2011 Highlights (3)

This third, last part of my last year's highlights is--I would say--the best part of 2011. Thousand words may not be able to explain what had happened, what did I feel, what were the moments.

This last part--you all probably have guessed--is my college life. A definitely new life. Why?

All my life for like 17 years I had lived in the same environment, with the same friends. Changes from elementary to junior high or from junior high to senior high made no significant adjustment to my days. However, my hometown is a small city where I had the same circle of friends along those years. And when in college...

I moved to another city, even different island :D. I entered a college where I knew no one. Not a single person. On the first day, I stood between the crowds and everyone seemed to already have friends. I'm not a social butterfly, I don't do first approach to people. Sometimes I consider myself awkward in socializing. I tried several times to greet and ask people their names but I couldn't do it.

Anyway, I survive...

I survive and I have had the best times in my life since then.

The first months were the hardest. I knew no one, I had no vehicle, and I was not familiar with the town and the surroundings. FYI, I am quite stupid in remembering places, I even asked my mother to draw a simple map of getting to and around my campus. But thank God I used to be alone and I always get used to be alone. When I hadn't had any close friends, I somehow managed to survive by myself. And when I've had many good friends like now, things couldn't get any better.

College life, for me, means freedom. A good, nice, and fresh freedom indeed. It is not too overstating if I say this is the first time in my life that I feel really alive. My parents--my father, actually--are a kind of a overprotective parents. They simply didn't allow me to hang out often. You, who read this, must think that it's so pathetic, but the fact is, I didn't go out at Saturday night. Luckily, yes, luckily, I grow into a normal kid. I may be a little nerd or geek but yes, I'm normal.

Now you may think that I misuse the freedom that I have now. Well I'm confident enough to tell you that I don't. I'm still Daddy's good girl, with a few adjustments. Now I feel like I have more spaces to develop myself. I have no fear of choosing. The fear is the choice itself and how I handle it, not the fear of not being allowed by my father or that kind of stuffs.

The most meaningful part of these first few months of college life is my Student Activity Club, which is Integrated Communication Club (ICC). Basically, this club is the same with my previous club in high school, Ganesco (Ganesha English Community). The club is originally a platform for students to develop their communication skill, mostly facilitating the members in joining English and communication competitions.

You, who have known me for quite a long time, must know that in high school my best friends, Yustina and Yaya, are also my debating teammates. We joined debating competitions together, shared thoughts and dreams, and then we formed a very solid team, both in terms of norms and cohesiveness. Because like I said, I didn't hang out often, my circle of friends came from the activity that I participated in. And seems like it also applies to my college life.

The milestone was iMotion or Indonesia Marketing Competition held by FEUI. Simply, it is a marketing debate competition. Actually, before I entered college I had decided to quit debating because it is so tiring, time-consuming, and I just want to try new field, new things. But iMotion was an exception. It is not an English debate, the language is Bahasa, and I take Marketing as my college major, so I thought iMotion would help me to gain a wider understanding.

Shortly, I was one of nine students who were chosen to represent ICC in 2011 iMotion. I was so glad and happy that I finally marked my first achievement in college. I still remembered how I sent a BBM message to my Ganesco senior, Radith, about my feeling. And he congratulated me by saying "Your first time since college, eh?"

But achievement is not the point. The point is... iMotion was a milestone for me to have friends, best friends in my early college life. The cohesiveness was situational. We had to practice almost every night, and of course, we became closer and closer each day. Don't mind the competition, my team didn't even break into the next round. But most of my iMotion mates are still my closest friends until now. And ICC has opened a gate to this whole new exciting life.

Then again, there was this ICC Makrab (Malam Keakraban). We, ICC members with 5 cars, went together to Puncak on Friday Night, stayed at villa, then came back to BSD on Sunday morning. We had fun going to Cibodas waterfall, BBQ-ing, and performing talent shows. I brought my handycam and I shot many memorable moments. But seeing it through even the best lens would never be the same with experiencing it live.

Finally, until now, I become more and more attached to my ICC friends. Well, not my ICC friends, but those I know from ICC, because the circle of friends are getting wider and more dynamic. And this good, nice, and fresh freedom helps me to enjoy it more.

And to conclude these long three parts of my 2011 highlights, I just want to say that I am so happy and grateful with my 2011 life and I guess 2012 would even be much better :)

2011 ICC Makrab

iMotion practice dinner :)