Seconds to 2016 (Super expired post). 2015 Recap.
This post was written in 2015 and I have put it in my draft for as long as I could. Oh well, better late than never. So here it goes:
'So another year has passed and in just in a few seconds, well no, hours, we'll be entering 2016. As for this year has been a great year. There has been ups and downs like usual. 2015 for me personally is like a teacher and has taught me to look from more and different perspectives. Well you see, there are things in life that you don't learn in school or from other people, however you learn it by your experience. Either you learn it the easy or the hard way. I don't do this very much, but I'm about to open up what my 2015 was like.
Patience had to be my word for 2015. I had dreamed since forever to get a masters degree in abroad especially Europe. So January 2015 I focused heavily on taking a TOEFL IBT and I took it twice. The score was good enough for an application for some universities, unfortunately not good enough for the universities I prioritize to apply.'
Okay so the part between the quote marks are what I have written and saved for a very long time in my draft. The following is what I am writing now just to continue my 2015 story pretty much in recap, so I don't forget these precious little/big moments.
So yeah, 'patience' and 'growth' was the words for 2015. As a background story, I was graduated from my undergraduate program in 2014 and had worked for a while with my lecturers for a governmental project on South-East Celebes' Rattan. But after around October/November 2014 I had to start focusing on my dreams. Which is to pursue a postgraduate degree. So I needed to take the steps that will lead me to those goals. I did a three month English course to prepare myself for a TOEFL IBT in January.
So yeah, long story short. I took the TOEFL IBT twice. The second one, I was 1 score short from the requirement (they asked for a 100 minimum). Oh well I applied anyway. Luckily! I got accepted, however I got a conditional offer stating that I should fulfill the language requirement and because I came from different education background (they wanted an history or art history major), I needed to do a one year pre-master program before I can eventually do the masters. Great! I was so happy and afterwards, instead of taking another TOEFL IBT test I took the IELTS after a two week class and spending my whole two weeks in their learning center attached to the computer and books. The result met the requirement, another reason to be so relieved and happy! yay! So basically the start of 2015 was filled with IELTS preparations, submitting applications, working on portfolios, etc.
It was quite overwhelming. On the other hand a lot of my friends were getting employed, moving out of town and there I was, obviously, jobless and not looking for a job. I would be lying if I say that it wasn't tempting. At the time I was working on this small scale business with some of my friends (a way to keep us 'employed' and 'occupied') and doing the preparations. Even the interior design consultant in Bali in which I did my internship (and which I absolutely adore, loved, enjoyed every minute being an intern there) a few years before, called me (I did not apply for a job) and asked me whether I would be interested in a position at their company. That was tough! If I do not have any agenda, I would have accepted it right away. However I have always known that I have these dreams, so I turned the opportunity down. We have to make choices, sacrifices. That's life kids!
So here comes another fun! Funding. Now that I have been accepted in several schools, it is time to look for funding. I applied to several scholarships. Honestly, it was quite an adventure for me. One got rejected at administration. Another one I never heard again ever since. One got me to the interview, and when I had that much of high hope. I did not get it. Uh-oh. Now what? It was around February and school don't start until September, or the next February right? I have to fill in that gap.
Oh right okay! So my friends were telling me about this opportunity to volunteer freely at a governmental language institution 'Rumah Bahasa Surabaya'. I thought it might also be good to train my Dutch as at the time my plan was to go to the Netherlands, have some voluntary experience etc. I came to their office and I just directly said that I speak Dutch and that I would like to volunteer, handed in my CV and completely forgot about it. And here it goes a decision that I had to make... Something unexpected. Unplanned. I was applying for jobs. You know, I've always known myself as a plan A person. I don't like thinking about plan B's, I don't like settling for plan B's, because I want plan A, and I want my plan A to work, and I'm sure my plan A will work whatsoever. Whoopsies, quite emotional and ambitious right there. But, swallow the pill Yasmin! This time, you gotta find other ways to reach plan A. And no, I never call it a plan B. It's just another road to get to plan A. Yes, I am that idealistic.
I got on some interviews and naively, I would tell all of my future employers that I have plans to get back to school and that I could only work for them for about 5-6 months. Hmmm... Now I wonder what they must have thought of me, like 'Does this girl even want a job?'. And guess what? Of course they didn't want me. However luckily, one of the company that I applied to was so desperate in finding employees, that they finally called me back (after previously telling me that it wasn't possible to hire me due to my future plans the week before during the interview). And that kids, is how I got my first, real, job. So yep, since then you could officially call me Yasmin, the interior designer. I was legit.
So somewhere in the middle of work I got a call from the place that I had applied to to volunteer and they asked me some questions and yeah, they wanted me! So my classes started in June. As at that time I was working from Monday-Saturday. Sunday was the perfect day to do it. So basically my days in 2015 were quite full. I also had joined this orchestra in which we were working on an annual concert and I loved it! I've always wanted to play in an orchestra and I would say that it was my first real, serious orchestra after my last concert with an orchestra around 10 years earlier. In one of the days between the week I had to bring my violin to work and after I would just grab something drive-thru and go to rehearsal until around 9. No biggie, too happy. So at that time I was juggling between the most effective way of composing floor plans, how not to make Mozart sound angry and how to tell whether 'tafel' uses 'de' or 'het'.
Having a job felt good in some kind of way. You know better on how to apply those skills from school. You learn more skills too! Skills you didn't know existed before, company and its politics. And no kids, don't feel bad when you think you don't know what you're doing in the first few weeks. You will get used to it. The work pace, the pressure, the environment, everything, enjoy it! But well, do make progress and keep learning. Another thing is, yep, you get paid for what you worked for. This is probably one of the starting points that I actually really begin to organize and manage my own money. How much do you save, how much do you spend?
Let's get back to the volunteering part. I was officially a tutor, so each week I had to prepare something to be taught to my students. I loved every bit of teaching at Rumah Bahasa. I met a lot of new people, new friends and it opened up my world to a whole new perspective. My students vary from high school students to retirees. I have a student who is around 60 years old and everyday he would go on his bicycle to the nearest train station to go to Surabaya, and he'd go to the library and read and after he'd take the language classes. Everyday! Just so that he keeps himself active and have a routine. There is also an elder couple, (not my students though) husband and wife they would walk side by side holding each others' arms and go to study language, because their doctors told them so in order for them to keep their brains and memories working, to prevent dementia. Another of my student is a pre-school teacher who most of the times would have ran 10 km before class. She trained herself to do it every Sunday. Oh, and for your information, the language courses are absolutely free for public and the tutors are volunteers. I have learned so much from the people that I met. They are all inspirational to me!
After around 10 months of working at an architectural consultant, I finally decided that it's time to get back and focus on my dreams, as it has also become unpractical since I have to leave work to go on scholarship interviews, education exhibitions and so I resigned. As I was interviewed for scholarships and I had asked the university representative when they were coming to Indonesia, they clearly said that they do not fund pre-master programs. And that's how I did not get a funding. Just two days after I resigned, I went to Medan for holiday for two long weeks. Yes, holiday was what I needed.
So that's it. To me 2015 was patience and growth. Having the patience when your plan A's don't go as planned. Having the patience to realize that growth might come from unexpected places and at unexpected times. Realizing that growth is a process and that just by having this more patience in life, will lead you to adventures that you might not see coming, but will grow you into a more mature and wiser person. 2015 was a year of hard work, effort, my first real job, my first volunteering experience as a language tutor, my first concert as a violinist after 10 years of no concerts, made new friends, got accepted (and rejected) by my dream universities. It was a year of how to stand tall and keep my head up, even when I have fell so hard, even when people second guess me, make fun of my dreams and tell me that my dreams won't do me any good. It was a year to learn to recover from disappointments instantly. To understand that reality is indeed reality. It has also taught me about choices. In life, you choose who you are, who you want to be, which paths you take. Environment around you might affect the way you think and see the world. But it is you, yourself who define whether you want to be defined by your environment or whether you want to define it yourself.
Cheers,
Yasmin
'So another year has passed and in just in a few seconds, well no, hours, we'll be entering 2016. As for this year has been a great year. There has been ups and downs like usual. 2015 for me personally is like a teacher and has taught me to look from more and different perspectives. Well you see, there are things in life that you don't learn in school or from other people, however you learn it by your experience. Either you learn it the easy or the hard way. I don't do this very much, but I'm about to open up what my 2015 was like.
Patience had to be my word for 2015. I had dreamed since forever to get a masters degree in abroad especially Europe. So January 2015 I focused heavily on taking a TOEFL IBT and I took it twice. The score was good enough for an application for some universities, unfortunately not good enough for the universities I prioritize to apply.'
Okay so the part between the quote marks are what I have written and saved for a very long time in my draft. The following is what I am writing now just to continue my 2015 story pretty much in recap, so I don't forget these precious little/big moments.
So yeah, 'patience' and 'growth' was the words for 2015. As a background story, I was graduated from my undergraduate program in 2014 and had worked for a while with my lecturers for a governmental project on South-East Celebes' Rattan. But after around October/November 2014 I had to start focusing on my dreams. Which is to pursue a postgraduate degree. So I needed to take the steps that will lead me to those goals. I did a three month English course to prepare myself for a TOEFL IBT in January.
So yeah, long story short. I took the TOEFL IBT twice. The second one, I was 1 score short from the requirement (they asked for a 100 minimum). Oh well I applied anyway. Luckily! I got accepted, however I got a conditional offer stating that I should fulfill the language requirement and because I came from different education background (they wanted an history or art history major), I needed to do a one year pre-master program before I can eventually do the masters. Great! I was so happy and afterwards, instead of taking another TOEFL IBT test I took the IELTS after a two week class and spending my whole two weeks in their learning center attached to the computer and books. The result met the requirement, another reason to be so relieved and happy! yay! So basically the start of 2015 was filled with IELTS preparations, submitting applications, working on portfolios, etc.
It was quite overwhelming. On the other hand a lot of my friends were getting employed, moving out of town and there I was, obviously, jobless and not looking for a job. I would be lying if I say that it wasn't tempting. At the time I was working on this small scale business with some of my friends (a way to keep us 'employed' and 'occupied') and doing the preparations. Even the interior design consultant in Bali in which I did my internship (and which I absolutely adore, loved, enjoyed every minute being an intern there) a few years before, called me (I did not apply for a job) and asked me whether I would be interested in a position at their company. That was tough! If I do not have any agenda, I would have accepted it right away. However I have always known that I have these dreams, so I turned the opportunity down. We have to make choices, sacrifices. That's life kids!
So here comes another fun! Funding. Now that I have been accepted in several schools, it is time to look for funding. I applied to several scholarships. Honestly, it was quite an adventure for me. One got rejected at administration. Another one I never heard again ever since. One got me to the interview, and when I had that much of high hope. I did not get it. Uh-oh. Now what? It was around February and school don't start until September, or the next February right? I have to fill in that gap.
Oh right okay! So my friends were telling me about this opportunity to volunteer freely at a governmental language institution 'Rumah Bahasa Surabaya'. I thought it might also be good to train my Dutch as at the time my plan was to go to the Netherlands, have some voluntary experience etc. I came to their office and I just directly said that I speak Dutch and that I would like to volunteer, handed in my CV and completely forgot about it. And here it goes a decision that I had to make... Something unexpected. Unplanned. I was applying for jobs. You know, I've always known myself as a plan A person. I don't like thinking about plan B's, I don't like settling for plan B's, because I want plan A, and I want my plan A to work, and I'm sure my plan A will work whatsoever. Whoopsies, quite emotional and ambitious right there. But, swallow the pill Yasmin! This time, you gotta find other ways to reach plan A. And no, I never call it a plan B. It's just another road to get to plan A. Yes, I am that idealistic.
I got on some interviews and naively, I would tell all of my future employers that I have plans to get back to school and that I could only work for them for about 5-6 months. Hmmm... Now I wonder what they must have thought of me, like 'Does this girl even want a job?'. And guess what? Of course they didn't want me. However luckily, one of the company that I applied to was so desperate in finding employees, that they finally called me back (after previously telling me that it wasn't possible to hire me due to my future plans the week before during the interview). And that kids, is how I got my first, real, job. So yep, since then you could officially call me Yasmin, the interior designer. I was legit.
So somewhere in the middle of work I got a call from the place that I had applied to to volunteer and they asked me some questions and yeah, they wanted me! So my classes started in June. As at that time I was working from Monday-Saturday. Sunday was the perfect day to do it. So basically my days in 2015 were quite full. I also had joined this orchestra in which we were working on an annual concert and I loved it! I've always wanted to play in an orchestra and I would say that it was my first real, serious orchestra after my last concert with an orchestra around 10 years earlier. In one of the days between the week I had to bring my violin to work and after I would just grab something drive-thru and go to rehearsal until around 9. No biggie, too happy. So at that time I was juggling between the most effective way of composing floor plans, how not to make Mozart sound angry and how to tell whether 'tafel' uses 'de' or 'het'.
Having a job felt good in some kind of way. You know better on how to apply those skills from school. You learn more skills too! Skills you didn't know existed before, company and its politics. And no kids, don't feel bad when you think you don't know what you're doing in the first few weeks. You will get used to it. The work pace, the pressure, the environment, everything, enjoy it! But well, do make progress and keep learning. Another thing is, yep, you get paid for what you worked for. This is probably one of the starting points that I actually really begin to organize and manage my own money. How much do you save, how much do you spend?
Let's get back to the volunteering part. I was officially a tutor, so each week I had to prepare something to be taught to my students. I loved every bit of teaching at Rumah Bahasa. I met a lot of new people, new friends and it opened up my world to a whole new perspective. My students vary from high school students to retirees. I have a student who is around 60 years old and everyday he would go on his bicycle to the nearest train station to go to Surabaya, and he'd go to the library and read and after he'd take the language classes. Everyday! Just so that he keeps himself active and have a routine. There is also an elder couple, (not my students though) husband and wife they would walk side by side holding each others' arms and go to study language, because their doctors told them so in order for them to keep their brains and memories working, to prevent dementia. Another of my student is a pre-school teacher who most of the times would have ran 10 km before class. She trained herself to do it every Sunday. Oh, and for your information, the language courses are absolutely free for public and the tutors are volunteers. I have learned so much from the people that I met. They are all inspirational to me!
After around 10 months of working at an architectural consultant, I finally decided that it's time to get back and focus on my dreams, as it has also become unpractical since I have to leave work to go on scholarship interviews, education exhibitions and so I resigned. As I was interviewed for scholarships and I had asked the university representative when they were coming to Indonesia, they clearly said that they do not fund pre-master programs. And that's how I did not get a funding. Just two days after I resigned, I went to Medan for holiday for two long weeks. Yes, holiday was what I needed.
So that's it. To me 2015 was patience and growth. Having the patience when your plan A's don't go as planned. Having the patience to realize that growth might come from unexpected places and at unexpected times. Realizing that growth is a process and that just by having this more patience in life, will lead you to adventures that you might not see coming, but will grow you into a more mature and wiser person. 2015 was a year of hard work, effort, my first real job, my first volunteering experience as a language tutor, my first concert as a violinist after 10 years of no concerts, made new friends, got accepted (and rejected) by my dream universities. It was a year of how to stand tall and keep my head up, even when I have fell so hard, even when people second guess me, make fun of my dreams and tell me that my dreams won't do me any good. It was a year to learn to recover from disappointments instantly. To understand that reality is indeed reality. It has also taught me about choices. In life, you choose who you are, who you want to be, which paths you take. Environment around you might affect the way you think and see the world. But it is you, yourself who define whether you want to be defined by your environment or whether you want to define it yourself.
Cheers,
Yasmin
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