Pre Departure Training Journal - Day 3

Sejak awal PDT saya memang berniat untuk membuat jurnal dan harapannya bisa journaling setiap hari. Tapi ternyata banyak kegiatan dan gagal untuk stick ke plan. 

Jadi sejak tulisan sebelumnya banyak sekali yang telah terjadi. 

Pertama, setelah university information day, awardee diberikan kesempatan untuk bertemu dengan Victor kembali untuk follow up mengenai preferensi kampus. Jika ternyata ada perubahan preferensi baik jurusan maupun kampus (seberapa drastis pun perubahannya) bisa dikomunikasikan dengan Victor. Victor akan mencoba menganalisa dan memberikan masukan apakah perubahan itu natural ataur karena termakan teknis marketing. 

Sore harinya jam 13.00 akhirnya kami memulai sesi kelas untuk pertama kalinya dengan guru yang telah ditentukan untuk menemani proses belajar EAP (English for Academic Purposes) dan IELTS selama 9 minggu ke depan. 

Kelas kami dinamai 9W1 dengan guru kelas Michael. 

Michael memulai kelas dengan sangat unik. Suara Michael sedikit terlalu kecil menurut saya tapi karena kelas sangat hening, suara kecil Michael masih terdengar ke seisi kelas. "Sebelum saya memperkenalkan diri saya mau mulai dengan hal yang scary. Rules? Ada suka rules?" Dan Michael pun mulai menyebutkan list peraturan kelas seperti "toilet training" (kata yang persis digunakan Michael,) penggunaan hape dan lain-lain. 

Entah mengapa diawal suara Michael mengingatkan saya pada aktris legendaris Inggris Maggie Smith, yang seperti orang tau memang sangat unik. Dan entah kekuatan apa yang dimiliki Michael bahkan tanpa perlu meninggikan suara pun seisi kelas tetap diam saja. Atau mungkin saya terlalu sering berada dikelas dengan anak-anak remaja atau mahasiswa, jadi standar saya terhadap satu kelas hanya satu. Sedangkan sekarang anggota kelas rata-rata adalah orang-orang yang profesional di bidangnya masing-masing mulai dari pegawai Kemenkeu, Pegawai OJK sampai pegawai swasta dan NGO. 

Di hari pertama 2 jam kelas digunakan untuk sesi perkenalan. Tapi bukan sesi perkenalan biasa. Dari pengalaman satu tahun menjadi guru saya paham betul apa yang sedang dilakukan oleh Michael. 

Michael memberikan selembar kertas untuk masing-masing anggota kelas dengan isi (bukan tulisan persis) :

1. Tell us your name!

2. Tell us something intimate about yourself that you would not normally share to a person that you just met!

3. Tell us your most precious possession (not its monetary value)!

4. Tell us your most strongly held opinion! 

Dengan ke empat pertanyaan ini Michael berhasil membuat kelas di pertemuan pertama ini berubah menjadi support group. Saya tentu suka sekali dengan metode ini. Kebetulan sebelumnya juga pernah mengikuti program dengan metode pembelajaran seperti ini dan menurut saya sangat ampuh dalam mencairkan suasana dan menciptakan intimasi dengan sesama teman kelas. 

Semua orang mulai memperkenalkan diri dengan menjawab satu persatu pertanyaan yang diberikan. Ada yang bercerita sampai meneteskan air mata karena cerita yang mereka sampaikan sangat emosional. Mike (I don't know if you would be happy with that name) but you nailed it! When you made people say things that are just too emotional even to themselves, you are a definitely a good shrink. And this is not even a support group :D

Jadi ingat scene dalam film-film. "Hi, Guys! I am Rico and I am an alcoholic :D)

Pre Departure Training Journal - Day 4

Pertemuan kedua dimulai dengan absen. Mike memiliki karakter yang sangat kuat sebagai seorang individu. Gaya berpakaiannya. Gaya berbicaranya. Dan yang paling berkaitan dengan PDT ini adalah gaya mengajarnya. Saat absen, berbeda dengan guru lain yang mungkin akan mengabsen dengan cepat, Mike memanfaatkan kesempatan ini untuk bermain tebak-tebakan. Mike membaca nama dari absen (nama panggilan yang Mike sudah catat saat sesi perkenalan diri di pertemuan sebelumnya) dan menebak siapa gerangan pemilik nama tersebut.

Jika hari sebelumnya esensinya kami belajar speaking dibumbui dengan sesi pekenalan diri, di pertemuan kedua ini kami dibelali sesi informasi tentang tugas menulis esai 500 kata dengan batas akhir pengumpulan Jumat 13 September 2019. Selama sesi dua jam kami belajar tentang teknik penulisan, format, dan peringatan tentang plagiarisme. Tidak lupa juga kami di informasikan tentang assessment criteria. 

Jujur di awal-awal ini terkadang cukup sulit untuk memahami apa yang disampaikan Michael. Tetapi satu hal yang membayar semuanya, Michael datang dengan materi yang sangat komplit. Baru dua tiga hari belajar folder kami sudah penuh dengan handouts. 

Pre Departure Training Journal - Day 5 

Di hari kelima kami membahas persiapan kerja kelompok atau Academic Reading Circle. Didalam kegiatan kerja kelompok ini ada 5 peran :

1. Group Leader = bertugas untuk mencari article dan menyiapkan comprehension questions 

2. Contextualiser = melakukan background research mengenaik artikel yang dipilih

3. Highlighter = melist kosa kata akademis berikut definisi

4. Connector = mencari relevansi kejadian dalam teks dengan kehidupan nyata

5. Visualiser = membuat power point atau bahan presentasi lainnya

6. Devil's Advocate = mempertanyakan segala hal mulai dari isu yang diangkat didalam teks sampai paham yang dianut oleh anggota kelompok mengenai isu tersebut. 

Selema PDT kegiatan ini akan rutin dilakukan. Kegiatan ini esensinya adalah untuk membiasakan awardee dengan dunia akademis dimana akan banyak kegiatan riset dan salah satu skill yang dibutuhkan dalam melakukan riset adalah berpikir kritis dan juga skill kerja kelompok. 

Pre Departure Training Journal - Day 6  

Hari ke enam kami masih mebahas tentang mekanisme ARC (Academic Reading Circle). Untuk gambaran awal kami membahas satu teks yang telah dipilih dan dikerjakan oleh Mike. Awalnya kami membahas teks tersebut dan mulai berdiskusi kelompok. Setiap orang dituntut untuk mengutarakan pendapat. 

Besok akan ada sesi simulasi IELTS dari jam 8 sampai jam 11. 

Jadi tadi kami juga membahas sedikit tentang IELTS. Mike membagikan selembaran yang berisi rubrics IELTS writing task 2 dan selembar lainnya berisi aktivitas yang membuat kami mencari jawaban dari rubrics tersebut.  Lagi-lagi, metode unik untuk scanning. 

Handout lainnya. Mike membagikan handout tentang menulis essai sebagai lanjutan dari tugas menulis essai 500 kata. Di handout tersebut ada contoh essai. Mike memutuskan agar kami mencari main topik dari masing-masing paragraf. 

Handout lainnya lagi berjudul Paragraphing. Lanjutan dari tips menulis essai. Dan terakhir sebelum kami pulang ada handout lain berjudul features of academic writing. 

Sejauh ini saya senang diberikan guide. Sejak awal Simone memang sudah mewanti-wanti bahwa di PDT ini guru tidak akan banyak mengajar. Tugas guru bukan mengajar dengan metode dikte tapi memberikan guide. Jadi yang banyak kerja adalah siswa bukan guru. 

Asumsi saya handouts yang diberikan adalah bentuk manifestasinya. Jadi jika ingin mengerti ya baca handouts dan kalau ada yang tidak dipahami tanya guru.

Jangan expect guru akan menjelaskan dari titik sampai ke titik (note to myself!)

(Lagi-lagi, saya belum bisa membuat blog yang lebih deskriptif. Besok ada simulasi IELTS dan mata saya sudah mulai layu. Tulisan ini sangat tidak memberikan justice terhadap keseruan yang terjadi selama PDT :D Mungkin lain kali saya akan tulis lebih baik lagi. ) 

Pre Departure Training Journey - University Information Day

Satu dari banyak hal yang membuat beasiswa Australia Awards berbeda dari beasiswa lainnya adalah perhatian yang sangat men-detail terhadap kebutuhan awardee. Jika beasiswa lain hanya menyediakan bantuan secara finansial, beasiswa Australia Awards memfasilitasi setiap proses yang dilewati oleh awardee, mulai dari fase pendaftaran, wawancara, pra-keberangkatan, saat berada di Australia, sampai saat kembali ke negara asal. 

Kali ini saya ingin sedikit membahas tentang salah satu fasilitas yang disediakan oleh Australia Awards di fase pra keberangkatan: university information day!

Jika beasiswa lain mengharuskan awardee untuk mencari kampus atau LoA (letter of acceptance) sendiri, Australia Awards malah sebaliknya. Awardee tidak diperkenankan untuk mendaftar sendiri. Pendaftaran kampus dilakukan langsung oleh pihak Australia Awards dengan jalur tersendiri. Dengan sedikit pengecualian untuk calon mahasiswa PhD yang memang harus memiliki dosen pembibing terlebih dahulu. Jadi mereka bisa melakukan kontak dengan kampus tujuan lebih awal. Itu pun nanti akan dikomunikasikan ulang oleh Australia Awards.

Salah satu alasan mengapa seperti ini, karena, lagi-lagi, ini berkaitan dengan fasilitas yang disediakan oleh Australia Awards. Khusus untuk awardee Australia Awards, DFAT menyediakan fasilitas berupa SCO atau Student Contact Officer yang akan melayani semua kebutuhan awardee dan juga menjadi jembatan antara kampus dan DFAT. Nah, jika mendaftar sendiri asumsi saya mungkin SCO tidak akan mendapatkan notice dan bisa saja tidak bisa menikmati fasilitas ini. 

Jika proses pendaftaran kampus saja sudah dianggap luar biasa, tunggu dulu! Itu belum seberapa. Bukan hanya Australia Awards membantu proses pendaftaran kampus, tetapi juga membantu awardee untuk menentukan pilihan. 

Banyak kasus ketika proses pemilihan kampus awardee bingung menentukan pilihan. Informasi di website kampus memang bisa dijadikan acuan. Tetapi terkadang tampilan website yang membingungkan bisa membuat calon mahasiswa kehilangan informasi penting. Untuk menghindari hal tersebut Australia Awards menyediakan satu hari khusus yang disebut University Information Day, dimana representatif kampus-kampus yang ada di Australia dihadirkan disatu lokasi (dalam hal ini Ballroom Ayana Hotel) dan awardee bisa berkonsultasi langsung dengan kampus-kampus tujuan. Setiap awardee diwajibkan berkonsultasi minimal dengan 5 universitas.

Mengerti bahwa ada kemungkin awardee bingung harus mengintrogasi apa saja kepada representatif kampus, di hari jumat sebelumnya awardee sudah dibekali sesi persiapan bertemu dengan represetatif kampus oleh professional college couselor Victor Callan. Bahkan dihari yang sama Victor Callan juga standby dilokasi dan membuka sesi counseling. 

Saya sendiri memilih untuk berkonsultasi dengan 5 kampus: UQ, Unimelb, Usyd, ANU dan UNSW. Bukan urutan berdasarkan preferensi. 

Apakah setelah konsultasi membantu saya dalam menentukan pilihan? Tentu saja! Apakah ada teman-teman yang tambah bingung? Pasti ada. Karena kampus di Australia memang menawarkan program dan keunggulannya masing-masing. Kalau masih bingung bagaimana? Tenang saja. Besok ada sesi khusus yang disebut post course counseling dimana para awardee yang masih bingung atau yang kemarin tergoda bukan karena kebutuhan pengembangan diri tapi tawaran-tawaran lainnya bisa kembali diberikan insight oleh Victor Callan. 

Pilihan saya apa? Let's wait and see! 

Pre Departure Training Journal Day 2 

Agenda: 
1. Australia Awards Initial Briefing
2. Pre-info Day Course Counseling
3. AAS Placement and Mobilisation Briefing 

Hari kedua PDT dimulai jam 08.30 pagi. Kelas bahasa dan budaya belum dimulai sama sekali. Satu hal yang membedakan PDT tahun ini dengan tahun sebelum-sebelumnya, jika sebelumnya PDT diawali dengan kelas EAP, Cross-culture Understanding, Computer Literacy dll., tahun ini sedikit berbeda. Beberapa hari diawal PDT, peserta malah mendapatkan materi-materi teknis mengenai persiapan keberangkatan terlebih dahulu.

Seperti hari ini tanggal 06 September 2019, misalnya, kami mendapatkan informasi mengenai gambaran proses yang telah dan akan kami lewati hingga sampai di Australia dan bahkan ketika nanti kembali lagi di Indonesia. Ibu Devina menjelaskan secara terperinci mengenai benefit yang didapatkan oleh awardee AAS bukan hanya yang berupa monetary tetapi juga yang berupa exposure terhadap event-event networking baik ketika di Australia maupun di Indonesia. Saran buk Devina, buat kartu nama dari sekarang.

Adapun salah satu benefit yang akan dirasakan oleh awardee berupa akses terhadap journal dan ebook seumur hidup. Bagi saya ini adalah benefit yang sangat luar biasa. Semakin menambah saja daftar kekaguman saya terhadap beasiswa Australia Awards. Benefit yang seperti ini perlu di catat karena tidak semua beasiswa di dunia sampai memikirkan hal se-rinci ini. Saya semakin percaya bahwa Australia Awards, seperti yang di sampaikan oleh Daniel dihari sebelumnya, memang menginginkan perkembangan skill yang dimiliki oleh para awardee.

Informasi yang disampaikan oleh ibu Devina kebanyakan sudah ada didalam AAS dan Mobilisation handbook yang telah dibagikan ke kami dihari sebelumnya. Bagi saya AAS sangat thoughtful sekali. Bayangkan saja, mereka bukan saya menyampaikan informasi sekali atau dua kali, tetapi sampai tiga kali dengan medium yang berbeda-beda. Sebelumnya memulai PDT kami sudah mendapatkan email berupa informasi atau bentuk elektronik dari handbook yang kami dapatkan. Tidak cukup disitu, kami juga mendapatkan copy fisik dan yang terakhir adalah penjelasan secara detail. Correct me if I am wrong, saya tidak tahu ada penyelenggara beasiswa lain yang melakukan briefing se-meticulous ini. 

.........................

Setelah ibu Devina selesai memaparkan initial briefing, dilanjutkan oleh sesi dengan Victor Callan dimana kami diberikan tips dan trick ketika berhadapan dengan university representative di hari Senin tanggal 09 September 2019 besok.

Victor berpesan agar kami mengingat bahwa uni reps adalah orang marketing dimana tugas mereka adalah menjual. Jadi jangan terlalu termakan oleh tawaran-tawaran yang tidak berkaitan dengan studi yang akan diambil. Selama sesi Victor membuat kami menjadi melihat ulang pilihan-pilihan yang telah kami buat.

Tips dari Victor ketika memilih kampus dan program, hal yang paling penting dilakukan adalah memperhatikan nama program yang dipilih lalu mengecek mata kuliah yang ditawarkan terutama compulsory course-nya. Jangan sampai memilih satu program karena elective course-nya, karena bisa jadi elective course tersebut masalah tidak tersedia saat program dimulai dengan asalan seperti terlalu sedikit jumlah mahasiswa yang memilih mata kuliah tersebut sehingga mata kuliahnya di batalkan dan lain-lain.

Di sesi Victor kami juga diberikan pemahaman mengenai perbedaan antara master by coursework, master by coursework with minor thesis dan master by research. Master by coursework murni hanya mengambil mata kuliah saja tanpa ada tugas akhir berupa thesis. Sedangkan master by coursework with minor thesis menawarkan program bagi mahasiswa magister yang ingin tetap melalukan thesis tapi tidak se-intense progeam master by research. Total credit yang didapatkan untuk minor thesis sekitar 20%. Ada yang bertanya apakah kualifikasi ini cukup digunakan dalam persyaratan untuk melanjutkan PhD? Dan Victor dengan sigap mengatakan, cukup.

Saya semakin bertanya-tanya tentang program dan kampus yang telah saya pilih sekarang. Apakah sudah benar-benar cocok dengan kebutuhan skill yang saya ingin capai? Apakah ada opsi yang lebih baik? Walaupun sudah baca handbook setiap kampus rasanya masih aja belum tau banyak.

Selama seminggu ini Victor akan standby di IALF. Setiap orang akan mendapatkan kesempatan untuk sesi one-on-one. Kesempatan yang bagus untuk menggali lebih dalam kira-kira apa yang masih mengganjal mengenai pilihan kampus dan program tujuan.

..................... 
Sesi siang dimulai jam 1.30 bersama Pak Ponco dan Mba Ica. Kali ini lebih banyak membahas tentang proses mobilisation seperti detail pemilihan kampus bagaimana prosesurnya. Untuk kampus pihak AAI yang akan mendaftarkan. Jadi kita tidak perlu untuk mencari LoA sendiri. Banyak sekali penjelasan yang disampaikan sampai pada tahapan dapat surat kontrak dari DFAT sampai keberangkatan dan sampai kampus tujuan. Yang paling penting di ingat adalah awardee AAS akan diberikan fasilitas berupa SCO atau student contact officer yang akan membantu segala hal berkaitan kebuthan awardee selama berada di Australia.



(Ada banyak sekali informasi yang disampaikan. Jujur saya masih mencoba untuk mencerna. Ingin menulis semuanya dengan detail disini tetapi posisi saya sekarang ngantuk banget :D Mungkin dilain waktu saya akan menuliskannya dengan lebih terperinci. Untuk kali ini cukup sekian!)

PDT hari pertama baru saja selesai beberapa menit yang lalu. Padahal baru jam 14.59. Saya sudah membayangkan bahwa PDT akan berlangsung dari pagai sampai sore. Minimal, dalam pikiran saya, sampai jam 16.00 lah. Ternyata saya salah :D

Banyak sekali informasi yang disampaikan di hari pertama PDT hari ini.

Saya berangkat dari kost-an menuju Menara Selatan, Plaza Kuningan (lokasi IALF Jakarta) pada jam 06.55. Saya ingat sekali detail jam ini karena saya bertanya apakah saya berangkat terlalu awal. Lalu saya memutuskan untuk tidak terlalu memikirkannya.

Saya berjalan kaki dengan tempo yang cukup pelan, mengingat orientasi baru akan mulai jam 8.00. Artinya saya masih punya waktu sekitar 2 jam. Menurut google maps, IALF dapat ditempuh dalam waktu 13 menit dari lokasi kost-an saya. Dipertengahan jalan saya memutuskan untuk mampir ke Family Mart dibelakang gedung Setiabudi Atrium membeli plaster untuk telapang lengan saya yang memiliki bekas luka gatal. Mungkin alergi air.

Saya pun melanjutkan perjalanan. Telinga ditutupi earphone dengan musik dari spotify saja. Sepanjang perjalanan Comfortably Numb, Dickie, American Girl, Yilar Sonra dan lain-lain pun bergema.

Saya sampai di IALF jam 06.40. Tidak apa-apa, gumam saya. Nggak terlalu cepat kok.

Di IALF sudah ada beberapa rekan awardee AAS yang duduk di ruang auditorium. Saya pun memanfaatkan waktu untuk berkenalan.

Jam 08.00, beberapa bapak-bapak berawakan Caucasian sudah menduduki kursi yang berjejer didepan kursi para awardee. Setelah berkenalan kami pun mengenal bahwa mereka adalah guru yang akan mengajar selama PDT dan perwakilan dari Australia Awards Indonesia.

Seorang wanita paruh baya yang memperkenalkan dirinya sebagai Simone pun maju ke podium dan membuka acara. Beliau memperkenalkan semua orang yang ada dihadapan kami dilanjutkan dengan ucapan selamat datang. Wajahnya sangat sumringah. Sulit rasanya untuk tidak ikut tersenyum ketika ia mengatakan "it's so good to see smiley faces around." Dia juga tidak lupa mengingatkan  betapa beruntungnya kami telah terpilih menjadi bagian dari program beasiswa yang sangat prestigious ini.

Selanjutnya Simone mempersilahkan Daniel, director Australia Awards Indonesia untuk menyampaikan sambutan. Tidak ada kesan formal sama sekali. Kami dibuat sangat nyaman dengan format orientasi yang dipersiapkan.

Daniel mengatakan bahwa dia sangat senang bisa setiap tahun menyematkan senyum diwajah orang-orang seperti kami. Sama seperti Simone, Daniel juga mengingatkan betapa beruntungnya kami telah lolos salah satu beasiswa prestigious dan kompetitif ini. "Setiap tahunnya ribuan orang mendaftar dan kalian terseleksi masuk, merupakan sebuah pencapaian."

Daniel melanjutkan sambutannya dengan menceritakan perjalanan beasiswa yang diberikan pemerintah Australia yang sudah di mulai sejak tahun 50an. Walaupun dengan nama yang berbeda. Hingga kini, lanjut Daniel, ada sekitar 15.000 alumni beasiswa pemerintah Australia yang tersebar diseluruh Indoneisa. Dan itu hanya data yang tercatat. Masih banyak lagi yang belum tercatat.

Tujuan dari beasiswa ini ada 3, kata Daniel. Pertama, untuk perkembangan skill masing-masing dari awardee. Kedua, untuk membantu pembangunan Indonesia untuk mencapai potensinya agar menjadi world economic power. Dan yang ketiga, untuk mempererat hubungan antara Indonesia dan Australia.

Daniel menutup sambutannya dengan meminta kami agar tidak bergerak. Daniel memoto kami yang berjumlah sekitar 130-an dengan panorama.

Sambutan selesai selanjutnya coffee break selama 15 menit.

Setelah break Simone kembali melanjutkan orientasi dengan menjelaskan fasilitas yang diberikan oleh IALF dan juga kurikulum yang akan dipelajari oleh awardee selama PDT.

"Untuk fasilitas, setelah in kalian akan akan dibawa berkeliling perpustakaan oleh Rina dan Lab Komputer dengan Adi.

Sekarang mengenai metode belajar, IALF akan menggunakan Task-based, Skill-based, Theme Based, Communicative, Lerner Centred, Learning Centred approach dan Development Oriented. Semua metode ini saling berintegrasi"

Selanjutnya Simone juga menceritakan dengan detail mengenai komponen pembelajaran yang terdiri dari General English, Academic English dan IELTS preparation. Selain itu, program PDT juga terfokus pada Critical Literacy, Learning Strategy and Study Skills, Cross-cultural Studies, Information Literacy Skills dan Computer Skills. 

Assessment and evaluation. Sepanjang PDT, peserta PDT akan mengerjalkan beberapa tugas seperti essai 500 kata, academic paper 1500-2000 kata, 5-8 minutes seminar presentation, dan poster presentations.

Class Schedule. Untuk peserta 9W, Senin sampai Kamis, kelas akan belangsung dari jam 07.00 sampai dengan jam 01.00. Sedangkan untuk hari Jumat, kelas akan berlangsung dari jam 08 sampai dengan jam 02.00.

Tentu Simone juga tidak lupa untuk mengingatkan beberapa rules seperti datang tepat waktu, menginformasikan guru dan Simone ketika ada situasi urgent yang memaksa untuk absen, menyelesaikan tugas tepat waktu, memeriksa canvas online classroom setiap hari dan lain-lain.

Sebelum selesai Simone memberikan gambaran tentang kegiatan besok yaitu sesi konsultasi mengenai pilihan kampus dengan Victor Callan.

Sesi Simone pun berakhir.

Selanjutnya orientasi fasilitas yang ada di IALF Jakarta. Sebelumnya peserta 9W diminta untuk berdiam diruang auditorium untuk mendapatkan giliran foto ID IALF, pembagian tas dan AAS handbooks.

Secara keseluruhan fasilitas yang ada di IALF Jakarta ada perpustakaan dengan koleksi buku dengan topik pembelajaran Bahasa Inggris yang lengkap. Yang paling saya suka adalah pencahayaan perpustakaanya. Berhubung saya tinggal di kost-an yang tidak ada akses terhadap sinyal matahari, ketika melihat ini adalah sebuah anugerah.

Selanjutnya ada Lab komputer dimana peserta PDT bisa mengerjakan tugas. Tapi satu syarat penggunaan Lab Komputer, harus ada supervisi. Selain di Lab Komputer, peserta PDT atau peserta kursus IALF bisa menggunakan komputer yang ada di perpustakaan.

Peserta PDT juga akan mendapatkan fasilitas ID card, alamat email baru yang nantinya akan digunakan untuk berbagai macam kebutuhan seperti log in ke canvas online classroom, menggunakan xerox di perpustakaan dan log in wifi.

Untuk penggunaan xerox tidak gratis. Untuk print hitam putih dihargai 250,- per lembar. Sedangkan warna, 2500 per lembar. Di awal akun sudah di isi saldo berjumlah sekitar 56.000,- ketika saldo habis bisa di isi ulang di lobby.

Peserta diberikan detour semua fasilitas. Jujur saya sangat merasa terkesima. Saya merasa sangat di fasilitasi dengan baik.

Saat sesi Simone kami juga diberikan satu folder dengan isi lembaran informasi mengenai apa yang sudah disampaikan Simone. Semuanya di kompilasi dengan sangat rapih. Jujur, lagi-lagi, saya sangat terkesima dengan kedetail-an orientasi ini.

Semakin bersemangat untuk hari kedua!

Courtesy of AAI (https://www.australiaawardsindonesia.org/content/12/long-term-awards)

Besok tanggal 05 September 2019 akan menjadi awal untuk bab kehidupanku selanjutnya. Walaupun sempat menunda (defer) selama satu tahun - saya lulus seleksi beasiswa AAS intake 2019 atau dapat pengumuman di bulan Agustus 2018 - akhirnya di September 2019 ini saya bisa melanjutkan proses-proses yang disyaratkan untuk mendapatkan beasiswa atau berangkat ke Australia.

Sebagai gambaran, berikut langkah untuk beasiswa AAS (Australia Awards Scholarship):

1. Tahap Seleksi

1.1. Seleksi Tahap 1
Seleksi beasiswa AAS terdiri dari 2 tahapan. Tahap pertama adalah seleksi administrasi dan essay yang di lakukan secara online. Para kandidat dapat mengisi formulir dan menjawab pertanyaan essai di website DFAT : https://oasis.dfat.gov.au/. Seleksi tahap satu setiap tahunnya berlangsung relatif konsisten yaitu dari bulan Februari sampai dengan April.

Untuk persyaratan dokumen dapat di lihat di website resmi AAI (Australia Awards Indonesia) : https://www.australiaawardsindonesia.org/content/12/long-term-awards

1.2 Seleksi Tahap 2
Setelah menyelesaikan seleksi tahap 1 atau seleksi administrasi dan essai, para kandidat akan mendapatkan hasil seleksi tahap satu (shortlisted notification) sekitar bulan Juni/Juli. Saya sendiri mendapatkan shortlisted confirmation email tanggal 16 Juni 2018.

Tahap selanjutanya adalah test IELTS dan wawancara. Keduanya telah di atur oleh pihak AAI (Australia Awards Indonesia). Di dalam email konfirmasi telah dicantumkan hari dan lokasi tes IELTS maupun wawancara. Bagi yang telah mencantumkan sertifikat IELTS dan umur sertifikat belum lebih dari tiga bulan dapat mengajukan untuk tidak mengikuti tes IELTS yang telah disiapkan.

Sesi wawancara IELTS berlangsung maksimum 10 - 15 menit. Ada 2 penguji yang terdiri dari 1 doktor dari salah satu kampus di Australia dan 1 doktor dari salah satu kampus di Indonesia yang juga merupakan alumni AAS.

Sesi wawancara saya berlangsung selama kurang dari 10 menit. Tidak usah panik seperti saya dulu. Panjang dan pendeknya wawancara tidak menentukka apakah wawancara kalian berjalan dengan baik atau buruk. 

Untuk materi wawancara, tidak akan jauh dari semua yang tertera didalam aplikasi. Jadi jangan lupa untuk menyimpan copy dari aplikasi yang telah kamu submit. Sebagai tips, coba perkirakan vulnerable spot kamu dalam aplikasi. Kemungkinan besar penguji akan fokus pada spot tersebut. Bisa jadi berupa cross major, tidak adanya pengalaman kerja, pilihan kampus sampai tujuan paska kuliah.

Sesi wawancara biasanya berlangsung sebulan setelah email shorlisted dikirim. Namun beberapa kasus seperti tahun 2019 ini wawancara berlangsung 3 minggu setelah kandidat mendapatkan email.

2. Pengumuman Kelulusan (Selection Outcome)

Setelah melewati tahap satu dan tahap dua, selanjutnya adalah menanti hasil kelulusan. Hasil kelulusan bisanya diumumkan di minggu ketiga Agustus. Namun, lagi-lagi tidak ada garansi bahwa pengumuman akan sama setiap tahunnya. Tahun 2019 ini, misalnya, hasil akhir di umumkan di tanggal 28 Agustus 2019. Tahun sebelumnya, tahun 2018, pengumuman hasil akhir kebetulan keluar di tanggal 28 Agustus 18 juga. Dan tahun sebelumnya lagi, sejauh yang kami dengar, keluar di pertengahan Agustus. Apapun itu, hasil akan kelaur di bulan Agustus.


3. Pre Departure Training

Selamat! Kamu telah berhasil lolos seleksi beasiswa AAS. Namun perjuangan belum tuntas. Setelah kedua tahap seleksi, tahap selanjutnya adalah Persiapan Keberangkatan.

Durasi persiapan keberangkatan tergantung dengan nilai IELTS yang kamu dapatkan. Secara umum ada 4 group PDT:

1. 7 Minggu = Overall IELTS di atas 6.5 dengan minimum score setiap band
2. 9 Minggu = Overall IELTS 6.5 dengan salah satu score dibawah 6
3. 4.5 Bulan =  Overall IELTS 6 atau kurang
4. 7 Bulan = Overall IELTS 5.5 atau kurang
5. 9 Bulan = IELTS 5

Lokasi PDT sendiri ada 2: IALF Jakarta dan Bali. Bagi teman-teman yang berasal dari Indonesia bagian barat akan mengikuti PDT di IALF Jakarta. Sedangkan teman-teman yang berasal dari timur Indonesia akan mengikuti PDT di Bali. Ada pengecualian. Untuk kadidat PhD secara keseluruhan akan mengikuti PDT di Jakarta.

Di PDT belajar apa saja? Besok akan saya cari tahu dulu, ya!

Hesitation has always dominated my lexicon which in turn clouded my judgment over what's actually true as it is and what's just what my imagination or prejudice thought it is. This is exactly the case with To Kill A Mockingbird. I thought To Kill A Mockingbird would be Agatha-Christie-ish in term of genre; but as soon as I opened the first page, I knew I wrong all the way through. Moral of the story, just because it has "kill" in the title doesn't entail any significant clue in regards to its genre or even plot. Well, yes there was a murder case per se (or was it a "mockingbird killing case" as Scout eloquently put it?) but it was not the center of the book at all.

Where have I been?

You might ponder where I have been, If I have been around I must have known the book with its extraordinarily powerful story and message, therefore I must have been under a rock? Perhaps you are right, I have been living under a rock! And I deserve to be scolded for this ignorance.

To be fair, I knew quite well how significant Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird in America is. I knew that it is a mandatory reading in US junior or senior high schools. But, again, I was not aware of its story. Hence, I did not how powerful the story was.

Thanks God, a coincidence, if there is something as coincidence, saved my soul. Thanks to Marlyn, a former colleague of mine - one of the only few who is still in touch amid resignation - who had been given used books by her school and told me that I could take some if I was interested. She gave me list of the book and I instantly laid my eyes on 2 books: To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Metamorphoses by Kafka. Too bad, there was only one copy of Metamorphoses, though Marlyn said I could have it, but I refrained because I was not sure I could finish it in a short period of time.

I was reading Michelle Obama's Becoming when I got the book. So I had to finish it before I jumped to this book. But once I started diving, it took me only 3 days which I am still very proud of to finish the book. Who can't resist Scout's unique narration, right?

What did I find out?

1. To Kill A Mockingbird is Not A Hardcore Thriller Novel

I personally has issue with books, films or anything that contain violence. Imagine my relieve to know that this book though it has a few dead body but it was not graphically described and I would say that I still tolerate its level of violence. And yes, you were to bring this up, I am fully aware of the "catharsis" argument. Though it may be true to some people, I just, as said, personally dislike violence in general.

So what is To Kill A Mockingbird, really? I came to learn that it is such an extremely beautiful story which showcases the complexity of a child's process coming to an age and the kind of mindset they are building as they grow older. Sets in Maycomb, Alabama, To Kill A Mockingbird, also displays the complexity of life people of color have to face and the dynamic it creates for the White vs. Black in many aspects of life such as social life, justice, access to education and many more.

The story is told through the young version of Scout who was then between 6 to 9 as the book progresses. Scout's real name was actually Mary Louise Finch but somehow she was called Scout throughout the book. She is the youngest child of Mr. Atticus Finch who was also called Atticus by his children throughout the book. His a single parent and a working lawyer. Characteristically Atticus is a very responsible father whose parenting style, many might say, unorthodox. Although people many not know why he does what he does, he is very confident is his parenting. And there is Jem (Jeremy Finch) who is the oldest child. Scout and Jem have a very natural sibling relationship with Jem sometimes could be very pushy making Scout to do certain thing that Scout has moral contradiction on. For example when Jem and Dill wanted to get Boo Radley out of his house, Scout found this to be wrong and yet she tagged along.

2. Single Parenthood

To Kill A Mockingbird is specially interesting to me as it attempts at exploring the dynamic between two children, who have lost their mother, and a single working father. While domestically Atticus might not be involved much as they have a help named Calpurnia who had done an amazing job to keep the children well fed and taken care of; Atticus arguably still did a good job in instilling values into the kids.

Most parents, even today, very rare lending their trust that their children can learn life in their own terms. What most parents do is to instruct as oppose to guide. It's different with Atticus. He looked after Jem and Scout with trust. He avoided overbearing. He let them learn that making mistake is allowed and that said every action has its consequences. Atticus shows this very well when Jem killed Mrs. Dabose's plants as a vengeance for the things Mrs. Dabose said about Atticus. Consequently, Jem had to read for Ms. Dabose once a week for a month. And, what I admire the most from Atticus is that as father and also as a lawyer he never looses his temper. He never used physical punishment to the children either. I think that's the most difficult part of being a parent. Children can be very difficult to handle. Next thing we know we can't control our rage and that often leads to physical punishment. Bravo Atticus you can reserve yourself and for knowing what's best.

Generally Atticus is very progressive in so many aspects. Parenting, is definitely one of them. More than that, Atticus is also very progressive in regards to race, gender and social norm.

The lesson to learn here is that parents play a big role in children's upbringing which makes it very pivotal for parents to have certain quality. Atticus is teaching doing. Or as Ms. Maudie put it

Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on the public streets (Chapter 5, p. 52) 

It also affects every move Atticus made in his personal and professional life. He was aware that his children looked up to him and therefore he made sure that what they saw were the good ones (good according to his moral belief).

3. Racism

Racism obviously is the center of the story which summed up by Tom Robinson's case. Through this case we can learn how massively institutionalized racism was in To Kill A Mockingbird's Alabama. Though some people like Ms. Maudie and others who were more forward thinking in regard to race, they could not help it as it had been already internalized in them through their upbringing.

Scout, thanks to his father, went through a tough period rationalizing the contradiction between the values that she had been taught in school and in church about how people have to be equal and that we should be kind to everybody and the reality that was happening around her.

One of the most striking part for me was during the class project when Cecil presented a story about the Nazis. The teacher was very critical of the Nazis and as far as Scout knew we were not not supposed to hate people but Ms Gates made it clear that Nazis were bad and somehow it's okay to hate them.

What Scout had trouble comprehending was that how come we raged about morality in the far end country when we at home did the same thing? Was that because Jews are white therefore we had to sympathize with them while it's okay for Black people to be discriminated for their skin color? This signifies the contradictory nature of moral compass in Scott's hometown of Alabama.

4. Caste System

Though America has been known for its nickname as a free world which reflects its supposedly permanent detachment from the old world (Europe) and its rigid class conscious system; however, in this book we can clearly see that America has formed its own class system. It's perfectly summed up by Jem.

"You know something, Scout? I have got it all figured out,now. I have thought about it a lot lately and I have got it figured out. There's four kind of folks in the world. There is the ordinary kind like us and the neighbors, there is the kind like Cunninghams out in the woods, the kind like Ewells down the dump, and the Negroes."

So, the privileged whites do not like other non privilege whites. And all Whites hate the Blacks.

5. Sexism and Female Role in Society

Scout, who is a girl, had been harassed many times in the book for her untraditional way of growing. Since she always hanged around Jem, she more or less, followed what Jem did. Thus unlike other girls how would dress up and play dolls, Scout enjoyed watching trial in the court and having a little adventure with the boys. 

At one point in the book, Scout joined Aunt Alexandra' Christian group meeting and she was very unimpressed by the things that women do with their time. She even hated the conversation that was building. It was not overtly said but readers can see that Scout found the whole thing to be dull. 

6. Unfair Legal Treatment 

Racism and class system lead to an unfair treatment of the inferior groups. The Blacks were inferior in the book and they suffer from the injustice the most. This is a contradiction to their social and religious values but somehow it bothers them less. 


All in all, Harper Lee had done such an amazing work with this book. I really admire her vision. This book showcases the problem in our society without having to do it in a preachy style. She wanted us to see the real condition in our society by ourselves and let us independently judge whether it is good or bad. 

Finally, I can clearly see now why it is a classic and it's classy too I dare say. I am glad to have read the book. Everyone, do read the book with or without your teacher assigns it!

courtesy of https://www.caba.org.uk

In American culture, or Western culture in general, it’s very generic for children to leave home completely

after high school, which is also the time when they leave for college. Leaving for college signifies the
beginning of their independent lives. That may be the same for other cultures, but unlike the American
one, children in other cultures such as Indonesia are expected to return home after graduation and
resumes life as it was. In America, in contrast, it’s considered odd to live with your parents as an adult.

Similarly, when it comes to the parents, in America it seems very normal to not take parents in to live
with you even though they are old and perhaps sick. Alternatively, parents will stay in the retirement
home, where they will be cared for by the home staff. In other cultures - say, Indonesia, this is be
considered cruel or even ungrateful (for everything that parents have sacrificed for the children.) 

In the context I have just described I, therefore, am considered less of an Indonesian. I am in my mid 20s
and ever since I was 13, I have never lived with my parents for more than 2 months. 

However, reality faces me last time I visited home for Eid. We are a family of four. 3 of my brothers have
got married and live in their own houses. This leaves my parents completely alone. There are only the
two of them left in the house. Yes, from time to time my brothers will visit but that’s about it. 

When I was home my mother happened to be sick and apparently that has been going on for quite
sometimes. My mother has an allergy that affects her breathing system. Whenever she gets in contact
with dust or strong spicy smell, her body will react and she will have difficulty to breath. As a child I am
very worried for her condition and in that very moment the thought about “who will care for my parents
when their health declines?” dominates me.  

I am not home most of the time. Currently I live in Jakarta in a kost-kostan (a dorm type of housing
where you get to rent one of the rooms) which makes it very impossible to take my parents in with me.
And I don’t think they will want that either. They have their own house where they have lived their
entire life. They have known the community which can be difficult to find in a place like Jakarta where
community life is very much a non-existence. But that is just my assumption. Perhaps they long for
an adventure? Perhaps they are tired with the same place and the same people all the time? 

As a child I do think about my parents and their happiness is one of my priorities, especially my mom.
She has lived the same life for her entire life. She has been a good wife and a good daughter in law.
She has never left the house because she had to care for my grandmother who was old and sick.
And now in her old days, I think she deserves to enjoy life. 

My plan for my parents will be to let them enjoy life. Visit places that they have never visited before.
My mom has never been to Jakarta, so I want to take her to see Jakarta. And one day when I own
a house I want to take them in to live with me as long as they want it. I may not be able to go back
home to care for them, but I hope they will be willing to come and live with me.

As of today, we haven’t discussed who will care for father and mother. Would it be my oldest brother,
my second brother, my third brother, or even me? I will be very happy to take the responsibility to
care for them. We will see! 

What about your culture? Are children expected to take parents in and care for them once they grow old?   

Photo from tukesomalism.com

I have always considered myself to be someone who prioritizes reason over emotion. Little that I know that event in life may
challenge our pre-existing notion of ourselves. And that’s why I have come to accept the reality that as human beings we will
not cease to evolve. If you say that you are a shy or introverted person, an extroverted person, or whatever believe me, you
may be whatever you claim yourself to be right now but it can change if you want it too or if life forces you to do so. What do
I mean by that? Did I just suggest that we should surrender our identity at the expense of life event? No, that was not what I
meant. Our upbringing has made us believe that we are either this. This is the root of the problem. We have been trained to
always put ourselves in a box and hoping that only that box where we belong. The truth of the matter is, we evolve. Either we
initiate the evolution or life event forces us to do so. The choices are either we want to keep up with the demand or we are
left behind. Those who have difficulty to keep up are the ones living behind. 

I was a very active person as a kid. I never had difficulty socializing or being around a large group of people. But today, I
really really value my space. I won’t be comfortable sharing what I would call my cave with other people for a long time. 

I cannot really rationalize this. Even though some of friends really see this coming, I did not notice it before. But as my friend
pointed out that even back when I was in high school I was not really the type of person who would refrain from doing certain
activity just because no one accompanies me. Having lunch, for example, I did not, and still do not, see why I have to be
accompanied. If someone wants to come along, great. If not, It won’t be an issue for me. I guess the term for this is being
comfortable alone. 

Now that I am in my mid 20s, as I am so used to being independent, I seem to be establishing a pattern where I am having
difficulty to share my space with other people. It doesn’t only apply to strangers but also my close friends and family. I am
more than happy to share some time and moment with them, but I don’t think I will be okay if I have to be around them 24/7.
This statement does not apply to my parents, of course. I love them and I am very happy around them. But another problem
occurs, I can’t seem to enjoy being at my hometown for too long. Well I can analyse this situation: a, because there’s too
little thing to do; b, my body seems to react in a bad way to the weather; and c, I am fine with the lack of entertainment
but a good quality of internet service will be great. 

Will I stay in my current state? I doubt. Even this view is bound to changes.

We human beings are so malleable. We are changed by our surroundings, events and as we learn better about life.
And that’s natural. Some changes may cause resistance not only from ourselves but also from people around us. That’s life.
We cannot avoid conflict. What we can do is to handle conflict with grace. It’s easy for me to say that when my only reaction
to conflict has been a silent and an escape. It’s okay, I won’t judge myself. I value process and let that be my process. 

So, should keep saying that we are A or B or C? Or let time, event and life define us?

Courtesy of UN Environment 

Climate change has been the talk of the town in recent years. Although there are some big names who think it’s a hoax, the fact shows otherwise. An unprecedented number of nature related disasters consistently occurred in recent years: tsunami, an unbearable heatwave in the summer and an unbearable cold in the winter, draught, ocean full of plastics, poor air quality and many more. 

If we go back and see what really takes us here and the explanation has to be the process of production and consumption. 

Ever since the industrial revolution, life has been considered to be easier and easier as we no longer had to endure the workloads of people who had lived before us. The invention of machines make the process of production even better. The repetitive jobs that used to be done by humans now replaced by machines which sound very good indeed. However, as anything in life that has to be a trade-off. But what do we have to trade for a more humane job?  

The machine can’t function without a support from electricity power. And what do use to generate electricity power? Majority of countries still use coal and oil to do so. Therefore trade-off for using coal and oil is an environment which gets worse and worse everyday. As human beings are very much dependent on nature, once nature is affected human’s life is also affected. The use of coal and oil cause air pollution. Sooner or later the poor air quality will become a problem for human beings. Unless we change our production method, air quality will get worse and eventually human beings will be fighting over oxygen. In jakarta the campaign to use a mask when you are outdoor has been started. What would be a worst nightmare than having to cover your nose every time you are in the outdoors. 

That’s just the power. We haven’t talked about how we produce our food. We have come along the way with food. Unlike the old days where we have to make food from scratch, now we have processed foods which are packed with single-used plastics. By the way, before we talk about how bad single use-plastics are, can we all agree that processed food also contributes to the environmental degradation? O.K., great! Now, poor waste management in most countries make the idea of using of plastic which were once a fantastic ideas turn to be a major catastrophe. Now when we turn our TV or read news, we are always exposed to how bad our ocean have become and many whales are dead packed with kilos upon kilos of plastics inside of its body. 

Those are just two examples of our bad production practices. Of course there are endless examples out there. 

What about our consumption? Similar to our production practices, we also do the same with our consumption. The planet earth is densely overpopulated and to meet the consumption needs of this overpopulation we use more natural resources than it can afford. According to “An EEA analysis of nine EU Member States (representing 268 million of the EU's total 501 million people) has found that the majority of key environmental pressures caused by total national consumption can be allocated to eating and drinking, housing and infrastructure, and mobility.”

Now knowing that the future of our environment is very dependent on us, what do we do to pay off what has already happened? And yes, we need to change our production and consumption practices. Government should use the alternative for the power supply as not to use the ones which obviously damage the environment. It is not an easy process; thus the small effort always count. At the individual level, we have to also be mindful of how we live our life. Make sure that we do not overuse foods with single-used plastics. Make sure that we use public transport as opposed to using personal car. Eventually, we have to watch our carbon footprint making sure that it is at the lowest possible. 

courtesy of higienis.com

Few days ago Jakartanese has been alerted by the shocking news that Jakarta has the
world’s poorest air quality. Well, does it really shock you? Do not pretend that we are in
shock. A, when could we see Jakarta with a clear sky without those grey pollution
hanging all over it? B, have we done anything to mitigate it? C, though we have been
seeing trees planted along with those new pedestrians, somehow Jakarta is still at its
worse it terms of air quality.

Why so? Jakarta as the center of everything for Indonesia : it’s where business
happens, it’s where many industrial factories are located, it’s where entertainment
industries are, and whatnot. The city is exhausted with a never ending energy
consumption and in return awarded with an endless carbon prints.

Who’s to blame? All of us. We take taxi over public transport. We order gofood as
opposed to walking out of our comfortable kost-kostan (which is an exaggeration as it
alone deserves its own critique), we are 24 hours in an AC room, our electricity is
coal-based, what else? There are just too many of them.

If we think about it, “business as usual” is the core topic of this conversation. We both
blame and are aware of its irreplaceable value.

Business should not suffer just because we want a better air quality and environment as
a whole. What we should do is to change our business model. All this time business has
always been known as an activity that hopes to use capital at its bare minimum and
gain as much profit. It never cares about the damage it causes to the environment and
the people around it.

Now if we really want the human race to survive, which we do, we need to start
changing our business model. Gaining profit should not be the only priority. More
important than that, businesses need to put environmental and humanitarian cause in
their business goal. And of course government who is mandated by the people with
authority needs to ensure that there is a law that protects the environment, as it is
closely related with human’s well-being.

Let’s see it this way! Air quality is poor (an understatement) and people start to have
trouble with their breathing system and what it leads to is all sickness imaginable.
Marginal society will be the first to face the consequences: no access to health or if they

do they will be treated in such poor service or poor health facility. Eventually, all of us
will face the side effects of this environmental disaster.

What should we do?

1. Advocate (raise awareness on the issue),

2. Pressure government to make and regulate an environmentally-friendly law along
with providing integrated public transportation which uses
environmentally-friendly energy i.e., solar based., and regulate a premium
quality of waste management that ensures wastes are recycled and upcycled,

3. And start moving towards an environmentally-friendly lifestyle (use public
transport, minimize consumption and be more mindful in the production process
if you are a business person, and since our waste is still very very poorly
managed, we need to minimize the use of single use plastic.

As long as Jakarta still holds its status as the business capital of Indonesia, it will not
lose its charm. People will always come and try to make a living in it. Our job is to make
this home (temporary or permanent) less hostile and ensure than we stay alive amidst
its hostile environment.

Courtesy of www.stradavinonobile.it

22 June 2019

Back in the craziest city in the world, Jakarta after the whole drama surrounding Eid, one of the most intense times in Indonesia or in any Muslim country in the world for that matter.  

Spending 18 days home with mom and dad for the Eid has presented a lot of food thoughts for me to chew.

Mom fell sick on the 2nd day of Eid. Though, days before she actually fell very sick I could already see it coming. Her facial expression before the sickness can't really hide it. She was pale. It was written all over her face.

When I say very sick, it's when she could not get out of bed and just stay there quiet. This gives me a lot discomfort. My mom is a Trojan mom. She would not let you unoccupied. She would ask to do this and that, fix this and that. Sometimes I resent it, but that's how a kid is, right? It's in no way that I hate my mother just because she orders me around. It's the opposite. When she stops ordering me around when I am home, that's when I am worried.

And my mom is very active, too. If she is not that sick she would do anything around the house. Only when she is very sick that she would just lay on bed.

As someone who pays a lot of attention to health, I do not want my mom to just let this happen. She went to several doctors before when this kind of thing happened but that's about it. All the doctors said that she has GERD that is, I quote, "gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a long-term condition where acid from the stomach comes up into the esophagus." Since the gas is all over the stomach it hits to the point where gas also rises up to the breathing system and causes a difficulty in breathing. This happens a lot to my mom far even before I go to Middle School.

Not willing this to repeat itself I took my mom to the hospital and had her lung and stomach checked. Normally this would be a put-off  to my mom but since I insisted she just followed a long. And the check-up showed that's really the problem.

Anyway, I wasn't gonna talk about the illnesses because I don't really know them much. I only know what I read and heard. So now, what I really want to raise a conversation about is on family values and how it shifts overtime.

In Gayonese culture, parents are meant to be taken care of by their kids when they get older. But it seems to have been different in parents case. We are a family of four. Three of my brothers got married, that makes me the only person who is not. And the three of them live in their own separate houses.

The question I have in the back of my head is who will care for them. Maybe now they still manage to care for themselves but when age takes away their ability to do so, who will? I would love to be the one who cares for them. But I don't see myself moving back home. I am worried that both of them will not be okay with the idea of moving city and live with me either.

It's a dilemma and the fact that we don't have the culture of taking this kind of thing to the table and talk it through makes it even more difficult.

I love both of my parents and I want them to be well cared in their old days. That's why I will keep this question in my head and see what kind of solution possible to mitigate this.