Feb 18, 2017
6 OF 10 : HALFWAY THROUGH
Yusril Nurhidayat (INA YES to USA YP 16–17)
November 2016. A month that made me realize how beautiful my country is, how great my country is, and also how I really need to give more respect and love for my country. All the things that happened in fall accompany my journey through this beautiful time, an International Education Week that was held on 14–20 November told me how people think about my country. I am really proud, because I just have been live for little more than seventeen years old and I already across the world passed my country border to share my culture, bring out my country names and stand as an Indonesia’s Ambassador. I did 49 Presentations during those week, and one of the most memorable was the presentation that I delivered in my town’s elementary school. In this month, I was celebrated my first thanksgiving, feel the sense of family’s love while eating together and thanks everything that we got this year. And also November show to me how beautiful it is to let things changes and sometimes have to go.
December 2016. The month that I really excited for. My first time to see and touch snow in my lifetime. Feel the joy and happiness that christmas bring out with. Saw how amazing New year’s eve being celebrated in America. This month I found that myself really feel being a part of my host family, I found myself start to feel sad thinking about leaving them. This month I got very exciting announcement, which is AFS contest announcement and Alhamdulillah I won the contest. As the prize, I got invited to attend BUBW 2017 conference at Disney world, FL. This month is the end of the first semester of school, which means all of my semester classes has done, and Read, Write, and Think class is the one that I miss the most, because so many new things that I learn from it and also I really like all my classmates in there. Closed my first semester I did my Acting show, which is so fun and memorable. December, everything is white, grey and brown. Smooth and plain. Those colors show me that how I supposed to faced the new year that is going to come, leave everything that gave a bad or unhappy effects behind, being sincere, because there is no longer an option except for forgive or regret, but chose to regret is more painful and I believed that everything has done with purpose behind it, So I choose to forgive and facing forward. Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home, And I just found myself felt homey to these family, my second home.
January 2017. Start the new second in my life with 9,825 miles far away from my comfort zone. This month I realized how fast time is, prove that every single time that passed can’t be repeat and how bad the word regret is. This month I try to restart everything that I feel I am not supposed to walk that way, I set up my new resolutions for this once in a lifetime experience. This time that made me feel in rush to reach every goal and try as hard as I can to be exchange students based on guide book. AFS New Jersey team has the Mid year orientation this month, the other AFS event that make me feel so happy and lucky being an exchange student, because so many things that happened and made me laughing or at least smile all those times.
February 2017. A busy month I called this one. I got so many activities to done. Better Understanding for better world 2017 conference that held at Disney world was one of the best time in my life, get together with fifteen other exchange students all over the US and discuss how to consummate the peaceful world. Being a global citizens and Interfaith dialog was the main points of this conference, but what I got is more than that. I learn how to seek first to understand, then to be understood, and share each other’s cultures while discovered disney world. These conference was really valuable, and life changing for me. Prepared myself in january, this month is the time for school Musical Show audition, and how surprised myself when they announced the cast list, and one of the actor is me, which means I am gonna be busy from now until time to show on May. This month I also got one of the best time in my exchange life, which is the International Weekend that run by one of the high school in my county. This event invited 6 exchange students to attend panel discussion at the high school, stay with temporary host family for those weekend and do so many fun things during the events. I found new friends in this event that eventually became people that I am gonna miss when I am leaving this country. I realized that so many things can happen, that no one can predict, and also how beautiful and good when we try as possible as we can every single opportunities that come to our life. This Month I am looking back to my bucket list, mark everything that I didn’t bring into reality yet, and recreate the strategies that I made to accomplish my exchange goals.
Soon spring gonna come to me, which is the last season of my exchange year and I still have a bunch of hopes and goals that I want to achieved. Nowadays, every single time I get up from the bed, I always remind myself that these time will not come twice and the worst word is regret. I Promise to myself, this exchange year gonna be life in a year and the best time in my life.
