CCIP: Selected Candidates

Pukul  5.03 pm aku baru saja terbangun dari tidur soreku. Terbangun dengan missedcall yang berasala dari salah satu nominees CCIP 2011, Ko’ Andreas. Dengan mata yang masih setengah terbuka 
aku lalu mengirimkan SMS

“Ko’ ada apa?”

Beberapa menit kemudian Ko’ Andreas membalasnya

“Mbak, coba cek emailnya karena beberapa teman2 dah dapet email dari AMINEF. Tapi aku belum.”

Dengan mata setengah terbelalak setelah membaca SMS dari Ko’ Andeas,  aku langsung membuka applikasi Gmail yang terdapat di handphonku.

“Oh my God.. I got 3 new emails”

And there it was...

April 20, 2011

Ms. Nurdahlia Lataima

Jl. Ahmad Yani , Kos No. 3, Dondo

Kecamatan Ampana Kota,

Kab. Tojo Una-Una, Sulawesi Tengah

Dear Ms. Lataima,

Congratulations!  I am extremely pleased to inform you that you have been officially nominated to the selection panel in the U.S. to participate in the Community College Initiative Program in the United States commencing with the Fall 2011 academic term.  The program is for one academic year in duration and non‑renewable.  Your final selection, however, is contingent upon the decision of the selection panel and the successful placement at a community college most appropriate for you.  In the meantime, please confirm with me and Ms. Nurise Widjaya at   . .  . . right away that you intend to participate in the program should you be selected.

In the meantime, you are required to immediately submit a copy of your passport datapage on  April 29 at the latest.  It would be advisable that you begin collating the required documents to apply for a passport.  We will reimburse you for the cost to get a new passport, if you previously do not have one.  You should provide me with the payment receipts with maximum payment of Rp. 255,000 based on the goverment regulation for the official passport fee.

In addition, you and your medical doctor must complete the attached Medical Evaluation form.  Any cost related to the medical check-up based on the form attached will be reimbursed by AMINEF.  You need to send me the original receipt and the completed form when available as soon as possible.  Your participation will also depend on the results of the medical check up. Please consult with Ms. Nurise Widjaya  before you complete the medical check-up. Details regarding the medical check-up including hospital preferences and deadline will be informed soon.

It is possible-but not guaranteed that you may also be selected for special pre-academic training in the US prior to the start of your program. Therefore, if you are finally selected, it is very important to respond quickly to our requests for information, medical forms etc, since you might have to leave 12 weeks earlier than anticipated. We will advise you as soon as we know if this will be the case.

You are also invited to participate at a Fulbright Pre-Departure Orientation (PDO) that will be organized between May 12 and 15, 2011.  The place and more detailed information on this meeting will be provided later on.  Please let us know that you would be able to come to the PDO.  Hotel accommodations and meals will be provided to all participants.  Grantees who have to travel to the venue will be provided with travel which will be arranged by AMINEF.  Please don’t purchase the tickets on your own.  Detailed information on the program arrangement will be sent to you later this month after you confirm your participation in the PDO.

AMINEF staff will also advise you of the administrative details of your program in the coming few months prior to your departure.

Please accept my personal congratulations for your selection as the group of nominated candidates representing the Republic of Indonesia in the Community College Initiative Program. On behalf of the Board of the American Indonesian Exchange Foundation, my fondest best wishes.

Sincerely,

Michael E. McCoy

Executive Director

email yang selama ini telah ku tunggu-tunggu selama kurang lebih 3 bulan akhirnya datang juga.

Masih dengan rasa kurang percaya, aku kembali membaca email tersebut sebanyak 4 kali.

“Ya Ampun, it’s reall. I am not dreaming. I really am gonna go back to the STATES. Alhamdulillah Ya Allah.. thanks for giving me this chance” Ujarku setengah percaya.

Tanpa terasa airmataku mengalir. Aku menangis. Menangis bahagia karena Allah memberikanku kesempatan yang kedua kalinya untuk kembali ke Amerika.  Kembali untuk belajar di Negara yang menjadi mimpi dan dambaan hampir semua orang.

Aku bangun dan melakukan sujud syukur karena telah diberikan kesempatan untuk belajar ke Amerika. Dalam sujud syukurku, aku kembali meneteskan airmata bahagia.

Ingin rasanya aku berbagi kebahagiaan ini dengan orangtuaku. Tapi sayang, mereka berada di desa terpencil, desa tempat ibuku mengabdikan diri untuk negara tercinta ini. All I can do is forwarding the email to Najo who is stil asleep because it is 4.30 AM in Buffalo.  

Aku lalu kembali mengirimkan SMS ke Ko’Andreas.

“YAY! Ko’ aku juga dapet email dari AMINEF. Alhamdulillah... trimakasih ya Ko’ atas infonyaa tadi. Ko’ gimana dah dapet email belum? Kalau belum yang sabar ya?! Skarang kan baru jam 4. 20 di Jakarta. AMINEF kan harus mengirimkan emailnya ke 56 Candidates, jadi munkin butuh waktu...”

Aku mencoba menghibur Ko’ Andreas lewat SMS karena ku yakin, dia pasti sedang berada didepan Komputernya dengan perasaan H2C. Aku berharap dan berdoa semoga dia juga mendapatkan email yang sama.

Setelah beberapa menit, dia membalas SMSku.

“Aku juga dapet mbak, barusan... hehehe”

Dengan rasa gembira yang tak terbendungkan aku langsung berteriak sebagai ekspresi kebahagiaanku.

“YAAAAAAAYYYY!”

Saking senangnya aku lupa kalau aku memiliki tetangga yang mungkin sedikit terganggu denan teriakanku :D aku juga lupa memberikan ucapan selamat untuk Ko’ Andreas. All I do was smiling and I even talked to myself like I was going crazy :D.

Beberapa menit setelah membaca Email tersebut, aku langsung mengunjungi page CCIP 2011 yang sengaja kubuat untuk dapat berkomunikasi dengan seluruh CCIPers 2011 (berdasarkan saran dari Ko’ Andreas :D).

Aku kemudian memposting di page tersebut.

“Fellas, Please check your email. AMINEF already sent it.”

Ketika aku mengetikan kalimat tersebut, jariku masih terasa sedikit gemetar. Gemetar karena bahagia atas hasil yang telah ku dapatkan dari kerja kerasku selama ini. Alhamdulillah.

Beberapa menit setelah aku memposting di CCIP page, ada beberapa teman yang memberikan komen dan mengatakan bahwa mereka belum mendapatkan email dari AMINEF. Aku kemudian membalas komen mereka dan memberikan mereka harapan bahwa email tersebut juga akan segera tiba di Inbox mereka. Aku yakin semua Nominees CCIP 2011 akan berangkat ke US nantinya. Insya Allah.

Dan Alhamdulillah keyakinanku bahwa semua Nominees CCIP 2011 akan berangkat itu terbukti. Tepat jam 7 PM hampir semua Nominees CCIP 2011 memposting di page CCIP dan mengabarkan bahwa mereka telah mendapatkan email dari AMINEF. Semua teman-teman candidates (not nominees anymore LOL :D) CCIP 2011 mengungkapkan rasa bahagia mereka.

Dengan rasa bahagia yang tiada hentinya, aku selalu tersenyum melewati malam yang begitu indah. Setiap menit bahkan detik, aku selalu tersenyum memandang handphoneku. Perasaan bahagia ini takkan pernah sirna. And I am quiet sure that I won’t sleep tonight before 3 AM because of too much happy ( I couldn’t sleep early whenever I got good news. I would sleep around 3 or 4 AM LOL :D).

I guess Najo is always right. Whatever we do, just be patient, Insya Allah we will get a good fruit. And today it’s proven. We got a good fruit from our waiting. Good fruit from Allah and from AMINEF.

And this is just the begining for our journey to the USA.

Terimakasih AMINEF telah memberikan kesempatan ini buat aku dan seluruh candidates lainnya.

Now it’s our time to show the world that we can get whatever we want because nothing is impossible. And God will be always there for you.

DREAM, BELIEVE and MAKE IT HAPPEN (Agnes Monica)

We dreamt, We believed and now We just Made it.

Terimakasih keluargaku, dan teman-temanku yang telah mendoakanku untuk kesusksesan ini . . 


Terimakasih ya Allah atas Rahmad yang Engkau berikan kemarin, hari ini dan besok. . . .

PS

For you guys, Keep dreaming and dream BIG as long as you can because God will always  be with you to reach your dream.  Everything is possible for those who wanna believe in their dreams.