The Indonesian Dream

 

The Indonesian Dream

            I wake up at 5 a.m. like usually. Shortly after that I go to the bathroom then  my family and I do the daily prayers in the morning that is called “salat subuh”. While my mom is preparing our breakfast, I am getting ready and get dressed with my “green and white” uniform. I want to comb my messy hair but unfortunately I can’t see my face in the mirror because I am too short. Then I move to my little brother’s room to comb my hair and get my self ready and tidy. I kind of look nice too!

            Today I am getting ready with my uniform not to go to school, meet teachers and friends and also meet math, science, and friends, but today I go to school with parents to attend the graduation and parents meeting. Finally I will graduate from elementary school. Seems like I am happy to get rid of this “green and white” uniform and be ready to turn it as “dark blue and white” uniform. In Indonesia, the elementary school’s uniform is usually “red and white” but my elementary school is a private-Islamic elementary school which has different uniform but actually we’re all the same elementary school’s kids. We have the same academic potential like others in the public elementary school with their “red and white” uniform. And after all we have the same dreams as our parents and teachers have taught us since when we were in kindergarten.

So anyways, I was 12 years old that time in the 6^th grade. The elementary school in Indonesia is 6 years long. During those 6 years, I can tell I am such a bright student. You know what, from the 1^st grade through the 6^th grade I’ve never been below the top three of the class ranks. I am always in the top three. Yes I am a top three kid even one of the best in the entire school. I have never got beaten with my other classmates in the top three. Once I had never beaten from the 1^st rank in the class from the 3^rd grade through the first semester of the 6^th grade. It is enough to show how bright I was.

In this graduation day, which is also the last semester and the last school report card. I finally got beaten by my friend from the first rank in the class and I went down to the 2^nd rank. The ‘competition’ is finally over between me and my friends who want the 1^st rank position.

Two months later I finally get accepted in the best public middle school in my city. I have passed through the selections to enroll that school. The school needs 200 new students and I am the 125^th rank in the selection. This time I finally realize that many others that have smart brain like I think I was. Then it turns to a different story. Yes I am not an elementary school kid anymore. Now I attend to the best middle school in the entire city. However, I am not anymore a top three ranked kid like I used to be. Here I meet a lot of others that are smart and I can’t compete them. Everything has changed and I feel like I am the dumbest kid in this school. I feel underestimated all the time and I feel unconfident all the time watching other smart brained kids. I never constantly get good grades like I used to, now it is lots up and down. My parents have no idea about what is wrong with me and neither do i.

            I can tell that is the darkness during 3 years of middle school. Regardless, I have made friends and at least I already know a little about what is it supposed to be done in school besides grades.it is also all about friendship and the knowledge about life. I grow up mentally sometimes and still like I am the smallest kid in my ages. I eventually learn and realize that I don’t need to worry about grades, but worry about the process I get the good grades at school. And I realize I don’t need to be neither the smartest kid in the class nor a basket ball player who is always famous and girls like it. I believe I can do something else but what?

            The three years of middle school from the 7^th grade through the 9^th grade finally come to the end with the epic national examination. We are tested with final examination in the 9^th grade with the following subjects : Science, Social Studies, Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian Language), math and English. I just want to tell you that I am so good at English since I was in the 6^th grade. Then I get good grades in the national examination although my grades are not included the best in the school but I am happy for it.
            I decide to go to the high school out of town. I finally decide to go to an Islamic private boarding school. Deep in my little heart I want to make my parents feel proud of me and not disappointed anymore because of those dark 3 years in middle school. Study out of town and far with family makes me become stronger and more mature. I start to dream and not a common dream. I have big dreams like I want to come back as a top three ranked student in the class like I was 4 years ago. I want to join some competition and win some competition. The biggest dream I have is going abroad to study. Soon in the first year of high school I still have much difficulties to be the top three ranked student in the class but I feel I get better in something else. I start join competition like English debate and I have won 2 English debate competitions which is good for me. Now I know what is potential in my self. Then I am chosen as the vice leader of the student body in my school. Now I know my another potential thing is. I finally get my self back on track. I have helped my school to get prestige by joining and winning many competitions in city, and province level. I finally can give something for this school that helps me to come back and inspires me to dream big. I am not yet finished with that. In the second semester of the second year of high school, I join exchange student selection. And I really wish I can pass the selection and then my dream will come true to study abroad and make my parents really proud of me.  The selection takes almost 1 year an a half. And thanks God I finally did it. I have passed the regional level selection then I deserve to go to Jakarta to attend the final national selection to get the scholarship as an exchange student in the U.S.A.. I always tell my self “Don’t give up, dream big, do something big, you can do it, Radiv!”. I’ve got many support and I’ve been preparing and studying for this exchange student selection. In January 2010 I am officially selected as the national candidate of the exchange students and will represent Indonesia in the United States. I feel honor because there are 8,000 contestant and the only choose 125 students to finally can go abroad. I feel what I’ve done these 2 years to come back is worth it. I can finally make my parents proud of me again. One more time I did it! But its not the end of everything. I still eagerly want to do more to reach my dreams. The Indonesian dream. Now I am in the United States as the Indonesian exchange student. I am the young ambassador of my country. I will have 11 months of study in the United States. Adjusting, learning different culture, language, different kind of people, and food. I have done a lot of things in the United States even it makes me feel so “American” sometimes. I can see the world wider and realize that people in the world have many differences but still have many similarities as well. I still have big dreams and I will make them true like I have done. I hope I can inspire others especially youth to not give up. I wish I can inspire others to dream big and do something big because you will regret if you do nothing while you are young. I hope after reading this story you learn something and finally start to dream and believe that what you’re dreaming of will come true if you really do something and never give up.

Begin A New Career : "A Guitarist"

A while ago, i did not know how to play any music instrument. As every human is growing up physically and mentally, i began to think about arts. A year ago, i tried to learn guitar. I don't have a guitar. What i did was, i borrowed my friend's guitar then i ask my friends who are able to play guitar to teach me and help me out playing guitar. The very beginning of my learning process, it was so hard! it was frustrating as well. I remembered a friend of mine, Bahtiar (one of my best friends) told and taught me that "to play guitar, is not a skill or talent that you need, but how you play it and who you play it for". It was a good moral lesson from Bahtiar. I applied it and I reveal the power of it. Eventually, i enjoy playing guitar eventhough not too often i played it. At Least i like it.

A year later, today, I am in the USA as an exchange student. I go to Wilson High School, Portland, Oregon. I am taking a beginning guitar class to be on of my classes. I still keep what Bahtiar told me. I have a great teacher to teach me, and great class mates as well that always bring an inspirational message to me.

My first guitar performance went really well and unexpected (read my previous article: "Mendadak Jadi Gitaris di Amerika"). My guitar teacher, Mr. Jolestead also said that i was awesome and my song that i brought made his day and he smiled all day long. i am so happy that day and began to do more and more.
And here are several pictures from my second guitar performance.enjoy! also i put some pictures of my classmates that were also performing today. thank you for reading this blog folks! :)



I played "Undisclosed Desires" by Muse



Jayme Figuerido, my friend from Brazil (also an exchange student)

Amy Reiner, my american class mate

Coldan, also my american classmate

David,

Joseph Goldman

6 Indonesians Rock The Disney World ,Florida!

hai!! what up everybodeh ! how're you doin? hope you guys are doing great where ever you are.! I am glad to finally can post something today. if you noticed, its like almost a month i didn't post something in ma blog. hell yeah now is the time to HAVE FUN!! Previously, most of my post are in Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia) because i am truly a great Indonesian, and my audience are most of them in Indonesia. My family, my friends, my broh, my sista, even my cats ( i don't have cats though. i do have fish in my backyard's pool). so Anyways, today's edition is all in English. i am just trying to figure out how far is my English progress going.
oh well. if you read all the my posts (some of them silly and weird) you're gonna find a post that contents my essay to CIEE. I sent that essay to CIEE and I win it and I deserve to get a trip to attend a youth conference in Disney World, florida!!! YEEESSSS!! i felt like the happiest person in the world.you know i have been to Disneyland, California for a week and i'll go again to Disney World in Florida? its like a DOUBLE RAINBOW ALLL THE WAAY!! ( im too excited ). the conference is called Better Understanding for a Better World (BUBW). And this 5-day-event held by CECF with the founder Imam Mohamad Bashar Arafat. They invited approximately 60 students from 32 countries to come in to the conference!! isn't it nice? its a great chance to know the world, isn't it? we got the chance to know each other, learn our differences, and to love our similarities. and also i met 5 other Indonesian exchange students!! they are Untari, Emil, Rizki, Shanice, and Dian Fadhila! we have not been meeting each other since forever (actually since we left DC in August). here are couple AWESOME PICTURES during the conference and HAVING FUN time in Disney World!! 

yeah this is my FACE in front of Cinderella Caste

DONALD DUCK!!!!

from the left : Rizki, Olga, and me

Look how happy we are!!! Emil, me, Roman from Ukraine

WE ARE ALL TOGETHER TO CHANGE THE WORLD TO BE A BETTER PLACE.EVAR!

its a cultural picture

five Indonesians and one German

LASKAR NUSANTARA! from left : Emil, Untari, Shanice, Dian, Radiv (me) and Rizki with Merah Putih

Our performance with our lovely Indonesian traditional costume. we did a great job

You knew what i mean

Mini loves meh!! haha

Better Understanding for a Better World (my application to CIEE)

Better Understanding for a Better World

It’s a pleasure to be an exchange student in United States, and also an honor to be a grant student of the US Dept. of State. In order to highly appreciate all the things I get during my adventure in the United States, I have made presentations class to class to bring better understanding between the United States and my home country, Indonesia.

My name is Radiv Muhammad Aflah Annaba, a grant exchange student from Indonesia. I am hosted at Portland, OR with fabulous host family.



International Education Week is an event that I really want to do. Because it has a lot of fun in making presentations and be representative of my country as well. Presenting the presentation to the classmates and teachers is really fun thing to do and really beneficial. There’s not many people in the Untied States know about Indonesia. Thus in IEW I can also bring some knowledge to Americans about Indonesia. Here are some steps that I did to prepare the exciting International Education Week.



Lobbying with the Teachers



I have a friend who is also a grant student. She is from Macedonia. My friend and I start to discuss what day we are going to present in two classes. We picked Thursday of the International Education Week. On Thursday my school has block day which is only has period 1,3,5,and 7 a day. We talked to U.S. History and English teacher 2 weeks before the International week. So on the due day we are ready to go!.





Unique Plan



I assume that my presentation must be understood by others. I have couple plan to make that happens. To make my presentation more effectively, I present my presentation in 3 classes. I make it one by one. It makes me have more opportunity to deliver my presentation more deeply about Indonesia. And also my classmates, who are my audiences, could listen and pay more attention to my presentation very well. I brought some Indonesian souvenir such as key chain, Indonesian traditional hat, and really unique.to United States. I had a plan to hand them out to my friends in USA. So I have an idea to hand out my Indonesian souvenirs to my classmates and teachers in International Education Week. But I did not bring a lot of that stuff and so they are not enough for the whole class. Before my I start my presentation, I tell them that I am going to hand out some Indonesian souvenirs if they are able to answer my question after presentation. So, I ask them couple questions, if they answered it correctly, they deserve the Indonesian souvenirs that I have.



Running the Presentation



I chose to make presentation using the power point. Because I can put a lot of pictures and information in it. And also every class has the equipment to run the power point presentation. I put captioned picture in my slide shows and then I explain the picture in the power point slide show. In the beginning of the slide, I explain about the world map. And I ask them where exactly Indonesia is. And some of them know exactly where it is, and some of them don’t know where it is. Then I explain about the demography of Indonesia, the population, and they are surprised that Indonesia has 300 local tribes and 200 local languages! Also they can not believe that Indonesia has 17,000 islands! Slide and slide next on I explain about Indonesia more specificly. I explain about the capitol of Indonesia, my hometown, and also the traditional food of my hometown. Indonesia has a lot of cultural stuff and those are interesting. I pick the Javanese traditional wedding, Balinese women, and fire soccer to be presented in my presentation. In all three classes, my friends are surprised with the fire soccer! Fire soccer is an event to entertain people with extreme stuff. They need ritual to do this and they play barefoot! I also show my friends the video of fire soccer to convince them that this really happens in Indonesia. Then I go on the tourism resorts in Indonesia. There are a lot of nice views in Indonesia. I pick Kuta Beach, Bali, Mount Bromo, Mount Merapi (recently erupted), and three-color-lake Kelimut, and the beautiful undersea world at Bunaken. They are amazed and some of them really want to visit Indonesia especially the beaches because the beaches in my country are really warm, a lot different with the beaches in Oregon where they live.

I really enjoy my presentation and so do my friends. A thing that also interesting is when I explain about my school in Indonesia. Because my school in Indonesia is an Islamic boarding school, so it is different with the public school in Indonesia. I tell them that I did not live with my family because I live at dormitories like in Hogwarts. And most of my friends are surprised when I tell them that I have to wake up at 3 a.m. every day to do extra prayer and run the activity until 9 p.m. My first presentation is in US History class. This class is dominated by sophomores. Second presentation is in English class which is only seniors in this class and the last presentation is in Ecology class. Also I teach them couple Indonesian most commonly used words. In the end of my presentation, I give them opportunity to ask me questions. I remember one of them ask me if I like to live in America or Indonesia. That is the most difficult question and I said i like to live either in Indonesia or America. Because I really enjoy live in USA too. After that, it’s my turn to ask them question about Indonesia. I brought 15 or more souvenirs from Indonesia so it’s limited. I am really happy because most of them can answer my question and eager raise their hand before they answer it. It makes me so enthusiastic to have more presentation. I am so happy when I see my friends get Indonesian souvenirs and they really like those Indonesian souvenirs.



I like International Education Week so much. After reading my report, it shows that I really enjoy making presentation, giving my explanation about my country, open minded by answering their question, share something memorable to them by handing out some souvenirs, and also interactive presentation. I make this presentation for them not to just watching my presentation, but to listen, paying attention, get the benefit, knowing something new about other country and culture, and make them happy. There fore I hope I can start to create better understanding for a better world with International Education week. That’s all of my report, thank you very much for giving me opportunity to share this happiness.