It's hard...

Today in our speaking class, we had an opportunity to do the presentation. There are 3 groups with different topics. The first group (Denny, I, Herve, and Kyyas) presented about cuisine diversity. We talked more about the influence of culture, local ethnic, ingredients availability, religion could effect the food. The second group (Elrica, Gibril, Rizal, and Jorge) explained about "3-weeks in NY in the eye of Fulbrighters" which was so interested especially when it came to personal experience about the program. The presentation successfully represented what I think personally to the program.

The last group (Babafemi, Eduardo, and Fika) brought more academic topic to the class, which for me personally it's hard to prepared it in a short time. They talked about the impact of Automobile to society. The contents were  good; moreover, they gave me the new information about automobile that I did not get it in my formal education in transportation engineering. For instance, how cars and art are related. After seeing the presentation, I could say that art plays the important role to attract people to use public transportation as a substitute mode to reduce the bad impacts of using private vehicles.

So, why I wrote "It's hard" at the beginning???
Well, I'll say that:
It's tough to make a good comment and how to criticize in a good way. I admitted that I didn't do very well in presenting my disagreement to my friends. But, honestly, I don't have any bad intention in doing so. What crossed in my mind was how I tried to give them a suggestion for their next presentation. I asked to Fika and also Prof. Ellaine about the way I response. They said that I need to lower my tone a little bit and also try to say the good thing before telling the bad.

I agreed with what they said. It was a really good suggestion for me. I am trying; however, It's still hard. I grew up in the environment where you must speak loudly or the wind from the sea will blow your voice. I grew up in the family in which you have to tell the truth (either good or bad) directly. I interacted and getting involved more in engineering major that taught me to see every thing more objectively. So, that's why maybe I look more quite because I am still trying to adjust to this kind of environment, when people need to be more interactive.

So, deeply from my heart I say "Sorry for every body".
Thanks

The Chinese Building on St. John’s Queens Campus

We have been stayed in St. John’s Queens Campus a week now. This is a very beautiful campus with a strong international atmosphere. I have noticed that staffs work in St. John’s and students study in St. John’s are very diversity who are from all over the world. Of course I saw quite a lot Chinese students, but in this blog I am going to talk about the Chinese Building in the Queens Campus.

It is a typical ancient style Chinese building named “Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall”. Some of you keep asking me who this person was and how do I pronounce the name. I struggled, because “Sun Yat Sen” are not Mandarin, I couldn’t pronounce it properly nor tell my classmates who he/she is. Until last Friday, I checked online, I have the answer now! “Sun Yat Sen” was “a Chinese revolutionary and first president and founding father of the Republic of China” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Yat-sen). The spell of “Sun Yat Sen” is in Cantonese which is the one of the Chinese languages I am not familiar with. The 

Mandarin (which is the official language in China) spell of his name will be “Sun Zhong Shan”. However, there is one thing in common that is we put surname in front of first names. So “Sun” is his surname and “Yat Sen” or “Zhong Shan” are his first names. The same as my name, people in China call me “REN Xing”, not really “Xing REN” :P. Back to the “Sun Yat Sen Menorial Hall”, I felt so great to see a traditional Chinese building in St. John’s University Campus where I attend the Pre-Academic Program with all other Fulbrighters! One thing I noticed that the two stone lions both have the same balls under their paws (Picture a). 

Picture a

However, sometimes, people try to distinguish two lions by giving them a ball and a cub to differentiate the lion and the lioness (Picture b).

Picture b (source from: http://t3.baidu.com/it/u=2508262137,218212112&fm=0&gp=0.jpg)

Do you see the differences? There are more to see in China! All of you are more than welcome to China, I will be a good guide ^_^!

Some thoughts...

To be honest, for some reason it's just very hard to start writing about something right now. There are probably too many thoughts in my mind...

It's hard to believe that there are only 3 days left - and this is when we all only started knowing each other a little bit better. Just a coulple of days ago we were sitting with my roomates in the suite and discussing some very general things, and suddenly - I don't remember how and why - we started talking about Palestine and about what's really happening on the ground, how people leave, what kind of problems they face on a daily basis and so on. After Luna's explanations I started thinking about the whole situation in a different way, and I've realised how important are those kind of conversations for me as a future Policy Maker. This is just one of the examples that came to my mind. I have so many new thoughts, and so many more questions to ask each of you. I'm sure, though, that it's not the end, and that we all will stay connected in one way or another.

Anyway, I'm looking forward for the coming 3 days of enjoying the conversations with all of you and life in NY - we just have to make this time memorable!!! Don't you think so?  

Life will never be the same again...

Time flies....moments in a rush...we can't stop anything....and only snapshots run on my screen making the whole film of the last two weeks...I am an optimistic person- but here I say: I WISH IT WERE YESTERDAY, HEY!
I remember the well-trodden road to Kyiv...I wanted to leave the bus at the first stop and run away to my comfortable and cosy place where I have been living for so long. It's difficult to face new challenges, to accept changes when you have established already your life-family, students, old friends, nice job - what else?! The thoughts were ahead of time....Then airport -flight -Kyiv-Munchen; Munchen-New York- it took an amount of time!!! The first pleasant event-I met my future friend, roommate- Olenka Sadovnik for the first time in the terminal. Now I feel I have  known you, my dear Olenka, for ages!!!!
Here we are- Manhattan-St. John's Campus-new people. Are they Fulbrighters???? These young people are scholars who got this acknowledged scholarship???!!!Hats off!!! Later Daniel (our favourite group leader from new York) will say the same: " I didn't expect you all will be so young, funny and active" (perhaps they expected old experienced scholars with briefcases full of books and researches?????!!!!)
Feelings...I never expected we can become such close friends in no time!!! Some people became so dear and close...they are a part of my heart...now...it's painful to separate...but I know nice perspectives are ahead of each of us...and we will meet...sure- and let it be Florida, Massachusetts, California, Texas...Ukraine, Russia, Mexico, Germany, Africa, whatever....our roads will cross again...I know they willllllllllllll! But as the song says : LIFE WILL NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN...without you-my dear friends-FULBRIGHTERS! I am not pessimistic -rather realistic- life will be different, diverse, bright, splashy, harmonious, -but not the same-only sweet memories and snapshots will prove-it was not a dream at all!!!! And I am happy I was and am here with you! I will always keep you all in my heart!!!FOREVER!

Saint St. John's

        Although I have been here for few days, I loved this place. St. John's. A great place.  Kind welcome. Hospitality, the fist and unexpected impression that I felt. Everyone is nice here.
        Well organized schedule. Thanks to our lecturers. This is a great lesson for me. Great appreciation. Hope, the lectures we took will be a springboard for our future academic success.
        Tolerance, which is stereotype for many countries, nations, organizations. Here, all religions, all countries, all people are respected. This is what I have seen at St. John's.
        Delicious cuisine. Every day new taste, new choice. Respect to those who fast, respect to those who are vegetarians. This is equality. This is empathy.
        Fulbrighters, You made my St. John's life FULL&BRIGHT. I even do not want to leave you all and this place as well. Alas. I will miss you too much. Come on, Osman. No pessimism. You still have three days and enjoy your life and assignments :) Everything will be pretty pretty amazing (Eduardo Corral).       

      

Just a few couple days left...

Ok. "Speechless". Maybe this is a word which can describe how's our feeling today,  in the last week of our Pre-Ac. All of us will be separated and leave St.John's to our academic program. Just a few ouple days left... 2 weeks sometimes is not enough to know each other, but most of us can feel: this is our home, our family. Some of us will still be together later as we have the same university, but most of us will feel the same feeling as we came here for the first time.  We have to start everything from the beginning; know the place, introduce ourselves, make networking and maybe..feel alone. Whatever our condition later, most of us must be agreed that actually in the deep of our heart, it shouts: "I won't leave this lovely condition!"

Today..one of our friend will be leaving, since he will have an orientation in his university. And, we can feel the saddest thing: to say good bye. No, we don't like to say "good bye", we prefer to say: "See you later.." The same thing we felt when we leave our American family yesterday: Hopefully we will have the chance to meet each other again. Because it is hard to separate after having a lovely time together, after we have been "clicked" each other. Remembering the hardest part of our life: when we have to say good bye to our loved ones, our family before leaving our country..to get our dream in the US. And it will happen again. Here, in Queens..on August 17..

Hopefully we will not cry when we leave then. And hide the sad thing when we have a farewell then. Even though I am crying writing this post..but trying hard to ensure : we still have a few couple of days..we still have a time to be together.

Instead of saying: "Just a couple of days left..", Let's say: "There is still a couple of days.."
Until the time is through..,to say: "See you later.."

I love to be together with you here,
Dear Fellow Fulbrighters.
May be we're not having breakfast, lunch and dinner together.
Since some of us having our fasting.
Maybe we just have a little time together.
But,
We can't deny..: This is our "home".
Even it is far away from our trully home.. in our country.
Thank you so much for such all the lovely things.. Dear Fulbrighters!

Hope to meet you again in other Fulbright Programs...
in other conditions.
Hope we can still keep in touch later. :)


Big Hug and Love,
~Fika


Fika Tri Anggraini, MD.
Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine,
Andalas University. Padang. West Sumatera. Indonesia.
6.15 a.m. Ramadhan 25th, 1433 H.
St.John's University, Queens Campuss. 302 Suite, R3.. 









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Footnote:
The pictures were taken from:
1. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X4urZ0NSMNA/Tn1tUpuEeUI/AAAAAAAAAck/kWWj4FdYJ1I/s1600/3.jpg
2.http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/rikke/rikke1011/rikke101100001/8265033-sign-with-the-words-see-you-later.jpg

Getting to know my roomie!

Isn't ironic how we're departing in couple of days and I'm still getting to know one of my roomies! Oh yes! I have shared the first room back in Manhattan Campus with two ladies, Elrica and Ella. I got the chance to talk to El from day one and we got along kind of immediately, but there is this mysterious thing about Ella that we didn't see her that much when we where there. She seemed to be the kind of quite peaceful person. It was fine with me, but being in Queens campus and sharing the room with her again and not being able to communicate with her was kind of weird and sad to me. I got two more new roommates, beautiful Aneta and Sasha from Russia. And I believe we're all enjoying sharing the same place!

Here is the thing though, I got the chance to talk to Ella today, the first convo in which we both communicated. She became an aunti for the very first time couple of days ago and I had no idea about it (She didn't tell me, but I read her blog :) ) Yet, the thing she told me about is that her name is not Ella, but it's Noor-Layla! (Light of the night)! I loved the name, but I was like when were you planning to tell me so!

She offered me a delicious chocolate cookie made by her mom! That was so sweet of her, I must have asked her to offer me one each time we talk! We're running out of time here!!!!

The good thing is that we finally agreed to talk more often, it is never too late, right? I like she's my roomie though, maybe she does not know so but I feel comfortable when she's around in the room! How weird this feeling is, we rarely talk and we don't know much about each other, yet I kind of feel safe that she's my roomie!

Looking at the positive side, I am glad we got the chance to mingle! At least I will make sure now to keep in touch with her, and to know her better! She'd better do the same :)