Esai AAS: Kamu Melamar Apa atau Siapa?

Saya temukan kata “lamar” dalam Bahasa Indonesia digunakan hanya untuk mendapatkan hal terpenting dalam hidup manusia, yaitu kami (perempuan), pekerjaan dan beasiswa. Proses melamar ketiganya adalah jalan yang bisa membawa pelamarnya menjadi versi terbaik dirinya. Misalnya, saat melamar beasiswa, pelamar diwajibkan untuk menjawab pertanyaan-pertanyan tentang dirinya, rencana masa depannya dan hal-hal yang telah dan akan ia berikan kepada lingkungan sekitarnya dalam bentuk esai. Saat menulis esai-esai ini, mereka belajar mengenal diri mereka sendiri dengan merenungkan fokus dan sejauh mana mereka telah melangkah. Tidak jarang, pertanyaan-pertanyaan tersebut menjawab siapa orang yang akan kita paling rindukan. 

Tahun 2019, saya mendapatkan beasiswa Australia Awards Scholarship (AAS) untuk melanjutkan kuliah ke Australia. Dalam prores melamar beasiswa ini, saya, pelamar harus mengisi empat esai utama terkait dengan universitas dan jurusan yang diambil, manfaat bagi karir ke depan, kontribusi terhadap leingkungan sekitar dan kemungkinan tantangan yang dihadapi apabila sekolah di Australia. Jumlah kata atau karakter yang diminta bervariasi. Esai pertama pelamar harus menulis sekitar 2.000 karakter atau sekitar 350-450 kata. Sedangkan, esai kedua, ketiga dan keempat terdiri dari 1.000 karater. Berikut adalah esai-esai yang saya tulis dalam formulir aplikasi AAS 2019.

Why did you choose your proposed course and institution?

Focus of area that I would like to take as my first option is art and social science since it allows me to explore and develop my skills within double majors. This double major consists of translation and teaching. In Australia, this coursework combined program is only provided by University of New South Wales. Considering my work experience, my second option goes to translation and interpreting in Monash University or in Australia National University. I started my career as a translator and Bahasa Indonesia teacher for speaker of other languages (BISOL) teacher at Lombok Training Center and as a travel writer for Intisari, Gramedia. Due to land clashes, Lombok Training Center moved to Papua and Intisari ended its printed travel magazine. Then I decided to work at one of international schools as a BISOL teacher for Primary and High School. I was teaching here for four years. Along with my teaching career, I actively write, translate and interpret. For these past six years I have assisted researchers for translating and interpreting various subjects such as on stateless children, parents and migration with Asia Pacific Initiative, on female genital mutilation with Global Islamic Relief, with a producer on Samalas Volcano, with University of Iowa on Psycholinguistics and side projects on Folklore, indigenous forest and customary law. In 2017 I comeback teaching English for Specific Purposes and Global Study for middle year in Lombok Learning Village, however in the same year, I also worked for research on buyer behavior with UNIMORE, as translator and interpreter. In August 2018 till January 2019 I have translated and interpreted for Rebuild Nipah, an international NGO under American Take Action. Currently, I work as translator and interpreter for Investigatory Unit Regional Police of NTB on drugs smuggling and bribery. These pack of experiences have convinced me to pursue my degree on translation, interpreting and teaching.

How will the proposed study for your career?

In the short run, I hope to have opportunity to improving and sharpening my personal skills and ability in the fields of translation, interpreting and teaching. Then, my options will comeback translating, interpreting and teaching, as well as continuing my personal projects i.e. writing book and be a columnist. In the future, I see myself as a specialist in these fields, developing professional and outstretch programs, becoming sworn translator and sworn interpreter, building official translation and institution, teaching and simultaneously I would like to be a researcher in the higher level of education. To work on these dreams, it requires me to learn in depth about translation, teaching and interpreting. Therefore, I need to sharpen each element of language skill, to train my independence and to build up positive characters within myself. By getting involved in two years program abroad definitely will strengthen my self-discipline, communication skills and my critical thinking which lead me to my professional and personal goals. Through my interpreting, teaching ideas, my translation and my writings that I have shared and would love to share, I put massive expectation both in the short term and or long term that they would and will benefit my country, my island, my family and myself.

How have you contributed to solving a challenge and to implementing change or reform? (Be specific and include: what aspect/s of your leadership knowledge, skills and practice, skills and practice you consider to be well established and effective; which people or organization you worked with to solve the problem; and what creative methods are used.)

As an interpreter in various work setting, conflicts and misunderstanding often happen between two parties. In this part, I play significant role in assisting them to understand to reach an agreement. Interpreting an investigation between an investigator and a claimant is challenging, especially when I meet a claimant who is charged for smuggling many kilograms of drugs and previously has criminal record. During interrogating and investigating, the investigator tends to be extremely stern and firm, meanwhile a claimant often in denial of answering or in signing a document. My feminine tone and my patience often change the atmosphere and make the process smoothly run. I believe being a woman is a privilege! As an educator in addressing literacy issues in the West Nusa Tengggara, my six friends and I co-founded EduLand in 2014. As an advisor, in this organization, there are some programs that we initiate. Those are mobile library, charity shops and educational event organizer. Mobile library is a nomad program, run in the various remote and sub-urban areas around Lombok such as in Gili Maringkik, Semerang, Gerupuk Bay, Ampenan, Kekeri and etc. The next program called charity shop, once the organization run out of fund, the volunteers gather second hand stuff and sell them out. Another program is being educational event organizer. This program is provided for schools. EduLand has organized English Camp in SDN 1 Beleke, Youth Day at SMKN 1 Sekotong and book days in some villages around West Lombok. During Lombok recovery, EduLand has conducted one day program in various earthquake victim camps for trauma healing. Through my writings that Have been published in various online media, I actively build up digital literacy by spreading awareness on diversity, peace and the importance of democracy, radicalism, environmental awareness, travel wisdom and how to use social media wisely.

Please: a) give up to three practical examples of how you intend to use the knowledge, skills and connections you will gain from your scholarship. Possible tasks b) list any possible constrains you think may prevent you from achieving these tasks.

Studying and living overseas will help me to build up stronger personality and academic maturity as a student. After completing this long-term program, I believe knowledge, skills and connection that I will gain can benefit me, my organization and ay organizations and institution that I cooperate with. Since the courses that I will take address translation, interpreting and education’s potential in driving better communication, mutual understanding and modern teaching practices, it is in line with projects and works that I have been doing and running in my everyday life. I also dream of having my translation and interpreting team that can work for various international conferences on Lombok and Sumbawa. Further, experiential learning and certification will connect me with interpreter and translation community, clients and National Accreditation Authority for Translation and Interpreting (NAATI). These chances will open up wider networking that can lead to future collaboration in which their projects and work ethics can become my role models. In achieving this dream, homesick will be my first constraint since two years away from home is not a short time. To cope with this potential, I would like to get involved with various communities, travel and do volunteering work at university to overcome this constraint Parting from that challenges both academic and non-academic life, living overseas within modern or post-modern culture, landscape and diversities will broaden my perspectives in looking upon the world.  

Tahun ini, aplikasi Australia Awards Scholarship (AAS) diperpanjang sampai 30 Juni 2020 untuk memberikan waktu persiapan yang lebih panjang di tengah pandemi Covid-19 yang sedang menghantam. Untuk yang sedang mempersiapkan lamarannya, semoga beruntung dan semoga esai ini bisa membantu.