Diversity is a blessing

Diversity in Indonesia

One day a friend asked me why we are different. Why God made us live in diversity even though it can highly lead us into big, big problems such as conflicts, war and so on.

Well, I guess difference is a fate that we have to either stand against or embrace. We people are different from each other because simply we grow up in different places.

As time goes on, we learn different things that make us choose which one we should lean on. We have different people, friends and family who we perceive as role model. This is why people have always lived in diversity.

Human being’s diversity is like a two-edged sword. You don’t want to live with it unless you’re careful and resourceful. It has big potential to come up with conflicts and frustration. Without respects and understanding, it can be a huge problem hindering the progress of any kinds of positive development. In this point of view, people are different because they are meant to be full of conflict and dangerous.

When McDonald’s and friends are exclusive

How’d you feel when you eat at any restaurants like McDonald’s, KFC, Burger King, Pizza Hut or Wendy’s? If you’re American I bet you’d say I feel nothing, just eating, that’s it. You may want to say, what’s the matter? Nothing, unless you've seen how other people perceive differently how eating at those kinds of restaurants feels like.

Perceiving the same thing differently can be an interesting topic to discuss since the actual thing perceived is the real, exact same thing. Regarding eating burgers, chicken and fries at those places, there are actually at least two different perceptions. First, the one that happens in developed countries, and second, the one happening in developing ones.

Let me start with the first. In America, which I consider as a developed one, those restaurants are nothing but common places to eat. There is nothing special eating there. You order the foods you want, pay them then you decide to dine-in or to-go.

Paying our foods at around 5 bucks per meal in average is normal. People can spend much more than that. Or, it might be considered as the cheapest food for eating out. Thus, eating at those restaurants is the cheapest way to get full which means there’s no reason to call them such exclusive places to eat. There are no reasons of being proud to eat there. Seriously, none!

However the second scenario might bring you to a surprise. In any developing countries, like Indonesia, eating is going to cost us just around 50 cents to 3 bucks. In average, people spent 1.5 bucks to eat. You can imagine that it is going to be very expensive if they have to spend 5 bucks for a meal. I as a developing country citizen think that 5 bucks for a meal just doesn't make any sense.

Heaven and Hell Are Not Mine...

On Easter Day 2012. Thanks Jade for hosting us
(Jade Sandbulte's doc.)

I was once asked by a friend, “What do you think about pluralism? Isn’t it against the mission of religions, especially yours, Islam? I mean how does this thing work? On one hand, people keep asking others to follow them because they think they are the best, but on the other hand, at the same time they think that they should embrace others no matter what religion they are.”

Literally, I was so confused. But here is the thing.

Two interpretations
To me, pluralism is a word filled with conflict. Seriously, it has been creating disappointment and even condemnation among religious people, especially among Muslims in my country. One group thinks that it means seeing and thinking all religions are the same. They all are the damn same. That’s where the problem began. They can’t accept this.

But the other group thinks differently. They accept pluralism as it means an understanding that embraces the diversity among human beings. People are created different so having different choices are the aftermath of that creation.

The Version of My Success

With Mr. Trump. Thanks, sir!

There are so many successful people out there. They achieve something precious for their lives. Some become so popular and get so much praise from other people. We can recognize how Bill Gates successfully built his Microsoft, and how Steve Jobs created Apple Inc. Nobody will denies that those two men have succeeded on their path.

Their lives have become inspiration for lots of people around the world. Their persistence to get their success gives us many lessons to study and to follow. Now, the question is what does success mean? Are those who are as rich as those two not successful persons? To agree or do not agree is part of of those questions. You can keep your answer now. I have a version of my success.

I spent all of my childhood in a country called Indonesia. I was born there about twenty two years ago. Anyway, Indonesia is an archipelago containing more than 17,000 islands. We have so many different ethnic groups. I am from one of them called Java. I was born in a little town, Blitar, which is located at Java Island, on of five largest islands there.

My late father was a local entrepreneur in Blitar. He fixed broken sewing machines and we earned money from that. We did not make much money from that job, just enough to meet our daily needs. My mom was the manager, which mean actually she had no job, just helped my dad. Nevertheless, both are the best parents ever for me!

People Have Dreams

I opened my Facebook one time. A notification popped up. My friend tagged me to a video: A short remarks from Nurcholish Madjid (1939 – 2005) about civil society. I opened it.

I found Madjid clearly said that civil society is a dream of Indonesia in the future. It struck me when he mentioned civil society is there when people obey the laws, so that the people are civilized! It struck me because when I reflected what he mentioned to what is going on around me, it even hurts!

Our media is full of news about endless corruption and stuff. The government, the ones who are meant to shine the people to get their bright future, just gets their people thrown away out of the windows. While they are proud of stuffing their mouths with full of fancy foods, people are starving to death.

People here are even lack of education. That means people are failing to see their bright futures. People fail to see what they are up against: poverty, hunger, unemployment, injustice, human right violation and so forth. These situations could even end up with some other painful situations: crimes and even murders. I bet life has driven people nuts. No times to think of the future.

But, Madjid’s idea about nur’any or our deepest heart finally tickles me when I am overwhelmed by all these problems. He came up with a small but very important thing: listening to and obeying what our nur’any says.

These All Are for My Nation

Explaining some stuff about Indonesia at CEC at NDSU

“In the same time, we are not only this nation citizen, but also a global one. In order that, we have to be able to express our idea in a global expression!” (Anies Baswedan)

Growing up in a little town Blitar, where Soekarno’s grave is located, I've learnt to dedicate my life to this nation. Bung Karno—Soekarno’s nickname—had stated that we must be an independent nation (bangsa yang berdikari). Also, my father, who is a local entrepreneur, always said that ever since I was a child, I have to have a strong willingness to be independent. Depending on others may be permitted at first, but at last, independency is the only way to stand firmly on my own feet. And, my mother said that do not ever forget to pray, because God never sleeps!

When I entered university, then I understood that I am now connected with global community. I am a citizen of the world. I also learn about how to strengthen my self in this world through three pillars: leadership, entrepreneurship, and ethics. Through these values, everybody can be more competitive to face many challenges of life.

Let It Snow and Rain

Go sledding!

A few days ago, I’ve heard that Fargo had its first snow. It was too early, everybody says. It was a fluke? Probably. But that’s not what I’m going to talk about.

If you ask me what is it worth if you let me see snow? I’d probably say that I’d buy you food for a whole year. I am kind of half serious and half joking, though.

Part of me is serious. Last year, when I was looking at this stuff at first, I could not help but admired it. It was so white that I could do nothing but staring at it like a child gets his birthday present. I hold it. I smiled at it. I balled it up. I fell on it. I was knee-deep in it. I even tested it to make sure that what was right in front of me was what people call snow.

The dream of us
Snow is like dream for everybody in Indonesia. We watch movies, shows, and news that show us snow a lot. But it is our TV screens that do it. We can’t feel it first hand. We just let our mouth half-open and keep wondering how it feels. We always dream to someday hold it. Firsthand.

Go Bison: All I know about NDSU

Global Ugraders of Indonesia

Well, I was there only for one year. I got a scholarship from the US Department of State under a program called Global Undergraduate Exchange Program. So, have I known NDSU pretty well?

If you count whether or not the president of NDSU and I are friends to see if I knew NDSU well, you might as well just jump on another blog and swing by a gun shop, grab any gun and point it at me and shout: this guy is making up something!

But, never mind, that is just an exaggeration. I have a whole bunch of friends over there, though. So I might have known NDSU well. I might have.

Okay, first off, this is the biggest university in North Dakota. It’s in Fargo, which is not the capital but the biggest city over there. The place is really cool and clean. You’ll see a lot of green areas where you can hang out with friends. Fresh air and nice atmosphere will lure you to stay there.

As typical big universities in the US, NDSU was founded way back then. When was it? It’s none of my business. An excuse? Yeah, but I have another answer: Wake up and smell the Internet, Buddy! Just kidding. It’s founded in 1891 and back then it wasn’t NDSU yet but North Dakota Agricultural Collage.

Me: A list of things I’ll miss about NDSU and Fargo

the unforgettable city

On one of The Forum edition (5/4), I found an article titled “Morast: A list of the things I’ll miss about Fargo-Moorhead.” The writer has taken a decision to take another job so he has to say goodbye to the town.

He mentions some stuff about Fargo-Moorhead that might be “unforgettable” for him. I enjoyed reading this article but it makes me sad as well. Finally I left NDSU and Fargo after about 9 months of living here. That means that I left my campus North Dakota State University (NDSU).

When I got to NDSU, everything was alien. Everybody spoke in English and I wasn’t good at it at first—it doesn’t mean that I am good at it now, but I’m better. It freaked me out a lot. No kidding.

However, now I feel like I found my life here. I found many things have become parts of my life. Thus, it’s going to be difficult for me to leave after all I have done here. So, here is a list of things I’ll miss about NDSU and Fargo.

snow!

Winter
This year was my first time experiencing winter. The first time seeing snow as well. I still remember that it was like a dream to see snow. Then I saw and I couldn’t say anything but “Oh my God, it’s gorgeous!”

I don’t know why some friends of mine hate it. “I have to shovel,” that is their reason. No way! Look at the flakes! It’s just a blessing for me seeing those flakes.

My friend showed me that Fargo is the fourth coldest city in the US. I didn’t believe that until I found that my nose stuffed up. It was -16 F. It was freaking cold for me. But, my friend told me, “You’re lucky. This winter is mild. It’s not real winter this year.”

What Am I Doing Here? (Part 2)

crazy Bison fan!
(inforum.com)

How they live their lives
Then the second purpose I am studying in the US is I want to know how people live their lives. No matter what, the US is not Indonesia, China, or India. Not even Europe. The US is the US. Since it has been a few months since I’ve been studying in this country, I’ve seen a lot of differences. It’s a lot different from what we have in Indonesia.

In general, people are so nice here. Their way of lives could be defined as individualism or specific culture. It doesn’t mean that they do not care about others. They like helping others, though.

What I’ve seen here, individualism means that their appreciation to individual work is really high. Generally they don’t want to intervene others’ lives or choices no matter what. As long as it is not bothering them, it’s fine. Here, I very seldom hear about people say something bad to somebody else’s ways to do something.

“Just do what you want. Don’t bother me, or you can otherwise get in trouble.”

What Am I Doing Here? (Part 1)

Manhattan Broadway! 

If somebody asks me, what are your goals studying here in the US? I just have a couple answers for this past Fall and Spring semester. First, I really want to learn the language more, which is English. Second, I want to know how people live outside my country.

It’s about English
The first reason might be seen as a simple thing. If you guys think so, it is just fine. But, I think it’s a lot more than that.

Well, people know what others want through a language. See what people are doing when they work at, say, fast food restaurants. They carry out what the customers say to order. There is such a mutual understanding between both so they would feel satisfied each other.

Further than that, see what our teachers are doing in our class. See, they are talking and talking. It is the way people send their knowledge to others. They educate us through their languages and that’s why students can become more and more knowledgeable.

When our teachers are talking about something, you think it is usually fun, right? Not! It is boring very often. Well, but suck it up bud! All right, this part is joke. Don’t really mind about it.

I Went Broke Afterward

New York at night

The rest of my holiday I spent visiting the Big Apple, New York. I was going to be there for 10 days. To be honest, at that time I was kind of totally blind about what to do. But that would never prevent me from going to a new place.

I met my friend Tyas over there. We rented an apartment with some other friends so the cost could be split up. We stayed in Brooklyn.

When I was in Indonesia, I watched some movies, which showed me many things about New York. I saw the Statue of Liberty, Manhattan, the Empire State Building, and the Wall Street Bull, all through my TV! But then, finally, Oh God, I was there! I bought the city pass to make the costs cheaper. If I didn’t buy that, I would have spent twice as much as I did.

To get around the city, I used the subway. That was also my first experience riding an underground train. I’m actually already familiar with the train, but for the way it runs, I mean the underground track, that was surprising for me. I wondered how they came up with that idea. It’s supposed to be really expensive to build it, but then, the advantages exceed all the costs.

I was Rocketing!

I conquered the frozen lake!

In the past Winter break, I got about two weeks off. My friend told me that she wanted to do something for the break even though the Fall Semester did not conclude. I was kind of curious about what she was going to plan for it. Then she ended up with an idea: Go to New York!

I didn’t know if I wanted to go for it or not. It’s far away from Fargo, and it would cost me too much. Then I thought that this could be the only one chance I got in my life to see the popular city. Whether I would like it or not, I should see it. I finally bought the ticket then arranged where I would stay. On December 27th, in the second week, I decided I would be flying there.

But why did I decide to fly in a week after the holiday got started? Christmas! That’s the only reason for it. I wanted to know how people here in Fargo celebrate their Christmas.

I did not want to miss this chance since I’m here in the US. Well, I don’t want to talk more about religious stuff here, but I see that every religious celebration among different people has a cultural side that welcomes diverse people to join in the fun the celebrations.

Finally, I went to Dennis’ house in Hawley, Minnesota. His family is the family I joined during Thanksgiving Day. They invited me to their Christmas party. I was so excited. I went there with Susilo’s family, an Indonesian family in Fargo I’ve been getting along with. They gave me a ride.

The Thanksgiving of Mine

with Dennis

To be honest I did not have any idea a couple weeks before Thanksgiving Day. I thought that I would be staying in my room and chilling with my roommate who is also international student. But eventually I got email from office of international program at NDSU that they have like host family program for international students.

I applied for that. “Hopefully something changes,” I said, “because I don’t want to be stuck in this room while everybody is leaving.”

Then right a week before Thanksgiving, I got a call from Karen. She would be my host family. Thank God! She said that I had to get to her house around noon. On the Thanksgiving Day, I went there with an Indonesian family, Susilo’s family, that I know them really well.

The F-Word: My Poor English

Do you think it's a friendship? Haha I'll bite you!

Before I came to NDSU, I had no clue about this campus. What I was thinking about education in the US was all about Harvard University, Georgetown University, or UC Berkeley. Even Fargo, the city where North Dakota State University or NDSU is located, I had no idea at all. When I got the placement to get to NDSU, I thought: What am I supposed to do there?

But as the time goes on, I figured that I can do many things here: study, watching movies, shopping, hanging out with friends and many more. However, I can’t enjoy those things as well because one thing: My poor English!

Before I got here, I thought that my English would be enough to help me understand what’s going on in my classes, what my friends are speaking about, or the conversation in movies I am watching. But in fact, it is nothing! That is now going on as my biggest challenge here, at NDSU, Fargo.

I felt that I started from zero. I have to study English much more intensively. The first week I came here, I did not understand at all what my teachers talked about, and I was afraid of hanging out with some friends because I could not speak English well.