It just hard...

I guess keep yourself busy can make you forget about how little time until you leave this place... but just for a moment. Whenever you having break time, your mind always jump to how many days that you are here.

I'll miss my roommates, my classes, my professors, my friends, my group, my neighborhood, my lovely coordinator, my bedroom, the metro, the internet, the air, the weather, the city, the museums, the tap water, the so many foreign languages, the etc, etc, etc

One year feels so fast, it just feels like a month ago.
Now I have to prepare my heart, and let it go.

The whole group together

From left to right 1st line: Jonatas, Chris, Abdul, Izhar, Arif, Andrew (Program Assistant), Ijazz.
From left to right 2nd line: Omer, Amira, Claudia, Komal, me, Karen (Program Coordinator), Grace, Niranjan.
Photo courtesy of Arif Hidayat.

Tick Tock Tick Tock

The time on my laptop shows that it is 02.32 AM and it's just 6 hours to my day routine (well, sorry to say, but I wake up around 9 and above since the sun rises around 6.30 or 7 recently)... As I see the time I just realize that I've been stay up very very late (sometimes I only sleep for only 3 hours) for almost two months recently due to my assignments and ignores all the things that I say I would like to do. I even haven't contacted my family for almost a month (well, I've contacted them yesterday). All the things around me have been so crazy and messed up. It just seems everything is on the rush and time flies sooooo fast.

There are several things that stressed (well not exactly) me out...
The Art building where I spend almost a year for studying suddenly closed for the rest of semester due to some flooding from broken pipe that damage the engine room so the building doesn't have electricity anymore. We have to move to another building (or they called it Engineering building) and lose almost the complete facility for us (the Engineering building have only one mac lab and no art studio at all).
I haven't look for any new job opportunity nor school application. I've been pending on doing this since I always forget doing this between my break of my assignment (I'd rather browse for funny articles or watching youtube). Honestly, I even still unsure what will happened when I go back home.
The money is very tight -by the way, I lost my blackberry one month ago- that sometimes I have thoughts of walking to college instead of taking the bus. And when you try to save money or being pennywise, there is always something that prevent or oppose you of doing so. Either its internal or external factors.
When your friend especially your roommate having problem, it will affect you, too, especially if you know what the problem is.
The professor pushed you so hard so that sometimes you just want to cry why they are being so perfectionist.
You only have like three weeks before you going home and back to your old routines that you already forget since you arrived here and there are at some points you don't want to back to that old routines.

Anyway... I just need to finish all the assignment this week and let's hope that I can enjoy or at least relax for the couple days before I go back home.

PS: sometimes it feels nice when you can express the feelings out.

How I Have Been through during My Stay in United States

A few days ago, my coordinator asked me to write testimonial about  how you as an individual have transformed through the program personally, professionally and intellectually.

And this is what i write about that...

When I was a kid, I used to think that United States is not an interesting place to live in. It’s not in my list country that I would to live in.  Then, a year before coming here, I just worked in advertising agency for a year. While I was working, I always had a passion to continue my study, to get higher education, to experience a new world, to broaden my vision. So I started applying scholarship for studying in abroad. By chance, my friend who got CCIP 2011-2012 scholarship told me about the opportunity. After almost a year progress and uncertainty, I got letter that said I got CCIP 2012-2013 scholarship. At that time, I didn’t feel as excited as the other student did since I almost gave up about the CCIP scholarship. It just didn’t seem real for me. I only got a short time to prepare everything and go to United States. The parting in the airport with my mom was so sad, because I never completely leave my family for a year. However she sent me with a lot of prays for me to get great experience in United States.

So when I arrived here at the first time, I felt so scared because I was alone and everything seemed so big. In the other hand, I felt so excited because finally I can study the field that I really like. I was so curious and excited about the culture that the people have, the education system, the new friend that I’ll meet with, the life dynamics at the same time. I just hoped that all the classes and programs, that I will have, can change me somehow to be a better person.

My first semester started pretty well, although it needed a lot of adaptation. That time I also felt like I was in fasting time of talking because I couldn’t speak my mother tongue freely anymore. I had to speak English almost all the time especially at school. I got some trouble when it was the time for class discussion. It’s because my classmates talk too fast and I have to arrange my sentence first before I said it. As time goes by, I manage to make some new friends and doing my assignment and project well. As for my professors, I am very glad that I can learn a lot of things from them. I know some of them ask a lot from you, but they did it for your shake. And for my classes, my advice is save your money because art classes need a lot of money to buy art supply and project.

Besides the academic things, I also enjoy doing the volunteer act especially when you are really cared why you need to give back to community. I feel that I am so lucky to get education and life here free and doing volunteer act is just a small price for what I am getting here.

Furthermore, there’s always a lowest moment that can happen to you, such as disappointment, sadness, stressful. One thing that affects me a lot is when you get too much assignment, busy schedule and you miss your family, you will feel very emotional. However, there’s always someone that will support you pass through that moment if you ask for help.

In the end, living in United States is not easy as it seems and it’s not as dangerous as you see in the movie. All you need to do is open your heart and your mind to any possibility that might happen to you. You’ll never know when you’re going to meet someone that close to you like a family, a new love of your life, friends that help you, people that want you to do the best so you can get benefit of it.

As for me, I couldn’t say that I become a winner or different person. All I know is, I did change to be better and try my best for all the things that I’ve done. I might not know what will happen to me in the future, but I know all the things that I’ve been through during my stay in United States will help me get through any problem that I might face in the future. The last, now I don’t think United States is not interesting place to live as I used to think when I was a kid.

---

And now as I'm counting the days, it's just less then month until I go home. I'm in the sweet and bitter position. There's a lot of things that makes me think about the future, and it's still uncertain. But one thing that I would never regret is having this experience.

Inclement Weather

It's been like the third time that the college is closed due to inclement weather. The first time was when sandy visit the east coast and the second and third time are because of winter snow.
One thing that i learn while i'm living in another planet is people take weather risk very seriously.

Night... *finally i can sleep earlier since i can postponed my assignment for tomorrow because the classes are cancelled, hurraaayyyyy -___-*

Boss Town

Hi there!

It's just 2 AM now, I had a long non productive day today, well, I think it's okay to slack a little bit since these few weeks I've been so busy with my school and assignment (actually I want to cry so badly T____T).

Well, anyway, this time I want to share you my very short experience in the one of the expensive city in this planet, Boss Town a.k.a Boston.

So me and Claudia went to Boston in our winter break for only one day when we were in New York. It's a short visit but it's a very nice one compare to what we'd been through when we were in  New York. It felt like a breather for us and I was so glad that we made it.

Then, do you know that Boston is in Massachusetts and it is called as a city of student? Because there are two big university in this planet located in Boston. They are Harvard University and Boston University, by they way the MIT is also located near the Harvard Bridge. Boston is very different with New York, it is quite, modern but at the same time it feels like a suburb area, too. Anyway, one thing that I can guarantee you is the Boston's subway is way better and cleaner than New York. In addition, Boston is a big city and more snowy than DC in the winter.

That time, me and Claudia is very lucky to have chance to explore Harvard Square! Yay, I felt so smart that time being able to play around Harvard complex. So let's we start the adventure!

We never expect to be so happy when we see CVS!

There are so many statue of the founding father of city or university or whatever...

The neighbor's grass snow is always greener thicker than your own!

Feels smart enough to play around Harvard Square :)

Why do I see a similar building here and in Jakarta? Wait... is that FX?!

I find Baklava here! Hm... so yummy and sweet :)

What a nice big interesting bag...

So those are our small adventure :)

Some interesting fact

1. Boston Train is called as Charlie and the card is also Charlie's card

2. Some of Facebook movie was shoot in Harvard Square.

3. First public school was developed in Boston

4. Boston Baseball team's name is the Red Sox.

Alright... see you later guys!

Take a Little Break

I just realize that music, manga, novel are always be the good medicine for me :)

New York, Love and Hate

Hi everyone,

It's been a very long time not blabbing in this blog, hehehehe...
I've been very busy with my spring semester, so that it's hard for me to play with the watermelon.
Anyway, this time I want to share my winter break in this planet.

There are many movies that using New York as the location, and every year people always want to go to New York for holiday. All the skyscraper buildings, the parks and the atmosphere always drive people to the city that never sleeps. However, there's also the dark part of New York city that we must accept regardless we want it or not.

So...

Here, we begin the New York City, love and hate...

the chanels that everyone love

where everyone believes in their dream

and the lovely display draws your eyes

the piece of art that makes everyone smile

but there's hidden hatred

the festivity that makes you excited and lonely at the same time

the famous 'name' that you've seen in the movies a lot

the transportation that brings you to your loved or hated one

waiting is not your favorite thing

however you can find the love in some unexpected place

even become the witness of the love blossom

and the spirit of freedom

people go and come and you're still smiling :)

somehow the cute things can be so sad, too

so many signs that make you confused

the central park that you build your dream

you hate but in the same time you love its beauty

such a tiny place for so many people

you want to embrace the power but it's too huge

hm.... okay, so the moral story is...
New York is as amazing as you think if you like the 'little' bit dirty subway, the tall building, the crowded, the trash, the glamour of expensive brand and the art street scene.


See you in the next post :)

Great Times are... Waiting

Care Your Own Matters!

Who can really tell what is wrong and what is right?
Who can really tell about someone's sin?
Who can really tell the real truth of this world?

If you don't have the answer, why do you even care about someone else matter?

First Snow

After being here for almost 6 months, finally i see the snow...

Still wearing my pajama :P

My roommate woke me up this morning and said "Yoan, let's see the snow!" And I just put my jacket on and went outside, :P