List of Prayer Rooms in Seoul, South Korea!

This post will be updated every time I get new information!! :) If you find any mistakes or have some recommendations, feel free to leave a comment! Also, if you have visited one of those places and have suggestions, feel free to comment and tell us your experience ^^

1. Seoul Central Mosque, Itaewon (Exit 4)

The Seoul Central Mosque was established to be a place to worship for Muslims in Korea as well as to educate the larger public about Islam and Islamic cultures. The first floor of the mosque houses the Korea Muslim Federation office and a meeting room. On the second floor is the men’s musalla (prayer hall), and on the third floor is the women’s musalla (prayer hall). The mosque is open to worshippers and visitors.

Address: 

04405 39 Usadan-ro 10-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul 

How to get there?

Take a subway to Itaewon station (subway line 6, the brown line), go to Exit 3, go straight until you reach an intersection and kebab and Turkish ice cream shop, turn right and keep walking until you see Foreign Food Mart, keep walking until you see another intersection, then turn left and walk across the street... keep walking until you see Makan Halal Restaurant or a Turkish bakery store. You'll see the mosque sign or kindly ask people around you.

For more information:

http://english.visitseoul.net/attractions/Seoul-Central-Mosque_/4864

One of the best nights in Ramadan with Interracial Family

O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted. (Qur'an Al Hujurat 49:13)

---May 20th, 2019; 03.56 pm, raining---

One-third of Ramadan has passed; today is already the 15th day as I am writing this post, it means we only have two weeks left before the month of Shawal. I just had a suhoor a few minutes ago and stopped eating as Fajr prayer started around 03.32 a.m. I didn't eat that much this time, I just had some cashew nuts baklava that I bought from Itaewon earlier today and a few sips of water. I am still feeling very full after eating iftar at my friend's house. My friend is a Korean-Muslim who converted to Islam from Christianity about two years ago, she called herself a 'baby Muslim' because it's only her second Ramadan experience. We met last year in Busan Al-Fatah Mosque, now that I moved to Seoul she invited me to have an iftar in her house. 

Eonni: Sister assalamu alaykum, can you come this evening for iftar today?^^ Because we want to have iftar together in our house today~~>,<
Me: Wa'alaykumsalam~ InshaAllah I can come...
Eonni: ... Today we have two Muslim university students coming and I remember you~>,<

I went to Itaewon wearing a long black dress, light blue jeans jacket, and a dusty pink pashmina after changing the colour of my hijab a few times. It was raining the whole day so I brought an umbrella (my roommate's because I couldn't find mine until now) and walked pretty slowly because it was slippery. I arrived at 6.40 p.m and met my friend from Egypt, Amira, who came along the way from Ansan to Seoul only to break her fast and spend Ramadan vibes together. I was shocked when I saw her also wearing a black dress and light pink hijab, I was laughing so hard as it was unintended and coincidental. Then we went together from Itaewon station exit 3 to buy some cookies and snacks from a halal Kervan Turkish bakery, we bought some baklava and some other Turkish snacks that I don't know what the names are for gifts since they must have prepared a lot of foods (tHEY REALLY DID I AM STILL IN FOOD COMA)

It was narrated that Zayd ibn Khaalid al-Juhani said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever gives iftaar to one who is fasting will have a reward like his, without that detracting from the reward of the fasting person in the slightest.” 

We arrived at her house around 7.15 p.m after walking for 20 minutes only to find out that another friend of us wearing the same black dress and pink hijab! HHAHAH it was so funny (and embarrassing) because now we looked like a group of choir lolllll. She, my eonni, didn't know that we knew each other before but we came wearing the same dress code although it wasn't planned at all. In the table, three of her kids were eating while she was holding her fourth baby, they were all so cute and I love babies :p Anyway, there were also two more guys sitting in the dining room, one of them is her husband and the other one is a university student like us. My eonni is Korean and she married an Algerian, they really are a beautiful family! So now we have Egyptians, Koreans, Algerians, and me, the only Indonesian there.

My friend's husband or I refer him as samchon 삼촌, which means uncle in Korean, started to introduce himself and talked about Islam and the Muslim community in Korea, sharing and giving, and encourage us to build a strong community. He also talked about how he met his wife and discussed Islam further with love and compassion as we waited for the adhan Maghrib to break our fast.

Suddenly uncle said, "...there are two things that are the happiest for a Muslim while fasting..."
and I continued the verse, "...it is when he breaks his fast and when he meets his Lord"
He smiled, "You're right, thank you."
"MashaAllah, may Allah give you barakah."

The Prophet (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said, “He who fasts has two joys: a joy when he breaks his fast and a joy when he meets his Lord."

We broke our fast at 7.40 p.m with Algerian dates (kurma), it was big and soft but less sweet compared with other types of dates. It's my first time to eat it and I love it! I always love dates tho. For starter, they served us Harira soup which has a lot of herbs, something-very-signature-from-Algeria that I forgot the name-ugh sorry, and tomato juice. Anyway, that something-very-signature-from-Algeria is like small thin pebbles made from dough. The old women or mothers in Algeria (or his family) always saying dhikrullah or adhkar while shaping every single thing so we believe there's so much barakah in it. Insha'Allah. After that, we prayed Maghrib prayer together in jama'ah (congregational prayer) before continuing the talk and eating. 

Alhamdulillah. We finished Maghrib prayer and started eating dinner together, they have prepared so much that whenever we finished one dish, they will give us more! I am so grateful, alhamdulillah, may Allah give them abundant blessings, barakah, and hidayah throughout their entire lives. Aameen. They have such a beautiful family with knowledge, sincerity, compassion, and love. We couldn't stop talking as we engaged ourselves with lively and deep conversations. One of the guy from Algeria is also in the same major as I am, International Studies—just different university although it is just 15 minutes from mine—so we found ourselves talked about the world's politics, Islam, economics, issues facing our ummah today, until the Rothschild family, the nature of both genders in science and Islamic perspectives to polygamy even hahahahahhah.

It was so beautiful and engaging because whenever we talked about certain topics we never forget to relate it with Qur'an and Hadith of Prophet Muhammad SAW, laa hawla wa laa quwwata ilaa billah. I always love it so much talking about deeper things rather than shallow ones with people who share the same values as I am, although sometimes we might have different opinions we will go back to Qur'an and learn to understand it in the perspective of Islam. We don't need to backbite or disrespect other people to have a wonderful conversation and create deeper bonds with each other. I respect them a lot.

Once again,  I am so grateful that Allah blessed me with beautiful and warm people that I can rely on like a family; I love how they treated me like their own children, and they told to me that "we are one family." as we exchanged prayer for each other. I am so grateful that Allah put me in a situation to be around the righteous people who love knowledge; to learn the meaning love beyond the mediocre and shallow understanding; to get to know each other despite our differences and backgrounds. And in the end, I've always believed and convinced that Islam unites us together only if we allow ourselves to take heed and reflection of the verses of Allah and the saying of Prophet Muhammad with sincerity and pure intentions. May Allah protect us.

So, how is your Ramadan so far? Let's strive to build a relationship with Qur'an even if it's as small as reading on ayah/verse or listening to the recitation every day.

Have a blessed Ramadan!
May Allah accepts our good deeds and burns our past sins. Aameen.

Love,

Aurora

Glossary

Iftar (or Fatoor) (Arabic: إفطار‎ ʾifṭār 'breakfast') is the evening meal with which Muslims end their daily Ramadan fast at sunset.

Adhkar/dhikrullah (also spelled Zikrullah) (Arabic: ذكر الله ) is an Arabic given name built on the words Dhikr and Allah, meaning Remembrance of Allah.
Hidayah is an Arabic word meaning "guidance". According to Islamic belief, guidance has been provided by Allah to humans primarily in the form of the Qur' an.
Salat al-jama'ah (Congregational Prayer) or prayer in congregation (jama'ah) is considered to have more social and spiritual benefit than praying by oneself.

First Week at Korea University & Teaching Kids

First Week at Korea University - Course Registration and Journaling

Last Monday, May 4th 2019, I started my first week as a freshman at Korea University. I did course registration (수강신청) for the first time before college starts (개강) and took 18 credits with 2 core-general education in "Introduction to Economics" and "Introduction to Political Science". Those two classes are the very basic thing that I would need for the next 4 years before taking some major classes which would need pre-requisites or general idea about the courses. I changed my schedule during the add/drop period due to some reasons and consideration, the rest of the classes are English classes to improve my academic English skill in general, reading, writing, debating, and so on. My courses are all in English!! ye-hey, happy. Bye, Korean. Oh, and before anyone asking again, I am majoring in International Studies. Yep, International Studies, not International Relations. I will write a post about it as soon as I understand clearly the difference between both of them, Insha Allah.

I have been trying to start journaling again for the past few days, I just bought my stationeries last week and decided that this year's theme will be all in black! I also re-write and re-consider my future goals and make it aligned with my timetable right now. I don't know what will happen in the next few months, my first semester in KU, but I wish I will remain steadfast and firm in my faith or even goes deeper than I used to have. I pray that whatever I will face in the future: pain, rejection, blessing, dynamic, etc, will always have barakah in it. I don't know what will happen in the next four months, or four years even, but I wish my future-self will contemplate on the posts that I've written from the past few years in this book or in my journals, thus, I will remember why I started.

I have been writing a blog since I was 12 years old and that's the time where I started to plan out my whole life. I make a plan, Allah plans, but Allah is the best of a planner. But as a Muslim, we are not ought to just let everything happen and wait. We are taught to do our part with hard-work and the rest we leave it to Allah. Having tawakkal in Allah doesn't mean we don't plan out things, having tawakkal in Allah means "we do our part first and let Allah do the rest". From the past few weeks, I am trying to change my eating and lifestyle by building a habit of "eat more vegetables and fruits"! Cooking recipe videos are one of my jam now yayyyy (I am not a pro but at least I am trying! hehe). There are still some habits that I have to change including zero procrastination, read more books, seek knowledge, drink more water, and stop-clicking-the-snooze-button!! I am trying to fix and change myself to be better because after all, it is for my own good. Alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah for Islam.

My First Time Teaching Kids (in Korean!)
Hmm, what else..? Oh! This Saturday was my first time teaching Indonesian or mix-married Korean kids, I was paired with three kids today (around 4-6 years old): Ali, Hakim, and Iram. Three of them can't speak Korean, well, one knows and understands but doesn't want to use it. It was such a challenge for me because I am so bad at speaking but yeah I tried. Ali keeps saying, "I don't know Indonesian." and ran away from the table. I have met Iram before when I was still in Busan, she kinda forgot me at first but after I showed her the selfies that we used to take she started to hold my hands, jumps here and there, pull me to the right or left, run around the room, and never tried to let go of it! Awe. She likes studying and always repeat her Qur'an memorization even when it's not the time for memorizing. Also, her story-telling skill is amazing, perhaps better than I do.

The other two boys are siblings but they look like a twin because of how much they resemble each other! Similar heights even. Ali is older than his peers but still too young to be included in the "big class", he is still kiddo after all. However, he is maturer than the kids on his age and tends to take care of those younger than him. He is shy and likes to lower his voice when reading Iqra' or repeating the surah he has memorized. I don't know if he was not confident or just bored. Hakim, on the other hand, is less shy than his brother but his focus often distorted with toys and snacks. Both of them are quiet but likes drawing, I was surprised when I saw Ali's drawing. He drew so well that I can tell what he is drawing (some kids' drawings are so abstract I don't even know what that is.). Ali is my favourite hihi!

However, three of them did well and actually knows the Arabic alphabets they have memorized before. Just bored and lazy I think, typical kids. Because as soon as we played hand-plushies, they started to tell me stories about animals (in Korean of course) and did some role-plays where I have to act like I am hurt or give special reaction whenever they push the plushies to me, like you know, attacking. Hahahah, funny thing, they don't know the names of animals in Bahasa Indonesia except one thing, bebek, and they'll start laughing endlessly. May Allah bless these kids, aamiin ya rabbal alamin.

The Beginning of A Journey

Korean Language Training graduation day - January, 2019

This is just the beginning...

Almost 3 months passed since I wrote anything in this blog, I have promised you 

to write articles on the topic that you guys requested but I haven't had the chance and time to write, 

I am sorry, I will try my best. If... possible. InshaAllah. Hehe. 

This post will mark the beginning of my study journey in South Korea. By January 18th I've officially finished my Korean Language Training Program at Silla University. Yes, I've graduated! Alhamdulillah. But this is not the end, at all. Instead, this is the beginning of the real journey. Soon enough I will start my undergraduate studies on Spring Semester at Korea University, Seoul. I will leave Busan (that has become my second hometown now I guess!) and move to Seoul by mid-February InshaAllah.

A lot of things happened in 2018, the good and the bad. I am feeling so grateful that I have met wonderful and amazing GKS (Global Korea Scholarship) friends at Silla University: 36 people from 32 different countries. We came from various cultures and backgrounds, we may not always like each other and have the same opinions about everything but we learned how to respect and appreciate each other's cultures and values despite our differences. They are all amazing people, I learned about their pasts and the journeys that they have been through but managed to survive until they became the person they are today. We all have strengths and weaknesses, we may not be perfect but that's what differentiates us from one another. And I am feeling so happy that I got the chance to learn about their lives, personal values, and way of thinking.

When I look back at my life again I realize how lucky and blessed I am because of this opportunity. I really am grateful and InshaAllah will not regret my decision of coming to Korea despite the challenges that I have to face in order to survive. Life in Korea may not be easy, but this is where I learn how to be responsible and get out of my comfort zone in order to grow. Oh, and I am 20 now, it might be young for some people and old for some other people. But for me, I've always reminded myself that "If today is your last day, then you are old already.", so don't wait until you're old because old age is not promised. The present is the only thing that we have right now, so make sure that we don't waste it! #selfreminder :)

Sail, Shore, and Ocean

Yeongdo-daegyo, Busan, South Korea

Thursday on the beginning of October was a well-spent night under the columns of light in South Korea. The weather was cold and stinging but Autumn is still yet to come. You told me that the sailing was delayed due to this dangerous weather, I remembered how excited you were about the idea of coming back home for a few days. And that time you asked me one more time if we could meet to spend some time around before typhoon hits Busan, or before your months worth of sailing. 

Winds and waves,
Shore and ocean,
Buildings and bridges,

All that above remind me of how you talked about your agony and hardship that you have been through all these years. About the pain that you bury inside your heart over and over again by trying to let it pass one more time. About your fear of future and your own definition of happiness. Three hours of conversation passed by like a warm breeze in a tranquil restaurant near the city lights. “You know what? There are two reasons that make me happy today, guess!” you exclaimed in, carving a big smile.

“Ummm. I think I know,” I said, “First, because you got day-offs from sailing before you get a further announcement about the typhoon effect. Second... because you can eat raw fish today?” Moving my eyebrows as I pointed out at the plate of salmon and tuna in front of us, grabbed another salmon and dipped in the salted-oil sauce. 

You told me before, it has been a long time since you ate raw fish. But suddenly you laughed hard as if you have been given all the freedom you can have in this world. “The first thing is correct,” you smiled once again, letting out a sigh so freely as if all the burden on your shoulder has been swept away. “The second is because I got to talk with you about everything today. Thank you, I am very happy today.” 

And suddenly my heart is at ease,

at least I know how it felt like,

to be able to bring someone’s smile back,

even just for a while.

Then you took me for a walk to a beautiful scene that I have never seen before, well I might have seen it but not this way. Not on this rainy day. I have never walked to the shore on a rainy day, on typhoon weather. No, not at all, not once in my life.

“I am afraid of the sea; the depth of the ocean. It’s scary.” I said and you laughed.

“There's nothing to be afraid of."

"Well, I can't swim!" you laughed again, now mocking me.

"I can swim." so what? It doesn't help me either way. Sea is scary. No further interruption. "I love the sound of the sea, it’s relaxing. I used to go here to swim when I was a kid," you stopped and pointed afar, "Do you see the green and red lights near the lighthouse?” I nodded, “that’s the navigation for ships. Look at those ships there.” 

You kept on pointing your finger like a 6 year-old-kid to all the objects that you can name one by one across the bridge enthusiastically, explained it passionately as if your life is revolved around them, although it's true. Your life is revolved around them. 

Now I have seen the sea when it’s stormy and wild; or when suddenly it’s quiet and serene. I have listened to the sound of waves crashing the rocks across the lane that we walked in along the shore. I have felt the difference in the vivid lights of skyscrapers and the raging waves that were separated by the bridge. I have noticed how the green and red lights were meant to be something important to the world that you live in. 

But the bottom line is that I can't see the ocean the way it used to be, for I realized that everything has turned into something meaningful and beautiful. At least not in my life, but maybe somebody else's life.

And maybe, too, this world is the only place 
where I get the chance to learn about people from a wider perspective 
and be less judgemental about other people's life.

***
p.s:
This one is non-fiction based on my experience with my friend, thank you for teaching me a lot of lesson without you even realized. I hope you are doing well there in the ocean!

[Link Download] KGSP-Undergraduate 2019!

Announcement!

Guidelines KGSP 2019 for Undergraduate Studies (via Embassy, University Track, and Associate Degree) has been released.
For guidelines and more information click:

KEDUBES KOREA
http://overseas.mofa.go.kr/id-id/brd/m_2707/view.do?seq=761327&srchFr=&srchTo=&srchWord=&srchTp=&multi_itm_seq=0&itm_seq_1=0&itm_seq_2=0&company_cd=&company_nm=&page=1

NIIED
studyinkorea.go.kr

Please read the guidelines and available informations first before asking!
KGSP Grantee’s blogs link are available on the sidebar of this blog as well.
Best of luck!!

Summer Vacation: Busan and Jeju with my Aunt and Cousin!

By the time we ate it, we just stare at each other in silence.... “omg.” “omg.” “wait. OMG hoW COME THIS IS SO GOOD” “like sushi!!!!” “Omg. What is this taste.” “I don’t know but it’s just amazing" 

My summer vacation started on 20th July 2018, I spent a few days traveling around Busan and hanging out with my friends. On Wednesday, 26th July 2018, my cousin and aunt happened to visit Korea so I picked them up in Busan Station and headed to the hotel near Jagalchi Market around 2 p.m. For your information, it was sooo hot in Korea. Waaaay hotter than in Indonesia I swear!! It’s so humid and the heat-wave is unbelievable, when you’re going outside the room it’s like a blazing fire splashed on your face and you will sweat in no time. I thought Indonesia is hot enough, hotter than any other countries, turns out Korea is way hotter during summer.

~ BUSAN ~

Then we were roaming around BIFF Square Nampo-dong in front of Jagalchi Market and I was researching for seafood and halal foods near the place. Just went there once for eating Indonesian bakso a few weeks ago so I didn’t really know the place, but it is quite a famous place. So I found a restaurant with good reviews in Naver, thousands of reviews saying that it’s worth to visit the place! The place called Busan Huet Jib 부산횟집, Jagalchi, and they served seafood including octopus, shrimp, seafood stew, and some weird kinds of seafood that I can’t even look at it. Hahahaha.

My cousin was yearning for sannakji 산낙지 , it’s the famous lived octopus dish where you can find the octopus still moving around in the plate. Well, it's dead. Don't worry it’s clean and dead, the head is already removed too, just the legs left, but they have this motion something I don’t know. After a few minutes, they stopped moving. For some people, it might be gross, but it was okay, just like sushi actually. It tastes like... an octopus. They put olive oil and some small cubed veggies to make it.. presentable? However it was quite expensive, it costs around 15.000 won for a small plate (one baby octopus!). We also ordered two cheese fried big shrimp, haha I don’t know the name, but it was deliciouussss. Love it so much! Oh and seafood stew. It was nice as well. After that, we bought Hotteok and eat some street foods near the place. Hotteok 호떡 is a hand-sized Korean pancake filled with cinnamon, brown sugar, honey, and the best part... chopped variety of nuts!!

The next day, we ate lunch in my favorite restaurant near Suan Station to eat Cukkumi 주꾸미. It is a fried octopus with some sauces I don’t know what but it tastes like Satay alias Sate, you name it. It comes with a light cheese pizza where you can dip in the sauce. Tastes amazing!!! They said they liked it so much and by far the best Korean dish that they like.

A few moments later, my cousin asked me “oh they served ganjang gejang 간장게장, have you ever tried it?” “What? What is that?” “It’s a blue crab marinated in soy sauce!!! You didn’t know?” “No, never heard of it.” “Shall we order?? I really want to try it!” “Sure!” , then we ordered one for 12.000 won. It was.. weird. By the time we ate it, we just stare at each other in silence.... “omg.” “omg.” “OMG THIS IS SO GOOD” “like sushi!!!!” “Omg. What is this taste.” “I don’t know but it’s just amazing.”. So our favorite Korean dish now: 1. Ganjang gejang 간장 게장 and 2. Cukkumi 주꾸미.

Korean Language Program: First Semester Finished!

It's August already!!!!!! 

wHOA, I remember I arrived in Korea on 19th February, it means I have been here for almost 6 months! It's my first time of being away from home in such a long time. I did finish my first semester of Korean Language Program at Silla University and currently on my vacation until September.

Does that mean you're going to College soon??

nO. Well, I don't know but I am a bit pessimistic because I didn't do well on TOPIK 56th. I don't think I can get level 5/6 soon hahahaa it's so hard. I don't know, I am still waiting for the results.

***

If you're a KGSP Scholar, this 1 year Korean Language Training is obligatory before going to your real university unless you already have TOPIK level 5 or 6 upon application. The university for the Korean language program is randomly picked by NIIED, you can't choose nor it can be changed. We study from Monday to Friday from 9 a.m to 4 p.m (just like school T_T) except on Friday the class finishes at 1 p.m. We will have both regular class and TOPIK class, in Silla University we use Korean books from Yonsei University. Meanwhile, for the TOPIK class, we will solve previous TOPIK questions which the teachers already compiled into one book. We have exams and homework as well. 

During the Korean Language Program the schools will also provide us with cultural activity outside class so that we can experience Korean culture by ourselves, and of course, to cure the boredom of learning Korean 24/7!!! Just kidding, I didn't study that much :( Well, the results speak because my exam result wasn't really good compared to my friends who studied a lot. hehe. I should study harder next time. hehe.

When you first arrived, they will conduct an exam to know your Korean language skills, like a mock exam? So they can classify you into certain classes. In my year, there were 3 classes, from A to C. The two classes were for the beginners, started from the very beginning: hangeul. And my class is for the intermediate. My class has 12 GKS students from very diverse countries: Indonesia, Singapore, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Egypt, Tajikistan, Mongolia, Iran, and Chile. They're all already sooo good in Korean, except me, my speaking, writing, and reading are sucks trust me I am the worst at class. 

The class will be conducted in Korean, 99,95% in Korean because most of the teachers can't speak English but some of them know a little. I was soooo confused at first because my speaking and listening skill are so bad. But alhamdulillah I think I am getting used to it. The beginner classes are also taught in Korean, sometimes English. Don't worry!! The teachers often used motions when explaining things.

My friends helped me so much by talking to me in Korean and sometimes gave me a piece of advice to not to be afraid of speaking and sharing my thoughts. I am shy, ehehehe. And usually, I don't talk that much either so it's the hardezzzzt. But whatever. Right now I am in a state where my Indonesian is so weird, my English is so degrading (I speak weirdly now.), and my Korean is getting nowhere huhuuhuhuuuu.

For those who are asking, will my courses in University be in the Korean language? 

nOOO. Hahahaha. I don't want to :-) 

I love English. My courses will be in English and yes I still need to attend the Korean Language Program because it will come in handy for daily life and of course meeting and talking with Koreans. At least, if you speak good Korean, they wouldn't underestimate you that much. ahahahaa.

Guidelines KGSP 2018 via Embassy

“Kak guidelines KGSP download di mana ya?”

Halo!
Karena masih banyak banget yang nanya tentang download guidelines kgsp, nih aku kasih linknya aja deh di sini ya. Ini guidelines KGSP 2018 via Embassy (th 2017)  BUAT YANG BUTUH REFERENSI. KGSP 2019 buka bulan September (S1 Undergraduate). Bisa baca lagi artikel tentang KGSP yang lain atau cek langsung di web kedubes Korea untuk Indonesia dan studyinkorea.go.kr
Ok ok?:3

LINK GUIDELINES KGSP 2018 Embassy (Tahun angkatanku)
http://overseas.mofa.go.kr/id-id/brd/m_2707/view.do?seq=757148&srchFr=&srchTo=&srchWord=&srchTp=&multi_itm_seq=0&itm_seq_1=0&itm_seq_2=0&company_cd=&company_nm=&page=2

Selamat membaca.
Baca dulu ya, sayang.
Love you.

Hehe.
Jangan lupa dibaca dulu:3

Bye;)

Ramadan in Korea pt.2 : The best gift on the 29th night of Ramadhan

Assalamu'alaikum! Happy Eid Mubarak. 

May Allah always bless you throughout the year!

I still can't believe it that Ramadhan has left us :'( 라마단 아주 그리워... But alhamdulillah, as always, Allah let me taste the beauty of this holy Ramadhan with the beautiful soul, people, and atmosphere although I live miles away from home. My first Ramadhan far from family. Memorable yet I still miss my family and friends. The foods are no different, but the people... no one can replace our family, right?

Anyways, if you haven't read my first post about Ramadhan in Korea please click this link! In the last two weeks of Ramadhan, Allah opened my eyes to learn and discover about other Surah in the Qur'an. Ramadan is the perfect month if you want to get closer to Allah and the Qur'an because this is the month of revelation and He rewards us with soooo many glad tidings and rewards. Masha'Allah. My favourite Surah always revolves around Ar Rahman, Al Kahfi, An Naba, and Al Mulk, but ever since I listened and learned more about Al Qalam and Az Zumar... my heart just dropped. Even Surah Al Fatihah... the mother of Surah, the first Surah that we memorized when we were 6 years old now feels different. Every time I read another Surah, jumped to the next verse, pondering about what Allah is trying to tell me makes me fall in love deeper and deeper. How can you not love the Qur'an when it is the only book where the Writer is fall in love with the reader?

“Islam began as something strange, and it shall return to being something strange

as it began, so give glad tidings to the strangers.” (Sahih Muslim)

This Ramadhan motivates me so much to learn the Arabic language, for Allah's sake Wallahi I am so jealous of the people who can speak and understand Arabic since they were born because in that way they would understand what the imam is reciting during Fardh prayer, Taraweeh prayer, and most important... the Witr du'a (prayer)! The Witr du'a mashaAllah dear brother and sister, people cried... people will cry rivers if only they knew the meaning. The Witr du'a should feel like...the detox of our soul? Pretty much. And Alhamdulillah... alhamdulillah for the blessings that Allah gave me, this Ramadhan got me realized that there is still a loooottt of things that I need to learn and discover. Yet...what I do is sleep. So many new goals and objective to achieve, I am so excited!!! Please keep me in your du'a xD heheheeeee

I am so jealous of the people beside me because they can cry during prayer, especially witr, to the point that I am so dedicated to look for Witr du'a with English translations on Youtube. And Wallahi mashaAllah I cried. Just wonder how would I feel if I can understand Arabic. MashaAllah what a beautiful du'a what a beautiful feelings :')))) Well this is just an example of witr dua, but wallahi wallahi so beautiful..........

Oh! I want to tell you one of the memorable days during this Ramadhan. So, on the 18th day of Ramadhan - 2nd of June, I went to Gimhae with GKS Muslim friends in Silla University: Amira, Ghazal, Rano, Fahd, Pranata, Normatjon, and Daler. We were planning to break our fast together alias buka bersama, this is our first time to break our fast together because we always did it separately or...I'll be in the masjid! We went by bus number 62 and took the train to Gimhae for 1 hour and half since 6.30 before arrived in Uzbek-Russian Restaurant. Oh anyway, it's in a different province but near Busan.

I was sitting beside Fahd in the train and talking about how much we love this deen and how grateful we are to be blessed with Islam. It is so beautiful. And we were talking about prophet Muhammad, especially the moment when Prophet Muhammad passed away yet he always thinks about his ummah. "Yaa Ummati...ya ummati...ya ummati....". And see ourselves? How many times in a day that we think about Prophet Muhammad. We talked about how we cried the first time we watched it, and whenever we watched it again and again, it always brings us to tears. Ya Allah... how I miss Rasulullah SAW... Allahumma Shalli Alaa Muhammad.

And you know, there is this famous hadith that we really love, and it should be enough for you to realize how much Prophet Muhammad cares, misses, and loves us. May Allah made us among the ummah of the Prophet Muhammad in the hereafter, aamiin.

Anas ibn Malik reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “I wish I could meet my brothers.” The Prophet’s companions said, “Are we not your brothers?” The Prophet said, “You are my companions, but my brothers are those who have faith in me although they never saw me.” Source: Musnad Aḥmad 12169. Grade: Hasan (fair) according to Al-Albani

Finally, we arrived in Gimhae just a couple of minutes after iftaar (sunset, maghrib. the time when Muslim breaks their fast). Me and Amira brought our dates and shared it with our starving friends. Hahahaha they ate it all! Then, after ordering some foods some of us prayed Maghrib prayer in congregation at a small Musholla (prayer room, smaller than mosque) near the restaurant. We got to eat Kebab, Samosa, and a lot of meat and lamb that I don't know the name of but the most important thing is it's halal and delicious!! We spent almost 100,000 won for one dinner, astaghfirullah but we have no choice because halal food is always expensive but whatever at least our heart is at ease and we don't do it everyday xD. After that, we took a walk at night and ate vanilla ice cream from Lotteria that only costs 500 won hahahaha #brokelife

We joookeeddd so much along the way, I am feeling like I have a family. Well, we often hang out with other friends too, but, maybe just maybe because we feel like we have this connection as one-ummah, as a Muslim, this feels....different. I don't know but I hope we can meet again together in Jannah and I prayed that Allah will guide them and makes it easier for them to practice and be proud of our religion. Insha'Allah.

"A Gift From Allah"
Allah answered my prayer on the 29th night of Ramadhan at 2 a.m during Qiyamul Lail. Alhamdulillah. I'd rather not tell you what it was, but this was the best gift that a humble slave could ever get from his Lord, his Master. I am writing this to keep myself reminded if someday I've forgotten about this :')

This Ramadhan was not perfect, but it left me a lot of lessons and make me realized upon every single blessing that Allah gave me. The atmosphere was amazing, even though I am miles away from being apart from my family and lovely friends. 2 hours journey back and forth from my dorm to the mosque that I've always trying to do whenever I have time. It feels miserable to remember that I only have to take 5 minutes walk to go to the mosque in Indonesia, few minutes walk to halal foods, those are one of the blessings that we tend to forget. This Ramadhan was not the best, but I have done my best. May He always bless us and give another chance to meet this beautiful month until next year.

Ramadan has left us, 
but don't let the lessons and positive changes it brought us leave from within us. 
This is not the end! You never know what little prayer/du'a can save you from the fire and admit you into jannah 🌺

KGSP - FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Halo,
Berhubung masih banyak banget pertanyaan-pertanyaan berulang yang masuk di instagram, whatsapp, line tentang beasiswa KGSP aku jawab lewat blog aja ya. Jadi, KGSP adalah beasiswa yang diberikan oleh pemerintah Korea Selatan untuk pelajar dari seluruh dunia yang tertarik untuk melanjutkan studinya di Korsel. Beasiswa ini dibuka tiap tahun, bulan Februari untuk KGSP-Graduate dan bulan September untuk KGSP-Undergraduate.

Beasiswa ini full dari tuition/biaya kuliah, biaya hidup per bulan biaya rumah sakit per bulan, dsb. Untuk liat keterangan lengkapnya coba download guidelines di web kedubes Korea atau studyinkorea.go.kr

* FAQ KGSP *

1. Dari NIIED kan disuruh 3 photocopies sedangkan kedubes minta 1 original file, jadi kita kirimnya ikut yang mana? 

Ikut sesuai peraturan kedubes, kirim 1 original file selama peraturan belum berubah.

2. Kk kmrn daftar univ dan jurusan apa aja? 

Jurusan International Studies di Korea University, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS) dan Chung-Ang University. Alhamdulillah keterima di semua universitas dan aku pilih Korea University.

3. Grantees KGSP-U 2018 yang lain pilih jurusan apa?

Dua-duanya cowok pilih Materials Engineering.

4. Apply pake language proficiency apa aja? Kalau boleh tau nilainya berapa? 

Pakai both IELTS Academic dan TOPIK. TOPIK baru level 2, IELTSnya standar wkwk.

5. Kalo aku baru lulus taun 2018, bisa ikut KGSP-U 2019 gak? 

Enggak kalau lulus th 2018, harus  ikut tahun depan, 2019 di KGSP-U 2020. Syarat ikut KGSP harus lulus dari SMA dulu ya dan punya ijazah.

6. Aku mau ikut KGSP tapi aku udah kuliah di Indonesia, boleh nggak? 

Boleh, asal kamu belum lulus S1/punya gelar sarjana. Kemarin kebetulan aku juga udah kuliah selama beberapa bulan di salah satu PTN di Yogyakarta.

7. Proof of Citizenship yang di translate ke English apa aja ya? 

KK, KTP kamu+ortu, dan akte kelahiran.

8. Cari sworn translator dimana ya? Biayanya berapa? 

Bisa cari di web ini. Banyak banget macem-macem. Dari 45ribu-150ribu per lembar. 

9. Aku lihat KGSP grantee lain ada yang translate sendiri, itu boleh? 

Aku kurang tau, tapi kalau KGSP grantee lain ada yang bisa gitu, ya boleh aja.

10. Application formnya diketik atau tulis tangan? 

Semuanya diketik yaaa biar rapi.

11. Kak biasanya yg daftar berapa orang? Interview dihubungin berapa orang dari embassynya? Yang lolos berapa? 

Tahun 2017 ini katanya klo ga salah sekitar 489 pendaftar? Gatau juga, soalnya ga dikabarin. Interview kemarin ada 9 orang (3x kuota) sedangkan yang lolos 2nd round ada 3 orang (dan 1 waiting list)

12. Aku pengen daftar beasiswa KGSP tapi aku gabisa bahasa Inggris:( 

Bahasa Inggris itu penting banget karena dari apply, bikin essay, ngisi form, belajar bahasa Korea di Language Training Program, sampe kuliahnya kan pake bahasa Inggris. Jadi kalo gabisa bahasa Inggris gimana dong:(

13. Kak aku mau jurusan ini.... kira-kira yang bagus dimana ya? Kak Univ ini bagus gak ya?

Ya aku juga gatau:(( aku cuma tau tentang jurusanku aja. Jadiiii sebisa mungkin do your own research ya! Kepoin websitenya satu-satu hehe. 

14. Aku gapunya sertifikat bahasa apa-apa, kira-kira masih bisa lolos nggak ya?

Bisa aja.. KGSP 2017 dan salah satu grantee KGSP 2018 juga gada sertifikat bahasa. Mungkin ada hal yang menjual dan membuat pihak beasiswa tertarik sama kamu entah dari sertifikat lomba, pengalaman, essay, atau personality. Tapi kalau ada language proficiency lebih baik ya dan bisa menambah peluang kamu, karena waktu interview kemarin aja yang punya TOPIK ada 5 orang dan yang punya IELTS/TOEFL/TOEIC juga ada beberapa. Sebisa mungkin maksimalin di dokumen ya.

15. Menurut kamu apa sih yang bikin kamu terpilih dibanding peserta lain?

Aku sendiri gak nyangka bisa keterima, soalnya waktu interview ternyata pesaingnya keren-keren semua. Yang interview satu ruangan bareng aku kemarin juga bagus-bagus... aku juga gatau apa yang dilihat dari interviewer. Mungkin body language dan personality juga penting (walaupun sebenernya aku juga gatau bagusnya dimana hahaha), didukung sama dokumen, sertifikat, dan essay. Yang tau hanya pihak Kedubes dan NIIED wkwk.

16. Waktu interview kemarin gimana prosedurnya? Pake Bahasa Inggris atau Korea? Ditanyain apa aja?

Tahun kemarin embassy track satu ruangan langsung tiga orang dan dikasih pertanyaan secara bergilir sama tiga orang interviewer (satu orang Indonesia, dua orang Korea). Pake Bahasa Inggris, tapi kalo mau pake Korea juga boleh. Yang pasti pertanyaannya seputar tentang Korea, kenapa kamu pengen kuliah di Korea, motivasimu apa, seputar jurusan yang kamu pilih, dan tentang personality kamu.

17. Penghargaan kakak banyak? Kemarin sertifikat/awardsnya berhubungan sama jurusan nggak?

Lumayan. Enggak juga sih, gak nyambung sebenernya. Awardsku kebanyakan bidang physics engineering padahal apply jurusan sosial. Beberapa ada sih tentang writing competitions dan lomba bahasa tapi enggak banyak

18. Rata-rata rapor kk berapa?

Raporku biasa aja beneran deh. Aku kebanyakan bolos pas sma wkwkw. GPA 3,41/4 atau sekitar 85,25?

19. Gimana sih cara nulis essay? Tips nulis personal statement + study plan dong !

Be honest. Jujur aja. Ga ada acuan bener atau salah dalam menulis essay. Everyone has different path and journeys. As long as you're true to yourself and convince them that you deserve the scholarship, anything will do. Mungkin kamu bisa ceritain tentang pengalaman kamu di sma (organisasi, keluarga, komunitas, lomba) tentang how much you've learned and developed in terms of skills and personality. Ga perlu sesuatu yang wow atau super, kamu bisa ambil hal kecil tapi berdampak besar di diri kamu. Maybeee dari kegiatan itu kamu jadi better person, understand something better, or overcome your fears/weakness etc. Show them in a unique way through words. Untuk study plan yaa, rencana kamu mau ngapain aja sebelum dan sesudah di Korea. Kamu mau kontribusi apa ke diri kamu, keluarga, komunitas, buat "mereka" dan Indonesia-Korea. Kamu mau gain skills apa, mau belajar apa, mau ngapain. Anything. You know it better yourself. Kamu yang paling tau apa yang kamu pengen. Take some time to reflect on yourself. Ask yourself "is this what I really want to do for the rest of my life?" Yakin siap kuliah di Korea dengan segala konsekuensinya? kalo enggak ya gausah ^^

20. Cara convert GPA gimanaaa??

Di guidelines ada chartnya :(

21. Aku masih mau nanya-nanya lagi, boleh minta kontaknya gak?

Pertanyaan yang masuk lewat email biasanya dijawab dengan lebih niat wkwk. Email: febiola.aurora(at)yahoo.co.id

***

Semua pertanyaan di atas adalah pertanyaan yang sekiranya enggak ada di guidelines. Jadiii sebisa mungkin sebelum bertanya baca guidelinesnya dulu ya. Coba cari aja di studyinkorea.go.kr atau di Kedubes Korea 

Oh iya. Sebenernya KGSP grantees sebelumnya udah banyaaak banget kasih informasi tentang  pertanyaan-pertanyaan seputar KGSP mulai dari blog, ask.fm, sampe youtube. Beberapa link blognya udah aku kasih di sidebar. Coba kepoin sendiri ya hahaha. InshaAllah udah mencakup semuanya dan lebih lengkap. Semoga membantu.


Good luck!! May the odds be ever in your favour!

My First Ramadhan in Korea - First Two Weeks

Busan Al Fatah Masjid

Assalamu'alaikum! Peace be upon you. 

Masha Allah Masha Allah.
I am so excited to write about this. It may be the first Ramadan abroad yet it feels like the best Ramadhan I've ever had so far. I have been waiting for Ramadan since a long time ago. I couldn't stop thinking how will I pass my first Ramadan abroad, far from parents, and as a minority. But ahamdulillah, Allah made it easier for me and insha'Allah always for the remaining years I'll be in Korea.

Before Ramadhan came, I made plans and monthly tracker of deeds and activities that I'll do for this month so that I can keep myself on track and don't lose motivation in halfway. I also went to E-Mart and Asian Mart to buy stocks and foods!! I spent quite a lot of money on foods, as always. Halal foods are rare and more expensive, but Insha'Allah if our intention is to complete the deen and please Allah, He will make it easier for us and give us more blessings! Nothing to regret :) 

Anyway, Ramadhan 2018 in Korea started from 16th of May. I am not fasting alone, there are quite a lot of Muslim friends in KGSP Batch at Silla University, maybe about ten and more. So, yea I am not alone.

_________________

First Day of Ramadan - 16th Night, First Taraweeh

The KMF announced the date, Ramadan mubarak! I went to the mosque to pray Taraweeh with 3 Indonesian friends, it takes about 1 hour to go to Busan Al-Fatah Masjid, Busan. As soon as we reached there, I saw a lot of people from all over the worlds: different race, different skin colors, different languages but one ummah, praying in the same way, the same direction, same prophet, and worshipping the same God. It felt amazing. Well, I went to the mosque quite a lot before Ramadan and meet foreigners too, but because it's Ramadan...it feels more and more more more amazing. There were sooo many people like...hundreds? MashaAllah. The 'Isha prayer starts from around 9 p.m and continued with Taraweeh prayer. We finished around 10 p.m and come back to our dorm.

Second Day - 17th, First day of fasting

The first day of fasting! There were like 6 people in my class who were also fasting. I broke my fast with my friends in one of the restaurants in our dorm. We also ate kurmas (dates fruit) that I bought at Asian Mart. Actually, I was planning to save the kurma for a few days, but the guys like it so much they ate it more than I did! lol. but that's okay xD. I didn't go to the mosque today, we just prayed in the Musholla in our building.

Third Day - 18th, Went to the Mosque

I went alone to the Mosque on Friday evening because the class ended earlier today! Thank God it's Friday!!! I was staying in the mosque for three days from Friday until Sunday because I want to feel the Ramadhan vibes hihiii. I was falling asleep so I went late, I had to break my fast in the subway (train), such experience. lol. As soon as I arrived in the mosque, I got to eat Indonesian foods T__T opor ayam !! Ahahaha bahagia.  

Fourth Day - 19th, One Ummah

MashaAllah, after Witr prayer the Moroccan woman beside me was crying so hard. We hugged her while talking with other sisters too. She explained why she was crying, she was really sad and heartbroken of the condition in our ummah today. At first, I didn't cry during Witr because I don't understand what it means -,- (huhu I wish I knew Arabic!) but as soon as I know... since the other girl from Egypt translate it into English (so we basically talk in English, Korean, and Arabic altogether) I started crying too :'( I just knew how it feels like to be in one ummah. It's so beautiful and ironic at the same time. We were saddened by the truth that we can pray, fast, and worship well, eat sehri and iftaar in peace, meanwhile, our brother and sisters in countries like Syria, Palestine, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, etc are suffering and barely eat enough for fasting. It hurts. It should have been hurt. 

An-Nu’man ibn Basheer reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The parable of the believers in their affection, mercy, and compassion for each other is that of a body. When any limb aches, the whole body reacts with sleeplessness and fever.”

Source: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 5665, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2586

Fifth Day - 20th, Cultural Events and First Salary!

Yesterday, after helping a little, very little in cooking and preparing for foods (I still can't cook well I need to learn T_T), one of the Indonesian lady asked me and my friend to join a cultural event near Haeundae beach. There will be like 44 countries participating in this event, so I thought why not? We prepared free foods up until 2 a.m, ate Sehri, and pray Fajr together. We took a rest for a few hours because we barely sleep at all and we had to go at 8 a.m, it took around 1 hour to Haeundae from our place.

So we prepared a lot of Indonesian foods to share for free: martabak, klepon, sagu mutiara, pempek, and even rendang ayam!! Masha'Allah. The temptation tho, we were fasting but we cooked and served Indonesian foods xD. We went at 8 a.m , arrived at 9 a.m, and finished by 3 p.m ! By the end of the event, without knowing, I was asked to sign on a paper...and I got my first salary! Really, Ramadan barakah. I didn't even know that we'll get paid for this my intention was only helping and participating in the event, and mashaAllah the amount of money given was quite a lot  for working less than 9 hours :))))

Sixth Day - 21th, Resting Day

I didn't go anywhere today, I was sooo tired because I lack sleep in the previous days (although it was worth it!). I had a really nice sleep at night and slept again as soon as the class finished. Ate the rendang daging that they gave me for iftaar.

Seventh Day - 22th, Moroccan and new foreign friends

Went to the masjid with Amira, helped with the cooking (just a little!). Ate chicken curry and Indonesian bakwan! HAahaha. After Taraweeh prayer, we got invited by the lady from the Moroccan restaurant to have some tea, chocolates, and cookies. Met Sumayya from Italy who shared her life as a traveller and her journey in learning languages. She said her goal is to speak 25 languages! We also met Rachel/Nisrin who is an American married to a Moroccan. Her journey towards Islam moved our hearts, it made us realized that Allah gives guidance to whoever He wants to :) We just arrived in the dorm at 12! Hahaha.

Eighth Day - 23th, Another chill day in the dorm

Class ends at 1 a.m and I slept a lot. Resting day.
Had my iftaar in the room with the food I kept because I am too lazy to go out :(

Ninth Day - 24th

I don't know I forgot -_-"a but alhamdulillah.

Tenth Day - 25th 
Had my iftar in the dorm again, Jum'ah mubarak!
Alhamdulillah.


Eleventh Day - 26th, Bangladesh
Went to the mosque. Ate Bangladesh foods (biryani rice, chickens, and idk?) with hundreds of Muslims. Made new friends! Staying overnight. Always love the feeling and atmosphere. I received an Eid gift (already?) from Mbak Nila, Iram's mom (Korean-Indonesian kid) alhamdulillahhhh.


Twelfth Day - 27th, Pakistani & Cukkumi
Tried pakoras? and other Pakistani foods. The mosque is always full every weekend, feels like a whole new family! I went out to eat cukkumi with Indonesians, it's a stir-fried octopus with satay-sate-like sauce and cheese-almond-pizza. Amazing.


Thirteenth Day - 28th, Imam Al Bukhari
Came back to my daily life routines and reality. Had my iftar with Amira, eat our favourite kyeran bab with cheese, milk, tuna, and kurmas. Alhamdulillah. I also learned about Imam Al-Bukhari and started to read "Summarized Shahih Al-Bukhari in Arabic-English" that I borrowed some time ago. Mesmerized!! MashaAllah may Allah always bless him. You can read his collection of authentic hadith too here https://sunnah.com/bukhari/1

Narrated 'Umar bin Al-Khattab:I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) saying, "The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended. So whoever emigrated for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his emigration was for what he emigrated for."

Fourteenth Day - 29th, omg two weeks already????
OMG???? ALREADY??? WHY. SAD. :((((((((((( Nothing significant today, just another day to learn Korean up until 4 p.m. BUT. STILL. WHY. I don't want Ramadhan to end very soonnnnn :((((

Quick update: it was an amazing day MashAllah. After class, I went to climb the mountain behind our dorm with my Egyptian friend, Amira. We bought foods before and planning to just reflect and refresh our soul. We were talking about everything and listening to the Qur'an that I put in a high volume (since there's no people). We reflected a lot about how lucky we are and that Allah is so merciful. We listened to Al Mulk, Ar Rahman, and Ad Dhuha by Mouadh Ayachi and Muhammad Thaha. We realized how Allah has bestowed us with soooo many blessings... Mashaallah. Mashaallah. Now we see the sky in the different way, the universe as one creation of Allah, and how He is always taking care of us because He knows the best for us. Alhamdulillah. Alhamdulillah.

My First Month in Korea as a Muslim

"Think about your life and daily routines. 

What is the reason of your existence?

Are you meant to study half your life just to work the other half?

Be attached to people just to get your heart broken?

Get buried in the ground after all your worldly achievements,

like nothing ever happened?

Don't you think there's a purpose of your stay on earth?

Something that will result in what happens after your death?

Just stop for a while and think about it.

Perhaps you will realise life is nothing but a temporary illusion 

that fooled people into believing in the creation instead of the Creator.

There is more to your life. You have a much greater purpose.

Don't lose yourself by falling into delusions of this world.

Re-awaken your soul to its purpose. " 

- instagram.com/reminder_afterreminder -

February 19th, 2018, was the day when I arrived in Korea for the second time. If you're one of my readers, you know that I've visited Korea last year during vacation. But this time is different, now I am living in Korea as a KGSP student, university-student-to-be, a Muslimah in a strange country. I am currently studying the Korean language in Silla University before going to Korea University in Seoul, my dream university (for undergraduate, after Oxford University :p). It has been more than a month yet it still feels like a dream to me. I remember the days when I was in grade 12, I was holding my dreams so high every single day that I sometimes thought that I will never reach it. But Allah gave me so much more than I have ever wished for. 

"Be the kind of person who helps others

find the important things they've lost in life- their Deen, 

their smile, their hope, and their courage." 

My flight scheduled at 3 pm on Sunday, I needed to take three planes and two transfers: Jakarta-Singapore-Seoul-Busan. The NIIED (KGSP) bought the ticket for me so I couldn't change the schedule. I remembered, the day before my departure, I was having a fever and flu all of sudden. I was in very good condition before. I went to the hospital with my parents just because of the severe temperature in my body. We got the medicines, antibiotics, and etc just 4 hours before departure. I don't know if it's some kind of pre-home-sickness, nervousness or something but as soon as I arrived in Singapore, the fever is gone HAHAHAHA. Maybe the thought of leaving home was so overwhelming that I am feeling the pressure inside. I was worried whether I'll manage to survive in a harsh world of Korea and the bunch of obstacles that I will face academically, spiritually, physically, or socially, especially as a Muslimah, as a hijabi.

Did I feel any home-sickness, cultural shock, or anything? Surprisingly, no. It's more than a month already and I didn't cry even once. Yet? Idk. Yes, I did cry before leaving Indonesia, it's not because I am regretting my choice but as I said, the thought of living alone in an unknown world as a stranger is quite suffocating. But here I am, alhamdulillah. I do miss Indonesia, I miss my family, friends in deeds and deen!!! and ofc the foods (FOR THE SAKE OF SAMBAL BAWANG, AYAM PENYET, AYAM GEPREK AND NASI PADANG). Wkwkwk. The halal foods masha'Allah. I rarely eat chickens and beef here because not everything is halal. But good for me, I eat more vegetables and seafood here, I am (trying to) live a healthy life and walk around more. I was so lazy when I live in Indonesia because everything is sooooo easy and comfortable there. Halal foods everywhere, cheap transportations (a.k.a Gojek) who are willing to transport you from one place to another place, or my favourite... delivering our favourite foods at a VERY reasonable price. Oh, how I love Indonesia. I never left my comfort zone my whole life before.

Living abroad as a student before I even reach 20 is a dream come true. Living in a society where the majority is non-muslims (even atheists, to be precise) surely is a different challenge. Korea is a country where the majority of people are eating pork like I eat chickens in daily life and drink soju like I drink water on a daily basis. That's why I always said that studying abroad in Korea is both a trial and a blessing for me. I am proud of my religion. I am very proud of Islam and being a Muslim. Billions of people in the darkness and Allah chose you to be guided by His mercy. How can you not fall in love with His mercy? The love and pride that I have in my faith grow bigger and bigger it came to the point where I reflected on a lot of things, blessings and privileges that I have in Indonesia. I can find halal foods almost everywhere, literally everywhere. I can pray wherever I like: we have a lot of mosques and mushalla. I can hear adzan 5 times a day which soothes our soul. I didn't experience any weird look or discrimination because the whole majority are doing the same thing as I am, wearing the same clothing as I am, practising the same deen as I am.

"Being sinful is not something to be proud about,

and being righteous is nothing to be arrogant about."

I learned (and still) learned how to represent our deen the way it should be presented every single day. Although I am not perfect; my clothing is still not the way it is should be, my act and behaviour haven't yet portrayed what Prophet Muhammad SAW taught us to do, my speech hasn't benefited any of them, but at least I am trying to learn about myself and my religion more than I have ever done when I still have all those privileges. I seek refuge from Allah from any of my mistakes and wrongdoings. When I first came here on vacation, I never had this kind of thoughts. Well yes, I do have, but not this deep. Some of my friends never heard nor have a Muslim friend before, they told me they are actually afraid of Islam/Muslim because of what the media portrayed. All they have is bad thoughts and impressions. Well no wonder, I am not surprised at all. Even if I can't do a big thing in the future, at least I hope, my existence in Korea could help people understand more about the true Islam: it's not a religion of oppression, terrorism, or whatever you call it.

I got a lot of questions about Islam and hijab. The most common questions that I got so far are: "What?! You pray five times a day??? Wow you're so religious." I am not! Sometimes I wonder how performing five daily prayers can make you religious. It's obligatory. I am far from pious. I am just doing the basic thing that we should be doing as a Muslim. Or, "Do you have to wear that thing (hijab) every day? Can you take it off?" Yes??? and... No??? Wearing a hijab is my own choice and none of us is oppressed. We love hijaaab. Sometimes I laughed at how stupid the news that media makes about us. The news about us is so stupid that sometimes I and my hijabi friends (KGSP in Silla) make jokes about it. Rather than being offended, we laughed a lot to see all those stupid conspiracies. Well sorry to say, just my thoughts. "You can't eat pork?" or "Why can you eat chicken and beef but not *that* chicken and beef?" Yaaa because...why ya??? =)) Hahahaha.

"For you, I pray may your heart always 

be connected to the one who made it."

It's not easy to live in Korea as a Muslim. You will have a fewer option of foods and sometimes people will think you're strange; the way you dress, the way you eat, the way you do anything. But it's nothing about being strange, it's just that they're not getting used to it. And it's okay, we can't please everyone either. You could have the best intentions, and there would still be some, who will think the worst of you. Nevertheless, living in a non-religious country as a Muslim shouldn't discourage you from practising Islam. It shouldn't be an excuse for us to leave the teaching of Islam, our way of life. Instead, we should be proud of our deen. For insha'Allah, insha'Allah I promise, it will worth it in the end. Insha'Allah. May Allah forgive our mistakes and make us among the people that He loves. I am nothing but a sinner, if Allah had no mercy on me I would have been doomed a long time ago. Astaghfirullah.


"And I did not create the Jinn and Mankind
except to worship me. [Qur'an 51-56]"

My KGSP-U 2018 Journey (Embassy Track)

Halo, semuanya!
Post ini aku tulis buat temen-temen yang nanya gimana caranya aku bisa kuliah di Korea dengan full scholarship. Alhamdulillah aku dapet kesempatan jadi salah satu grantee KGSP (Korean Government Scholarship Program)-Undergraduate 2018 dari Indonesia. KGSP itu beasiswa yang diberikan pemerintah untuk siapa aja yang pengen ngelanjutin studinya di Korea Selatan. Aku sendiri applied via Embassy Track, KGSP-U 2018 dari Indonesia total ada 6 orang: 3 embassy track/S1, 1 university track/S1, dan 2 associate degree/D2. Informasi lebih lanjut bias langsung cek studyinkorea.go.kr ya :)

WARNING: ini bakal panjang banget. ehehe. literally. very long. click continue reading!

~ CERITA SEBELUM APPLY KGSP ~

Keinginan untuk study abroad itu udah ada sejak SD (ini blognya udah ada sejak aku SD kelas 6 which is waktu umur 12 tahun?). Dulu pengennya di Inggris, Belanda, Jerman, Australia, Amrik, dsb lahhh tapi makin banyak baca dan cari-cari tentang beasiswa makin sadar kalo kuliah di luar negeri itu gak semudah itu, ribet, dan yang pasti butuh biaya yang banyak. Akhirnya waktu SMA mulai cari-cari lagi tentang info-info beasiswa, waktu itu sih ngincer beasiswa dari MEXT/Monbukagakusho yang ke Jepang. So I studied Japanese for a few months karena niatin bener buat JLPT (tapi gak jadi hahaha) sampe anak kelas hafal dan udah males sama aku kayaknya liat aku ngoceh mulu kaya wibu :( #nooffense . Sempet juga ikut beberapa lomba bahasa Jepang untuk beginner waktu kelas 11 saking extranya sama Japanese. Hingga suatu ketika pada pertengahan tahun 2016 aku mulai ada di fase enek sama kanji soalnya buanyaaak dan susah banget :( dan.. ada beberapa hal yang bikin aku males sama Jejepangan hahahah. You know, people change~

Akhirnya waktu kelas 12, kelasnya kan diacak kan tuh ya, anak kelasku ini pada heboh nonton dan tukeran drama Korea. First of all, I never had any interest in korean dramas or kpop. Not even oppas they keep talking about. Tapi semenjak itu aku udah mulai ngelirik buat belajar Korean becauseee it's similar to Japanese, they said, and it will be muchh easier to learn Korean if you've learned Japanese/Chinese before. BUT, WRONG HAHA. THEY LIED. SAMA SUSAHNYA :( ok mungkin aku yg terlalu bego tapi susah dan ga sama haha. Struktur kalimatnya sama sih, tapi beda kok. Beda. pls. Walaupun begitu, I enjoyed learning Korean more tbh because Hangeul is easier than bunch of Katakana, Hiragana, and Kanji. And I kinda meninggalkan belajar Japanese gradually as I enjoyed Korean more. Tepatnya pada bulan Agustus 2016, itu adalah waktu aku bingung dan galau banget antara.....

Counting Days

The wait is over (well, not over yet tho I am still waiting for my visa and etc etc), the final result has been announced earlier this January. The road wasn't smooth, it was rather rough and full of rocks. I limped but He guides me 'till the end. I was being worried, doubtful, and indecisive but He convinces me to continue, to remember the reasons why I started.

I have one month left to officially become a KGSP 2018 scholar. Aside being busy applying for my visa, medical check-ups, preparing my entry to Korea, and the hectic-packing-ngeribetin-days, I spend some time hanging out with my friends and family. Hang-out, the thing that I rarely do because most of the time I like to spend my days at home. I really am a home person(?), anak rumahan maksudnya. Hahahah.

My side-kick, started talking about how I should keep contacting her like we always do everyday. About can I stay a bit longer and she started being possessive as always. Well, parting away is not really a big deal for us since our friendship has been nearly 5 years and we only met ONCE. On the way twice tomorrow. We are so getting used of this ldr-like (yuck!) friendship since the beginning.

My liqo friends also, the friends who always remind me about the world and Jannah, also my murabbi, mba Hesti, who never stops teaching us everything she knows. They're precious gems Allah brought me in this world. Even before my departure, she always reminds me to keep my prayer on time (which is so hard but I'm trying :'( ) and let our alumni there to make sure that I continue my liqo. Insha'Allah. Things will be different, prayers will be harder. Even to hold onto my deen will be both a trial and blessing. Alhamdulillah :)

Well, I hope that the universe will be good to you for the rest of the year and I truly hope you guys find the happiness you deserve and if you're going through any hardships, please hold on. There are better things to come so yeah as usual take care of yourselves.

I love you guys, a lot.

p.s : anyway, Insha'Allah I will write posts about my journey getting this scholarship as any of you have asked me through dm, email, and WhatsApp. I wish through this way I can help you to reach your dreams :) If I haven't write any, please refer to previous scholar and read the guidelines carefully before asking! Please check studyinkorea.go.kr or Kedubes Korea for Indonesia's website. Best of luck.

3 months or less // a reflection on year 2017

Date: 14 December 2017, today;
Time: 2:26 a - posted;
Place & Condition: living room, with blankets on and comfy pajama, the weather is quite cold after rains since morning. puffy eyes, dark circles, redness, flaky, and pimples all over the face (lol sorry). oh, and hungry.

-------------

Just a few weeks more before 2018. This year was okay. Fantastic if I may say, the dynamics of being a high schooler to a college student. The first six months of 2017 was filled with the constant chaos of exams: from school mid-term, end-term (whatever you name it), national exam, SNMPTN (though I didn't pass since the very first round kk), SBMPTN, UM/Mandiri/Simak UI, TOPIK, IELTS, and never-ending life lessons. woooww, that escalated quickly. All of this was planned the year before in 2015-2016 to prepare myself for whatever it takes in 2018. For me, 2017 is a year of execution. What I've been planning and prepared for years before were executed this year; to determine whether or not I've tried and prepared seriously for the life that I wanted. 

From July to September I was living a life as a sophomore in one of the public university in my city. The reason why I got into this university was because: this is the only university that accepted me. Period. I've never thought that university life is supposed to be like that, or maybe just there, I don't know. Or maybe just because I never wanted to be there. However, I am grateful that I still got accepted because this is a pre-requirement from my mom before I can actually choose what I want. During those times, I kept fulfilling my duty as a student there by attending courses and doing tasks just like the other, but on the other time, I was still preparing for a scholarship abroad. Yea, finally, I said it after such a long time... I used to only talk about it implicitly. Alhamdulillah things unexpectedly went good, although I still have to wait for some other final announcements.

I still have 3 months or less, before stepping into a totally new world for the next five years or less. The thing that I have always wanted (nor do I still believe that I achieved it) is in my hand now. But, when I think about it now: is it what i really wanted? 

Before deciding to take this path, I have thought over both the benefits and consequences that I will take, the opportunities that will follow and the things that I have to sacrifice in order to do that.  Once I stepped in, there is no way to go back (before such period of time) and I have to deal with whatever that I will face in the following years. Getting this once in a lifetime experience is both a blessing and trial for me. The only reason that keeps me doing and reaching for my dream is my parents. But my parents is also the reason why I don't feel like to go far away from home.

I was being pretty emotional tonight, maybe because it was 2 a.m and I was tired while the thoughts of living far away from home suddenly appeared and haunted me. I will miss the decent and unfunny jokes my family always throws every day. My family is nonsense and our joke is nowhere else to be found except in our tiny home. I will miss how much I hate being told to wash the dishes. I will miss how I always argue with my brother and laughs like a crazy although he is so annoying. I will miss the taste of my mom's home-cooked meals even though it is not as fancy as in the restaurant. I will miss my always-messy-room my dad never stops to talk about. I will miss every single thing that I hate and eventually I will realized how much I have been ungrateful for the things that has been there all the way around.

I still have 3 months or less; 

I decided to quit earlier from the university in my country even though my departure is still on next year and it is not even the end of the semester. I spent 3-4 months there and I was glad, at least, I have some new friends and knowledges. Three months might sound like a long time, but it feels like a short time now. I just want to spend more time with my family and friends before going to the other side of the world. I want to spend more time at home: even though I don't even do anything significant at home, just laying down, or doing something unnecessary. Although later I will not be completely alone, things would get lonely sometimes and I will miss every little things I never noticed here before.

So, is it still what i really wanted? 

Yes. For my parents, family, and my own sake.

"And maybe I, too, shall remember why I started.So when things go wrong or I become uncomfortable, I can still find a way to be grateful and tawakkal* for anything that may happen in the future."

-------

Note:

*Tawakkal: 

(1) Religion; Islamic belief.

(2)Tawakkal is having full faith of Allah that He will take care of you, even when things look impossible.