بِسْمِ ٱللّٰهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيم

Assalamu'alaikum

Isn't Herbee the cutest thing EVER?! | credit

Hallo, Lieblings!

Let's start this post by congratulating my fellow Muslims who are celebrating Ramadan!  May Allah SWT filled our hearts with a bundle of joy and harmony, shower us with loads of peace and prosperity, and grant us relief in this time of uncertainty during this blessed month. 💖

Let's start with the fact that something peculiar happened to me a week before Ramadan started.

I hope you are not clickbait-ed with what I wrote as the title of this post because dude, it really happened. For those who aren't used to the word 'sariawan', it literally means ulcer. You know, that teeny-tiny wound inside your mouth. Oftentimes develop when you accidentally bite your tongue, when you lack essential vitamins, or even when you are simply stressed out and lacking sleep.

Judging by its size, this teeny tiny little wound is really small... but don't get me started talking about the pain. Man, it is painful. Very. Especially when it caught inflammation and turned white. I wonder what is even more painful, being heartbroken or getting 3 ulcers all at once. But when you think about the consequences of both wound types they do actually have similar consequences; uncomfortable experience when you are eating (and lack of appetite), drinking and even talking. They just... hurt differently. 😀

(Ok, that one's so cringy, I laughed)



Quick info for those who might feel alienated hearing the word 'Ramadan', here's a brief explanation to y'all.

بِسْمِ ٱللّٰهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيم

Assalamu'alaikum

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Hallo, Lieblings!

The sun shines warmly today and I hope you too, will wholeheartedly make today even more productive than yesterday. Before we start, let me welcome you with a brief prologue to the first-ever rant that I'm going to utter. First, let me ask you some questions.

Have you ever felt so overwhelmed just walking through your life? Precisely... walking through your life that is surrounded by flattery and shiny people everywhere you go? Are you an overthinker? Do you, at this very minute, still don't have any clue where to go after this life-phase ends? If your answers are mostly a yes, then you might have a clue where this conversation will be going.

In this technology epoche, everything was made easier than decades ago. Life within the house during the pandemic won't make it impossible to do anything you want. Say it for the sake of seeking knowledge, communication, a wide variety of online courses, entertainment. It is a waaay different situation than when the human race is faced by The Black Death plague in 1346.

Meanwhile, at this present moment, you can sit comfortably or tuck your body under the warm, fluffy sheet of blanket yet still being educated by one of Ivy League's professors. With access to startups like Skillacademy, Skillshare, Masterclass, Netflix, Audible, and an endlessly long list of wonderful platforms -- everyone could be whoever they want and inspired by anyone they chose.

Every day I exposed myself to look at some inspiring people and listened to wholehearted, educating podcasts made by exhilarating beings with unquestionable backgrounds. Say it entrepreneur conglomerates, educators, motivators, writers, musicians, film directors, minimalists, et cetera. Hoping that I'd somehow be inspired to be like them, or feeling how is it like to be in their shoes.

But the ambition, the dreams, the targets bizarrely pressured me. So much.
I think I overdose being so inspired, blood started squirting out my arteries.

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The downside of my action is, I started to compare myself. Yes, I compared my very short CV and life experiences to their one meter long extraordinary ones. Forgetting the fact that before these amazing people put that CEO label or 'founder' under their LinkedIn profile, they too have been through some horrid phases of life.

Their stories of struggling from zero to hero and goes back to another zero setbacks before they hit their pinnacle of success lit a fire beneath me. HOWever, I was overwhelmed with the ambition, the fire started to burn my brain out. Ironically, at some point, I started looking down at myself. It's then understandable that rather than gaining confidence, my self-esteem started to fade away day by day.  And whoa that is definitely not a good news dude. 😰

I felt like I was kayaking on a stream with harsh current and suddenly I was facing the edge of Niagara Falls. Most people will probably look at this peculiar phenomenon of mine as something really dramatic, but sorry not sorry y'all. I was born this way.  HAHAwhat no.

(Believe me, if you are reading these last 3 paragraphs skeptically with that smirk at the edge of your mouth, man I was indeed am laughing at myself too. And is it just me but does everything looks so dramatic when being left unresolved??)

This is why I have a very weird love-hate relationship with long holidays.

You got too much time to think and being left by your own thoughts. From the simplest of thought could lead to wild, irrelevant, and toxic thoughts. A piece of bad news for overthinkers out there. Realized I can take it no more, I decided to take a day break from social media. Contemplate, reflect, and would rather busy myself reading books.

Then, one particular chapter in a book I currently read slaps me. As if the book knows accurately what I'm currently facing. As if God knows when to pat my back (okay, I believe He really knows. Here, let me give you fist bumps, God 👊). The title of the chapter was Berdamai dengan Takdir, to make peace with destiny. One of the subchapters is actually a Javanese proverb I frequently heard back in my hometown. And as you can probably guess, it has the same title as this post.

Nrimo ing pandum.

Nrimo means to accept. Pandum means something that God had given us. Together, this proverb literally means we have to accept every sustenance God had given us. In one blink of an eye, we may get this proverb as an attitude of being passive and literally accept whatsoever is being served on the table.

In reality, in a deeper level of understanding, this proverb means the acceptance of receiving God's sustenance after days of hard work while tirelessly improving ourselves. This teaches us to sincerely try our best to do the work while keeping in mind to be grateful for whatever result is waiting at the end.

Whoa. To be honest, at that point it all seems clicked. In the end, it is gratitude that makes us live a serene life. As a self-proclaimed overthinker, I was blinded by my own ambition and ego that they rather crush than nourish my soul. My ears were deafened by the explosion of future anxieties that may never ever happen. I forgot to live in the moment. 

There are reasons why the Latin phrase, carpe diem (according to Merriam-Webster, means the enjoyment of the pleasures of the moment without concern for the future) is being widely used as an Instagram bio. Life is actually a long pathway of flowers, hills, and serene bird chirps. But sometimes we weirdly exhaust ourselves by overly aiming at the end of the road rather than enjoying breathtaking views that surround us

Indeed I frequently lose sight of my 'place' in the bigger picture, as it is such a piece of cake to feel small in this whole gigantic universe. But at the end of the drama, we need to constantly remind ourselves that, indeed, we are enough. 😊

Every time you feel like you are lost, take a break for a moment just to look back at your journey you've been through. We all have to soon realize that it's completely fine for not having everything figured out yet. It's alright for not reaching your goals right now. Take it slowly, step by step. Isn't the most important thing is to keep going?

This post is indeed a reflection of what I've been through at the moment. We may come from different life backgrounds and ethnic roots. But one thing I know for sure is that we are all here for a purpose that is indeed to come. We should all constantly grow and nourish our soul with the right fertilizers and dare to decline the toxins that are being served in good manners.

Whoever you are, a complete stranger or some people that may have met me in the analog life. Wherever you are, whichever GMT + do you use. Whatever things you did or are doing at the present moment and even in the future. Whatever age you are now. I really hope that you, too, believe that you have that one particular thing that only you can share with the world. I hope, despite the hardships you are facing lately, you took a brave step into your venture for an exceptional life. I hope, you chose to become your own catalyst and create a chain reaction of wondrous life stories as you take the hardest step — the first.

I am so small I can barely be seen.
How can this great love be inside me?
Look at your eyes, they are small.
But they see enormous things.
--On The Turn, Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi

If you are wondering, I was inspired by a book by Dwi Suwiknyo, Lillah Tanpa Lelah. Tbh I hesitated to write this post because I was anxious HAHA -- lol, but that is another thing. I hope my untamed will of fighting my odds be ever in your favor. By the time you finish reading, I wish you are able to grasp some ++ takeaways from this peculiar post, I suppose. Thank you for reading, may health and happiness always be presence in your everyday life. 😇

Love and light,
Sintya💝

بِسْمِ ٱللّٰهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيم

Assalamu'alaikum

Alexander Platz, when in Berlin.

Hallo, Lieblings!

Despite the current pandemic challenge we are facing until this very day, I'm so grateful that here in Germany, we officially celebrate the first days of summer! I hope the rays of sunshine made your mood a little bit better and your smiles as wide as ever. Summer is definitely a favorable season for a cold-weakling like me.


The incoming summer means the semester is about to start, thus the next admission phase for Wintersemester is approaching. Dangg, I myself too have to prepare from the daydream till the worst ever scenario. How fast time flies has left me flabbergasted...

Anyway, talking about admission, today I'd like to talk about the Studienkolleg admission program. The first challenge we have to face before going to the Uni. I'm excited though, as this topic is very specified with our nationalities... my fellow Indonesian readers, today is your lucky day. To make the explanation even more understandable, I'm going to write it in our mother language. At first, I'm insecure about writing in Indo though because it's been a loooong time. But anyway, my desire to share this holy grail to y'all instantly killed my insecurity 😊 Let's grow together!

Read more: how to apply Studienkolleg, step by step!

Mungkin kalian udah baca post aku sebelumnya yang "Are you sure about studying abroad?" dan ternyata hati kalian mantap buat melanjutkan langkah ke Jerman. A6 a6. Sebelum aku mulai, aku pengen berbagi sedikit tentang pengalamanku mendaftar secara singkat, terutama buat kalian yang belum baca The First Footsteps Series. Jujur aja, aku adalah satu dari sekian banyak orang yang paling males ngurus hal-hal yang berkaitan dengan administrasi. Entah itu daftar SMA, lomba, bikin janji dokter, bikin SIM dan segala tetek bengeknya. Jadi, waktu sekilas aku lihat syarat-syarat berkas untuk ke Jerman, hal pertama yang terlintas di benak adalah: males banget, ngga sih?

Duarr. Padahal, waktu aku cari tahu lagi persyaratannya dalam proses research buat nulis post ini ternyata sama sekali ngga drama, kalau rajin cari informasi dan teliti. Seperti yang udah bisa kalian tebak, aku ke Jerman dibantu oleh sebuah agen -- yaitu lembaga yang menyediakan les bahasa Jerman + membantu mengurus berkas mulai dari visa sampai urusan tempat tinggal di Jerman.

Selain karena alasan dari keluarga sendiri, sebenarnya kemalasanku mengurus administrasi semakin menambah motivasi untuk ikut agen aja haha. Untuk menghindari hal ini terjadi lagi, kita bahas bareng-bareng ya soal Studienkolleg (Studkol/Stk) ini bareng-bareng. Meskipun aku anak agen, aku berusaha mencari informasi yang akurat dan udah ngobrol bareng temen-temen aku yang non-agen atau anak mandiri.

Aku rasa post yang udah panjang ini akan tambah panjang lagi kalau ngga aku bagi dua. Untuk memudahkan kalian membaca, post Studienkolleg 101 bagian pertama ini bakalan ngobrolin tentang Studienkolleg secara general. Sedangkan di bagian kedua... rahasia! Lihat di akhir post nanti ya, hehe.

Untuk memudahkan temen-temen mencari informasi yang dibutuhkan, topik yang bakal dibahas adalah:

1. Apa itu Studienkolleg?
2. Kenapa kita perlu Studienkolleg?
3. Bisa ngga sih kita kuliah S1 tanpa Studienkolleg?
4. Dimana aja sih kita bisa ambil Studienkolleg?
5. Berapa lama sih kita harus belajar di Studienkolleg?
6. Apa aja sih jenis-jenis Studienkolleg itu?
7. Jurusan apa yang harus kita pilih sewaktu Studienkolleg? (+ cara cari info ttg jurusan, NC)
8. Berapa banyak biaya yang harus dikeluarkan untuk tuition Studienkolleg?
9. Gimana cara daftar Studienkolleg?
10. Adakah ujian masuk untuk Studienkolleg?
11. Habis Studienkolleg, terus ngapain?

Bismillah, tarik nafas dulu dalam-dalam. Post ini bakalan panjang, jadi siap-siap. Selamat membaca, semoga bermanfaat, ya!

DISCLAIMER

• Persyaratan yang tertera untuk mendaftar Studienkolleg adalah update per April 2020.

• Post ini banyak membahas dari perspektif anak lulusan SMA yang ingin kuliah S1 di Jerman.

• Tolong gunakan informasi dengan bijak dan tetap crosscheck dengan pihak berwenang ya. Jadikan referensi, bukan patokan. 😄

• Peraturan dan syarat bisa saja berubah-ubah setiap tahunnya, jadi aku sarankan untuk tetap aktif mencari informasi ke website Kedubes Jerman di Indonesia, KBRI Berlin, KJRI Frankfurt, atau tanya langsung ke akun PPI Jerman.

#1 Apa itu Studienkolleg?

Studienkolleg (Studkol/Stk) adalah kelas penyetaraan (pre-university course) untuk semua orang yang akan mendaftar ke universitas di Jerman, namun ijazah SMAnya tidak diakui. Jadi, setelah lulus dan mendapat ijazah dari Studkol, barulah kita bisa mendaftar ke universitas.

#2 Kenapa kita perlu Studienkolleg?

Standar lulusan SMA di Indonesia sayangnya ngga setara dengan standar lulusan Gymnasium (SMA-nya Jerman). Kalau di Indonesia kita lulus SMA waktu kelas 12, di Jerman anak-anak Gymnasium umumnya lulus saat kelas 13. Jadi kita perlu 'menyetarakan' ijazah kita dengan belajar di Studienkolleg. Tapi banyak, lho sebenarnya negara yang ijazahnya ngga di akui. Teman seangkatanku bener-bener berwarna, ada yang dari Suriah, Turki, Rusia, Thailand, Vietnam, Korea Selatan, Amerika Latin, Kanada, bahkan USA.

#3 Bisa ngga sih kita kuliah S1 tanpa Studienkolleg?

Bisa banget! Kalau sertifikat A-Level Cambridge, GCSE Cambridge, atau nilai semester 4 di Universitas di Indonesia ada di tangan. Setiap jurusan di universitas Jerman punya persyaratan masing-masing untuk urusan nilai minimal dan pelajaran apa yang harus diambil. Aku sarankan buat cek di website Uni atau tanya langsung dengan contact person disana langsung.

More info:
- https://www.uni-assist.de/en/tools/check-university-admission/ (cek apakah ijazah diakui)
- https://www.astarfuture.co.uk/country/study_in_germany.html
- https://www.quora.com/How-do-I-apply-to-a-German-University-with-British-A-levels
- https://www.toytowngermany.com/forum/topic/345866-a-levels-required-for-german-university-plus/ (forum)
- https://www.study-in-germany.de/en/plan-your-studies/requirements/university-entrance-qualification_27788.php (informasi tentang diakui atau tidaknya sertifikat sekolah, untuk referensi)

#4 Dimana aja sih kita bisa ambil Studienkolleg?

Studienkolleg sebenarnya ada yang di Indonesia (more info: http://www.studienkolleg-indonesia.de/) dan di Jerman (more info: www.studienkollegs.de). Setahuku, Studienkolleg Indo bekerjasama dengan Uni Leibniz di Hannover dan muridnya bisa berkesempatan dapat beasiswa DAAD. Kata seorang teman, ujian akhir Studkol (FSP) disana bahkan sama persis dengan FSP Studienkolleg Hannover.

Secara garis besar keduanya punya kelebihan dan kekurangannya masing-masing. Meskipun begitu, aku pribadi prefer untuk Studienkolleg di Jerman aja. Menurutku penting untuk bisa belajar langsung sambil 'nyemplung' ke dalam dunia yang akan kita selami nanti. Learning by doing.

Ada banyak hal yang bisa 'dicicil' belajar selama Studkol yang ngga ditawarkan di dalam kelas. Semisal, unggah ungguh sama orang luar, belajar budaya dan karakter, latihan mengurus sistem administrasi dan birokrasi yang ribetnya minta ampun, networking, survei lapangan keliling Jerman sambil halan-halan cantique, cari pengalaman kerja, bahkan belajar bahasa Jerman langsung sama native speaker sambil ngomongin drama korea sama BTS.

Semua orang punya perspektif dan pendapatnya masing-masing. Ini cuman masalah waktu, banyak yang lebih memilih langsung Studkol di Jerman biar waktu Uni nanti lebih 'mantep' jadi mahasiswa ceunah. Tetap menyesuaikan kebutuhan dan keadaan kalian juga, ya!

Kalau kalian kepo sama perjalanan hidupku waktu Studkol, kalian bisa baca di post ku sebelumnya di The First Footsteps: Studienkolleg, The Early Battlefield.

#5 Berapa lama sih kita harus belajar di Studienkolleg?

Umumnya, Studkol ditempuh selama 2 semester. Tapi ada beberapa Studkol yang menyediakan program 'lompat kelas' jadi hanya perlu 1 semester untuk dapat sertifikat kelulusan, contohnya Studienkolleg KIT di Karlsruhe dan beberapa Studienkolleg Privat. Malahan ada juga Studkol yang memang menyediakan pembelajaran hanya untuk 1 semester, yaitu Studienkolleg Kaiserslautern. Untuk waktu belajar di Studienkolleg memang perlu diperhatikan sih, karena ada beberapa jurusan di Universitas yang hanya buka pendaftaran di musim tertentu dan kebanyakan di musim dingin.

More info: https://collegedunia.com/germany/article/application-deadlines-for-german-universities-winter-and-summer-2019 (deadline aplikasi Uni di Jerman)

#6 Apa aja sih jenis-jenis Studienkolleg itu?

Secara garis besar, ada 3 jenis Universitas di Jerman, yakni: Fachhochschüle/FH (sekarang lebih dikenal dengan nama Hochschüle/HS), dan Universität/Uni tulen. Makanya penggolongan dan standar Studienkolleg mengikuti sistem tersebut. Secara teori Studienkolleg sebenarnya ada 2, yaitu Studkol Uni dan Studkol FH.

بِسْمِ ٱللّٰهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيم

Assalamu'alaikum

When in Leipzig, early March.

Are you sure about studying abroad?
Are you sure about leaving your family so early?
Are you sure you are strong enough to handle those challenges?
Are you sure you are ready to live so far away all alone?

#1 Be conscious of your 'why'

• What is the biggest reason for you to embark on this journey?
• Are you financially, psychologically, and physically ready? (I understand that money is a sensitive topic to talk about especially, but it is crucial to understand if your family has urgent priorities or vital plans to do in the future)
• Do you have any other responsibilities to do in your homeland?
• Will this journey makes you grow to be a better you? Why?
• What do you really want to learn and achieve?
• Are you ready to face every challenge that is coming? How is it?
• Will you be okay if you fail? What would you do next?

#2 Choose your target!

#4 Pray

#6 Getting to the fam

#7 (Trying our best to) be wise with every answer

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"Even amidst the hatred and carnage, life is still worth living. It is possible for wonderful encounters and beautiful things to exist." (Hayao Miyazaki)