Musings: Summer Epiphany

So I guess it's been a while since I've updated my blog (although I doubt anyone took notice and I'm probably talking to myself right now but to that one or two possible reader/s, hey there!)

I haven't been writing as much because I've been pre-occupied with a few things and right now I'm trying to come in terms with staying at a pretty empty Doha for a whole month. It's not so bad since it's Ramadan and during Ramadan, all I really want to do during the day is stay at home and vegetate 'til Iftar anyway.

(Also to those of you celebrating the Holy Month of Ramadan, Ramadan Kareem!)

Anyway, today's post was inspired by an article I happen to read on a friend's Facebook profile. It's titled "Frenzy for foreign title misses local talent" and was posted on Shanghai Daily. Basically, the article explains how there are several cases in China in which people with notable positions in their career field forged their higher education diplomas into a 'western' institution diploma in order to make themselves more 'qualified.' 

While I was reading that, I felt a slight pity to those people who are naturally brilliant who feels the need to camouflage themselves behind a 'western' name in order to be recognized. It's even more sad that in regions like China and similar Asian regions (speaking from personal experience), there is evidently a 'favoritism' towards those who has more of a foreign or western touch. I remember watching an Indonesian news segment a long time ago on the country's pilots and they revealed that foreign pilots working for a local airline are generally paid so much more than the local pilots, with the same position working for the same airline.

With that said, I'll admit, I used to have a foreign bias. This bias was sadly from my lack of knowledge for my own region. Patriotism was never a big thing for me on account that I spent more than half of my life growing up outside Indonesia. And when a lot of things I read on the news was about all the corruption that occurs in the region, it's pretty hard for me to grow some pride for the country and I came to a conclusion that if I earn a foreign education and work outside Indonesia, I'll have more opportunities coming my way. In some ways it's true because by getting an international qualification, my options are not limited to just Indonesia.

But here's something a conclusion I came to eventually: don't view an evidently 'better' opportunity as a chance to dismiss other options that you can take because the end results can be the same. Those 'other' options are just paths less traveled.

This summer, I get to visit Indonesia completely on my own. Going on my own meant having my own plans and no family events that I have to indulge myself in. So for the first time ever I really traveled around Jakarta and Bandung with people and really get the feel of living as an 'Indonesian' instead of a 'visitor.' For the first time, I took the commuter train and the busway. I get to feel how it is to be a citizen there all the time and how tiring it is to get from one place to one another because of the heavy traffic. I went to regions I haven't been to. I traveled. And despite the difficulty of getting to places, I loved every moment of it. Because it was more than sight-seeing for me. It was a chance to be able to get in touch with Indonesia and see for myself that there are so many things to love about the country behind the corruptions and whatnot. Patriotism: Revived.

This year I also visited a couple of the national universities and I came to a conclusion that the people who studies there are no less qualified and capable than those with international qualifications. By visiting these institutions, I saw for myself how loaded with talents the youth of Indonesia are. I never doubted that they are, but this year, their extent of talent amazes me. And just because they don't have an international qualification doesn't mean they are less competent than those with one. It comes to how the person handles his or herself. I, now,  also find myself thinking how pretty proud I would be of myself if I got accepted into one of the top national universities because it's a tough fight amongst the youth of Indonesia and if I got in then I know I got what it takes. I admire my friends who studied outside Indonesia and got accepted in one of the best universities of the region. (Congratulations guys, make the country proud!)

So from my summer experience, I have a new level of appreciation towards the locals of Indonesia and the culture of Indonesia. And some of the people are really capable of a lot without a 'foreign' education. I'm not saying one doesn't need to study anything from a foreign region, it really doesn't hurt to broaden one's horizon. But segregating and automatically labelling a person as 'better' because they've scratched the tip of another iceberg different from theirs is highly superficial. A person should be judged professionally from what they can do, what experiences they've collected in their lifetimes and their personal progress achievements rather than a name and a place. It's tough, but it's fair. Just because it's not 'western' doesn't mean it's not golden.