Before and After the National Camp

Okay, still continuing the part of before I come to USA~

First of all, I want you to know that I skipped two parts before The National Camp. They were just like, short steps, but still important. That's why I will tell about it in this post, before jumping to what happened after National Camp.

Before National Camp

Home Interview

After receiving the email stating that I passed the third regional exam, the Bina Antarbudaya committee for my region called my mom to let her know that they will come to my house before long. They made an appointment with us on a weekday, and when I arrived home at around 5 p.m., my mom quickly reminded me that I had to guide them through the housing area where we lived. I took a quick shower and put on a nice, acceptable clothing for receiving such guests. I rode my motorbike into the gate - if it can be called so - of the housing area, knowing they would be there anytime soon, and there they were...

Kak Cenna and Kak Nami were getting off the angkot (Indonesian public transportation). I waved to them with smile as big as I could form. It was getting dark, so after discussing several possible methods to get into my house, we chose the quickest technique of carrying three people with one motorbike: we all sat on the saddle, squished to each other, and rode the motorbike very carefully. I know it's not right to carry three people on a motorbike, but whatever, that was what we did. I don't recommend to try that, though.

My mom welcomed them with warm smile. On that evening, only my father couldn't make it because he wasn't back from his workplace in Jakarta. My almost-whole family sat together with them on the living room, and begun discussing about me and my possibilities of getting into the program. At one point, Kak Cenna told me that it would be better if I could try the scholarship program, YES Program, if our economical condition wasn't really good. I accepted that possibility even though I really wanted to go to Japan instead of USA, because I didn't want to put any burden to my family about what I want to be. Then they told us that if I wanted to be enrolled in YES Program, I'd have to come to National Camp where the test for YES Program applicants would be established. I agreed, and after some little talks, we were dismissed.

The Mail of Acceptance

I know the heading sound fancy and all but, oh, well...

On one hot day at my school, I was busy doing my math problems that lied ahead-- I mean, lied on my desk. Yes, as a science-class student my math assignment was really a problem in my life. I didn't know how in the world should I do it and just let it sit on my desk, staring at it hopelessly... until suddenly Ninis appeared in front of my class' door. "Laras," she shouted at me excitedly, "did you get the email?"

"What?" I gasped, "What email?" Of course I knew what email was that, duh. The email she was talking about must have been from AFS!

"From AFS," her eyes sparkled with happiness, "I passed through the National Selection!"

The National Selection is a selection process that we didn't even have to attend. We just let the juries decided who would pass and who wouldn't based on our scores and how did we do in our previous tests. You can do nothing about it except to accept their decisions.

"Oh, really? Great! Congratulations!" I was happy for Ninis, but worried about myself. I didn't bring my laptop to school that day (it was too heavy, LOL) so I just sat there almost motionless not knowing what to do until one of my classmate, Ashma, entered the class bringing her laptop.

"Ashma!" I stopped her so suddenly, "Can I borrow your laptop? I... I have to look at... something..." My heart was thudding, "uh, my mailbox... can I? Please?" God.

"Yeah, sure, but I don't know if the wi-fi will work," Right, the wi-fi connection might not work. Sometimes it just happens in my school-- I mean, in the entire Indonesia... Okay, okay, this is it. Even if I don't get the email, that's what it is, that's what the best for me right now. I have to be ready. Don't put your expectations too much on it. Just let it be what it should be...

I typed Google. The page loaded so slowly it felt like an eternity. When it finally showed up, I entered my email address and password abruptly, my fingers were clacking on the keyboard... The wi-fi worked. The mailbox showed up.

What is this? God, please... make it an acceptance email...

I clicked on the newest mail from AFS. There it was, my email of acceptance.

I ran outside my class to find Ashma chatting with her friends just in front of the class door. "Ashma, thank you very much! The wi-fi works! I... I got the mail just like Ninis! I got accepted!"

After the National Camp

Yup, you already know what happened after that: I went to the National Camp to be tested... again. After that, I received the email stating I passed the National Camp and I was told to fill up the online application; this time not for Bina Antarbudaya in Indonesia, but for AFS International itself. How proud I felt that time when filling the application...

On that application (which takes so much time and troubles to get it all filled) there is one part that was a pretty big obstacle for me: The Immunization Record. Yeah, sure, I know USA or any other countries wouldn't want to get new viruses coming into their countries, but...

It was a big problem for me, someone who doesn't care about immunizations and such. I only completed the shots from which I was a baby and a little child. I didn't get the shots anymore after my toddler period. That's why I had to get all those shots before I went to USA, and it should be pretty easy if I had more money.

As you know if you read my previous post, I gained money at my school by selling traditional cakes to my friends. Actually I gained good profits for such a small job like that; I was able to save about $150 if you convert it to US dollars, stored safely at my bank account. The problem is, it was not even enough. Yes, I skipped so much immunizations I had a pile of shots waiting for me - and waiting to be paid. At that point I was already thinking that it was impossible for me to become an exchange student. Yeah, this is it, I thought, after all it always comes to the amount of money you have...

But I was really determined about becoming an exchange student. I used up all my profits, and with my family's help we were able to complete it. I don't like to tell the story in details - it's really complicated, but I paid it with my own money not because my parents are stingy. Of course they really wanted to pay for my needs as I am only an underage child, but things were so difficult to handle back then. It was almost miraculous I was able to complete that immunization requirements.

Well, the good thing I learned is: No matter how much impossible it seems, you will just find your way through. You just have to do some difficult things first, though. Yeah, selling cakes on your free time when everybody else had the time to finish their homework requires extra effort, you know...

The National Camp

So, continuing the story about before I come here... No, I didn't just end up being on the airplane to USA, I still had some other new tests.

In Indonesia, in case you're not Indonesian, we have so many, many students wanting to go abroad as an exchange student. That's why AFS made some strict tests for the students applying, and yes, the tests in our country are much more difficult than how they do it in another country. If you want to compare the number of students from Indonesia with other country, we were the majority of the arrival orientation held in USA. I'll tell the story later, though.

The National Camp is indeed a part of those strict tests. They collected students from all over the country in Jakarta; they made the camp for about a week but they divided the week into three batches according to our regions, and my region, Bogor, was included in the first batch.

I remember clearly it started on Thursday and I had to not attend school - leaving my Biology test aside until Monday - and it was really fun meeting students that were also fighting to experience being an exchange student. I was in the same room with Ninis who is also from my school, Tias who is from Karawang, Shinta who is from Jakarta, and Nina who is also from Jakarta. The Bina Antarbudaya organization committee, which runs AFS related business in Indonesia, collected all of our gadgets on the first day. They said it was for safety so that nobody loses any gadgets, but I really think it's to keep the students to focus on the test rather than tweeting about it all day. LOL.

The First Day

The first day was fun. In the afternoon we had River of Life; it's a test where everybody were divided into small groups, and there will be an alumnus to guide the group, then you will draw something that describes your life on a paper - even including things that had not happened yet. After that we got some papers to fill in - all about our own personality. There was a question about who is the person you admired most, and my answer was my own friend. He is only a little bit older than me, though, but I thought he had became an amazing person already. I don't really admire famous people I don't actually know; I love people around me the most.

Before the second test, we had some free time after dinner. It was raining outside and Shinta was sitting beside the window when she said, "It would have been perfect if we had our gadgets that we can listen some music from!" Then I said yes to that, and I realized how addictive technologies can be...

At the evening, we were told to collect it. Then we had a really fun game where everybody was divided into small groups again. We were given some cards that had been cut off, and they gave it to us like randomly and we had to make it all one piece of perfect card again. We were not told the criteria of that "perfect card", so we tried hard to guess; we tried mixing the hearts with the diamonds, mixing the king with the queen - but it turned out that we were doing it wrong. We were also told that we weren't allowed to ask or give help to another groups because we were competing each other, but we found out that it was impossible to make the cards perfect only by what we have, and we realized that we just had to work with everybody.

And we did. And we all passed that test.

The Second Day

The second day was a day of interview test. Yeah, interview test once again for us. This time, the interview will be to investigate our personalities; are we qualified enough for the program? But, this time, the interviewers will mix Indonesian and English, so we have to be prepared for both languages.

The committee divided us into two big groups: Group 1 will begin at 8 a.m. and Group 2 will begin at 2 p.m., and I was assigned to group 2. Tias and Shinta, my roommates, were also assigned to Group 2, while Ninis and Nina were assigned to Group 1. I stayed together with Tias and Shinta at our room, and before long Mona also joined us.

"Did you realize?" I asked Shinta, Tias, and Mona, "I think there is something basic for how they divided us into these two groups."

"Yeah, I also think so," Shinta said, "Did you guys realize?"

"I think they divided us by our personalities," I said, putting out what I had been thinking about since the morning.

"Yes, I think there are some similarities of personalities for each group," said Shinta again, completing what I had been wanting to said. Yeah, I think Tias', Shinta's, and Mona's personalities resemble mine better than Ninis or Nina. Not only them, but also the rest of other students.

At first, we thought the personalities of Group 1 members are the best. But then, something began to arose to my mind: no, there is none of our personalities that is above the other's, we are just different. That's what it is.

After that we finally talked about anime.

Later that afternoon, the Group 1 members began to come back to their rooms. Nina and Ninis were back again, Mona came back to her room, and I leaned to my bed thinking about all the stuff the interviewers might ask. Relax, that was what I was capable of thinking about when it came to soothe my own mind. It did nothing, though.

Suddenly someone knocked our room, "Is Larasati in this room now?" someone said, "I need her to come to the interview room now."

What?

Wait, what happened?

"Laras," one of my roommates called. My mind couldn't help to think about anything, so I just marched to the door and said, "Yes?"

"The interviewer wants you. Now," said the young lady abruptly, "follow me."

And so I did. In the lift, I asked her why in the world the interviewer called me before Group 2's session started. She said she didn't know, so I asked no more, except when I asked where did she go as an exchange student (she went to USA) and where did she go to high school in Indonesia (she is my school's alumna).

When we arrived at the interview building, I was told to sit and wait a little bit. It made me more nervous, of course. Apparently Mona and Wina (my other friend) were also told to come earlier and were told to wait with me. The bad part is, we didn't get to eat our lunch first because they called us so suddenly. I starved along the wait to be called in. Oh, well...

Then the young lady called my name. I went in, anxious about everything, and sat down in front of them with big smile while praying for them not to read my anxiousness. They asked a few questions in Indonesian; I remember they asked something about me selling traditional cakes in my school back then. Yes, I worked like that. Before going to school, I always took a detour to a traditional cake market, riding my motorbike to there and then to my school. I also brought my friend, Sintia, and I gave her a ride every morning to school for some money to buy gas. Why? Because I didn't want to starve. Not that I was starving, but there were always some months when my needs exceeded the amount of money I had. I never, ever was able to ask for more money to my parents; I know it was really hard for them to gain money, so my only choice was to gain my very own money. I explained to them, and they seemed to be listening very carefully for what I said. Then one of the interviewers asked, "May we start to speak English now?"

"Yes," Of course, I knew there was no other answer to that question.

I stuttered along my answers in English. I wasn't used to speaking English back then, and I didn't want to prepare, too. I don't know why; it just feels unnatural and unfair if I practice before a personality test. After all, that is a personality test, so we are supposed to be honest, right?

Seemed to me like the interviewers didn't mind my stuttered answers. They went along just fine with it, and I finished the interview. "You can have your lunch now," said the interviewer, but I didn't have much appetite anymore.

"How was it?" My friends urged to know what happened. I explained what I could. I really didn't feel like eating lunch anymore so I just waited there for my friends to come and finish their interviews. Oh, one thing I waited is the afternoon snacks! We always had delicious afternoon snacks waiting after doing activities in that building.

Eventually the day ended, leaving our minds anxious for the result of that interview.

The Third Day

The third day is the day we have to come back home. But before that, there was one big obstacle before coming home: the SLEP test. SLEP is an abbreviation for Secondary Level English Proficiency test, it was a test created by ETS and administered by American middle schools and high schools for students whose first language is not English (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secondary_Level_English_Proficiency_test). This test were used to determine our level of English skills, so if we passed other tests but we didn't achieve the AFS' minimum SLEP score, we will be told to study English more.

That day was a very big day for me. Everybody else brought their books of TOEFL exercise tests, or had studied before the National Camp begun, or had already been used to speaking English very fluently. I'm really screwed I'm not going to pass this, that was what I could think about.

This is my big problem: as I mentioned, I don't want to prepare for tests because if I prepare it feels like I'm not honest with what I'm really capable of. I don't know if it's the right way to view things, I don't know if it's weird or what, but I don't think it's worth to "lie" on tests; especially that one. We were going to be sent out of our country for one year without anyone else we knew around. Of course I didn't expect it to be easy, and if I weren't really capable to overcome it, then they will knew and they wouldn't send me so nothing bad would happen. But if I was really capable to overcome everything lies ahead, they would send me. Both were the best choice for me.

But I was anxious about my own ideals. Really, really anxious.

The listening part is the most unforgettable part. It was hard as a shell that won't open no matter how hard I crack it; no matter how hard I tried to listen, I wasn't able to hear at all. So I just made up everything according to what I heard - even though the record sounds like bees buzzing around on my ears - and wrote it down on the answers paper. Whatever, I will pray so Allah will give me a chance. A chance to be an exchange student, and enjoy the life of it...

Finally we got our gadgets back. We realized one thing: the National Camp tests are over. And, we will miss each other until the next phase come: The Orientation Camp.

To be continued on the next post!

From Brewster, NY with best wishes for you all who read this thing

Larasati Tanjung

Before It Becomes True

So, I'm not going to brag about myself. No. This is a pure story about my opportunity of becoming an exchange student, which is a very, very, very great opportunity for me. Alhamdulillah.

7th Grade

At that time, going outside of my country was an impossible dream to be done for me. No, not because my country is not safe therefore they don't want us to go to their country, not because of political reasons and whatnot. It was because I just couldn't. Going abroad seemed like luxurious, very expensive thing to do for our family so we thought it would never be done by anyone of our family member; not until we get our own jobs and live independently. I have always believed it, so as my mother, my father, and my two younger brothers. Aside that, to be truthful I have always wanted to see somewhere outside my country.

One day, an alumnus of my middle school (in Indonesia middle schools start from 7th grade to 9th grade) came to our class. I was enrolled in International-Standard Class program, and no, I'm not bragging about myself. My school board viewed us as a group of students who has big opportunity to be winner of international competitions, to be exchange students, and cool stuffs like that. I didn't believe it, though. After all, they sent us an alumnus to explain about his exchange student experience in Japan.

So, that alumnus went to Japan as a high school exchange student, with AFS being his sending organization. He told us many things, and many of them were really exciting and funny. One of his story I remember well is when he told us about onsen, a Japanese public bath, he said that the towel was really small he compared it with our school notebook. The entire class laughed back then. Since that happened, I was filled with hopes and wishes to be an exchange student.

At the end of his presentation, the alumnus told us this: "Now, open your notebooks. Pick up your pen, and write something I am going to tell you," he paused to wait for us opening our notebooks, "'AFS'. Write it down on your notebooks. Just write it with small letters, somewhere in the notebook, even on the back paper is fine. But write it down," he emphasized, "because when you grow up a little bit and become a 10th grader in high school, you will remember about this if you write it down and you can try to enter this program."

I listened to him. I really opened my notebook, picked up my pen, and write the word "AFS" on the back paper with small letters and black ink. But when I looked around, I noticed that nobody was listening to him like I did. They opened their notebooks, but it didn't seem like they wrote it down. They seemed puzzled, looking to each other and started whispering about something. I bet they thought the idea of writing it down is stupid and childish, and they didn't want to do it. After that, I realized something.

"How stupid I am! How can I believe in such words? Writing it down to remember it? I won't even open my 7th grade notebook when I get into 10th grade! And even if I remember, what does writing it have to do with me accepted to the program? I was told I have to pass several tests to be an exchange student, and it must be such difficult test I won't pass it anyway!"

Is what I thought about that day, just after writing it down. I picked up my correction fluid and opened the lid. I was so ashamed of myself listening in such words and believing in such distant dream. But suddenly, I didn't feel like I want to erase the word. I was still ashamed I wanted to bury my face on the table, but I just didn't want to erase that word. Finally I just let it sit on my notebook's back paper.

 Okay, I know it seems like I'm dramatizing it, but that's what really happened, that's what I really felt.

10th Grade

I almost totally forgot about the exchange program if it weren't for my schoolmates who were so excited about it.

"Hey, don't you want to give it a shot? Just buy the coupon and get the administration paper, fill and collect it,  and go to Bogor to do the test!"

Bogor is a neighboring city to our city, Depok. That's where they held the tests.

I finally gave it a shot, like what my friend told me. Unlike when I was in 7th grade, I thought it was worth to give it a try rather than don't, and then dying curious about what might happened if I did. I went there by train, on a cold and dark 5 a.m. morning, together with two of my school friends. One grade of my school consists of 256 students, and more than 100 of them joined the first test. Can you imagine how full the test place were?

The First Test

The administration process started at 6 a.m., but the test began at 7. The first test is a set of written tests, consisted of essay in Indonesian, multiple choice about what's happening around the world, and multiple choice English test. I passed the essay one easily because I like writing (well, maybe, I don't know...) and passed the English exam carefully but successfully. The only thing that was getting in my way is the multiple choice about what's happening around the world. We found out that it was not only about what's happening around the world, it was about everything! Just everything. Even math problems showed up on that test. God...

Two weeks after all that set of tests, the announcement came out on the internet. I thought I am totally not going to pass because that multiple choice about everything on this world was getting on my way. But I was wrong. I passed. I really passed.

My hopes and wishes to become an exchange student suddenly popped up once again, like on the time when the alumnus was telling us his amazing stories. That time, it didn't shrink like how it did when I was on 7th grade; it grew bigger and bigger until my mind was filled of it. But I quickly suppressed it by thinking: "This is only the first test. There's no way you can be sure that you will also pass the second and third test."

The Second Test

I stopped wishing too much, and with that feeling I stepped onto the next test. The second test was an interview test, consisting of two interview, one in English and another in Indonesian. I entered the Indonesian interview first. I remember I was interviewed by three interviewer, one of them is a woman on her middle age and two of them were young looking men. I also remember clearly that the man on my left was asking me about my family name, Tanjung, and I explained that the Tanjung family descends from North Sumatra, but long time ago they moved to West Sumatra, to Padang, and grew larger and larger and became a part of West Sumatrans family name. Then he told me I was right and he knew because he is also part of Tanjung family. I was really happy hearing that.

Anyway, the interview in Indonesian was about our personality. The interviewers really seemed like professional psychologists, though. Then I went to the English interview and it was about simple stuffs like my hobby, but in English.

A Man on the Train

Then, I passed the second test. At this point only a few of my school friends passed. I remember there are 6 students from my school who passed the second test, and because none of them were that close to me, I didn't ask to take a ride with them (it's not polite to ask to take a ride on such early morning to a person you're not really close, right? Well, at least in our culture, I guess. Or maybe it's just me). On that early morning, I did my morning prayer, prayed hard for Allah to protect me from all the bad things (like kidnapping or robbery?) that could happen on the way to the station. I took the train again and this time, alone.

While I was going to get on the train, I saw a man, probably around 30 to 40 judging from his face, walking toward my left. He asked if that were the train to Bogor, and I said yes. We got on the train together, only the two of us were in the train.

In that train, he asked about what was I going to do, going to a neighboring city in such an early Sunday morning wearing my school uniform. "I am going to take a test," I told him. After that he asked for my name and I answered it. I didn't explain about what test it was because I know not everybody understand about exchange student programs and stuffs like that. And it was difficult for me to explain, too. What if he asked me, "What is AFS?" and I have to explain all the things in one short train trip?

But finally I let him know. When I let the word "AFS" slipped out of my mouth, he jumped and said, "Whoa! AFS! Yes, yes, I know that program. When I was young there were also a big test held for selecting students into that program. Yes, yes I remember," he said. I was amazed, he was no ordinary man on the train! Then he praised me for my attempt to do the tests and about how he didn't dare to take the test when he was young. That's too bad, though, because from my conversation with him he seemed like a smart person. When we got out of the train at Bogor station, I told him that I think some of Indonesians still lacked discipline because some passengers were trying to get on the train without letting us go first, and I told him that in big countries the people wouldn't do that. "When you go abroad, you will notice the difference between Indonesia and that other country, including the behavior of the people," was all he said, while looking to the crowd of passengers.

Outside the station, we talked until we reached the main road, and he said, "Laras, I am going this way now," he pointed to the opposite way of my destination. Then he shook my hand with both his hands, lovingly like a father, "Take care and good luck, I will pray for you."

The Third Test

The third test is a test that we must do in a group of students we didn't know each other before. None of  five of us were in the same school, except two of them were from the same boarding school. We were told to read a problem assigned to our team, and make something out of some straws, popsicle sticks, some papers, glue tapes, with help of two scissors, to help settle the problem. It was all about teamwork, not creativity, though. We managed to made it somehow, something we called "mailbox", so that people can put their review and suggestion inside.

We were praised by the juries, they told us we did a good job, then asked us to take a seat in front of them. Each of us grabbed one chair, and the juries began to ask questions. What was that thing we made, how would it work, and stuffs. Then, one of the juries spoke, "Now we are going to ask you some sensitive questions. If you are not ready or not willing to answer it, please let us know now." Nobody raised their hands. The jury continued, "So, I want each of you to answer this: who is the best person in this group according to his or her teamwork behavior? You can give up to two names, and you can select yourself as the best."

Each of us answered. What surprised me is 3 out of 4 said that I did the best, aside of themselves. I was really happy I thought I was going to cry.

The jury asked another question, "Now, tell me who is the worst person in this group."

We were shocked for a second, then we acted normal as if we had expected that question.

After we answered it, the jury asked one last question, "The last but not least, tell me about why are you so motivated to join this exchange program."

I was the last to answer the question. As soon as I opened my mouth, tears ran down from my eyes. They were not tears of sadness, those tiny sparkling things were tears of happiness. "I want to be an exchange student not only for my dream to come true, but also for people who couldn't get the opportunity to be enrolled in this program," My parents, my friends who didn't pass, and that man on the train... "When I come home after finishing my exchange program, I want to be able to bring gifts for everyone."

From what I remember, the juries and the students were both smiling amazed at me. Maybe it's just my imagination, but whatever. "That's a wonderful motivation," said one of the jury.

Before leaving the room, the jury asked me if I want to take some candies on the table. I took one of it, and went out of the room feeling relieved and happy.

Yes, this is the end of this blog post. No, this is not the end of the story yet. On another time I will tell what lies after the third test. And yes, now I am an exchange student.

From Brewster, New York State with love,

Larasati Tanjung