Time goes so fast... This may be a very appropriate sentence that I can spontaneously say now...Today is exactly one year I'm in Perth... I still remember last year, August 26th 2007, I depart from my country, Indonesia to come to Australia, my first foreign country that I visited for my study purpose... I still remember how sad I was when I have to be apart from my family and my friends in Indonesia for a quite long time (a couple of years)... But I also thank GOD for this great occasion, that I can got this PhD scholarship for my study at Chemical Engineering Department, Curtin University of Technology...
I still remember, at about 6am last year, I woke up from my sleep (in my uncle's house in Cibubur, West Java) and went to the bathroom to take a bath... And at about 7am, I went to Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Jakarta with my mother (my father and my sister only deliver me until Juanda Airport, Surabaya), my uncles, my aunt, my grandmother and three of my cousins... At about 8.30am, I arrived at Soekarno-Hatta Airport and I went to the receptionist of Garuda Indonesia Airlines to change my ticket with the boarding pass... I also remember that my baggage was about 7 kg overweight and I had to pay more for the baggage... And after I finished doing all of my stuffs, I said goodbye with everyone who delivered me to the airport... Honestly, I felt very sad, especially because I have to be apart with my mom for a long time, because I'm very close to her... I walked to the plane and took a seat there... I was thinking, trying to remember all my memories in Indonesia and I felt sad by doing that...
After about 4 hours in the plane, I arrived Perth... That was my first time going to foreign country... I was so surprised because I was told that the temperature in Perth is 15 C at that time... So cold... I've never been in a cold place like this... After I went down from the plane, I went to the immigration and they checked my visa... That was my first time talked with foreign person in their country... And then I went to the exit gate and Ko Iwan (my lecturer in Widya Mandala) had been there to pick me up... I went to his car and had a talk with him all the way to his unit... So nice to talk with him, since I didn't talk with him for a quite long time... After arrived at Ko Iwan's unit, I put all my stuffs and went to Ten Ten to have dinner with Ko Iwan and his family (Ce Nancy, Kenzo and Keiko) and also Ko Johan and Ce Fonny (Ko Iwan's neighbor)... After having dinner, we went home and had a rest... That was my first day at Perth, which is exactly one year ago...
I had a meeting with my supervisor first on the day after I arrived here (August 27th 2007) and then I always have a meeting with him once a week on Monday at 10am... I always read journal papers and also make a summary of what I've read... I studied and studied at the University and went home... I could not do a lot of things, except eating, drinking, taking a bath, watching TV, browsing with internet and some others daily activities... All shops are closed at about 5pm everyday (except Thursday at suburbs and Friday at the city)... And also I still have a little friends here, that was only less than ten (Edward, Mira, Carissa, Ko Iwan and family, Ko Johan and Ce Fonny)... Day by day I passed away... What I felt at my first time here is lonely... That was because I have so many friends in Surabaya... I often met a lot of people in my working area (Widya Mandala Catholic University and School of Science) and also went out with my friends in the evening or in the weekend, and also with my family as well...
One day, I had a chat with Benny, my friend in Chemical Engineering Widya Mandala University... He asked me whether I was fine here or not... And I answered that I was fine, but one thing that I really really need is friends... Thank GOD, Benny told that he has a friend, named Teddy, who lived here... Actually, I've ever heard that Benny has a friend, named Teddy before... The story was like this... In the end of July 2007, Benny had an accident that he crashed a 7 years boy and the boy was passed away 30 minutes after the accident happened... Benny was arrested by the police and he stayed at the police station and in the prison for a couple of days... It needed a lot of money to make him free from the prisoner... One of Benny's friend, that was Teddy, gave some donation for Benny through me... By this, Teddy knew that I am Benny's friend and I knew that Teddy is Benny's friend... That's the story how I knew Teddy... Anyway, after I had a chat with Benny and he gave me Teddy's mobile number, I sent Teddy a message to introduce myself... In my talks by mobile messaging with Teddy, he asked me to come to cell group on Saturday, October 6th 2007 and I came to the cell... I still remember, my first cell was at Meidy's house, and there was 7 people come in that cell (Me, Teddy, Victor, Anton, Meidy, Beverly and Cindy)... I was really enjoy to be able to come to the cell... Sometimes I thought, why I had a willing to come to the cell... In Surabaya, sometimes I came to HSM's night pray at WTC, but I didn't have a willing to go to the cell... Yeah, maybe this was GOD's way to make me get closer to HIM by making me feel lonely and HE offered some friends in a community, not just friends... Since that day, I joined TOM (Turrist Orationist Ministry), an Indonesian youth catholic charismatic community at Perth...They're so amazing and I Now is about 10 months I've joined
TOM... Many things that I've got and many things that I've learned from everyone here... Many activities that I've joined, such as cell every week, PD every two weeks, retreat on March, 14th-16th 2008, Celebrate Love and Life and Kekayaan Katolik Seminar and also some outings with my friends here... I also have done some ministries here, such as becoming a singer and worship leader in PD and in the seminar, becoming prayer ministry and some others... I really thank GOD because HE let me did all of this... I also have a great family here now, that's my cell friends (Aloy, Anton, Beverly, Cynthia, Dhedy, Irvan, Meidy, Teddy, Victor and Yohan)... They are nice and very friendly... Thank GOD I can meet all of them in the intersection of my lifetime... I'm very glad that we always pass day by day together to grow in HIM together... I also thank GOD that HE gave me two brothers here, Bryan and Kevin... Bryan and Kevin always give me a good example how to love their family and also their cell and also give me a lot of support in every problems that I face in my life here... I also thank GOD to be able to meet Ferdie and Kodrat as the 
speaker in TOM retreat 2008 and also Ko Riko and Ce Lia as the speaker in Celebrate Love and Live and Kekayaan Katolik Seminar... I really can learn a lot from them... And I also really grateful and thankful that I could meet everyone at TOM, everyone in my studying area (my research groups, including my supervisor) and the others here which I cannot mention one by one... Thank you very much all... Thank GOD...I also really thank GOD that HE always give me strength when I am weak and HE always rise me up when I fall... I have many things to be struggled in my study... It's very difficult to directly continue a PhD study from a bachelor study... But thank GOD, I can learn a lot from my study here... I can join some trainings, courses, do a lot of experiments (even those make me very tired) and can have a discussion with a lot of great people, in my research groups and also outside my research groups...
I really feel GOD's presence since I arrived at Perth one year ago until now... I really feel that it was not an accident that I can arrive here, to study, to serve HIM and to meet a really great people here... I've felt that HE always give the best for us in HIS way... It's written in Romans 11:33, "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of GOD! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out"... Sometimes we think the reasons of why something happened in our life... Something or maybe almost all things are unthinkable with humans' way of thinking... Our ways of thinking are totally different from GOD's way... But, the most important is that GOD has the best plan for anything happened in our life... It's written in Ecclesiastes 3:11, "HE has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what GOD has done from beginning to end"...
For everyone who read this blog, I want to encourage to you all to believe in GOD always... Just put all yourself, your works, your study, your problems, your ministry, your family, your future and everything yours in GOD's hand... Believe that HE will give all the best, not the second best, to you... HE never leaves you in your difficulties, but HE will always give the answers of every single problem that you have in your life... Remember one thing, everyone has ever, may or will make you disappointed, but HE never...
Thank you, GOD... Thank you everyone who always give me your supports for my study and also for my ministry here... May GOD bless us all abundantly always...
To GOD: GOD, I'm still waiting for your answers... I hope you can give it to me soon... :) Thank you, GOD... :)
