Community day is a one-day social activity held by the intern in Panti Sosial Bina Rungu Wicara “Melati”. I worked together with other interns and the stakeholders to create the concept of the event.

This event was published in the Indonesian Ministry of Social Affairs website. See the article below.

KUNJUNGAN BAKTI SOSIAL PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS – JAKARTA

Sabtu yang cerah mengiringi keceriaan penerima manfaat Panti Sosial Bina Rungu Wicara “Melati” – Bambu Apus. Bermain penuh kebahagiaan itulah yang terlihat dan terpancar dari wajah-wajah mereka, dengan semangat mereka mengikuti semua kegiatan hari ini yang sengaja dibuat oleh anggota PricewaterhouseCoopers. Diterima langsung oleh Kepala PSBRW “Melati”, Ibu Dra. Ign. Sri Wuwuh P, M.Si, rombongan karyawan sebanyak 50 orang dari Kantor Akuntan Publik “Tanudiredja, Wibisana & Rekan” – Jakarta, melaksanakan kegiatan kunjungan bakti sosial di Panti Sosial Bina Rungu Wicara “Melati”.

Melalui Ketua Rombongan, Benny Januar Tannawi, menyampaikan dalam sambutannya “..bahwa kegiatan ini sebagai bentuk dari rasa kepedulian terhadap sesama dan merupakan bentuk syukur bagi kami dalam menjalani hidup sebagai manusia dan selain berbagai, diharapkan dari kegiatan ini adanya pengalaman baru buat para penyandang disabilitas rungu wicara khususnya di Panti Melati..”, tegasnya.Agenda kegiatan ini meliputi permainan kelompok & sharing, outbound kecil dan diakhiri makan bersama serta pemberian bingkisan bantuan yang diperuntukan untuk kebutuhan  penerima manfaat PSBRW “Melati” dan sejumlah peralatan kebutuhan asrama berupa kipas angin dan setrika yang diserahkan secara langsung oleh koordinator pelaksana kegiatan ini, Lolly Ariesta kepada Kepala PSBRW “Melati”.

“……………Terima kasih kakak-kakak, hari ini kami senang bisa bermain bersama..”. ….mungkin itulah kata hati anak-anak  PSBRW Melati terhadap tamu rombongan ketika kegiatan ini berakhir. Terima kasih pun kami sampaikan dari segenap keluarga besar Panti Sosial Bina Rungu Wicara Melati, semoga amal ibadahnya dibalas oleh Tuhan Yang Maha Esa. Amiin.”

Link to the article :

http://melati.kemsos.go.id/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=71

26 July 2015.  This was the first time I put my step in Newcastle, UK. Confused by the term ‘coach’ for the first time, I was the only Indonesian among the Chinese. Sat with a Vietnamese, who later become one of my study friends, we were talking about why we chose our degree. Yes, we were notice that this was just beginning of our life changing journey later.

I took four subjects in the first term. One of the subjects was Security Analysis. I was quite lucky I got a group consists of different nationalities: German, Belgian, Morocco, Austrian, and British, who later become my best friend. J

Tried to make some friends were never easy as it seems. I was struggling for some topics, I need a study partner who has a strong willingness to have a discussion. This was the reason I asked the British guy to solve some problems for some certain topics.

I was very struggling. I had to go to library in the morning, went home at midnight just to study those all subjects. If I didn’t understand, I opened a Google and searched for the topics that I didn’t understand. Repeated this process until I understood. If the assignment was a project or essay, I proofread many times, and tried to criticise by myself. Then, I hire a proofread service to proofread my essay again and to criticise my essay. Then I will proofread again for the last time. If you think why I overly did the proofread, that was because I didn’t like someone seeing my essay have many typos in it. Did the proofread service significantly increase the score of my essay? It didn’t. But I did believe it increased the chance to get a higher score. J

In November 2014, I passed the interview as a President of Private Equity and Venture Capital Club in Durham University. Did I apply to be a President? No. But I did have a strong motivation to join the club. That was the time when I did not carefully read the announcement as they were looking for President and Vice President but I sent my application to be a Senior Analyst. Thus, was I the only one applying for this club so in the end I was selected as a President? Perhaps yes. However, I didn’t care about that.

Still in November 2014, I was chosen to represent Durham for a study abroad program – to France. Luckily, the chosen one will automatically get a scholarship from Erasmus+. Then, I went to France from 10 June to 7 September. I met an old lady who later known as the mother of the partner of the world-famous management consultancy firm in Indonesia. Yes it was such a coincidence (read ‘Grenoble: An Unexpected Journey’).

After experiencing an exchange (I once failed to go exchange to USA), I got a chance to taste an internship in BNI London. Apart from that, I involved in a badminton community and join a competition. Luckily, London dominated all the finals and semi-finals and I reached final though I wasn’t the first winner. J

Finished internship and the badminton tournament, travelling was my next target. I failed trying to travel around Europe due to my duration of stay in my Schengen visa. Therefore, travelling around UK was an alternative choice for me. Oxford, Cambridge, Seven Sisters, Belfast and Liverpool were my destination. Other big cities – such as Machester, Edinburgh, etc – have been visited before.

5 November 2015, email came inside from the master office. It was an announcement of my dissertation result. Luckily, I have been awarded masters with Distinction. Was I happy? Of course. But the next target is to bring my parents to attend my graduation in January. For some reasons, this conggregation is very important for me – if you ask me, I prefer to postpone my job application or whatever it is than if I cannot attend my graduation.

Time goes by, two months – after I submitted my dissertation – are too short. I feel that this is the time for me to end my journey in UK after I had a great time. Another unexpected journey awaits me. Thus, Is this really the end? It depends on your point of view. I believe not. J

Benny Januar Tannawi – Durham, Grenoble and London

15 November 2015 – 16 November 2015

Inside the Etihad Airways, in the middle of a journey between London – Abu Dhabi (Seat 71H) and Abu Dhabi – Jakarta (Seat 24 D).

The picture above describe three different words which are: Faith, Trust, and Hope.

I saw this picture when I opened the recent status update in my cellphone. When seeing this picture, I asked myself whether I have those three important words in my life or not. Then I realised that I do not have any faith, trust, or hope.

Day by day, it getting worst since I want to pursue my master degree outside Indonesia. My chance to pursue the master degree shrinks. It affects my faith, trust, and hope to God, parents, friends, and others. I did not believe in anyone else than myself.

One day, my mother came to my room and she told me that she has bought some new suitcase. I asked her : “Mom, Why do you buy this suitcase? for what?”. Then, she answered : “I buy it for you. This year, you will study abroad right? At that time, you don’t need to buy it again”. I surprised with her answered because she believed that my dream will be realised soon. She always believe in me that I could reach my dream.

From her words, I realised that she have a faith in God, a trust in me, and hope in God and me.

How can I know that?

1. By the time, she bought me some suitcase although I have not been accepted in university, I realised that she put her faith in God. She believes God will answer my prayer to make it happened.

2. By the time, she said that I will study abroad this year, I realised that she put trust in me. She trust her son more than she trust others.

3. By the time she walked into my room and said about those words, she has a hope in God that something that could be happened.

“I buy it for you. This year, you will study abroad right? At that time, you don’t need to buy it again”.
Simple sentences that motivates me more than anything else to realise my big dream.

1 February 2014,

Benny Januar Tannawi