[INSPIRASI INDONESIA] TULISAN DARI PAK ANIES BASWEDAN

Assalamu’alaikum wr wb

Saya menulis email ini dalam perjalanan kembali dari Tokyo ke Jakarta. Senang sekali bisa berdiskusi dengan teman-teman di PPI kemarin. Setiap kali perjalanan pulang sesudah berdiskusi dengan teman-teman mahasiswa yang sedang belajar di luar negeri, ada kenangan yang khusus.

Diskusi di Kobe kemarin malam mengingatkan saya pada masa-masa kuliah dulu. Saat itu setiap kali ada dialog dengan siapa saja yang datang dari tanah air tercinta, maka banyak urusan di kampus saya jadwal ulang agar bisa pergi ke pertemuan, sekadar untuk mendengar kabar terbaru dari tanah air dan berdiskusi tentang Indonesia kita.

Memang waktu saya kuliah itupun sudah ada internet, sudah ada kabar terbaru yang real-time tetapi tetap saja sebuah tatap muka itu adalah obat kangen kampung halaman.

Pesawat terbang memang sanggup menerbangkan badan kita ke negeri yang jauh, tapi ia takkan pernah berhasil membawa pergi hati dan pikiran dari Indonesia. Sejauh apapun badan pergi, hatinya, pikirannya selalu tertinggal di Indonesia.

Dalam diskusi PPI malam itu saya tersadarkan lagi bahwa sedang bertemu dan menyaksikan sebuah generasi baru, generasi amat terdidik. Anda semua mewakili sebuah generasi baru Indonesia yang akan ikut mendorong perubahan.

Seperti saya katakan malam itu, kalau diukur maka hitungan kilometer jarak anda dengan Indonesia amat-amat jauh. Tapi saya yakin sekali Indonesia kita ada amat dekat dengan benak, dengan hati dan dengan semangat anda.

Selama ini hampir seluruh energi dan perhatian anda dipakai untuk belajar, meneliti atau menulis tapi saya amat yakin bahwa cahaya Indonesia itu selalu hidup di dada anda.

Anda sesungguhnya sedang mewakili kita semua untuk meraih ilmu pengetahuan, mengambil best-practice dari manapun. Setiap hari senin jutaan anak-anak sekolah mengucapkan Pembukaan UUD 1945, sesungguhnya mereka sedang menyebutkan tentang anda dan kita semua.

Republik ini berjanji akan mencerdaskan dan mensejahterakan. Sebagian dari kita sudah mendapatkan janji itu. Anda yang saat ini sedang belajar di negeri-negeri termaju di dunia ini sesungguhnya adalah anak-anak bangsa yang kepadanya janji kemerdekaan itu sudah dibayar lunas: telah tercerdaskan, tersejahterakan, telah menjadi bagian dari dunia yang amat raya dan tentu terlindungi.

Bagi kita yang sudah merasakan janji kemerdekaan, rasanya tidak pantas lagi untuk sekadar mengidentifikasi dan mendiskusikan apalagi mengutuk terus kekurangan bangsa kita.

Daftar kekurangan kita panjang. Tapi ingat, semua bangsa yang maju hari ini dulunya juga pernah tertinggal. Hanya lewat usaha kolektif yang serius dan dimulai dengan mengubah kualitas manusianya maka mereka bisa meraih kemajuan seperti sekarang.

Mengubah Indonesia itu sesungguhnya mengubah manusia Indonesia. Manusia Indonesia yang terdidik dan tercerahkan adalah kunci untuk mempercepat pelunasan semua Janji Kemerdekaan kita.Kita yang sudah merasakan manfaat pendidikan ini tidak boleh menjadi beban bagi republik, sebaliknya kita harus menjadi motor pendorong. Jangan pilih lipat tangan tapi pilih turun tangan untuk membenahi Indonesia kita.

Seperti saya sampaikan kemarin bahwa iuran terbesar untuk pendidikan itu bukan bea-siswa, bukan buku, bukan fasilitas belajar tapi iuran kehadiran. Kehadiran anda sebagai inspirasi adalah iuran terbesar. Anda memang tinggal jauh dari Indonesia tapi hadirkan diri anda di kelas-kelas tempat dulu anda pernah belajar. Jadikan diri anda yang sudah mendapatkan kesempatan untuk belajar di kampus-kampus terkemuka ini sebagai inspirasi. Sama sekali bukan untuk menyombongkan diri, tetapi untuk menanamkan bibit mimpi, iuntuk menjadi motivasi bagi adik-adik sebangsa.

Buatlah rekaman movie singkat tentang kegiatan anda. Gambaran saat belajar, saat di laboratorium, di kelas, di perpustakaan, di kampus dan di mana saja tempat sekarang anda menuntut ilmu. Jelaskan itu semua sebagai cerita, sebagai narasi kegiatan anda. Lalu kirimkan rekaman itu ke SD, SMP atau SMA anda atau yang lain. Jangan takut dianggap menyombongkan diri, tegaskan bahwa rekaman ini anda kirimkan untuk adik-adik sebangsa agar mereka kelak bisa melampaui keberhasilan anda.

Anda kirimkan rekaman ini sebagai iuran anda untuk menghadirkan mimpi di kelas-kelas di kampung halaman anda dan di manapun di negeri tercinta ini. Titipkan pesan disana bahwa Anda jauh dari tanah air tapi tidak pernah lupa dan akan selalu mendorong kemajuan bagi Indonesia.

Perjalanan anda di Kobe dan di manapun anda belajar tidak akan terlupakan. Jadikan masa di “pengasingan” ini sebagai masa membawa bekal ilmu sebesar-besarnya untuk memberikan makna pada saudara sebangsa.

Jika anda telah selesai belajar, anda tidak harus pulang cepat-cepat. Selesai kuliah langsung pulang itu baik-baik saja, tapi sesungguhnya pulang sesaat sesudah lulus membuat anda hanya bisa membawa pulang ilmu dari kampus dan selembar ijazah bukti telah tamat.

Menurut saya, jika usia masih muda apalagi jika belum ada kewajiban yang harus ditunaikan di tanah air maka akan lebih baik jika anda bisa mencari peluang untuk bekerja dan mencari pengalaman dahulu. Bekerja di institusi yang bagus di negeri maju bisa meluaskan wawasan, menambah jaringan di bidang anda.

Dengan begitu kelak saat pulang anda bisa membawa juga pengalaman bekerja dengan standard profesionlisme yang tinggi dan membawa jaringan yang anda bangun selama bekerja. Kehadiran anda di Indonesia kelak akan lebih berpotensi untuk memberikan manfaat dan makna yang jauh lebih besar. Silahkan anda pertimbangan sesuai dengan kondisi dan situasi yang anda hadapi.

Selamat belajar, selamat meneruskan perjalanan mulia di tempat-tempat jauh. Kemarin malam saat anda semua memperkenalkan diri, saya perhatikan wajah anda anda satu per satu. Saya menyaksikan anak-anak bangsa yang sedang jauh dari rumah asalnya, jauh dari keluarganya.

Setiap anda menyebutkan bidang ilmu yang sedang dipelajari, dalam hati saya mengatakan pada anda terdapat tanda akumulasi pahala dan didikan yang luar biasa dari orang-tua, dari para guru dan dari lingkungan tempat anda tumbuh.

Kini Anda sedang jauh dari mereka semua untuk meraih ilmu pengetahuan, pengalaman; ya anda pergi jauh untuk belajar, untuk menjawab tantangan zaman dengan mempelajari ilmu-ilmu termutakhir di bidangnya.

Anda sedang melewati jalan mulia. Jaga stamina: stamina fisik, stamina intelektual dan stamina moral. InsyaAllah anda kelak akan meraih kemuliaan.

Keluarga di tanah air tentu bangga dengan keberhasilan studi Anda, tapi saya yakin mereka akan lebih bangga saat keberhasilan studi itu menjadi awal baru kiprah anda untuk tetap memberikan makna pada saudara sebangsa.

Salam hangat dari tanah ibu.

Anies Baswedan

AKU MUDA, AKU BISA!
#INDONESIABISA

Keberangkatan dari Indonesia ke Washington

Berikut video yang saya buat sebagai siswa pertukaran pelajar AFS YES Bina AntarBudaya ke Texas.

Link video

Humanity Problem

          Nowadays, in this world we have a lot of crisis problem. Not only about loss of natural resources, but also about another God's creature, human. Yes, we have a crisis problem about humanity. Bomb, terror, judging, killing, bullying and so on make us afraid of people, distrust, anger without knowing the real facts. The facts what is true and what is not. And choose to isolate themselves and and saying I'm the right one and their mind said I do not want to tolerate any other opinion because of judgement.

          Why? Why it should be happen? I thought Albert Einstein quote that says remember your humanity and forget the rest still does exist. Being selfish and arguing to whom we should stand, won't fix anything. We just makes it worse.

          Many students try to study abroad or adults who works in different taste of the sea salt try to bridging the gap, try to telling the truth and try to be patient about what they say and do to us. But, it just come back and say hello to zero when human have no more tolerance, no more trust and forget the humanity.

          I'm Muslim, and do I stand for terrorist? Of course no. Who starts the bomb in this world, not us. Everyone can say Allahu Akbar. Everyone can say everything in social media and say it's Muslim who said that. And you just believe that? I don't understand when people say that people who believe in God are brainwashed with their book (such as Al-Qur'an or bible) but many people brainwashed by media.

          Now, whatever our religion is, our races or ethnic is, let's stand for humanity, stand for peace and don't let the media fool you.

          I'm Muslim but ISIS? #NotInMyName

Exchange Year as an Exchange Student

Exchange is change rapid, brutal, beautiful, hurtful, colourful, amazing, unexpected, overwhelming and most of all constant change. 

         

          Change in lifestyle, country, language, friends, parents, houses, school, simply everything. Exchange is realizing that everything they told you beforehand is wrong, but also right in a way.
Exchange is going from thinking you know who you are, to having no idea who you are anymore to being someone new. But not entirely new. You are still the person you were before but you jumped into that ice cold lake. You know how it feels like to be on your own. Away from home, with no one you really know. And you find out that you can actually do it.

          Exchange is thinking. All the time. About everything. Thinking about those strange costumes, the strange food, the strange language. About why you’re here and not back home. About how it’s going to be like once you come back home. How that boy is going to react when you see her again. About who’s hanging out where this weekend. At first who’s inviting you at all. And in the end where you’re supposed to go, when you’re invited to ten different things. About how everybody at home is doing. About how stupid this whole time-zone thing is. Not only because of home, but also because the tv ads for shows keep confusing you.

          Exchange is people. Those incredibly strange people, who look at you like you’re an alien. Those people who are too afraid to talk to you. And those people who actually talk to you. Those people who know your name, even though you have never met them. Those people, who tell you who to stay away from. Those people who talk about you behind your back, those people who make fun of your country. All those people, who aren’t worth your giving a damn. Those people you ignore. And those people who invite you to their homes. Who keep you sane. Who become your friends.

          Exchange is uncomfortable. It’s feeling out of place, like a fifth wheel. It’s talking to people you don’t like. It’s trying to be nice all the time. It’s bugs.. and bears. It’s cold, freezing cold. It’s homesickness, it’s awkward silence and its feeling guilty because you didn’t talk to someone at home. Or feeling guilty because you missed something because you were talking on Skype.

          Exchange is great. It’s feeling the connection between you and your host parents grow. It’s knowing in which cupboard the peanut butter is. It’s meeting people from all over the world. It’s having a place to stay in almost every country of the world. Exchange is exchange students. The most amazing people in the whole wide world. Those people from everywhere who know exactly how you feel and those people who become your absolute best friends even though you only see most of them 3 or 4 times during your year. The people, who take almost an hour to say their final goodbyes to each other. Those people with the jackets full of pins. All over the world. Exchange is falling in love with this amazing, wild, beautiful country. And with your home country.

          Exchange is frustrating. Things you can’t do, things you don’t understand. Things you say, that mean the exact opposite of what you meant to say. Or even worse…

Exchange is understanding.

Exchange is unbelievable.

Exchange is not a year in your life.

It’s a life in one year. 

Exchange is nothing like you expected it to be, and everything you wanted it to be

          Exchange is the best year of your life so far. Without a doubt. And it’s also the worst. Without a doubt. Exchange is something you will never forget, something that will always be a part of you. It is something no one back at home will ever truly understand.
       

          Exchange is growing up, realizing that everybody is the same, no matter where they’re from. That there is great people and douche bags everywhere. And that it only depends on you how good or bad your day is going to be. Or the whole year. And it is realizing that you can be on your own, that you are an independent person. Finally. And it’s trying to explain that to your parents.

          Exchange is dancing in the rain for no reason

Crying without a reason

Laughing at the same time

It’s a turmoil of every emotion possible

Exchange is everything

And exchange is something you can’t understand unless you’ve been through it!

#LangkahAnakBangsa

credit: someone who type the text

Is there anyone have change for 5?

            It's like everyday my friends ask everybody this question. Literally it's not this question but these are questions. It's not a bad thing, it just funny.

            We always feel starving because we only have one lunch time for each student. But generally we have three lunch times and I'm in the C Lunch. Which is the last one, with no fresh food and full of starving people in line to get lunch.

            In Indonesia, my home sweet home country, for school we have two lunch times, at 10 and 12 and it's always open even though is not a lunch time. So whenever we are hungry, we can just buy snacks and drinks for a couple minutes before another class start.

            But in my American High School, the cafeteria just open in the lunch time so that's why I heard those questions every time I go to the class.

            Ask for the change and the cafeteria close? How come? Vending machine is our treasure with a secret key called one dollar.

            In here one dollar means only one snack. And if we convert it to my Indonesian money or we call it as IDR (Indonesian Rupiah), one dollar is fourteen thousand and nine hundred rupiahs. And I can just buy seven snacks with the exact brand, taste and size as the snacks that I bought here.

            And that's a piece story of my school year as an exchange student here and i hope you guys can feel more grateful to live in Wonderful Indonesia because you live in the heaven of the world and you have everything and it's cheap!

Don't Let the Label Limit Who You Are

           Kalian pernah merasa sakit hati dengan perkataan orang sekitar? Sakit hati hingga hanya merasa ingin sendiri? Terkucilkan merasa terasingkan dari yang lain?

           

           Label, label mengurung seseorang sehingga diri terpaku dalam label. Bayangkan perkataan buruk yang orang katakan kita anggap sebagai kertas label yang biasanya kita tempel saat kita duduk di bangku sekolah saat ujian sebagai tanda dimana seharusnya kita berada. 

           Ketika label yang sudah kita tidak butuhkan lagi, apakah akan kita biarkan hingga perekat label meninggalkan noda lebih banyak? Itu pilihan. Terkadang label membuat kita menjadi orang yang lebih baik. Tapi terkadang label juga mengurung kita dalam depresi. Disitulah kita harus mengelola label. 

           Untuk apa terjebak dalam ilusi label yang orang lain berikan tanpa benar adanya dalam diri kita? Kita bisa saja kita mencabut label dan menggantinya yang baru dengan yang lebih baik. Atau menambahkan label positif lainnya dalam diri kita. Yuk, semangat! Jangan biarkan label yang orang lain berikan mengurungmu dalam malu.

American High School Education Tools #1

         Study in America as a High School-er is more than I expected. I'm Nelva, I am an exchange student from Indonesia. I thought American school is more like a lot of drama like in mean girls film. But, no. We found drama in any place. And I thought the differences is only the languages and stuffs, but I found that there are a lot of things that I think is way cooler than I thought.

         My opinion is, American School have everything for teaching tools. Starts from reminder for homework, quiz and test until grade book that always update everyday. And now, I let you know about any media that American School use.

         1. Skyward
         
         Skyward is a software that school can use to manage and give information to students, staffs and parents. It's not only showing the grade book that always make me dag dig dug because any score even it's zero, teacher always put it down in the skyward grade book. And also if we late to go to school, we late to go to class, we are not in dress code, we break the rules and so on. It's also shows us the latest information such as football game, volley game, campus visit, home coming, prom, year book and so on. So, I enlist this software because it's a good software that every school should have so it is one of a good motivation to study everyday.

Penampakan

         Nah, this is what skyward look like. I forgot to tell you this skyward also show us some calendar that some teachers put on, like due for homework, quiz, test and some volunteering information.

         2. Remind 101
         
         Like the tittle of this application, remind, yes this application use to remind people to do something. Everyone here use text only for communication. It's not like Asian who use Line, Whatsapp, Path, BBM, Twitter, facebook, Talk, G+, Skype, Facetime, viber, vine and snapchat in the same time and another old school social media that we might forget like plurk, friendster and yahoo koprool. Okay, back to the topic. Because Americans use text for daily communication, this remind 101 send any remind by text.

           
         Usually teacher sent us remind about due homework, quiz, test, warm up key or tutoring schedule. And not only teacher who can use it. Some communities and school activities also use remind 101 to text anybody who register in the class to remind them what to bring or when to meet. Remind 101 not only can send text, but it also can send the pictures that attached in a link so we can save it.