Hey all,, it’s been several months since my last post. In this post I just want to make a quick update about my life and what I’m doing for the past couple months and years.
When I was a kid, like another Asian Parent my parent always push me to do my best at school. However, I’m not an A+ student and I don’t like study or get a good score. My score was just above the average, but defenitely not a top scorer. My parent really want me to study abroad when I was a kid. They even have a plan to put me under my uncle guardianship to live abroad when I was in Elementary School, but the whole plan was cancelled. Maybe around that time, I started dreaming to study in other country.
I went to the best school in my hometown when I was in middle school. My school fortunately got a special contract with Singaporean school, to held a scholarship placement test and send some students. Well, I didn’t pass our school preliminary test. That was my first experience fail to get a scholarship. I was so immature, and only want to get the result without giving my best effort. Actually I’m relieved that I didn’t get that scholarship, the students who got that scholarship need to spend more time to finish their school.
After that I went to a regular high school in my hometown. Most of my middle school friends went to other school. I kind of lost of my track, I don’t have companion to find a scholarship. I googled to find a scholarship to get my bachelor degree in other country. But most of the scholarship that was offered is a partial scholarship. Anyway, my highschool period is not a whole gloomy story! I found other passion. I was opening a small shop back then.
Then I went to get my bachelor degree. I attended Universitas Atma Jaya Yogyakarta, and took Industrial Engineering as my major. I tried my best to get a lot of experience and also good GPA. I’m quiet lucky because I was sent by my University to do an Internship abroad. I also got a partial support scholarship when I did my bachelor degree. After struggling for 4 years and 2months,, finally I’ve graduated and got the title Sarjana Teknik or it’s equal to Bachelor of Engineering.
Prior to my graduation, I discussed with my parent about my future. I ask them to let me go for my master degree and take a gap year. At the beginning my mom opposed that idea. Shea wanted my to get a job right after my graduation. I just explained her that I can’t ask money to pay to the company if I broke a working contract. (Most of Indonesian get a year or two years working contract, and we should pay certain amount of money if we break the contrack). Long short, she eventually let me to apply the scholarship.
Around the same time, I also took an IELTS class in Sanata Dharma University. My English is quiet good. However, I don’t have any confidence to take that IELTS without any preparation. I met a lot of great person there, Bu Isti, a professor in Gadjah Mada University, Mas Anggun, a LPDP scholarship awardee, Kak Kristo, another scholarship hunter and also a computer programmer, Mr. Risang, Ms. Sita, Ms. Siska, Ms. Zita, our English Teacher who are also lecturers at Sanata Dharma University.
I did my IELTS two weeks after my graduation, on December. After that, I went back to my hometown. Like any other kids who spend their holiday. I became a couch potato. Did nothing, only open youtube, watch more K-drama. At that time, I already told my parent that I want to go either to Europe or to China. But, I have not apply any university.
My parent was furious because I have not apply my mater degree nor get a job after two months stay at home. At some point they also push me to find a mandarin tutor since I said maybe I want to go to China.
Finally, around late February I started to find a scholarship. I knew, I’m not a good example, don’t follow me! I put my eyes on Korean because I love Korean culture, China, and Taiwan. Then I went to Yogyakarta to find my lecturer and ask recommendation letter. (I already got some recommendation letter when I was in University though).
This is the most ridiculous part, I find information on international scholarship listing and haven’t checked it on Korean Embassy website. I don’t put my Korean application because for the Indonesian, the selection close faster and I was late.
I was silenced for a momment. I was upset that I could not try to go to South Korea. Fortunately, I still managed to put my application to three universities, Tsinghua University and Nanjing University in Mainland China, and National Taiwan University of Science and Technology in Taiwan. I get admitted in all of them, but only two of them give me scholarship offered. I will put my admission story on the other post.
Semarang, 8th August 2019
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