, I bet our expressions have said everything. Our smile too. All I could do was to be all-teary, thanking God, thanking everyone, thanking you. Thanking for making my dream actually comes true… to one thing that’s much even better than what I have always imagined.

Yet, these are, a few lessons I learned from IYC:

• There are always people who will tell you that you cannot do something. There are always people who will steal your ideas, concepts, or even tangible items from you. You must not let these types of people stop you from accomplishing your idea.
• Nothing forbids you to have a big dream. Doing a successful-but-small thing is much better than failing to realise a big thing. Be realistic. On the other hand, remember: everything is possible.
• Communications is the most important thing and it has to be maintained. There were a lot of miscommunications in the committee that led to unnecessary problems. Do not forget to sustain the communication system and clarify when you are not sure whether you understand something or not.
• When you want to do a good deed to make a positive impact in your society, you will be likely to achieve it. Other good things will follow you. People will support you. God is Graceful, you know? Trust me.
• For me, personally, without me realising it: it was difficult for me to get out of my comfort zone. I hope that IYC would be my turning point to be a better person. I thank Ghian for the wake-up call.
• Priority is also important. In social or voluntary work, we have to be able to allocate our time well on everything that we do or have to take care of. The lack of the ability to prioritise has been one of the most common problems among the committee. Sometimes it was difficult to hold meeting because each of us are busy with our own activities.
• The power of mind really is powerful. To be honest, I did not have a back up plan. I did not think of what I could do if IYC was not successful. It was all there. The images of the event, the talks, the ambiance… It was in my head already since I was in the UK. This led to one of the conversations I had with Abenk. His mother said that “everything happens twice”—the first one would be in our mind when we first thought about it, the second one is the realisation; if we work hard on it. So, visualise your dream. Whoops, you’re there already.

All in all, again, thank you for your unconditional support for IYC. You mean so much to us. Thank you for having faith in us. We hope that what we have done would make a positive change in the society. Amin.

PS: Dreams come true. Get it? So, dream on, pursue it.

Reading time: 6 – 9 minutes

Kemarin, saya menerima komentar dari Cut Naila, tapi rasanya tidak cukup jika dijawab di Comments. Menurut saya, mungkin komentarnya mewakili banyak pemuda Indonesia, sehingga harus dijawab di sini :) Terima kasih banyak.

Wow, your thoughts are one of a kind ! Salut, I fully appreciate it. Masalahnya, gak semua anak muda punya prestasi outstanding spt kakak yg bisa menunjang karier kedepannya.

Nah, ini mindset yang perlu diubah. Prestasi seseorang tidak diperoleh karena keberuntungan, melainkan karena keinginan, kemauan, dan kegigihan untuk mencapainya. Prestasi itu suatu hal yang bisa (dan harus) diraih. Jujur, membaca ini, hati saya merasa tidak enak — seolah-olah apa yang saya peroleh semata-mata karena “kebetulan” saya memperolehnya. Tapi, tidak seperti itu. Saya, maupun orang lain, memperoleh sesuatu karena jerih payah, karena keinginan, karena harapan.

Gak semua anak muda itu jago dlm hal-hal diluar akademis spt berorganisasi dsb.

Semua orang memiliki bakat, baik di bidang akademis maupun non-akademis. Yang tidak memiliki bakatpun bisa berprestasi apabila memiliki kemampuan. Ambil contoh, teman saya Yoris Sebastian, ia (dan saya) percaya bahwa creativity is a habit – kreativitas bisa dibangun, dan dilatih. Itu bukan sesuatu yang kita dapat dari lahir. Dari kecil, Yoris merasa tidak kreatif, tapi ia melatih dirinya karena menjadi kreatif itu penting. Di usia 26 tahun, Yoris menjadi General Manager Hard Rock Cafe, tanpa mengenyam pendidikan di bangku kuliah. Jika kreativitas saja bisa kita tumbuhkan di dalam diri kita, mengapa kemampuan berorganisasi tidak bisa? Orang sesukses Steve Jobs, ketika lahir pun ia sendirian, tidak punya atasan maupun bawahan, tidak punya partner kerja, tidak punya teman setim, sama seperti kita semua. Kemampuan akademis dan non-akademis bisa dilatih – kalau kita mau. Yang jadi masalah adalah… apakah saya, kamu, kita mau?

Gak semua orang cerdik dlm nyari kesempatan spt kk.

Kesempatan tidak harus dicari, tapi bisa diciptakan. Bruce Lee pernah berkata, “To hell with circumstances, I create opportunities.” Saya sangat setuju dengan hal itu. Jika belum bisa menciptakan kesempatan, sisihkan uang kurang-lebih Rp5000,-, pergi ke warnet… Ada alasan mengapa sebagian orang menganggap bahwa internet adalah salah satu teknologi terhebat yang pernah ditemukan. We can find almost any information we need there, including opportunities. Jauh lebih baik jika bisa dimanfaatkan untuk mencari kesempatan kan dibanding hanya cek Facebook atau Twitter?

Gak semua anak muda berkesempatan untuk memilih langkah downstream.

Kembali lagi – kesempatan selalu ada. Kesempatan untuk memilih upstream, downstream, atau bagaimanapun kamu menyebutnya. Saya kurang mengerti definisi downstream kamu ini  apa, jadi maaf jika responnya kurang jelas juga.

Gak semua anak muda punya talent luar biasa spt leadership skill dll untuk dibanggakan dan jadi modal besar.

Seperti yang sudah saya katakan: Kemampuan harus dilatih untuk menjadi ada, didukung dengan kemauan. Jika menurut kamu saya memiliki leadership skill, sejujurnya, saya merasa belum menjadi pemimpin yang baik. Tapi, saya mau belajar, supaya nanti bisa jadi pemimpin yang baik. Kita semua sedang belajar, kok. Bahkan, Richard Branson, Stephen Covey, juga pasti masih belajar.

Sehingga, banyak dari anak muda ini, termasuk aku, yang masih perlu ambil langkah mainstream spt kuliah di univ negri, milih jurusan kedokteran, ekonomi, teknik, dll,,, untuk mensupport masa depan. Belom lagi kalo ada tuntuan dari segi finansial keluarga ( contoh : anak pertama perlu biayain adik, dll).

Seperti yang sudah saya tulis di post saya, saya juga anak pertama yang harus membiayai adik, karena itu saya pilih mengambil beasiswa di universitas swasta karena jatuhnya lebih murah dibanding di universitas negeri.

Dan dlm kenyataannya, walaupun sekarang udah banyak yg mikir kalo jurusan mainstream ini oldschool bgt dan gak happenning lagi, masih banyak kok anak muda yang berminat sama jurusan2 mainstream ini.

Tentunya. Buktinya saya dari SD sampai SMA (bahkan mungkin sampai sekarang), masih terobsesi untuk kuliah di Fakultas Hukum UI. Saya sudah mencoba sebisa mungkin, I did my best, tapi tetap tidak diterima. Tapi, itu tidak berarti saya akan memiliki masa depan yang buruk, atau mengecewakan orangtua. Saya percaya, kita semua bisa “make our marks” melalui cara kita masing-masing.

Kalo dipikir2 lagi, oke, indonesia masih butuh sineas2 idealis yg semoga lebih aspiratif daripada anggota dpr, indonesia masih butuh public-figure2 yg bisa bangkitin nasionalisme kita, indonesia masih butuh seniman-seniman sebagai dengan segala kritik tajamnya yang membangun bangsa,,, tapi sebagai suatu negara masih butuh ekonom yang mastiin kas negara nggak amburadul, masih butuh dokter-dokter berbakat yang bersedia mengabdi untuk sesama, masih butuh insinyur-insinyur yang bisa bikin plan-plan di semua sektor dengan sistematis dan realistis.

Setuju. Itulah mengapa, jurusan paling most wanted tetap Manajemen, Hukum, Komunikasi, Kedokteran, dan lain-lain. Ada ribuan orang yang mendaftar untuk jurusan tersebut. Kalau kamu bicara sineas, IKJ masih menjadi salah satu universitas negeri yang least wanted, karena stereotip yang orang berikan terhadap kampus tersebut. Walaupun begitu, kita lihat prestasi sineas Indonesia. Walau Indonesia cuma punya satu sekolah film yang menyediakan gelar sarjana, kita memiliki sangat banyak sineas berbakat dan film-film yang menang di festival-festival internasional. Alhamdulillah.

Personally, aku berharap banget kedua dunia downstream dan mainstream ini bisa kerja sama saling mengisi biar Indonesia lebih baik. Bidang downstream majuin bangsa dgn cara kreatifnya sendiri dan gak lupa ngasih kritiknya buat yang kerja di bidang mainstream. Bidang mainstream membangun negara dengan prefosional dan gak lupa ngedengerin input dan masukan positif dari bidang downstream, juga ngejamin ‘keberadaan’ bidang downstream ini ;) hopefully Indonesia di tangan kita, anak muda, bisa baik dengan cara seperti ini ;)

Aku sejujurnya, pingin bgt kerja di bidang journalism, fashion industry, dan creative industry. Aku juga minat bangett sama ekonomi makro mikro dan alhamdulillah baru diterima di akuntansi ui. Makanya tadi waktu baca postingan ini agak gimanaa gitu. Agak takut. Karena awalnya aku pingin bgt masuk ui bukan semata2 karena kebanggaan, karena aku pingin ngambil ilmu, memperkaya diri, di tempat dengan sumber daya (yang dinilai) terbaik di negri ini. Kayanya, ujung2nya balik ke orangnya masing-masing apakah dia bisa menemukan dirinya yang terbaik di tempat dia berada. Rite ? kalo nyaman di univ, negeri, insyaAllah kita bisa sukses. Kalo nyaman di swasta, insyaAllah kita pasti bisa sukses juga ;)

Selamat ya, diterima di Akuntansi UI! Hebat sekali. Ada banyak orang yang sudah diterima UI/ITB dan mengeluh kesulitan. Kalau sudah diterima dan kamu memilih UI, go for it. Janji pada saya dan diri kamu sendiri, kamu tidak akan pernah mengeluh maupun menyesal ya :)

Masalah “sukses”: Nggak kuliah juga bisa sukses. So, no worries.

Hopefully, we can explore ourself to the maxx and lead this country to a better future, Indonesia’s future is on OUR HAND !!! ;)

Thank you, soriii kalo ada yang berseberangan kak ;)

You’re welcome.

Reading time: 5 – 8 minutes

Yes, I am guilty again, for not posting again in several weeks or even months. Sorry ;)

Now, I am back with good news, which you might have heard from my tweets (uh huh, blame Twitter for my procrastination) and Facebook account. Yep, yep, I have published my second book! *solo salsa*

There it is, Vice Versa!

Vice Versa is a compilation of 18 short stories that I have written in the past 5 years. After I published Mint Chocolate Chips, I already had several more lengthy pieces that could be a novel, but I did not have much time to revise or even “remaster” them. That’s why, I am stuck with writing shorter ones, including articles, short stories, and… hmmm, yes, tweets.

The themes vary. Most of them are still about love, seen from a variety of perspectives and angles. I think love can be interpreted in too many ways, therefore sometimes I call this book as “the book of love stories”. Unlike Mint Chocolate Chips, the stories here are a bit “heavier”, in a way. On the other hand, unlike Bunuh Diri Massal 2008, the stories have more positive moral values rather than sarcasm.

The title Vice Versa came from the title of one of the stories. I wanted to emphasise that anything can be seen through any kind of perspective. Vice Versa is not only about love, it is also about everything else.

The book was launched on Sunday, May 2, 2010 at Warung Pasta Kemang - one of my favourite restaurants ever! I love the atmosphere, and the location is very strategic. Here are some pictures from the event – in case you could not come:

Some very honest words from my mother. She said that nobody can stop me from doing something that I want, but now she’s happy about it. Thank you so much, Mum. I love you, a million times, I love you… :)

Some testimonials from Mas Angga Dwimas Sasongko (yes, that famous director who brought you Hari Untuk Amanda) and Abenk (yes, that famous vocalist of the band Soulvibe). I thank you both :)

My girlfriends since junior high school! First (complete) reunion after several years… Vanda is missing though, she’s in Tokyo now :)

Even Pak Dino and Ibu Rosa came later in the afternoon. I was very surprised and felt very honoured. Thank you for the unconditional support, Pak & Ibu Dino!

I hope those pictures told more than I could ever said in words :)

So, that day we had plenty of fun. Loads of ice tea, pasta, book signing, shaking hands, and everything else. I felt happy, although at first was a bit upset because none of my extended family members were present – but I bet they sent prayers and support from their hearts!  I still believe that family is the most valuable asset that we all can have, missing them was not in my dictionary. But, well, I still had tons of fun!

Now the launching is done, I can confidently tell you that you can get my book in the nearest bookstore! If you don’t want to go anywhere, you can place your order here and have my book shipped to your house. The retail price is Rp37.000,-; but if you buy from Terrant Books, you’ll get 35% discount! Yay! Who does not like cheap books? :) If you have read my book and own a blog, please review it on your blog (read the full details here). You can get a package of Terrant Books’ best selling books. If you are too lazy to write a lengthy review, #tweetreview it! Write your #ViceVersa experience in less than 140 characters for each story, post it on Twitter (and mention me –> @AlandaKariza), I’ll give another story for you, for free (know more about it here).

That’s it for now, I guess. It’s 12.25 AM in the morning *yawn*, got a class this morning! You can read more about my book on http://viceversa.alandakariza.com.

Anyway, tonight I am going to speak at Binus International for the event “ASEAN: Challenges and Opportunities for Future Leaders”. It’s a kick-off event for the upcoming Regional Youth Leader Conference 2010, which is going to be held in June 2010. My uni works together with FreSh! for this event. You can RSVP by clicking here.

Okay, I should see you guys sometimes soon then… I really appreciate your patience. Greetings from Jakarta to everyone in the world ;)

Reading time: 2 – 3 minutes

Ketika saya dan teman-teman merancang konsep rangkaian kegiatan Road to Indonesian Youth Conference, sering banget terpikirkan oleh kami mengenai budaya “pembajakan” yang ada di Indonesia, dan mungkin di seluruh dunia. Berkat fasilitas download yang tersedia di berbagai situs hosting, kadang-kadang kita sebagai pengguna internet tidak sadar bahwa downloading secara ilegal, atau tanpa konsen dari orang yang karyanya kita unduh, sama saja dengan pembajakan. Saya seringkali berharap, ada fasilitas yang memungkinkan kita mengunduh banyak lagu, termasuk lagu Indonesia, secara legal. Di luar negeri, ada banyak vendor yang menyediakan fasilitas download secara legal. Sayangnya, tentu saja mereka tidak memiliki database lagu-lagu Indonesia untuk diunduh. Ingin sekali rasanya membuat kampanye “Stop Pembajakan”, terutama yang berhubungan dengan pengunduhan lagu secara ilegal melalui internet.

Minggu lalu, saya mendengar tentang Nokia X6 dan berkesempatan untuk mencobanya. Fitur yang langsung menarik perhatian saya adalah Nokia Comes With Music—yang langsung menjawab pertanyaan saya akan apa arti hashtag #comeswithmusic yang ada di Twitter. Ternyata, Nokia merayakan Hari Musik Nasional dengan memperkenalkan layanan ini.

Dengan ponsel Nokia yang dilengkapi oleh layanan Comes With Music (selain X6, nanti akan ada seri-seri lain yang dilengkapi dengan layanan ini), kita bisa mengunduh lagu—sebanyak… tidak terbatas!—melalui database lagu Nokia yang memiliki lebih dari 3 juta lagu selama 12 bulan. GRATIS! Download-nya nggak harus pakai ponsel, tapi bisa juga dengan PC yang terhubung dengan ponsel tersebut. Jadi, lagu yang diunduh nggak dibatasi dengan kapasitas memori ponsel kita. Nokia juga punya Ovi Player, software yang bisa digunakan untuk download lagu, mengatur lagu, transfer musik, dan lain-lain.
Di database Musik Ovi, ternyata ada koleksi lagu Indonesia yang relatif lengkap. Mulai dari lagu-lagunya Sherina, sampai lagu-lagu almarhum Chrisye. Selain itu, juga ada lagu-lagu internasional, bahkan yang tidak terlalu “terkenal” di Indonesia, seperti band OK Go dan The Script.

Semoga inovasi Nokia ini bisa membuat kita, pemuda Indonesia, bisa mulai menikmati ribuan lagu secara legal, bukannya main unduh di internet, copy dari hard disk teman, maupun rip dari CD milik teman. Sudah saatnya pemuda Indonesia lebih menghargai Hak Kekayaan Intelektual dan copyright—supaya musik Indonesia bisa lebih maju lagi. Amin!

Well, any youth can dream… and any youth can achieve it :)

Reading time: 2 – 3 minutes

2009 was an eventful year for me. Indeed, it was. A lot of things happened, and all of them left a great impact in my life. I turned 18, and I think I grew up. I used to think that being a grown up is sad. I am a person who believes that being a child is somehow magical, and childhood is the best stage in our lives. When I was a child, I was not that happy. I had to witness the things any child would never have to see. Last year, I experienced some things that anyone would never experience. The good and the bad ones.

In 2009, I learned so much. But sometimes, when it’s too much, you can’t handle it, because the cup is full and it can’t contain.  Yet, I have always needed someone who could contain me. I had one.

Ever since university started, I have changed, into something I don’t know yet exactly. And I am not really happy about that.

For someone as Pisces as I am, it feels funny to be so rational about things. I now rarely use my feelings. Using my brain and mind would be enough, using my logical intelligence would be enough, using the rules would be enough. I keep my feelings somewhere else, for it to be save, for it to be untouchable. I don’t know when I would want to open the treasure chest again. Because  something in it is broken, and I desperately need a glue, or an ICU to make it fixed, to make it healed.

I am trying to steal my old-self back, from something I don’t really know what. Well, we all have to admit that change is the only constant thing in this world. People told me that “change is good”. I don’t feel the same.

Reading time: 5 – 8 minutes

Hari itu, saya sedang menjalani pelatihan untuk menjadi fasilitator di acara Global Youth Summit (GYS) keempat, sebuah acara yang diselenggarakan oleh British Council. Saya, bersama delapan rekan Global Changemakers dari seluruh dunia, dilatih untuk memfasilitasi berbagai sesi di GYS sebagai peer facilitator, mendampingi John Martin yang menjadi fasilitator utama. Pelatihan diselenggarakan selama seminggu di Jerwood Space, Southwark, London, pada tanggal 10 sampai 14 November 2009.

Di acara pelatihan inilah, saya pertama kali bertemu dengan Mohammed Barry, seorang pemuda sepantaran saya yang berasal dari Gambia. Jujur, waktu itu adalah pertama kalinya saya mendengar sebuah negara bernama Gambia. Gambia adalah sebuah negara Muslim di Afrika.

Suatu sore, kami diminta untuk memberikan pitch selama 2 menit, di mana kami menjelaskan aktivisme kami: apa yang telah kami lakukan, dan apa yang ingin kami lakukan, untuk “mengubah dunia” sebagai Changemakers. Ketika tiba saatnya giliran Barry, Ia maju dan memulai pitch-nya.

“Selamat malam. Nama saya Mohammed Barry. Saya berasal dari Gambia. Saya adalah satu dari 40 juta penduduk dunia yang mengidap penyakit HIV/AIDS.”

Saya membeku ketika mendengar hal tersebut. Bukan karena takut, melainkan karena motivasi saya tiba-tiba naik sebesar entah berapa persen! Saya, bersama Barry dan fasilitator lainnya, telah menjalani hari-hari bersama di sebuah hostel di bilangan Rotherhithe, di dekat Canada Water. Kami pergi makan di Chinatown, berjalan-jalan di pinggir danau Surrey Water, dan bertukar informasi mengenai negara masing-masing di dalam tube maupun taksi. Saya menyimpulkan bahwa Barry sama seperti yang lainnya. Hal tersebut memancing konklusi lain, bahwa orang yang mengidap HIV/AIDS sama seperti orang lain, sehingga tidak ada alasan bagi kita untuk mendiskriminasi mereka maupun memperlakukan mereka dengan berbeda. HIV/AIDS tidak menular lewat kontak fisik maupun udara. HIV/AIDS hanya akan menular jika terjadi pertukaran cairan tubuh.

Fakta ini membuat saya menjadi jauh lebih mengidolakan Barry. Ia adalah sosok yang sangat inspiratif bagi saya dan teman-teman fasilitator lainnya. Saya bercerita padanya, “Barry, dulu saya punya kerabat yang mengidap penyakit yang sama. Tapi, ia tidak punya semangat hidup, dan ‘kalah’ hanya dalam waktu dua tahun. Saya pikir mungkin itu juga karena ia tidak rutin minum obat.” Barry menanggapi, “Saya sudah 11 tahun mengidap AIDS. Saya tidak pernah minum obat. Saya hanya mengandalkan semangat hidup dan dukungan dari keluarga saya.” Saya tidak bisa berkata apa-apa ketika mendengarnya. Hanya bisa kagum.

Mohammed Barry mewakili negara Gambia di Africa Youth Summit 2009, yang diselenggarakan pada pertengahan tahun 2009 di Cape Town, Afrika Selatan. Di antara 84 orang yang juga berpartisipasi, Barry terpilih untuk mewakili Global Changemakers Afrika di World Economic Forum Afrika. Ia memberikan pendidikan gratis bagi anak-anak yang kurang mampu, terutama yang mengidap berbagai penyakit, di rumah sakit. Ia juga memperjuangkan agar anak-anak di Gambia bisa mendapatkan pendidikan gratis dengan membangun sekolah komunitas yang tidak menarik uang iuran bagi murid-muridnya.

Selain Barry, masih ada Mousa Musa, seorang pemuda asal Baghdad, Irak. Mousa adalah Global Changemaker pertama yang harus menggunakan kursi roda dalam bermobilisasi. Pada awalnya, saya tidak berkesempatan untuk berinteraksi dalam waktu lama dengan Mousa, karena ia tidak berada di kelompok saya. Di hari terakhir GYS, terpilih 20 orang dari total 60 peserta yang akan diwawancara untuk mewakili Global Changemakers di berbagai high level events seperti World Economic Forum dan Global Humanitarian Forum. Mousa merupakan salah satu dari 20 orang tersebut. Dalam sesi wawancara, menurut semua staf British Council dan fasilitator yang hadir, Mousa adalah kandidat terbaik untuk mewakili Global Changemakers. Ia mendapatkan vote paling banyak dari tim penilai, dan mungkin juga dari rekan-rekannya di GYS. Mousa hendak memperjuangkan pendidikan bagi anak-anak serta pemuda-pemudi yang cacat. Ia berhasil menyampaikan aspirasinya dengan lantang, padat, serta begitu persuasif. Lagi-lagi, saya merasa begitu terinspirasi.

Saya menulis ini bukan demi Barry maupun Mousa, tetapi demi anak-anak Indonesia—dan mungkin anak-anak di seluruh dunia. Salah satu isu terbesar yang dibahas di GYS keempat pada Bulan November 2009 adalah fakta bahwa anak-anak muda di dunia memiliki sifat apatis yang terlalu besar. Kita tidak pernah peduli, dan kita tidak pernah ingin membuat perubahan. Walaupun sebenarnya, kita bisa, dan kita mampu. Padahal, saat muda adalah saat yang paling tepat, di mana rasa idealisme kita masih berada pada puncaknya.

Bagi saya, Barry dan Mousa menjadi contoh bahwa tidak ada halangan bagi kita, anak muda, jika kita ingin membuat perubahan. Barry hidup dengan HIV/AIDS, sementara Mousa hidup dengan kursi rodanya. Rasa empati yang Barry miliki terhadap anak-anak di Gambia yang juga mengidap HIV/AIDS menumbuhkan semangatnya untuk memperbaiki keadaan itu. Rasa empati yang Mousa miliki terhadap anak-anak penyandang cacat di Irak pun memupuk semangat yang sama baginya untuk melakukan perubahan. Barry dan Mousa percaya bahwa tanpa pendidikan yang layak, masalah-masalah yang terjadi di negara dan benuanya sampai kapanpun tidak akan terselesaikan. Dengan sarana dan prasarana yang terbatas, mereka berusaha untuk memupuk semangat dan motivasi kepada anak-anak dan pemuda-pemudi Gambia dan Irak.

Barry tidak pernah mengeluh kedinginan, kelelahan, apalagi mengeluh bahwa ia sakit. Ia adalah pemuda yang cemerlang, dan berani mengatakan pada dunia bahwa ia mengidap HIV/AIDS. Menurut saya, pengakuan seperti itu membutuhkan keberanian yang luar biasa besar.

Mousa tidak pernah putus asa maupun merasa rendah diri hanya karena ia harus menggunakan kursi roda. Sebaliknya, setiap malam ia melakukan sit down comedy (karena tidak bisa stand up comedy!) di depan peserta GYS, membagi pandangannya terhadap masalah yang dihadapi oleh negara-negara di dunia, terutama Irak, dan apa yang menurutnya bisa dilakukan oleh pemuda-pemudi dunia untuk memperbaiki hal tersebut.

Bagaimana dengan kamu? Apa yang sudah kamu lakukan untuk membuat perubahan?

Reading time: 4 – 6 minutes

I was looking at the notes I’ve written in Facebook. I do want to write, but I am occupied with a lot of stuff, especially about Indonesian Youth Conference. I found this note, and I love it. I encourage you to write the same thing, and let me know when you’ve done it. Writing this makes us feel special, very very special. It reminds me of the fact that everybody is special. Yes, I am. Yes, you are. Yes, we are.

I was tagged by Cassey to write this. This is not about showing off. This is about loving yourself. And…

I am an amazing person because:

1. I make new friends easily. Maybe that’s because I am a very talkative person! I can’t stand sitting next to/in front someone without any kind of conversation. It turns out to be a very good thing because I think networking is one of the main keys of success. Never hesitate to say hi to anyone around you – give the to-die-for smile, people!
2. I am expressive. I can express my feelings verbally or even non-verbally. What’s even better is, I am expressive in positive things. I tend to keep my bad mood for myself, or only for the people that I am very closed to.
3. I am a good listener when it comes to other people’s problems. I am always welcome to listen to their problems, and when they ask for my advice, I am willing to share my experiences. Because, I am not a teacher or parents who can tell you to do things, I am only a friend.
4. Quoting Mr Dino, I am a proud nationalist and a passionate internationalist. I love reading things about Indonesia and telling them to other people so they can be in love with Indonesia as well. I am also open to other cultures. I can spend hours listening to Changemakers about their countries. I event spent one hour talking with Elsabe about Indonesia and Namibia, how do the houses look like, what do we eat for breakfast. You can start loving this country by reading Good News From Indonesia. Let’s fall in love!
5. I am curious. I love learning new things and I can absorb lessons easily. My IQ is not that great, maybe can only be labeled as “superior”. But I can learn any kind of lessons and can memorize it. I love you God.
6. I am a very optimistic person! A lot of people inspire me, from Bruce Lee to Andy Warhol, from Che Guevara to Walt Disney. All of them said that we all can make our dreams come true. So, why worry?
7. I rarely forget saying the three magical words: maaf, tolong, terima kasih. This is not that special but there are a lot of people who keep forgetting this kind of stuff. For me, it is very important.
8. I have always wanted to be different. Being different… some people might call us weird, but we always have the excuse to call ourselves “special”.
9. I am innovative and creative. Maybe it’s related to #8, I want to do something great and new, I want to do things in a different, creative way, whenever I can.
10. I am a loving person. I love my parents and even sisters so much, I love my boyfriend, I love my big family, I love my bestfriends, I love my schoolmates and especially classmates, I love my teman sebangkus (yes, I love you Sheila Citra Ervicaninda!), I love my colleagues… Though not all of them love me back. I don’t really care about that. Quoting Cassey, they are the ones who make me an amazing person.

So, if you read this, please do the same thing. At least for yourself. Let me know. Well… I know you guys are amazing already. I’ll just crosscheck the list you made with mine. Are we thinking about the same things?

Reading time: 2 – 3 minutes

I am back on my own now: writing with my own fingers, seeing the world with my own eyes, listening to things with my own ears. Just me, and only me, and I think I’ll be fine. I have changed a lot. I used to be a hopeless romantic… hell, yes. But, now? Not anymore. I think it’s about time to start being realistic about everything in life, because life is not a fairytale, it’s not even a book. Let God writes the story–I think God is much better in us in terms of everything, including writing. And God writes real things, and I have to adapt with that.

I always have a hard time of letting something be. I have these dreams, these goals, that I really want to achieve. When I know that I can achieve it, I have to achieve it, no matter what. With one person, I already had those dreams. They are gone now. I have to let them be. And don’t ask why, because I did not want this either, but I have to let it be.

Maybe you have read the story… but well, if you are curious, my life is not that beautiful, and my life is not that good. I am just a human, like you. I am trying to make a difference, I am trying to make a betterment, in myself, in my surroundings, in my world. I want to be inspired, and I want to inspire others. Which is why, I have to be seen as a strong, wonder girl. I have to be seen as an inspiring person. I want to have an impact in the society, no matter how small it is, but I want it to be a good and remarkable one.

Emotionally, yes, I have lost something–one of the things that I used to admire the most. It left… with a reason that I personally could not explain, and still can’t.

I magically believe that God has a great reason of why this is happening, and God has a cool plan for me. I will just have to sit back, relax, enjoy life… right? I am back on track already. I am living my life to the fullest… without the goggles for a while. :)