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My UWC Experience in 2017!

My UWC experience in 2017! I haven't updated my NC in a while dan banyak yang ngedm minta sharing/berbagi pengalamanku di UWC. 1. My UWC experience has definitely been challenging for me. Everyone faces a different challenge, but for me personally, the IB curriculum is nerve-wrecking. I'm not saying the IB curriculum is difficult or impossible, it's just that IB throws me off my comfort zone the second I get comfortable. And I am forever grateful for the friends that catch me. I am forever grateful to the boosting hugs, and humbling sticky notes, and random wechat messages checking up on me. Forever ever grateful! 2. I love my roommates so much this year they get a whole picture to themselves. (I love my roomies last year too but we never took a room pic :'( ) Meet Sara and Altria from Suzhou and Wonu from Nigeria. Though we originate from different countries, we are more similar than different. We're all either constantly hungry or constantly taobaoing or constantly cleaning the dustbin. Thank you roomies, for making our b303 a home <3 3. This year was definitely a year of growth for me. Every week in our Global Issues Forum or Mini GenEQ workshops, I find out more about myself and the world, and questions things I would have never questioned before. Was everyone born straight or did society's values shape sexuality? Is it ethical to be consuming dairy products like milk from current industries? Is buying meat from supermarkets unsustainable? Am I practicing the Islam that Muhammed (PBUH) intended? These are few of the questions that I have contemplated on this year. 4. For a daughter of a brown household who lived in the middle eastern desert for almost a decade, hiking and running a half marathon is actually a huUuuuUuuUGE accomplishment, and I got a medal for it (from the half marathon lol)! I did one of my first hikes (anhui) during Ramadan (and I survived!) and the most recent hike (mogan-shan) in freezing temperatures (and I survived again!). I never thought I would hike or even like hiking, but that's what the UWC experience is about too, about experimenting and trying out new things. China has beautiful mountains, but the real beauty does not lie in the view at the peak, the beauty lies in the determination to continue and the compassion each member shows to one another. But ofc, subhanallah mashallah the views are to die for. Hiking and running the half marathon was really more of a mental exercise than a physical exercise, and I did learn a lot about myself again. 5. While in China, I thought that I should try as many different things as I could. A few weeks ago I tried cupping and apparently I had a lot of stagnated blood, and the lady told me to eat more red beans LOL! (red beans are the solution for everything.) 6. I think my favorite part about UWC, is that you have a place to stay all over the world... or China. This year, for Chinese New Year, the school nurses hosted me in North Jiangsu and I SAW SNOW FOR THE FIRST TIME! This winter holiday my friend hosted me in South Korea #fangirldreamcometrue. My family has already hosted 3 friends in 2017, and I got to show my Chinese friend around the magnificent city of (traffic Ja--)karta. PS foto di Galeri Indonesia Kaya gratis lho wkwk. In my opinion, to host and be hosted is one of the best forms of cultural exchange. 7.  Of course, I cannot only be taking and not giving. Service to the community is one of the fundamental values of both UWC and IB. My friend, Caro, arranged an event were UWC students share the happiness and joys of the Christmas holiday by donating 200 books to local school's library, and decorating the classroom with the school's students' creativity. 8. Coming to UWC was really a test of friendship for my other friends back home. I rarely reply their messages or take their calls, and I've probably disappointed them a bit too many times, but I guess it does take distance to show which friendships are worth pursuing. I am forever grateful to have met you guys. You guys are the most amazing, most understanding, most weird people I know. <3 I love you!!! 9. Last but not least... in this journey of mine at UWC, it was not just me that changed. My family did too. I thought I knew them but I don't. For a few months, I would not call them because I thought I had nothing but disappointment to share. Yet, the moment I picked up the call, my parent’s words was the comfort I was looking for all along. They are constantly evolving, like myself. They are my number one support team and my number one everything. And I am blessed to have my number ones evolve and mature with me in this journey.

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POIs (Points of Interest) in Suzhou!

Hello everyone!

I have finally (sort of) compiled places we could visit in Suzhou and Changshu. However, I would have not been able to do this without the help of some amazing people <3  Special, special, speciaaaal kudos to my lovely roommate Altria, my neighbor Yangge, my Chinese buds Yuchen & Yunru, and to everyone else who responded to survey!

Obviously, Changshu and Suzhou have much more to offer than this post, but I cannot include everything. I hope this will help you in planning your Golden Week trips or any future trips you want to make within Suzhou.

There are two things to keep in mind when reading this post. I have grouped the places-to-visit in two categories. Category 1 is when the places are not too far off each other, so I group them all into a ‘travel plan’, and you could use it as it is so you don’t have to do further planning, or if you need to make modifications, do as you wish, but I certainly hope with the help of the ‘travel plan’ I made, it will minimize the workload for you!

Category 2 is when a destination is especially far from other destinations, and so I included the destination individually within this post, and you are free to include it in your own travel plans.

Did you know that Suzhou is in the top 20 tourist destinations of China? 

Please take into consideration that China is HUUUUUUGEEEEE (1.8% of the Earth’s surface area is China!!!)

Suzhou is known as the Venice of China and is particularly famous for its water towns. One of the water towns recommended by Claudia is Tongli (同里). On that note, Suzhou is actualy 40-ish% waterbody, and is divided into several counties, two of which have been highly recommended by the locals and suggested in the survey. The two counties are Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP), and Central Suzhou.

SIP is heavily influenced by Singapore and very modern, whereas Central Suzhou has more of the traditional touches and sports most of the Gardens, many of which are World Heritage Sites (UNESCO approved).

This is a screenshot of map.baidu.com with pins of the places listed below. The map is supposed to help you plan the trip and also give you an idea of how far each destination is from the other. If you start from Suzhou Expo & Arts Centre, you can practically walk to the next destination which is Suzhou Arts and Culture Centre. Actually, this applies to all the destinations pinned on the map, but if you’re not a walker, Suzhou has a good subway system (click here to view the suzhou subway map). 

1.       Suzhou Expo & Arts Centre

Location: 工业园区苏州大道东688号

Opening/closing time: Depends on the exhibition

Highlight: Car Exhibition during Golden Week

2.       Suzhou Arts and Culture Centre

Location: 苏州市工业园区观枫街1号(近现代大道）

Fee: None for entering

Opening/Closing time: All day

Highlights: Movies, and art exhibitions (Online reservation required!)

3.       iStation (Underground food and entertainment complex)

Location: Near Suzhou Arts and Culture Centre

Highlights: “fast food choices such as burritos, hot dogs, Taiwan snacks, Xinjiang lamb kebab, and Korean-style beer and chicken to a funky, well-designed coffee shop, pizza eatery and Chaozhou congee restaurant” - cityweekend.com and Mr. X (Escape Game)

4.       Time Square (Mall complex)

Location: 时代广场

Highlights: Malls, branded stores like H&M, MUJI, GAP, SEPHORA etc.

5.       Eslite Library/Bookstore

Location: 诚品书店

Opening/Closing time: 10.00 – 22.00

Highlights: Books in english & chinese

Other recommended places!

1.       Suzhou Ferris Wheel

Location: 摩天轮公园" 苏州园区现代休闲广场南侧

Fee: 120RMB/person

Opening/Closing time: 9.30-17.30（NO TICKET AFTER 16.30）

Highlights: Scenery

2.       Yanchenghu peninsula

Location: 苏州阳澄湖半岛旅游度假区

Highlights: Scenery

3.       Taihu Wetland Park

Location: 太湖湿地公园

Fee: 90RMB

Highlights: PANDAS!!!

4.       Li Gong Di

Location: 李公堤太湖风光

Highlights: Aesthetics, food

5.       Tongli Water Town

Location: 同里古镇

Highlights: scenery, culture, food

A local suggested that it is better to start the day off at Xiangmen, then walking towards Ouyuan, Pingjiang Road, Guanqian St, and finally the two museums.

1. Xiangmen Gate 

Location: 相门苏州

Fee: FREE

Opening and Closing Time: 6.00-22.00（light on 6.00-8.30）

Highlights: Historical site, scenery

2.      Suzhou City Wall Museum

Location: 江苏省苏州市姑苏区干将东路相门城楼下

Fee: FREE

Opening and Closing time: 9:00-16:30（16:00 is not available to enter ），monday is closed

Highlights: scenery, historical site

3.      Suzhou Garden Ouyuan 

Location: 耦园 旺季门票

Fee: 25元

Opening and closing time: 开放时间：7:00-17:00（旺季：3月1日-10月31日

Highlights: world heritage site

4.       Pingjiang Road 平江路

location: 平江路南起干将东路，北越白塔东路和东北街相接.(say 平江路and everyone knows)

Opening/closing time: all day

Highlights: FOOD!!!

5.    Humble Administrator's Garden（拙政园）

Location:江苏省苏州市平江区东北街178号

Fee: 90 RMB

Opening and closing time: 7.30 AM - 5.30 PM

Highlights: One of the four best gardens in China

6.       Suzhou Museum ( 苏州博物馆)

Location:  苏州市东北街204号

Opening hours:  9:00—17:00 (Tuesday - Sunday)

Fees: Free

Highlights: Our school architecture is inspired by this architecture!

7. Guanqian Street (观前街)

Location: 苏州古城中心

Opening and closing time: all day

Highlights: Cheap shopping

DISCLAIMER: I did not receive many responses for Changshu (tbh I only received 1) and I did not have time to do my own research and compile everything. I did what I could, and at the end of this post, you will find a scanned brochure which sports mini “changshu challenges”. I will also post the chinese character text, so you can copy and paste the destination you are interested in in baidu/google for further planning.

I also included how to get to the destination by the 1 RMB bus from school, just in case you have a lot of time and do not want to spend money on taxi. Buses 2 (6.00 - 20.40), 4 (6.35 - 20.10), 9 (6.45 - 20.00) are in the University Stop whereas Bus 5 (6.35 - 20.10) is in the village’s direction. 

1.    Location: Shanghu Scenic Area 尚湖

Fee: 80元

Opening hours: 8.00 – 16.00

Highlights: Natural scenery

Transportation: bus 5 ( 状元堤站 - 7th stop 尚湖中央花园(招商西路站) , then bus 116 (尚湖中央花园站 - 9th stop   尚湖风景区站)　(1 hr 18 mins)

(the green pin is our school whereas the red pin is the destination)

2.   Fangta Pagoda

Location: 方塔园

fee: 12元

Opening hours: 6:00-17:00

Highlights: Historical site, culture, aesthetics

Transportation: Bus 6 ( 盛豪公司站 - 10th stop 新颜桥站) (51 mins)

3. Shopping District 

Location: 常熟服装城购物旅游区

Highlights: cheap clothes!!

Transportation: Bus 9 - ( 理工学院东湖校区站 - 2nd stop  国际服装城(商城南路)站 ) (39 mins)

4. Shajiabang (Military scenic area)

Location:  沙家浜风景区

Highlights: Historical site, scenery

Bus 5: ( 状元堤站 - 10th stop   沙家浜景区站) (56 min)

5.    Yushan

Yushan is a whole other world and takes up a significant part of Changshu, and there are many highlights within Yushan itself.

Location: 虞山公园

Fee: 50 RMB

Opening hours: 7.30 – 16.30

Highlights: Cable cars, Yushan commercial street, scenery

Transport: bus 9 - ( 理工学院东湖校区站 - 13th stop 虞山公园站) (57 mins)

please drag the image to another tab so you can enlarge the picture and actually see the characters!

言子圣道 》辛峰亭》虞山门》维摩山庄》剑门》西城楼阁》曾园·赵园》虞山公园》阜成门》宝岩》小云栖寺-龙殿》尚湖风景区》陈家坞》张鸟园》沙家浜风景区》沙家浜》昆承湖

镇海台》燕园》方塔园》南门坛》曾园·赵园》唐市古镇》古里（文昌古街）》古里李市

读书台》古籍读书馆、博物馆》言子圣道》燕园》方塔园（拓碑）》曾园·赵园》西城楼阁（大石山房）》綵衣堂》古里铁琴铜剑楼》徽州会馆》东吴书院》红豆山庄

隆力奇小镇》天虹服装城》方塔东街》尚湖蓝调江南》虞山公园（倚晴员、七溪流水）》九灵犀文创园（梦田香草）》星圣娜玫瑰园》水鸟生活馆》东方红木家具艺术馆》圣百合江南糕饼园

蒋巷村》董浜泥仓溇》康博田园》旺桥生态园》李袁村》梨花邨》东方红木家具艺术馆》圣百合江南糕饼园

TIPS!!

Use a google translator to not only get translation of characters but also pinyin!

Use map.baidu to find the fastest/cheapest ways to reach the destination!

Check for reviews and more pictures of your destination in Chinese in baidu and in English in tripadvisor.com!

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United World College Changshu, China

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UWC Pre-Departure Orientation

From left to right: 

(Top) Anne, Safira, Rafa, Geraldine, Bpk. Anies Baswedan, Dimitri, Farid, Iqbaal 

(Bottom) Azzah, Kevin, Mikail, Dion, Hans 

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Go to university, but go for the right reasons. Education isn’t a gun held to your head: it’s a weapon in your hands. Go not because you’re afraid of not getting a job but go because you love to learn, because you’re excited by ideas, because you believe that education is important for its own sake, and when you get there, pay attention, read everything you can get your hands on, cram yourself with words and figures and ideas, because that’s the one thing they can never take away from you.

Laurie Penney, The Independent, August 2012 (via theperksofbeingaprocrastinator)

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Start unknown, finish unforgettable!

This is a picture of a guy I used to continuously come across. I used to see him ‘grow up’ for 5 months. I was one of the firsts to see him first come, chubby as he was, and one of the lasts to see him go.

Little did I know it wasn’t just the stress of school that took away his chubbiness. Little did I know he was fighting, literally, with his own demons.

It’s upsetting how micro-sized creatures can cause so much damage to a functional human being. It’s devastating when a human being loses the battle.

I wasn’t close to Abyan, although I wish I was. The only time I’ve interacted with him was when I needed to borrow a chair beside him. 

And I guess that’s why I feel like I’ve taken a good blow to the heart. It’s the fact that I never got to know him. I wish I did. 

I always had this little thought in me, to ask him “How are you? I hope you get well soon.” and get to know the person. But I’ve procrastinated and the next thing I know ... he��s gone.

Guys, express your feelings. Tell them you care, let them know how you feel as it still matters. Don’t grief when it’s too late.. like me.

His instagram’s profile picture displays a quote, START UNKNOWN, FINISH UNFORGETTABLE. Well, darling. Mission accomplished. I do not know you, yet I have no chance forgetting you. Let’s all remember him in our prayers.

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Fat is not a bad word. Stop using it as an insult.

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UWC-related FAQ!

Hi guys!

Lately I’ve been receiving a number of questions regarding UWC thru ask.fm and Instagram so I thought it would only be effective to bundle up everything and create this blog post. I’m going to switch to Bahasa as I believe this would benefit my Indonesian mates more.

Apa itu UWC?

UWC adalah kependekan dari United World College. Pada saat ini terdapat 15 campus; di Cina, India, Jerman, UK, USA, Belanda, Thailand, Armenia, Hong Kong dan lain-lain. UWC menyediakan (beasiswa) program IB Diploma 2 tahun. Siswa-siswa UWC berasal dari berbagai negara dan telah diseleksi oleh National Committee di negara asal.

Misi UWC adalah to make education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future.

Kriteria daftar ke UWC apa saja?

Selama 2 tahun, boleh pulang ke negara asal nggak?

Selagi summer break dan mampu membeli tiket, kenapa tidak?

Apakah UWC sama seperti AFS?

Sama dalam arti memberi international exposure ke Indonesian citizens. However, no, they are not the same. UWC adalah program pendidikan sedangkan AFS ada program pertukaran pelajar. Similar purpose, different principles.

Kapan pendaftaran 2016 dibuka?

Kurang tahu aku, maaf ya. Tahun kemarin pendaftaran dibuka akhir tahun.

Kamu tau tentang UWC dari mana?

Sahabatku, Jihan dari Bukittinggi, memberi tahu kepadaku tentang UWC. Ternyata dia mengenal kakak kelas dari Bukittinggi yang udah di UWC USA. Dia terinspirasi olehnya dan mengajakku untuk mengikuti jejaknya.

Kok kamu bisa lulus?

Kok aku bisa lulus? Hm, akupun nggak tahu. Aku sampai saat ini masih nggak nyangka. I have Allah to thank. However, there is one thing I can tell you. It is to be yourself. Quotes ini sering banget aku temukan di film Barbie dan Disney. National Committee juga terus mengatakan kalimat itu dari Q&A session di Sarinah hingga Selection stg 3 di Oria Hotel.

Beberapa hari yang lalu, adik kelasku bertanya mengenai beasiswa UWC dan lain-lain. Lalu aku jawab, “Kalau kamu emang outstanding, kamu pasti dapat beasiswa.” Terus dia bertanya lagi, maksud dari outstanding itu apa.

Aku sempat speechless, bingung. Iyayak, outstanding itu yang seperti? Gimana caranya menjadi outstanding? Selama ini ayahku selalu mengatakan, “You either need to be outstanding or have an outstanding academic record to get a scholarship.” Jadi kalimat itu sudah terdoktrin di benakku dan tidak ‘dibawa pikiran’. Jadi ketika adik kelasku bertanya definisi outstanding, akupun tidak tahu jawabannya…. Pada saat itu.

Tidak lama kemudian, mungkin setelah 1 – 2 menit dia bertanya, something clicked in my mind. To be outstanding is to be yourself.

Outstanding adalah kata sifat dari standing out, yang berarti berbeda. Ketika kamu mencari arti dari outstanding, kamu akan mendapat sinonim ‘distinct’, ‘striking’, ‘prominent’ dan lain-lain. Semua itu adalah kata kerennya ‘berbeda’.

Everyone was created different. No one was created identical. Not even the most identical twins. So why try be someone else when you can stand out (thus be outstanding) the way you are?

Mungkin kamu belum merasa percaya diri. Mungkin karena kamu terus membandingkan kelemahanmu dengan kekuatan orang lain. Well, darling, that’s not how it works. Everyone was created different for different purposes. You were created perfectly for the purpose you were destined to fulfill. Every square inch of your epithelial is where it’s supposed to be. Don’t waste time comparing yourself to someone else. It just doesn’t make sense. Comparison is the thief of happiness. Lagipula, the only comparing you should be doing is between former you and current you.

UWC menerima setiap warga dari seluruh negara di dunia; sangatlah beragam populasi campusnya. So yes, being different aka being yourself is key!

 Apakah status finansial orangtuaku berpengaruh terhadap beasiswaku?

Mungkin iya, mungkin tidak. The selection process is discreet but I do think it is taken into consideration.

Share pengalaman dong!

Stage 1 – The application!

Applicationnya harus didownload dari http://uwcindonesia.org dan harus diprint, diisi, discan dan dikirim via e-mail dan mail.

Ada 4 bagian application: A, B, C dan D.

A dan B khusus untuk applicant. The who, why, what, where, when, which, how, yes/no questions are all in section A. B adalah bagian yang paling menantang bagiku karena harus menulis essay. Di dalamnya terdapat 3 pertanyaan, and memerlukan jawaban dalam 300 kata untuk masing-masing pertanyaan.

C adalah bagian untuk wali.

D adalah recommendation letter/general reference yang diisi para recommenders (guru, kepala sekolah).

TIPS!

Hal pertama yang harus kamu selesaikan adalah bagian D. Memang diisi oleh orang lain tapi kita tidak tahu jadwal dan kesibukan orang lain, kan? UWC Indonesia perlu application yang diisi recommender discan dan e-mail si recommender juga. Setelah itu, hardcopynya juga harus dimail ke UWC Indonesia (bisa dikembalikan ke applicant untuk dikirim sekalian dengan berkas lain atau dikirim sendiri oleh recommender). Nah, karena aku orangnya gaenakan, jadi sulit juga untuk nyapa guru/kepala sekolah lalu nanya, “Pak/Bu, maaf. Tapi.. udah selesai belum ya?” Gaenak juga ngingetin deadlinenya.

Kumpulkan semua bukti prestasi dan sertifikatmu dari kelas 9, sebanyak-banyaknya! It’s always quality over quantity, tapi semakin banyak sertifikat, semakin banyak juga pengalamanmu bukan? Itu bisa jadi savior kamu lulus tahap 1. Sertifikatmu juga bisa menjadi tanda bukti dan dukungan terhadap bagian application A dan Bmu. Contohnya, di bagian A, aku menulis aku sangat menyukai belajar bahasa asing dan cukup mudah bagiku untuk menangkap bahasa asing. And how do I prove that? Aku scan sertifikat KONSA (kursus Bahasa Korea) sebagai bukti. Tada! Jadi it’s also easier for the National Committee to select the candidates and not contemplate too much on your application.

Take your time and make drafts for your essay. Cari inspirasi sebanyak-banyaknya dan do everything to get yourself in the vibe. Kalau dulu aku dengerin playlist MrSuicideSheep di malam hari biar dapat vibenya. Oh, baca berita sebanyak-banyaknya dan baca tips menulis essay. Penulisan essay dalam Bahasa inggris, btw. Jadi take care of your grammar AND hand writing. Your grammar and hand writing can tell a lot more about your personality than you can. So, yes, take care. Latihan menulis! Test dulu tulisannya di kertas lain sebelum di applicationnya. Aku waktu itu print bagian B sampai 3 kali karena banyak salah. Biasa lah, grogi.

Make sure and understand what you want. Kalau kamu masih labil dan plin plan, bakalan keliatan di applicationmu. And that’s the last you want to be noticed.

Bonus! Ketika menulis essay, cantumkan quotes yang berhubungan sama pengalamanmu. Quotes merupakan enhancer atau penutup yang baik.

Stage 2 – The Wait!

Jadi di sini sabar kamu benar-benar diuji, haha. Apparently stage 2 itu bagian pengecekan application oleh committee dan applicant tinggal duduk manis menunggu pengumuman.

TIPS!

Banyak berdoa dan melakukan kebaikan.

Stage 3 – The Last Fight!

Jadi kalau udah lulus sampe tahap ini, bakal deg-degan banget. Tapi juga yang paling seru; ketemu orang-orang luar biasa.

Tahap ini terdiri dari 2 written/drawn psikotes 3 interview, dan 1 sesi community service.

TIPS!

Dalam 2 hari 3 malam tersebut, aku merasa sangat pasrah dan juga merasa fail banget but I’ll tell you what I can.

Definitely the be yourself plays a big role here. Dengan 3 interview dan 2 psikotes, mereka bakal tahu yang sebenarnya. So whatever you tell them, selalu jujur! Let it always be the truth! No more, no less.

Ketika ditanya soal kekuatanmu atau semacamnya, selalu jawab sesuai kenyataan dan sertakan pengalaman. Contohnya, kalau kekuatanmu adalah bijaksana.. ya, kamu jawab, kamu merasa bijaksana karena kamu pernah menyelesaikan masalah besar di keluargamu atau semacamnya. Gitu, selalu sertakan pengalamanmu.

Di community service, just be aware! Ketika ada yang perlu pertolongan, langsung beri pertolongan. 

The best of people are those who bring benefit to mankind.

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060716

Eid mubarak, habibties! 

In various countries around the world, the Eid celebration is associated with gifts, money, family pictures and etc. Exchanging gifts is actually a sunnah and it is a beautiful one, I believe. The sunnah states we should gift one another to increase our love towards each other and that is an on fleek statement! (I mean, who doesn’t love gifts?) However, sometimes people get carried away with all the dunya treasures (the gifts, the money) and megapixels and completely forget the true essence of Eid.

Here in Indonesia, a country born with various cultures and beliefs, it is only natural for generations to inherit numerous traditions. Thus on Eid, we continue our tradition of giving THR (money), visiting neighbors and families, greeting with minal aidin wal faizin, salaam our parents and ask for forgiveness, mudik, etc. It is its own ritual and people make time and prioritize these traditions. It will continue to happen as long as we continue to do this and pass it on to our offsprings.

..BUT.

Here’s the catch. A few days ago, I came across a quote in instagram. It said, “Don’t just inherit your religion. Learn it.” And something just clicked inside my mind. I though this is, legit, a problem in our society. People now only inherit, inherit and inherit. Teens inherit their parents’ riches and blow it all away, generations inherit religion and know nothing of the love and peace, citizens inherit their citizenship without learning the history and land.

Muslims inherit the Eid tradition but forget that Eid is more than just all that said above. People go through the hustle of doing mudik but their minds are absent; too busy updating locations in path or taking photos for instagram. People say minal aidin wal faizin on social media but don’t mend the real relationships that are falling apart. All there is to be giddy for in Eid is the amount of money we can get from our Aunts and Uncles and and even when counting the amount, we are unsatisfied.That is not Eid. 

Eid is about being grateful, about alhamdulillah. It’s about being thankful to the Almighty. We have just lived through a holy month and experienced the pain of starving. If He has let us live through that month, then we should know He is giving us a chance to make up for all sins. 

If it is Eid, then it is our start. We start clean, by mending relationships, by asking for forgiveness. That is fitrah and that is why there is a tradition of doing silaturrahmi and asking for forgiveness, not only to Him, but also to our family and friends. We show our love and try to increase it by lending them an ear, a shoulder, and the gifts and THR as a bonus. 

We might never live to witness another holy month, so why do everything for the sake of materialistic urges? Mindfully experience your Eid. Love your family, and mend real relationships. 

I hope we can all become better and better. May everyone have greater days to come!

[rafalhelal]

Youtube Update!

[rafalhelal]

Don’t assume, ask. Be kind. Tell the truth. Don’t say anything you can’t stand behind fully. Have integrity. Tell people how you feel.

Warsan Shire (via mintelly)

[rafalhelal]

100616

Hello, whoever is out there.

It’s been quite a while, right? I’ve never had time (and wifi) to come online and update this blog, although I’ve really wanted to be an active blogger. Not for an audience (not like I have one) but more for my personal documentation of thought processes and events.

Anywho, I am now typing a post.. which indicates I have time. Free time. Or, Freizeit, as Frau Lina would call it. I am finally on my summer holidays and I have mixed feelings. 

Summer holidays are supposed to be fun. If I were to search #summer2k16 on instagram.. I’m bound to find beach photos, pretty sunset shots, colorful ootds and landscapes, and other fun festivities. I am not exactly going out there and having the time of my life as the instagram hashtag portrays it. Instead, I am reminiscing (and of course, also celebrating the holy month of Ramadan). 

I keep on going back to the 10th of June, 2016. If you are part of Sampoerna Academy Boarding School a.k.a. SABS, you’d remember this was when the Final Assembly was held. 

I’ve only attended two Final Assemblies but at each of them, tears were shed by both teachers/staffs and students. It is an official end of the academic year for students and an official farewell for some teachers who will no longer teach at the school. For us in SABS, saying good-bye is really hard. Almost heart-breaking. We practically are family. That’s the perks of a boarding school, if I might add. The people you meet there, they literally change your lives and open up your perspective. We create stronger bonds and know each other like none before.

At the first Final Assembly, I remember shedding lots of tears. My favorite biology teacher and dorm parent were no longer be part of the school and I was surprised. Out of all the teachers, they were the ones who had to go. Before them went 3 other amazing teachers, and so I thought I was supposed to already be used to the coming and going of teachers, but I was always taken by surprise.

At the second Final Assembly (which I keep going back to), I did not shed one tear nor did I feel any sadness. It was so weird. With this Final Assembly being my last and with 14 teachers calling it quits, it was just extraordinary that I did not feel any sadness. Even the guy behind me was crying and he was the kind of guy who never expressed feelings. I kind of thought that was heartless of me...

Until the holidays started. 

I started feeling empty and just depressed all of a sudden. It felt so alien to be at home again, you know? And even that feeling for me was alien. Because I’m 100% sure I love my family and I’ve always missed the freedom of being at home when in school. But I’ve also come to realize.. I’ve become so close and so used to being around my friends that it just feels abnormal doing things alone at home.

Sometimes my hands just betray me and plays the 2015-2016 SABS Journey video in facebook, and it confirms the emptiness in my heart. The video just paralyzes my body and takes my mind down memory lane, lol.

I’ve met some memorable beings in SABS. This might be my Final Assembly but it certainly won’t be my final goodbye. I pray our paths cross one another, InshaAllah. I also hope we all can cherish the given time with our current surroundings and loved ones. Life is a roller-coaster, don’t forget that.

[rafalhelal]

First Post!

*Throws confetti*  (づ｡‿‿｡)づ 

It's like 3AM where I live and my eyes are getting heavier by the second. I started the blog at around 12 or so, but boy! Y'all know the struggle of finding the right theme for tumblr. I guess I'll stick with this theme for the mean time not that I'm unsatisfied.

I've always wanted to keep a blog, but it's been an on and off thing. Blogs are such high maintenance, especially tumblr blogs. Heck, I can't even maintain my hair.

Let's just see how this one goes, hopefully I won't delete this and start over again.

Ciao!