Friday Senses

A little peek at our Friday. 

Waking up feeling lazy, realizing it is Friday (my day off).

I suddenly felt a huge need for a morning walk. 

The last time I did it was almost a month ago. 

It’s currently random rainy season here but this morning it didn't rain. 

Ding ding ding!! 

UNAOC Diary

Flags in front of Nusa Dua conference hall

The United Nation Alliance of Civilization – Youth Global Forum and Event was the reason I gladly ecstatically left my work for a week at the end of last August. I applied for the forum in the last June, trying not to put a high hope because I knew there would be thousands of other applicants. But against all odds, I was chosen to be one of the 100 youth out of 3.000-ish applicants from all around the world, to attend the UNAOC Global Forum 2014 in Nusa Dua, Bali. The night I found the email in my inbox, I couldn’t sleep. My eyes were open-wide thinking… Everything! Thoughts like: Who are those 99 other successful applicants? What are we going to do there? What am I specifically going to do there? What will I be wearing for each day each occasion? Who will be my roommate(s)? Do they have a list? Who’s also coming from West Sumatera? Indonesia? Will I be presenting anything? Oh God… Please no. But if yes, perhaps I’ll just sing and dance, and many many more. I was excited, ecstatic, surprised, and nervous at the same time. 

Foreign Language Acquisition for Self Development (Education and Career)

In my experience of being a moderator, I highlighted several interesting points which I think deserve to be shared. The presenter, Jennifer, explained how the education changes in the 21st century with the emergence of technology. 

Obviously, technology and internet have been driving tremendous social changes since their emergence. They change how people interact, communicate, how they live their lives. They even greatly change human’s way of arranging life priorities. Education is a huge part of social life, and technology and internet have done some big modifications in education-related activities. Classroom space is widened by technology. Autonomous learning can be done by anyone, anywhere and anytime. There are so many sources (paid and free, safe and risky) to learn from just at our fingertips. Teachers’ tasks are not limited in delivering lessons in classes. In fact, their tasks are getting more complicated and varied. 

Based on my personal experience, 21st century teachers’ hardest challenge is to educate their students in a way where the students could help themselves facing 21st century problems. In my case, filtering the mass information the world offers. 

My First Moderating Experience

The UNAOC reports and diary are still scripted and not ready yet to be published on here, thanks to my lack of management skill to tackle piled up paperwork and being a single sister raising two loud young brothers (Wait… Don’t look at me like that! I love them!). But! The UNAOC was the reason I said yes to the following opportunity: moderating a bilingual talk show. 

Being an awkward social being as I am, I’ve always hated talking in front of people, let alone moderating a formal event. It never went through my mind. Nope. Nada. But the effect of the global forum filled through my blood and brain. Since coming back from Bali, and confirming a lot of new friend requests from all around the world, then seeing updates of my new friends’ influential activities, I’ve oftentimes found myself thinking,
“Okay. So what am I doing here?”

“Oh, I went shopping with this girl! Wait, she’s a famous MTV presenter and youth activist?!”

“This man is… Whaaat??”

“My roommate was whooo??”

“Why couldn’t they put a big board of their achievements when we were in Bali so I could ask for their signatures?!”

(Well, I was joking on the last one. A little bit. Okay, I was honest.)

The point is… I constantly asked myself and felt insecure about my contribution to society. Though, I am working in a school which is already a great place to make changes, but the opportunity and idea sometimes worked differently in your head that makes you keep questioning, “Am I really contributing positively for a greater cause?”

Eid Report

As I said in my previous post, I couldn’t wait for this year’s Eid… Well, Eid is indeed the best days in the whole year!! Let me count my blessings:

1. My big family gathers, stayed in my house. Some slept in bedroom, many slept in the living room. My house practically became the loudest house in that little town. 

2. We went to the river every day. We barbecued. My skin got darker. I got uglier because of the sunburn. Nevertheless, I was happy every single day. 

3. The whole villagers gathered for Ikan Larangan. It wasn’t as exciting as the last time (cause some villagers did not come) but for me, it never lost its fun. 

4. There was also an additional occasion where all the single males and females ate together for the last Ramadhan breakfast. It turned out inspire me to do something for my village.
5. Millions of little blessings I have each day.