Bahasa

It's been 18 days since 2012 started, and sadly i have to keep all of those bittersweet memories of 2011, keep it neatly, in my mind, and in my heart.

So, timid might be the best noun to describe my thoughts now. However, the whirr of my heart still screaming that, i still not really well to speak in front of the class. My voice still baggy, the feeling is so exaggerating till it chokes my throat. But, when it comes to the friendzone, it's really easy for me to share my thoughts, till have a shrill laugh with my friends.

It was happened last semester in my American Government class, to be exact, during the full session. My bill is passed by the rules committee, and have to present in front of almost 100 people. Darn, how could I present this in front almost 75% of opinious people. I felt so anxious. Chokes again my throat. And i was doing not really good, yet people still admitting that my speech was straight to the problem nowadays. Pfiuuh. Alhamdulillah

Frankly, I have no problem with talking in front of crowds. I can do improvizations of my speeches, manifoldly. I would like to say that, too much opening social networking could inhibit me to expand my vocabulary. Although, i have English Class which is really helping me with the Legit Vocabulary. So, it's not really a futile for taking this class though.



What i achieved till these days is my writing comprehension. I want to fix all my grammatical errors and inhance my vocabulary, instead of using regular vocabularies. The next step is how to speak with those legit vocabularies without mumbling and contemplation. Sometimes i want to vanquish the fear of talking in front of opinious people. I was so sucked in Socratic Seminar *) till i just asked one dumb question which was out of the topic. That's my goal for this semester.

Deducely, I believe this is not going to be a wasteful of time, by posting several English Writing post in my blog, although still classified as Social Networking, but, hey, what is wrong with writing though ? This year going to be perpetual, i promise.



Love, from Study Hall of Marengo Community High School



Calon Mahasiswa FK-Universitas Indonesia 2013,
Mitha Mulyowahyudi :)




*) Socratic Seminar adalah salah satu bentuk seminar dimana sekelompok murid dihadapkan pada suatu pertanyaan mengenai artikel yang diberikan pada hari sebelumnya. Diharapkan murid bisa berpartisipasi mengenai pertanyaan yang diberikan, dimana semakin banyak berpendapat, semakin banyak point yang didapat.

DC Cupcakes

Waktu masih di Indonesia, aku sering banget nonton Acara " DC Cupcakes " di Star World. DC Cupcakes itu reality show tentang kakak-adik, Sophie dan Katherine, tentang usaha cupcake mereka yang laris manis banget di Georgetown, Washington, D.C. ( maka dari itu, nama toko cupcake mereka, Georgetown Cupcake ), mereka juga sering bikin project-project besar untuk event tertentu yang mostly made from their signature cupcake.

Sebenernya ya, selama aku disini, pengen juga nyobain DC Cupcakes, tapi apa daya, dari rumahku ke Washington, D.C. kan jaauuuuuuuhhhhh banget, sedangkan mereka baru buka toko cabang di Maryland dan New York City.

Haha, ya sudaaaahlaaaahhhh, cupcake di Jewel Osco juga enak kok dan harga terjangkau pula, hihihihi.

Selamat bersalju ria, Fellow Americans <3

Newsletter : It's going just as fast as it came

Greetings from " The Land of Lincoln " !

Namaku Indira Laksmitha Yasmine, atau biasa dipanggil Mitha. Aku dihost di Marengo, Illinois atau 40 mil dari Chicago. Kalau digambarin, Marengo itu kota kecil dan hanya 7624 populasinya. Suasananya hijau dan tentunya tanpa macet. Orang orang di Marengo juga bisa dibilang ramah-ramah, dan saling kenal satu sama lain, apalagi kalau ada Exchange Student yang dihost di Marengo, bisa dibilang satu kota tau kalo ada pendatang baru =))

Bisa dibilang, periode 2011/2012 menjadi tahun yang butuh do'a, kerja keras dan pada akhirnya adalah indah pada waktunya.

Tanggal 26 Agustus 2011 aku berangkat dan merupakan pengalaman pertama menjadi " Single Flyer " ! Nervous sih, apalagi perjalanan memakan waktu sampai 24 jam, tapi lebih terasa journey-nya menjadi Single Flyer. Setelah mendarat di Chicago O'hare International Airport yang sebelumnya merupakan bandara tersibuk di Amerika, aku disambut dengan panitia-panitia AFS dan menginap 1 hari di rumah Chairperson AFS Northern Illinois, untuk post-arrival Orientation.

Selama hampir 5 bulan disini, aku dihost oleh keluarga Larson yang merupakan welcoming family aku selama 2,5 bulan.

Mom Jennifer, Dad Larson, Aku, Dasha dan Bradley. Kita pergi ke Racine, Wisconsin dalam rangka libur Veteran's day !

2,5 bulan aku tinggal bersama mereka emang cukup cepat, banyak kenangan dan perjalanan yang dihabiskan bersama Larson Family. Mom dan Dasha suka bikin plan kalau lagi Weekend, either jalan-jalan ke luar kota atau main board game di rumah. Lalu aku pindah ke Grismer's family yang merupakan permanent Host-family. Tapi, karena ada ketidakcocokan, aku pindah ke rumah chairperson AFS Northern Illinois selama 1 bulan sampai aku dapat hostfamily. Nama Chairperson-nya Becky Deignan. Selama di rumah beliau, aku benar benar nyaman dan sama seperti The Larson, aku sering menghabiskan banyak waktu bersama dengan The Deignan's. Tapi, dari akhir desember sampai awal januari, aku nomade ke selatan dan nginep di rumah Kathy Carey yang merupakan supporting coordinator di Geneva, Illinois.Beliau juga hosting anak AFS dari Chile yang namanya Javiera. Aku get along banget sama dia, dan merayakan New Year's Eve di rumahnya

Christmas with The Deignans, walaupun bukan White Christmas =)

Meet and Greet Blueman Group Cast @ Chicago Theater

Watching Christmas Lights with AFS-ers, Peter from Egypt and Natalie from Germany

New Year's Eve Party @ Javiera's house

Sekarang aku mau cerita tentang sekolah disini. Mungkin yang paling orang orang tahu kalau di Amerika sistemnya boleh milih pelajaran dan moving class. I go to Marengo Community High School ( as known as MCHS ) as a senior student, MCHS ini merupakan satu satunya High School di Sekolah aku.

Tampak depan dari Marengo Community High School

Disini aku ngambil kelas Study Hall, Foods 1, US History, English 3 Honored, AP Biology, Health Occupation 2 dan AP Calculus. Sounds hard, huh ? Iya dari beberapa kelas yang aku ambil, memang lebih challenging khususnya AP dan honored class.

Aku ingat pertama kali masuk sekolah, seakan-akan semua mata tertuju padaku, hehe, karena murid murid di MCHS belum terbiasa melihat ada anak exchange student yang pakai jilbap. Jadi ini juga merupakan tantangan buatku, gimana caranya untuk bisa tetep sosialisasi the way I am. Khususnya 3 bulan pertama bisa dibilang bulan bulan yang susah, tahu muka tapi gak tahu nama, belum nemu teman yang cocok, khususnya untuk lunch. Pernah nyoba ganti ganti table lunch, tapi ternyata mereka gak suka dengan cara itu. Tapi, as time goes by, alhamdulillah sekarang aku udah punya banyak teman, dari freshmen sampai senior. Aku nyoba try out Girl's basketball, tapi karena postur tubuhku yang pendek, So, I didn't make it. Bangga juga aku ada keberanian untuk mencoba sampai akhirnya Coach Rode nawarin aku jadi Manager Girl's Basketball. Dan untuk spring, aku fix masuk Varsity Team Girl's Soccer, can't wait !

Homecoming kick off @ Gym

Going to Homecoming Dance 2011 !

Veterans day with Illinois Representative 63rd District, Jack Franks

Team Dinner !

Kalau tempat untuk hang-out bersama teman teman sekolah ataupun AFS, rutinnya kita selalu naik kereta ke Chicago selama 1 jam. Karena kalau naik mobil, suka gak tentu macetnya, jadi untuk mengantisipasi, kita naik kereta ke Windy City ini.

Statue Park, Navy Pier Chicago

John Hancock Observatory, Chicago

Kalau dijabarkan satu persatu, pengalaman ini terlalu banyak untuk diceritakan. Aku bersyukur selama disini, aku dilatih menjadi pribadi yang lebih kritis dan aku harap, kedepannya, setelah aku pulang nanti, aku bisa memberikan kontribusi untuk keluargaku, lingkungan sekitarku dan tentunya untuk negaraku, Indonesia =)

Terimakasih kepada AFS Bina antarbudaya, AFS Northern Illinois, Orang tua dan teman teman yang telah mendukung aku ikut program ini, I promise to make this year memorable ! Amiiiin

Love,

Indira Laksmitha Yasmine

TESSERIS.

( photo credits : http://www.annisanurs.blogspot.com )

See their smile ?

See their compassion ?

See their spirit ?

They are the best people i have ever met. The best to make myself realized how much i love those people.

All of the sadness, happiness, struggles, we have been through together,

as a classmates. No. More than classmates.
Definitely so hard when i left them. Nothing came out but tears. Nothing came out but " See you next year ". But i realized, next year, they will be at their own place that they dream on.

To the universities or college for pursuing their dreams.

They are my future engineer, doctor-partner, fashion designer, and bestfriends of mine always.

Aku sayang kalian, Tesseris :)

Contemplation

It has been 3 months ago when i doubt to spend the rest of 2011 till the mid of 2012 in this country. I abruptly cried when knowing that this is going to be my first independent experience. I ended up in my sajadah and said hamdallah, in the name of Allah SWT.

Till these days, i realize, i start to forget the payback.
Yes, the payback which is to Sholat and Read Qur'an. I started to like this country so much, but i forgot who is the creator of human's mercy and happiness.

Who gives me blessings and Joy till these days.

Who gives me a daring parents and friends till these days.

Who gives me breath and heartbeat, so that I can still be enjoying this short life.

Allah, is the reason that I can be here. It has its power to make something impossible becoming possible. Who realizes that a small town living girl just caught her dreams ? That was nothing except, KUN' FAYA KUN !

I started to read my qur'an yesterday, i found nothing but peace. I felt my heart beat wonderfully. I started to hear Adzan online this morning before doing my Subuh prayer.

and

I found what is a quality " Ibadah "

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim, lapangkanlah untukku dadaku, dan mudahkanlah untukku urusanku, lepaskanlah kekakuan lidahku, supaya mereka mengerti perkataanku.

Amin.

Enlighten

" Tir, aku udah capek belajar literature disini, rasanya mau nyerah banget deh. I really want to get rid from that class for sure "

I had that conversation with my fellow AFS student who is hosted in Lake Stevens, Washington. Some of the time, people might just hid in their comfort zone, to abide the fearness of unsustain life.

" Mitha, kita cuman punya 3 bulan untuk adaptasi, kita harus manfaatin 3 bulan pertama kita semaksimal mungkin, termasuk getting used to Literature. Aku tau itu sulit, tapi kita harus berusaha, Mith. Masih mending kita pake Bahasa Inggris as our Primary Language, kalo yang di non-speaking english country gimana, Mith ?

Thank you Tiara Rachmaniar for Enlighten me, still, shallow and selfish I am. I'm starting to learn something wholeheartedly, no matter it's difficult or not :)

Civil Disobedience

I want to show what i have been achieved for these two months of studying literature. I know it is hard and almost impossible if i could make a piece of good writing. On how i could occult the counter arguments and integrate them into a good essays. So today, Monday November 14th 2011, i devote myself of being successfully making a significant progress. This is my Essays upon Henry David Thoreau's Civil Disobedience :)