To begin this story, maybe I should tell you about what I am doing here, and why. I am taking the World Without Border project here, a project about culture, where you can learn more about your culture and also other people’s. But actually, what I’ve learned here is a lot more than the explanation that I wrote. Why am I here? Because I am in a desperate need of facing a challenge, I want improve myself to be a better person. That’s the simplest explanation I can tell.
This trip sounds fun but it’s not as easy as it seems. At first, maybe around 3 weeks before my departure to Ukraine, I felt so insecure. I was just afraid if my trip here is not going to be worth it. And even worse, there are some people that give some prejudices, that people who are joining AIESEC Global Internship Program are only in for travelling with cheap accomodation, and doing nothing. Sounds like “Studi Banding” which our legislative members did recently.
And my challenge is to prove that my trip here is more than that. I just think that if there’s something bad happened with my project, I’ll just try to find something to do, like looking for other projects or whatever that keeps me busy. And I make myself sure, that having fun is not my main target. I am improving myself here, and having fun is just an excess.
The trip here to Ukraine was very challenging for me, as this is my first time going abroad by myself. I was also a little bit afraid because I wear a veil, which is not common in Europe, and I might be judged as a terrorist. But fortunately, God bless me with a lot of nice people I met in my long trip to Ukraine. A nice doctor in Frankfurt airport, two nice Ukrainian men who helped me to find a bus to the train station, Nata and Svitlana from AIESEC Kyiv who helped me to find a train to go to Berdyansk and took me for a short excursion in Kyiv, and also nice women in the train who helped me with everything. I was so lucky to meet them all, so that I could arrive safely here, in Berdyansk.
And people here in Berdyansk are very nice. LC Berdyansk is a small LC, with only around 25 members. But they are so eager in developing their LC, and I can see that spirit in them. My project has been going very good since the first time I went to my first school for presentation. I met a lot of new and different people, and I am very proud to open their eyes to see the world, to let them know that there is one great country named Indonesia that is worth to be remembered. At first, I was a little bit nervous for doing my presentation in front of those new people. But then, I felt the sense of acceptance. They accepted me, and they tried to communicate with me. Even if they don’t speak English very well, I am so glad that they tried. This feeling of acceptance makes me feel more comfortable to get along with those Ukrainians. Most of the students are very nice and now we can get along very well with them. The teachers are also very nice, they invited me and the other exchange participants (EP) to come to their christmas party
Not only doing presentation about my country and my culture to different schools, I also have other great opportunities here. The first one was Global village, which was held in the Ekuator Supermarket on December 18th 2010. This event is very important for me and also for the LC, because this is the first Global Village that they hold here in Berdyansk. And in that event I also feel proud because I can introduce my country and my national dishes to the local people here. It was a great feeling to see people interested with our food. The second one is when I and the other EPs were invited by some local business woman to present about doing business in our country. And we also had an interview in local radio and newspaper. All of them was a new experience for me, and I am so proud to be here as representative of Indonesia!
And I’m not passing these days with no conflicts. Off course, sometimes we have conflicts with other people here. But it depends on how we handle it. Thanks to God, I still don’t have a big problem here (maybe because it’s still 2 weeks, or the people here are just too nice). People here drink alcohol, eat pork, go to night clubs, and kissing in public. Things that I don’t do for sure. But maybe instead of getting shocked by those things, I’ve decided to take it easy. Well, since I am the minority here, I have to have bigger tolerance for them. And fortunately, people here also have a big tolerance for me and my religion. They don’t mind if I can’t drink or eat pork. The funniest thing is, everytime I want to pray, my friends here are very interested and even ask if they can take a picture of me praying
In conclusion, I don’t regret myself coming here. Insya Allah, I won’t bother to complain or mumble about bad things in Berdyansk, because I realize that not everyone can have the same opportunity I have, and I have to be grateful. In my opinion, the best way to be grateful is to make the most out of everything I do here. That’s why I always share my story and pictures in my blog, because I hope that other people will be inspired by my experience here.
If you want to know more about me and my trip here, please visit my blog: lettersfromberdyansk.tumblr.com
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