Eliminating the Limits

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.

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?

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?

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.

Something terrible just happened to me, and there are a lot of things I would like to share with you. I have learned a lot more about life now, about love, about relationship with others, about friendship, about relationship to myself, and even about relationship to God. I want to share. Really, I do. But maybe, I need some time alone, a quality time for myself. I’ll write soon. I promise.

Don’t forget to press play… well if your life is now paused.

And one more thing, my friend just said this to me:

“The Almighty One only has 3 answers for your prayer: “Yes / Not now / There’s a better option”. Keep that in mind.”

Hope all is well.

“Alanda, where do you go to college?” is the question that I avoid the most.

One month ago, I had to face a difficult situation. At the same time, I become the only person who has ever received a full scholarship from Bina Nusantara International University. I also received admission fee reduction from Universitas Multimedia Nusantara and I got accepted in University of Indonesia to study Criminology. How lucky, right?

I had the yellow jacket in my hands already. My parents were incredibly happy that I got accepted into that uni, so were my family and friends. They were proud, they congratulated me. Everyone thought that I must be smart that I have succeeded in getting into that uni. But hey, I got accepted because the major I chose were not as popular as Management or Communications. I once thought, “If I were meant to study in UI, I’ll get it on SNMPTN.” And apparently, Alhamdulillah, it did happen.

I have spent my days in UI for a couple of weeks when I felt like there was something really, really wrong and I don’t know what that is. I met the most brilliant and opinionated people from all across the archipelago, I had a very big campus! I was going to study in the campus that is desired by everyone, with pride. Why can there be anything wrong? Moreover, I chose the major because I was interested in the courses. My plan: in 2010, I am going to go for another round of SNMPTN. I’ll get into FHUI.

Now this is ridiculous, but I always cried whenever I met anyone from FHUI. They ate my heart, my dreams. I tended to daydream whenever I passed FHUI. I felt so stupid. That was why I made my pledge. I had to get into FHUI, whatever it takes.

Suddenly, another thing ate more of me. I found out that even if I got into FHUI in 2010, I would not be able to change my major and transfer my grades. I will need to pay another 20 million, another OBM, another OSPEK, I will have to start from scratch. But, what for? My family is not that wealthy. I have little sisters who still need to obtain their basic education. I might seem “okay” financially for you, but to be honest, I still cannot pay my tuition fees by myself. If next year I still have to pay another 20 million to reach my dreams, well it’s an investation. But, I know my capacity. If we can’t, I don’t think we have to force ourselves, especially when it’s related to other people.
I finally realised that there will be no turning back. If I pay UI tuition fees, I will have to study there. Four years. Graduated from Criminology. Work in the criminology field.

Thus, where shall I put my dreams? Should I wash them away?

I missed my dreams. I missed my old activities. Everything was too campus-centered and I could not help it. There were department gathering, faculty gathering, batch gathering, alumni gathering, OBM, and courses. It was worse than high school. Yet there, you’re nothing but a number. UI people won’t know you. You will graduate and enter another jungle.

I somehow became afraid that I won’t be able to grow there. There is this fright I cannot explain. I was afraid that I would lose my activities. I was scared that I was going to lose the things I have built for years. I was scared that UI will take one piece of my UNO Stacko and destroy it. Only for OBM and OSPEK, I had lost a lot of opportunities, the opportunities that would mean a lot for my life. Do you think they would know what you do and achieve? No.

So, that day, on the first day of OSPEK, I went to UI with my dad. I already wore the white-and-white uniform and the leaf nametag, saying that “I have to do this”. I turned back at the Psychology Roundabout. You know what I did next? I WENT HOME. Someone told me to go home. It was not a devil. It was my heart. Somehow.

I tried to cool my head when I got home. I assessed both uni for multiple times. I talked to successful people I know, from Sitta Karina, Yorgi Gusman, Fajar Anugerah, and my friend Ghian, to seek a path. Where should I go, actually? They know me well and they are successful in their own ways.

I prayed too. I asked God, what should I choose? My heart has chosen the international university, actually. Though I actually wanted God to say “UI” so I could make my parents proud, see me graduate in Balairung from UI… God said Binus too. Or maybe, God only said what rings in my heart. So, I did tell my mother that I wanted to go to Binus International, in tears. My mother said yes, though she was pretty disappointed – she graduated from UI after all. But I also promised her that I am going to be a successful person, and I will send my sisters to school.

So, what’s with Binus International? Here are the list to encounter your negative comments:

1. I got scholarship there. Financially, UI is more expensive than Binus International. I want my sisters to get a better education than I did, and I will not let my parents pay too much for my education and abandon them. My sisters are going to be successful people. They are much smarter than me, I suppose.
2. BI has international curriculum. So, if I got into Harvard or Oxford (yeah, right), it will be easier to transfer my grades with the same curriculum.
3. Every lectures are delivered in English and some of the lecturers are expatriates.
4. I’m going to learn International Business there, become a social and creative entrepreneur, create jobs, and build a school. That’s luxurious enough in my opinion!
5. By studying in BI, I would be able to choose: study for 1 year in Cologne Business School to get double degrees, or study in UNSW (one of Australia’s ‘The Big 8’), Solbridge (South Korea) or University of Wollongong (Dubai). To be frank, I am more interested to study there instead of UI. So I can bring heaps of things home, so I can have different skills than the ones who studied in UI, UNPAD or ITB. Remember, UI has millions of graduates. Who knows that I might be able provide different perspectives and solutions from them? Indonesia needs diversity and dynamics.
6. They got Masters Track Program, so I will hopefully to finish both Bachelor and Masters Degree in 9 semesters. Amen.
7. BI appreciates what I do and they are very supportive, both morally and materially. They give students to space to grow academically and non-academically.
8. I can still continue my activities outside the campus because the lectures schedule are more flexible and there are no unimportant gatherings. Well, at least, not too much.
9. Seniors don’t have seniority, not at all. Just like in the US, they don’t want us to call ‘Kak’. One campus, one BI. No one labels us by “sok pintar” when we express our aspirations. Because in that campus, they do.
10. One batch only has 300ish students. Lecturers are close to you. Lecturers know you. Even the executive dean knows you. All lecturers know that I established The Cure For Tomorrow, for God’s sake!
11. 90% BI graduates last year have been accepted in companies before they had their graduation ceremony. Two of them got $2,500 as their first salary. Some of them got into Stern and Stewart accounting firm in Singapore, and there was even a graduate who now works in Google. The key? Personal recommendations. No, they don’t let you use Binus Career. They recommend you to companies.
12. We are taught to think and work like Western people, but we are also taught to act like Eastern people. Beautiful.

I dare to say that I don’t regret this decision. Not at all. Yes, I tried my best to get into UI. Right. But, I know, whenever I got into college, I can be a successful person if I want to. I am sure that in this place, I would be able to grow. I will be something special instead of being drowned in the ocean of people, or unnecessary “nongkrong-nongkrong” just like what high-schools had.

Maybe you will spit on this decision. But this is,

My choice. My world. You only read the story.

Yes, it’s been a long time.

@VanyaViranda once asked me on Twitter about internships and how to become an intern in a magazine. I hope that I can share my experience with everyone.

Becoming an intern may means a lot of things, it depends on what you do, and how your company ask you to do it. I have tried a number of different kind of internships. From being a volunteer, flexible part-timer, and a full-time staff.

For your consideration, I’ve been a freelance writer for several magazines, including Gogirl!, Hai, and kaWanku. I also contributed for 21-Degrees for several months and sometimes write for JakartaConcerts.com. I contributed in one of Provoke!’s Student Editions and I have authored two books. All of them gave insightful, different experiences for me.

The real work? I worked for the marketing division of Millions Pictures for 6 months. They are the ones who made Queen Bee movie. I also worked as an intern for (almost) one month in Business Relations Division, British Council Indonesia.

If you want to be a freelance writer, it is actually very easy. You only need to write your own piece about anything you like, the things you are passionate about – like music or films or fictional stories, and then send it to a magazine that you think would publish your work. Before we send our work, we have to learn the characteristic of our target magazine. For example, if you want to write about life lessons in a girl’s point of view, you can not send it directly to a magazine. You have to learn the characteristic of each magazine. In my opinion, Gogirl! is more into trends and fashion, CosmoGIRL! is more into self-esteem campaigns, and kaWanku is more ‘think globally, act locally’ campaigns. Now, see the difference? The next thing you ought to do, is only to look around the magazine, find the office’s address (or e-mail!), and send your work. That easy. Wait until you get a call about your work. If not, go write another piece, try to write things that are more appropriate to be placed in that magazine.

Being a contributor is another thing. I got the chance to write for 21-Degrees and JakartaConcerts.com because I tried to maintain my relationship with them. I first met 21-Degrees’ Chief Editor when he went to my school and wanted to featured my school’s achievements. I shook hands with him and tried to get the opportunity to write in his magazine, and I succeeded. You guys should do the same. If one day you meet Anita Moran or Widi Mulia, ask them, “How can I write in your magazine? Because I want to, and I know I can.” It might be successful. If not, they won’t remember your name anyway, don’t be embarrassed. About JakartaConcerts.com, I knew Ryan Novianto & Dimas Wisnuwardono from my friend, Suryo. We chatted for quite some time and I decided to help them by writing for JakartaConcerts.com. I don’t get paid, even till now. But I do it with my heart, to help my friends, not for money. It’s all worth it. God will pay you back, no worries.

In Million Pictures, I was offered the job because they knew that I blog! So, I think you guys should start blogging seriously. Some people says that it’s a waste of time but I don’t think so. In British Council, I applied for the internship slot there. I chose two fields: Business Relations and Creativity. But, the BR team ’stole’ me from Creativity. Anyone can apply for the internship position by logging into their website.

I don’t know what else to write but I am going to write a few things… I think you should do if you want to be an intern, especially in media our journalistic field:

1. Research! That’s the first thing I’d like to advise. Write everything you need to know, and ask the things that you haven’t known yet. I have met tons of journalist who ask ‘What do you do?’ and ‘What is your cause?’ and ‘Where do you go to school?’. Didn’t they do any kind of research before? Come on, this world has Google.
2. You have to be able to write things from different point of views. Not from your point of view, but from your company’s point of view. This is very important. You don’t want people to read your piece as if it’s your diary, right?
3. Make sure that you write the ‘right’ thing. Ask your resources if needed. It pisses me off when anyone writes incorrect details about me, especially when they have interviewed me.
4. Don’t think about money. Interns who are paid Rp100.000,-/day… are in heaven already. There are people who pay us Rp25.000,- or Rp50.000,- a day, it depends on what you do, and of course, how you do it. Some of them doesn’t even give anything to us, and be happy with it. The most valuable thing you get from becoming an intern is the experience.
5. Take the bus. Bring your own lunch. Don’t even think about taking a cab or buying your lunch in the canteen. Waste of money. Save it for something, like, maybe, BlackBerry or MacBook
6. Be friendly to anyone. One of the main aim of becoming an intern is to get the connections, expand your network. Talk to these people you are working with, with enough respect and enough friendliness. They are eager to help interns like you though they seem ’scary’ at first. Talk about what you do (and say it excitingly and interestingly), and give them a clue that you need their help. That’s what I did in British Council. I asked these people’s help for IYC!
7. Critical thinking is needed! Let them know what you think about what they do, give feedback, they really appreciate it. It’s time for our voice to be heard, right?
8. Never give up. I have sent more than 100 applications in my life, to different institutions: to apply for internships, competitions, ask for sponsorships, ask for support. Some of them got back to me, the rest didn’t, and no hurt feelings. They are busy, just like us.
9. Stop thinking that you can’t do something. YOU CAN. If you try. I hate listening to people say that “I cannot do this and that”. All you have to do is sit in front of your laptop and type something in Google. That’s how I got some things. That’s how I knew that British Council calls for interns. That’s how I found out that there’s is such thing like JakartaConcerts.com. If you only wait for people to tell you to do things, you won’t achieve something big.

Hmmm… Again, I don’t know what else, but let me know if you want to ask anything, I’d be glad to help I hope what I’ve written will give insightful knowledge for you, especially about internships in journalism.

Indonesia berduka.

Itu yang saya tangkap pagi ini, ketika saya tiba di kantor dan mendengar bahwa dua hotel internasional di kawasan Kuningan, yakni Ritz-Carlton dan JW Marriott, menjadi sasaran pengeboman oleh oknum yang tidak bertanggungjawab. Saya panik ketika itu. Mengapa? Bagaimana kepercayaan dunia internasional terhadap Indonesia? Saya, sebagai salah satu orang Indonesia yang berkesempatan untuk berinteraksi langsung dengan masyarakat internasional, mendengar langsung pandangan dari orang-orang di negara lain terhadap Indonesia yang semakin ke sini, semakin membaik. Kita telah bersusah-payah bertahun-tahun mengembalikan gambaran baik mengenai Indonesia kepada dunia internasional yang sempat punah, dan dengan beberapa ledakan, gambaran tersebut harus kembali rusak. Entah berapa lama waktu yang kita butuhkan untuk memperbaiki hal ini.

Pagi ini pula, saya login di Twitter dan menemukan ‘Jakarta’ dan ‘Ritz-Carlton’ menjadi dua dari trending topics yang ada Twitter.

Malam ini semuanya berubah. #indonesiaunite menjadi trending topic di peringkat teratas, mengalahkan pemutaran perdana Harry Potter, pembicaraan tentang Michael Jackson, dan bahkan #iranelection. Hari ini kita membuktikan pada dunia bahwa teroris tidak mengguncang Indonesia. Manchester United boleh jadi batal ke sini, begitu juga dengan beberapa band yang dijadwalkan untuk menyelenggarakan konser di Bulan Agustus, tapi warga Indonesia – khususnya pengguna Twitter – justru melakukan sesuatu bersama-sama, menunjukkan bahwa Indonesia tetap kuat dengan mengupdate banyak informasi berhubungan dengan #indonesiaunite dan mengganti avatar Twitter dengan warna merah-putih.

Hari ini, ada banyak pesan nasionalis yang muncul melalui status di Twitter. Pada awalnya, semua status di Twitter menunjukkan kebencian terhadap teroris, main tuding kepada capres-cawapres yang tidak menang dalam versi Quick Count, sampai mengutuk teroris hanya karena MU dan band-band favorit mereka batal datang ke Jakarta. Namun, semua itu berubah, menjadi kebanggaan sebagai orang Indonesia, menjadi keinginan agar Bangsa Indonesia bersatupadu melawan ancaman teroris.

Prestasi ini membawa kebahagiaan tersendiri untuk saya. Mengapa? Saya merasa bahwa nasionalisme masyarakat Indonesia sudah meningkat secara drastis. Pada peristiwa-peristiwa pengeboman sebelumnya, Indonesia hanya bisa berduka. Tapi hari ini, kita melakukan sesuatu. Sesuatu yang kecil, tetapi ternyata sangat berarti, dan membawa impact emosional yang besar.

Ada seseorang yang mengirimkan tweet:

Hal ini menyadarkan saya, bahwa mungkin hikmah dari kejadian ini adalah bersatupadunya pemuda-pemudi Indonesia untuk membuktikan pada dunia bahwa Indonesia akan berusaha semaksimal mungkin melawan terorisme. Hal ini juga menyadarkan saya bahwa nasionalisme belum mati. Bangsa Indonesia tidak mengutuk terorisme karena batal melihat Ryan Giggs secara langsung, mereka mengutuk terorisme yang telah merusak nama bangsa di mata dunia.

Mengutip Arsalan Iftikhar, international human rights lawyer dan pendiri TheMuslimGuy.com: As the 240 million wonderful people of Indonesia mourn this terrorist attack on their soil this evening; we want the people of Jakarta to know that the rest of the world mourns alongside with you.

Semoga nasionalisme Bangsa Indonesia tidak berhenti sampai di sini.

Hey everyone,

I got two news. Bad news: I am ill. Good news: read on.

Do you remember my trip to Guildford and London earlier this year? I represented Indonesia in two events held by British Council UK & Switzerland, which are Global Changemakers Guildford Forum 2009 and Global Changemakers at the London Summit 2009. Global Changemakers itself is a programme by British Council that will create and support a large global network of future young activists and social entrepreneurs aged between 16 and 25 and develop them into Changemakers. There are some of you who have asked me earlier about joining this programme, and I sadly answer: “I am afraid that Indonesians won’t be able to apply in 2010, because we need to share the opportunities to other countries in East Asia.”. Well now, I have a great news.

I just received an e-mail from a British Council staff who works in Social Development division. The e-mail contained stories from Mimi (GCM at the London Summit), Thom Woodroofe (African Youth Summit), and Linn Kyaw Swar (GCMGF). By the end of the e-mail, it was written that they are “actively promoting this programme to networks of young activists in Japan, Burma, Thailand and Australia. But, they welcome applications from eligible young people from the whole region!

If you live in one of those countries (Japan, Burma, Thailand, Australia), you can contact these people at your local British Council office: Kyi Kyi Pyone (Burma), Amrit Gill (Australia), Tom Mayes (Japan), and Matumon Katerenchuk (Thailand). And if not, here is something for you to remember, take notes, anywhere…

Promotion of the programme for the next cohort will begin in July, and registration via the GCM website (http://www.global-changemakers.net) will run from 1 to 21 August.

So, if you are a young activist who’s willing to be the change you want to see in the world, prepare yourself. Make sure you register yourself for the programme. Make Indonesia proud. Make other countries bored with Indonesians invading their events and getting the awards. I’ve told you on my blog header: WE CAN CHANGE THE WORLD.

Good luck!

You can read about my trips to London here:

• Global Changemakers Guildford Forum 2009
• Global Changemakers at the London Summit 2009
• Explanation about Global Changemakers

Update:
Steve Adams, GCM Manager for East Asia region, said that you need to be between 16 and 19, speak good English, be active in your community and want to make a positive change in the world. So, do you think you are eligible to apply?

1. My first and last prom night. It was held at Mulia Hotel’s Ballroom. We had Kamga as our guest star and the theme was A Night at the Opera. I dined at The Café with my boyfriend on midnight (Agnes Monica was there too! Haha). My cousin works at The Café so we got free signature drinks and snacks.
2. After-prom Party at J Lounge, Gran Melia Hotel—my first clubbing night with schoolmates! It was fun. I didn’t drink nor smoke, and still had so much fun!
3. Volunteered for one week as box score officer at Little League® Asia Pacific Baseball Tournament 2009. Met heaps of new friends, including the ones from Guam!
4. I was invited to the launching of Energi Positif book—a compilation of 100 people’s thoughts about Mr. President. The editor is Dr. Dino Patti Djalal. A few days before D-Day, I was interviewed (and filmed) with Mirwan Soewarso, the man behind Jangan Bikin Malu 2009 and a few popular movies (he’s Nova Eliza’s hubby btw). Too bad I had to leave earlier when Bu Mari Elka Pangestu was delivering her speech. It was one day before the graduation ceremony!
5. My graduation ceremony. My grades were not that good. My NEM was only around 42 while most of my friends got above 45, which made me very surprised when I was awarded as the best student from science class!
6. Went to Tribute to Michael Jackson at SHY Rooftop. It was only a usual Friday night at SHY with DREW’s performance on stage. But since we all were mourning for MJ, they made such thing and jammed with lots of great singers, including Tere, Dira (Humania), Lala (Inersia), Aditya, Afgan, and of course Aqi (Alexa). You can spot all of ‘my’ brothers on stage (on mic and bass). Great night! All hail Jacko!

To be honest, I do want to write many things, but I dunno where to start. Maybe I’ll work on it today. But I hope those pictures might cure my almost-one-month absence on this blog. Catch ya later!