What I Share to the New Students

Campus life has stories that will tell every student, such life interesting to tell. Every student will face a new situation, new people, and new room. Especially the new condition where far away from family. 

Duta Toraya has an event every year to welcome Torajan new students. Torajan students are from all provinces in Indonesia which are studying at Duta Wacana Christian University (DWCU). They come with a different background.

I was invited by Duta Toraya to share my experience on October 29th, 2016 as a former student of Duta Wacana Christian University at the event. I was excited to see them, they were young and energic.

Meet New Friends

I introduced myself to them, my background and experiences studied at DWCU. DWCU was memorable to me. I have met friends from different ethnics and provinces, such as Batak, Dayak, and Sunda. From Kalimantan, Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, Bali, Nusa Tenggara, Maluku, Papua, to student from Timor Leste. I learned how to interact with them, everyone was unique, they had dialogue itself. I appreciated the difference, I knew how they communicate, what was their real cultures. Indonesia consists of many ethnics, languages, and thousand islands.

Scholarship 

DWCU provides scholarships for the student during the study. I share how I got scholarships at DWCU. I got two scholarships when studying, a scholarship from Bank BRI and Valbury Asia. Bank BRI paid all my studied fees in 3rd and 4th semester, not included meal cost and boarding cost. It helped me not worried with the fee.

One of the Bank BRI scholarship requirement is having more than or 3.00 GPA from the 1st-2nd semester. I studied harder to keep my GPA at 3.00 or above, praise the Lord it happened.

The only shortcoming of this scholarship was we must pay first the tuition and then Bank BRI would pay back, it meant I would tell My mom, brother, and sisters to pay the tuition. From many aspects, the scholarship is very useful.

In the 5th until 8th semester, Valbury Asia paid my tuition fee. Valbury Asia also has an office at Duta Wacana, second floor of Agape building.

Valbury Asia has a registration form, I got from a lecturer. Some of the question forms are why you need the scholarship, and what is your goal in life.

Also, I made 10 or more letters. I prepared the letters one month early. Thank you to my lecturer Agustini, because of her I got the scholarship.

Maintain Good GPA

A student asked me how did I maintain GPA 3.00. My answer was while in the class I was focus, and in the weekend, I studied three hours. Moreover, asking a friend, we studied together facing the mid or final test every semester. We taught each other, I would prefer to be taught than teaching friend. My friends were clever.

Before studying, we praying together. We spent the times until morning, from 4 PM until 3 AM.

After studying, we played a game or made jokes. Also, singing very loud. It was just amazing.

Work Part Time

I worked part time at HUMAS as reporter and editor for Koran Kampus. In the 5th semester I was a reporter, and from 6th-8th semester become reporter and editor. I enjoyed working at Koran Kampus, I had a passion for writing. I loved to interview inspiring people. Koran Kampus had one rubric about inspiring people at the campus. Koran Kampus paid me from IDR 300.000-500.000 per month.

I motivated students never give up of facing problems in their study.  Welcome to the new students from Toraja to Duta Wacana Christian University, enjoy your process, never give up.

How I Calm Down

Yesterday, in a living room, I put the carpet on stage. On the carpet, I put the laptop, Fundamentals of English Grammar book, Top No. 1 TOEFL book, and one notebook. Firstly, I learned the TOP No. 1 TOEFL book, then Fundamentals of English Grammar book.

The topic in the book was about “Singular forms of other: Another vs the other; and plural forms of other (s) vs the other (s)” Sometimes, I still get confusing of differences between them.  This Is what I have learned from the book.

What I like about the book is the picture, showing the situation.

Singular Forms of Other: Another vs. The Other

Another

Another means “one more out of a group of similar items, one in addition to the one(s)
Another is a combination of an+other, written as one word

The Other

The other means “the last one in a specific group; the only one that remains from a given number of similar items.”

Another and the other can be used as adjectives in front of a noun (e.g., apple) or in front of the word one.

Another and the other can also be used alone as pronouns.

Plural Forms of Other: Other(s) vs. The Other(s)

Other(s)

Other(s) (without the) means “several more out of a group of similar items, several in addition the the one(s).”

The adjective other (without an -s) can be used with a plural noun(e.g., apples) or with the word ones.

The Other(s)

The other(s) means “the last ones in a specific group, the remains from a given number of similar items.”

The other (without an -s) can be used as an adjective in front of a noun or the word ones.

The others (with an -s) is plural pronoun; it is not used with a noun.

There was exercise 56. Let’s read and write. The title of reading is “Calming Yourself.” After reading and writing answer questions, I wrote myself about “How I Calm Down.” I wrote it as my personal experience.

My reaction when I heard the Grandmother's Death

Yesterday, on the way to Kaliurang, Yogyakarta, the rain was coming down, it was not too heavy. Five times, I and the younger brother stopped taking shelter cause the rain sometimes stopping, then rain again. 

We went to Kaliurang to attending the gathering night (Malam Keakraban) of Duta Toraya, where I was invited as a speaker. I would give motivation for new students from Toraja.  

We were taking shelter in one place, it was warung, no one seller there. During waiting the rain was stopped, I opened facebook, on the feed I viewed one status from the family relative about saying Rest in Peace to Nenek Bua' (Nenek means Grandma). Directly, I told my younger brother, he did not believe it was our grandma, our grandma still looked healthy. 

I was thinking about grandma, was that her? I still wanted to meet her and asking for blessing prayer for me. I did not believe, but I was curious about the feed on facebook. 

On the afternoon, there was a tagged status from my cousin about the death of our grandma. It was really her. I was sad, and thinking her prayers especially for me. Next, I saw grandma photo, I saw her smiled, I was very happy to see that photo, I know she was in Heaven now. 

I salute my grandma as a strong woman, he is very amazing, I love to hear how she prayed for her children's and grandchildren. We ever lived in one home, while gathering to eat together she leading prayer. 

On July 2016, I was back home to prepare my test for an to accompany. I met her at uncle home, I visited her with the younger brother. I spoke to her many things and the best moment when she prayed for us. I love her prayer in Bahasa Toraja, not in Bahasa Indonesia. 

Thank you grandma who is in heaven now with Christ Jesus, you have given such an inspiration to me.  

Aim of this Blog

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

It has been a long time I made this blog, but I did not take seriously to write on it. Now, I start again writing in English. I have built my blog www.menginspirasi.com for 4 years, the blog is written in Bahasa Indonesia.

Today, I learn TOEFL to prepare myself taking the master scholarship in England or the USA. I have many advises to writing English. I am going to write English every day to increase my English skill.

I do not speak English every day, I am pushing myself to read books, news, and article in English every day. I am learning TOEFL book and the Fundamental of English Grammar by Azar and Hagen, I have all the three version of Azar's books. The last one is Understanding and Using English Grammar for advanced.

After making sure that I passed the Basic English Grammar. Directly learning the advanced level, I stop to learn some part of Understanding and Using English Grammar book (Advanced level), cause my foundation in the content a bit difficult for me. Now, I am learning the Intermediate level, Fundamental of English Grammar the fourth edition. I recommend this book for everyone who wants to increase their English.

Watching a movie in English is a good way to increase our English as well. I watch a movie with the English subtitle, and sometimes without subtitle. Yesterday, I watched "Lost Wilderness," I was happy that I can understand the actor's communication.

Youtube has many good videos to learn English. I often learn Engvid.com video on Youtube. Ronnie and Adam are my favorite teacher. Ronnie mixes the study with humor, I laugh about it, and I get what Adam teaching.

I communicate in English with foreigner friends and not intensive with close friends.

I wrote my mini-thesis in Bahasa Indonesia, but the journal article source mainly in English, and some articles in Bahasa. I remembered to understand the English article, for the unknown word, I translate it to Bahasa Indonesia. It is not good, the good way by translate into English-English. I already change the way to understand the new word for me by English-English translation.

Those are my journey to get a scholarship, and I am going to write in English every day on this blog.

First Posting

Hi, let me tell you my self. My full name is Patrianto Galugu. Call me Patrick. Lately, i focus to write in Bahasa Indonesia on Menginspirasi.com, my mother tongue. While do campus assignments i remember in the 3rd semester, i have been always write in English.

Vocabulary and my grammar is getting worse. If you find incorect vocabulary, just understand me. Ha...ha...
This is the reason why i need to write in English again.

I always try to motivate my self to do the right things according to the will of the Lord. I feel comfort whenever pray and act to to achieve my dream. I know, my daily life not always perfect before God, I often do things that are not true.