YOUCAN EMPOWER LOMBOK 2017! (1/3) : Adaptation

Before this year ends, I finally decided to open my little diary and share my  volunteering experience in Lombok Island on last February. It was our promise as volunteers in YOUCAN EMPOWER deployed into 4 regions in Indonesia (Lombok, Labuan Bajo, Raja Ampat, and Lebak Muncang) for posting at least a writing or vlog in this digital era. And I just realized that I haven't share anything yet after almost a year since I came back from Lombok Island!


Besides keeping promise, in fact I do really miss people in Mendure, a small village in Lombok where I stayed for a week--especially the children! So, I tried to recall those memories and immortalize them in writing. Enjoy my story :)

We are YOUCAN EMPOWER 2017!

After passing a long selection (administration, interview, and survival test in Yogyakarta) to be part of YOUCAN EMPOWER Volunteer, here we are 9 volunteers for Lombok Island. Actually there are 12 volunteers but 3 of them couldn't make it due to academic duties. It's quite difficult at first to discuss about our programs because we are seperated by distance. Luckily there are 2 volunteers from Malang, Dimas and Kak Reyhan. We met several times with the other volunteers from Malang but deployed in different regions. I think met them really help me especially in preparation because you have friends who had same problems where you can ask to discuss anytime.


What you need to prepare before volunteering in a region you never visited before is all about mindeset. Volunteering is different with vacation. That's why we had to pass a survival test in Yogyakarta (part of YOUCAN EMPOWER Selection) before deployed. We had to make a research about the village in economics, education, and health. Then, we arrange the programs and timeline. But remember, the expectations usually is different with reality, so we should be flexible with our timeline and programs. To avoided bad things, we always stay in touch with the committee of YOUCAN EMPOWER until the D-DAY, because one of them, Kak Uni is natives of Mendure.


Mendure, a small village in Central Lombok was our destination on February 23th. The preparation was complicated because everyone had their own way. Dimas, Kak Reyhan, and I from Malang still had not book tickets 2 weeks before the D-DAY. The definition of "ruwet karepe dewe". After all of dramas and confusions, I was so excited after finally arrived at Lombok International Airport. Because it's my first time traveling without my family and almost alone if I don't have same friend with same destination. Fortunately, Dimas also departed form Surabaya so we took same flight, while Kak Reyhan from Jakarta to Lombok.

believe me there is an airplane in front of me! YOLO!

My first impression about Lombok is.... HOT! Quite different with Malang or Batu, East Java. Not so long after we arrived at Lombok International Airport, The YOUCAN EMPOWER Committee, Mbak Ima picked us by car to the Mendure Village. Our driver is from Lombok Island, called Mr. Z. He was very nice and told us some daily language and histories about the orgin meaning of Lombok. "Lombok is not chilli literally. Lombok in Sasak means straight, true or commonly interpreted honest, plain, or in other words commonly defined Fitrah," he Said.

Ookaay.


It took an hour until finally Mr. Z stop the car in front of a small gate. And here we are... Mendure Village!

As the first timer or newbie in volunteering, I was trying to adapt with people here. They are using Sasak Language like Mr. Z told in the car. Amaq for Sir, Inaq for Maam. Tabeq for excuse me.
"Tabeq Inaq," I said it with extra smiles when I met some of women welcomed us because finally I can practie this language with the natives LOL. And those women smiled to us and said, "Tabeq."

Inaq-inaq

FYI, Kak Uni said that Sasak Language is diverse by the villages. Not by provinces, BUT VILLAGES! It means, in the different village, there will be different structures or vocabulary used as language, but still Sasak. Beside Kak Uni and Kak Ima as committee, there were Kak Nining and Kak Bagus, YOUCAN members who also help us especially for language translator and accomodation. Kak Uni, Kak Nining, and Kak Bagus are students of University of Mataram, so they will help us to adapt here.


After all of the volunteers arrived, villagers held a welcoming ceremony and eat together.. The welcoming ceremony attended by village officials and religious leaders. Some girls, include Kak Uni were dressed in traditional clothes to welcome us, while the men was preparing the food to eat together. It's so unique for me, because in Mendure men were so helpful and not prestige to prepare the food. Most of food here are spicy so I couldn't take too much. Beside that, the eat portions are extra large. Such a culture shock for me because everyone can finished their food include the girls! Not only that, we don't use any spoon to eat something like soup :( So we had to use our hand skill to get the soup :(

welcome ceremoy

a portion without spoon :(

took photos with village officials

Maybe I was bad at adaptation with Mendure dishes, but there's something I suddenly like in Mendure at the first sight, the children! I like to went arround in Mendure Village. Everytime I went, there will be children follow me like they want to get to know me and the other volunteers. Actually, I used to hate kids because they are so annoying for me. But once I met them, they were so lovely! They taught me and the other volunteers Sasak Language, and I taught them Javanese. Amazing! They were so innocent and sincere until I don't have any reason to don't like them :)

From this event, actually I am so grateful because I can love kids more than before LOL. Maybe it is because they are using different language from me and I think that's cool to learn Sasak. That makes us (me and those children) good friends. But, I realized that I just stayed a week there and it would not be easy to say goodbye after that :(

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I think I should end this Part 1 here. It is still the beginning of journey. There will be lots of unique cultures and amazing children I met in Part 2 and 3. What's gonna happen next? Were we facing many obstacles during the empowering programs? Will there be more drama? LOL.

Cheers!

Emma

~my confession~

I have missed this site, this little diary. Many things I wanna share, include the ups and downs I've been trough since my latest post. But Snapchat and Instagram make it simpler for me to immediately share it at the moment.

Anyway, college life is amazing. I'm so grateful to be able passed this semester! I met so many people with different personalities. It makes me have to adjust my self. Behave, Emma! I have to act wisely, manage every single word I said with full of responsibilty in the scientific forum or organization meeting. But sometimes, I still act like a childish kid, careless, forget like next year my age would be 20! I got many advices from people around me for my better life in future :'' They also taught me many soft skills we don't learn in the class. That fact makes me understand, that the real life after I graduated will be so much harder.

In my previous post, I tell you several of my hectic activities in the 4th semester; First is the practicum and the practicum report which had been spent a haf of my 24 hour everday. I know this is very important for my grade point. Alhamdulillah the result is better than the previous semester. The second is microbiology lab assistant. Alhamdulillah this job has done and we're waiting for the salary :D. The third is English Course. Yeah, I have done my english course until the highest level in the intermediet part. After this I will take the conversation class. I just can't believe that have passed them. Alhamdulillah.

Andd the last but not least, the fourth is PKM FTP CERIA :D

:D
Alhamdulillah. Our project has won the gold medal for presentation! Everytime I remember this moment, I remember how hard this team blend each other in the first meeting, then we got some obstacles from our lectures, technicians, and from ourself too (especially me :( *sad). Altough it's difficult at first, alhamdulillah, Allah always heard our prayer and answered it in the right time after we give the best we can did. :)

I'm so grateful. I believe the Quran says, "We impose on no self any more than it can bear" (Al A'raf: 42). Alhamdulillah. Thank you, Allah. You give me strength and your mercy to get through all of ups and downs until today. Alhamdulillahirobbilalamiin.

Now, what? When I got my "me time" in my room, sometimes I feel worry about myself in the next 2 until 5 year. What am I going to be? What will I do to make my parents proud of me? I wonder if all I did was bring me to my true destination.

So, I start it with Bismillahirrohmanirrohiim. Let's make another life goals which will bring us to the true destination :) And I will do the best for the next semester!

Welcome September! Welcome 5th Semester!

In The Middle of Mid-Test Week Post

Helloo everybody!

Finally I have time for my side pleasure, blogging! Feel so glad to know that I'm still survive until now :'. Yeah, welcome April! I just realized my last post was on February and there's no post on March. Maybe some of you wonder what I have been doing lately after my last post which is really hectic month for me. And I want to make some review of my latest activities since my last post on February. Check this out!!

1. Practicum and The Practicum Report

Yeah, the real 4th semester has just begun. I have to handle Food Processing Technology practicum and Biochemistry & Food Analysis practicum. FYI, practicum is fun and I really enjoy it, but not for the report we have to submit after the practicum. 

There are several reasons why I hate the practicum report. Most of them because it's tiring! Yeah, the report is not only contain the practicum results data, it also contains the procedure which has to be very detail from the preparation until result plus the equipment functions and the treatment functions. For  example, you have to explain in the procedure why you have to put the petri dish into oven for 1 hour. Why not 30 minutes? Yeah, you have to explain the treatment function. So tiring, isn't it? You also have many questions to answer based on the literature. There's also discuss the data section which you have to discuss. Usually not only our grup's data, but also from the other group. Can you imagine that? We have to discuss about data which we haven't done and compare it with the literatures. That's why usually the practicum report for one material is really thick. Really tiring, right?

2. Microbiology Lab Assistant

As I wrote before on my last post, I accepted as Microbiology Lab Assistant. I'm so grateful and proud of this chance. I learn so much from this job. Most of my free time I spent in the Microbiology Lab which lack of connection :(. After class usually I was scheduled to be a lab assistant. I enjoy it because I can spent my free time for useful things and earn too teehee

3. English Course

Actually this is really fun thing which makes me can release the stress from my activities. I also can improve my English, meet new friends, have discussion in English with people in different background. Everything is fun and relaxing. But, sometimes, my course schedule crashed with the replacement schedule from my lecture which makes me should choose the replacement class from the lecture and miss one meeting in the course :(. I want to change my course schedule so I can get both of them but now this kind condition has taught me the meaning of "Life is a Choice" :)

4. PKM FTP CERIA

This is the name of my PKM group on LINE. PKM a.k.a. Program Kreativitas Mahasiswa. It is really prestige competition in my faculty because if we're invited to PIMNAS (the final of PKM) we will be free from the thesis. So, in the middle of bustles above, I have to do this state madate. Like I wrote before on my last post, my PKM has funded by DIKTI alhamdulillah. We get 7 million actually but still 3 million we got. We have to maintain this 3 million so it won't deficit. Later I will tell you about the my PKM. Hopefully our team can solve the obstacles in front of us so we realize the proposal, invited to PIMNAS, and the main goal reached. Aamiin. 

Well I learn so much from those activities. It makes me read more books, curious more, and trying to push myself more. There's a quote that really affects me: If you fail to plan, you will plan to fail. So, I make list of my goals and achievements I have to get with details how to realize them. I hope everything is going well include my mid semester test too. Yeah, the whole activities above are postponed for a while in the middle semester test week. So, I have to focus now in my mid-semester test and hopefully the result will be perfectly "A" . Aamiin :))  

Anyway, that's all the activities I have been doing lately until now. I hope you enjoy my kind of diary post. See you!

Bertemu Dosen Pembimbing Akademik

Assalamualaikum, selamat malam.

Papa. Waktu muda.

Jujur, sebenarnya sangat ingin menghindarkan blog ini dari curhatan aneh yang isinya ngomongin orang terus ngga ada manfaatnya. Entah ini termasuk postingan yang seperti itu atau justru malah bisa mengambil hikmahnya. Ya, ini adalah kejadian yang masih anget banget baru tadi abis Isya'. Dan setelah mengalami kejadian ini salah satu perasaan yang terbersit disamping marah, malu, kesal, terharu... adalah HARUS DI TULIS DI BLOG.

Yeah. I did.

Hari ini rasanya panjang banget. Dari sekian banyak agenda yang aku tuliskan khusus untuk hari ini, salah satunya adalah meminta tanda tangan dosen pembimbing akademik yang biasa dipanggil Papa sama mahasiswanya. Ya, untuk menjaga privasinya, sebut saja Papa.