Lost Sight, Found Strength

The path is so dark and dim, but Julie keeps walking. She is scared, yet her adrenaline makes her look back several times, urging her to walk faster with each step. She wonders why she can't move faster and then realizes it's just her thoughts getting wilder the longer she's on the road. She shouldn't have chosen this path—terrified and confused. She's already halfway through. It sucks. The only way is to adapt, over time. She has one more block, two more, and again she convinces herself it's just one more step to her destination. She's no longer afraid when she starts looking at the sky instead of the road. The evening feels scarier when it's right in front of our eyes, but when it's above, the stars are beautiful. The cold air on her skin feels warmer as her mind grows calmer. Gently, she realizes that she's no longer worried. In fact, she's arrived, in no time. -- I think loneliness comes from the mind. It's not about being surrounded ...
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Do you know why it's hard to say goodbye? Because we afraid if our memories might not be able to remember them, rightly. The fact is, goodbye means good. No matter how hard.
~Aurora Esterlia

My Little Essay from Singapore

So, I just finished my internship report in KBRI Singapura. It's pretty amazing and boozed up my mood to feel I'm kinda ready for the work life. Well, people might not know what happened to me from the past six months. Someone kept telling me I should quit. I should quit. It's not like he really meant it, it's something like I just have to do it and I done it. Well, it's not his fault and of course it's my fault. People might not know and perhaps it's never be his suggestion but it's the challenge. I have failed.

Well, one thing I learn and I always will. They know.

So for what happened truly effecting my life. I believe in them and I trusted them as my rock. Kinda my last rock, as the meaning of friends.

Then, it's not last.Again.

Let's not say I couldn't do it. Because my experience of this internship was extraordinary.
I felt something else. Brave. Cool. Cool kids? And to be cool kids not always having many friends.

It's something you deserved.

Now, let's talk about Indonesia Domestic Worker in Singapore.

Indonesia domestic workers in Singapore are so many. They come to KBRI Singapura about 500 per day from Monday to Friday. Crazy. It means every week KBRI Singapura serves 2500 Indonesia domestic workers. Per month, 100000 Indonesia domestic workers. Per year? 1200000 Indonesia domestic workers. Well, that's crazy. Let's say I had my internship on busy season for Indonesia domestic workers prepare for home-leave. Well, alright.
Now, I must say my experience, no, I mean my goals of this special internship, truly after what happened for past six months:
1. Get to work. Not an intern attitude but like really working attitude.
It's something I never really believe that I can do it. But I just got it. Not by me, but by the people acceptance. I achieved. Totally full of everything like amazing. I'm not good in writing and my thoughts might too extreme and everything. So, I never thought people accepting me as work partner. I've always failed in working environment, and suddenly I put myself to be THE REAL ME and voila, I love every day of my work in internship. I love to work.
2. Practice my English.
I never thought I can speak English really well. Never. Turns out, I CAN. Living for a month truly put me in proud. I can speak English and people said I'm great in English. I didn't know how to explain my feelings right now. One thing as my conclusion: I need to get my English certificate and verified IELTS. Also, I need to learn other languages, primarily Chinese, French, and Germany. (Or Dutch or Japanese).
3. Be myself.
People need to know the real me. Like it or not. I just realized in the work-place, be who you are is the best thing ever. People will always hate you, that's not our problems. The goal in work is how to make the tasks done professionally. Then, I realized again, I just have to keep going. It's more than just by keep going but knowing our mistakes and keep going no matter how people hate us. People doing shit but not us. People found our shits but keep going because the real us is the truth. I don't know but they're not perfect. As me not perfect, I judge them as they judge me and proceed. Then I realized tho they're judging me, they want to make it work. They're asking you to not be perfect but to make it work.This is something that I need. This is the healthy relationship. I have no idea. I've this relationship only with Ade. She's my best girlfriend. Yet, I might not her best girlfriend, I still on my way to be. But, I need to learn now, to be myself and let them learn, if they can't make it work then it's because you can't make it work. Either you have to be like them or to move them. Move Them means you have the goal to make it work with still be you. Confident to be you. Confident to be me. Confident for the good in me. Confident the good of me will move them. Yet, it's not about your perfection, your past achievements, but your now presentation, your deal about daily problems you need to solve and you solved them day by day. Confidently. You're not denial but you adapting every day. That's crazy. ADAPTING. EVERY. DAY. Crazy result but with this point of view, you can be yourself every day. It's not about to be control-freak but to be understandable. Move Them. Adapting. Understandable. Then, in-between there lies the perfection.
4. Brave
In the end, I'm not going to forgive these ladies from past. It was not my fault. It's them. I'm not smart but I'm good. Then, they're not good at all, they're just pretending to be good. Hell with them, I sold my braveness. Then, I had none. Before I came here, I thought I would never get my bravery back. Then, day after day, I put myself in something like motto: Lost in Translation. I was lost and also need translation. That was funny. But, I put myself to keep lost. Around the city. Let myself to keep lost and came back in return. I learn myself I can find my way home. Day by day. Even with by myself on the street. Every night I got bad dreams. It was horrible. I wish I have insomnia but something that I need to find: this brave. I need it back. Then this country, their people are like also people of lost in translations. Like united to lost in translation. Then, it put myself to learn: IT IS OKAY. Every day. I found myself to accept myself to be okay to lost. Keep walking. Keep coming back. Keep remember. Remember and come back to the road steps. And arrive. I don't know how to tell you but around the street when you're lost, you're asking. They're helping but in the end it's back to us who knows the truth. It's up to them to provide the help for us. It's our efforts to reach the finish line. So, yeah, at the end, that was my finish line. That's how they're providing the help. My bravery was to be here, today. That's crazy. I've done good. Just keep arrive to your next station. I don't know if now I have regain my brave or not. Something in my I off it and turns people face me in respect. Hell, I know. the respect the ladies never gave me. I had none from them. It's on them. NOT ME. In here, here I stand, I'm reaching my bravery again.
5. Find the next station.
I love to work. I realize it's not just me that still reaching my ultimate dream. It's not just me who's different. It's not just me that not perfect. It's not me who not brave enough. Yet, we're all still going to arrive to the next station and it's beautiful. It's so beautiful and it only needs different broad views. People who really reaching. I know what I want. My next station is not about me. It's about how to get me there. It's no longer them. It's now about how to let them away from your way. So, then that's the truth. Our next station, my next station. I'm reaching. I just have to remember. Keep remember my road track. Coming back to where I'm suppose to be. My next station.

So, then this is also my little essay as my internship report which really I had no idea the point of this report, it's like reporting my diary. This was funny, again. But, I can see my point which they're all were my assignments during my internship. Sounds like a great point.


The author had the opportunity to follow the activities of the section Protection of Indonesian Citizens, domestic worker and consular matters such as working at the front desk and serve the guests by giving a queue number, received call, replace the passport number, and describe the functionality of employment contract and KTKLN (Overseas Worker ID Card) to the employer and the maid.
During internship, the author works applying the legal theory derived from conversations that had occurred between the employer, the maid, and the author mainly related to the strength of the employment contract made by the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore, the duration of the contract, as well as usability of KTKLN. Author learned the employment contract is useful to take a maid who is being renew passport or updated passport address. Employment contract becomes valid proof issued by Indonesian Embassy for maid has an employer in Singapore. In addition, Employment contract has two versions, in Indonesian and English. Indonesian version given to the maid to be used as a license to leave home to Indonesia and return later to Singapore, as well as one of the documents required to update KTKLN in Indonesia.
Author learned KTKLN is useful for every Indonesia worker abroad and receive insurance protection by the Government of Indonesia through the agency BNP2TKI. Unfortunately, during internship, the Author get information from the maids and employers that President of the Republic of Indonesia, Mr Joko Widodo has informed KTKLN is no longer be use. In fact, this KTKLN remain valid and are transitioning into E-system changes from KTKLN card on 18 August 2016. It is important to clarify more clearly through the mass media because the employer has seen the Indonesian government is not firm in stating whether the KTKLN still valid or has been eliminated.
The author also had the opportunity to attend a session of the Criminal Cases Dewi Kusnowati in the Singapore Supreme Court, Tuesday, 31 May 2016. Dewi Kusnowati found guilty of killing her employer, Nancy Gan, on 19 March 2014. The Author attended the hearing and follow up the decision-making Dewi Kusnowati punished 18 years in prison. In Singapore law, a period Dewi Kusnowati in prison reduced one-third from period of the verdict of the judge, thus Dewi Kusnowati will be jailed for less than 12 years. The author followed the trial as one of the representatives of the Embassy of Singapore along with Mr Rizki as diplomat and staff from the Indonesian Citizen Protection Mr Husein. The Embassy accompany parents Dewi Kusnowati which also came in the trial and the legal staff of BNP2TKI, Mr Pujiono. Based on conversations with Mr Pujiono, Dewi Kusnowati came to Singapore for a week before the incident. Dewi Kusnowati was 18 years old at the time and was the illegal worker. Age Dewi Kusnowati juveniles to work and so she passed to receive the death penalty. In addition, although Dewi Kusnowati an illegal migrant workers, it is still BNP2TKI obligation to help the Dewi as migrant workers who experience problems abroad. In the view of author, the agency BNP2TKI very helpful. It relates back to the existence KTKLN which still unclear whether it should be abolished or not. Naturally, the Indonesian government should clarify again about KTKLN and benefits of the card.
Other the Author activity is to conduct interviews to employers and helpers to make the employment contract. In this interview, the author must pay attention to the documents they carried such as IC employer, the helper passport and work permit. All information of the documents are entered into the system then the author asks the salary provided by the employer to the helper. Since January 2016, the minimum salary of Indonesia workers in Singapore is SGD 550 with off day 4 days a month. Author found during some interviews many maids receive salaries below the minimum with no off day. The system will not accept if written below minimum wages, thus the author has to act as a negotiator on the interview to help the helpers receive a salary equivalent to the minimum salary or get higher. One of the problems in question by the employer is the difference of the employment contract that they get from the agency in Singapore with the employment contract issued from the Indonesian Embassy. The author here concern only only one employment contract that valid in one time. The Author should explain if the employment contract between the employer and the maid made before January 2016 that although wages below the minimum salary, the contract remains effective until the expiration of 2 years. The Author must look when the previous employment contract ends before issuing a new employment contract and calculate the appropriate salaries given to the maid consider how long the maid had been working with the employer.
The author also got experience of being a translator between the employer and the maid or the police in Singapore. Some maids run away from employers and come to the Embassy then employer comes to the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore to resolve the problem together. Author helped mediate between the employer and the maid. In the end the maid who escaped from the employer if the maid is unwilling to return to it then the Embassy will always let the maids remain and accommodate them until their problem is resolved.
The Author feels close and found family atmosphere. The author also had the opportunity to greet Mr H.E. Ngurah Swajaya as Ambassador of Republic of Indonesia in Singapore along the fast-breaking with KBRI Singapura family during Ramadhan month.

     CLOSING

The author would like to thank you to the whole family of the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore during this internship activities. The author hopes this internship can motivate the Author to face the real world of work.

and, it nailed it. Oh Lord, I'm on my way. 

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