My Life, My Story, My Testimony

I’ve ever wonder how could someone study overseas? How does s/he pay the tuition? If their parents do, then how much do they earn monthly? Later, I have friends who study abroad and they are self-funding. I was very glad because they didn’t mind when I cross-questioned them. Believe me, the amount of money they have, no, their parents’ to be precised, very abundant. They are very rich. Up until now, I still couldn’t imagine a number with that bunch of zero. Geez! As for me, I’ve got a master degree in the United Kingdom because the government of Indonesia financed me.   I am from mid-low social status family. My parents are civil servants. If they were in the top-level position, I might be able to study abroad with their supports. Unfortunately, they weren’t. They even don’t have a legacy from my grandparents since my grandparents also have nothing, except their house they live in ‘till now. So, nothing to sell for studying overseas. If there is no reason to hope, it is reaso...

What can you give to the country? For all this time, I have the concept in my head, but I never take my time to put the details of it until that question had been asked. I tried to look again deep inside of me and found this. I am a chemist, graduated from Satya Wacana Christian University, Salatiga, Indonesia. I took a major in Environmental Chemistry and that led me to many research projects related to waste recovery. Sounds boring? I know, but I am kind of enjoy it (haha). Okay, you’re weird. What can I say? This is what people called passion, I guess. When I discover a method that can change a waste into a valuable material, I take delight of it. However, I feel futile because all of those projects only ended up in laboratory or, at best, being published as regional research papers. If that’s the case, how I could give a real solution towards zero-waste and green environment? how I could make a real impact in society to have a better living in healthy environment? Ah, crap!...

Ellen Moran, a writer in Bitesize Bio, a knowledge-sharing platform that concerns Bioscientists in the lab, wrote about a variety of reasons people pursue PhDs: some know from the start that they want to run labs at a university, some feel pressured to go for the top degree in their field, some see it as a natural progression after receiving their masters, and some continue on because they just don’t know what to do next. Which side I am on? None of them (haha). I am confident in my own decisions. I esteem people’s outlooks without looking for their approval for everything. At that time, I was thinking a PhD is a reasonable advancement for my research topic until I changed my mind as the time passed. Here is the story. I was working on waste recovery, particular of which for converting waste plastics into fuel oils, as my project for getting a master degree in the University of Leeds. I have the forethought to put the research into action. You get it, don’t you. The things like e...

Sweden easily finds itself in the cleanest countries in the world. Why wouldn’t it? It has paid special attention to increasing the greenery so that the environment becomes clean. Sweden is so good at recycling. For several years it has imported rubbish from other countries to keep its recycling plants going. Less than 1 per cent of Swedish household waste was sent to landfill. That’s how Hazel Sheffield described Sweden’s environment in The Independent, a British online newspaper. For a graduate in energy and material recovery from waste, what can be more privilege than carrying a research for converting biomass to bio-fuels there. I am in! Well, I am not trying to hide the mixed feelings I have. You can check it in: Between Nowhere and Nowhere . Yet, I am thinking, getting excited in whatever happens is better than feeling the blues. People said I am cursed because I have to spend lots of time to study. For them, I am going nowhere. How do I know? They said that in front o...

Dear Devy, Here I would like to inform you after our internal discussion, basing on all application on the position, you have been chosen for this position! Congratulation! ... We expect you to come to KTH as soon as possible. ... Best regards, Weihong and Par No way! I don’t believe it! Yeah! I get accepted and it is in KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden. I’ve made it (*gushing). Wait, what if this is not the right door for me. Oh no, what am I gonna do? Is this real? Please somebody tell me that this is not some kind of joke (*confused). Alright, I can’t wait to be there! Stockholm, here I come! (*excited). Ah, I need to visit grandma before I go. Don’t forget to tell Jojo, Cora, Tania, Monica, Kevin, Pak Kurniadi, Mam Ambar, Ginanjar, Mam Yeti. Is that all? Do I forget someone? Why there’s not much time left. I want to spend time with my dad, mom, and younger brother as well (*gloomy). Hold on, how do I pay for the flight? How about the accommodat...