Tuesday, March 20, 2012

ADS 2012 is now open!

 Oztrali is welcoming you! :)

Background

Australia Awards are an Australian Government initiative designed to promote knowledge, education links and enduring ties between Australia, our neighbours and the global community.
Australia Awards include Development Awards administered by AusAID and the Endeavour Awards administered by the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education. They provide a range of opportunities for study, research and professional development in Australia.
Development Awards are an important component of Australia’s investment in education—the flagship of the Australian aid program. They provide long and short term study and professional development opportunities to citizens from developing countries around the globe.
Australia's Development Awards have been an important component of the Australian Government’s efforts to reduce poverty and achieve sustainable development since the Colombo Plan commencing in the1950s.
They aim to:
  • develop capacity and leadership skills so that individuals can contribute to development in their home country
  • build people-to-people linkages at the individual, institutional and country levels.
This is the home page for the Australian Development Scholarships (ADS) and the Australian Leadership Award Scholarships (ALAS)

Application Dates and Process

The current application round opens on 12 March and closes on 17 August 2012.
Applications must be submitted in hardcopy and will not be considered after this date.
Application process:
  1. Check that you meet ADS criteria;
  2. Make 2 copies of your ADS application form (application form and required documents)
  3. Go to a notaris to certify (legalisir cap asli) that the copies made of the academic transcript, university qualification certificate and English language proficiency  certificate are true and accurate;
  4. Submit 3 hardcopies of the completed ADS application form (1 x original, 2 x copies OK) and required documents by 17 August 2012;
What happens after application?
December Successful and non-successful shortlisted candidates are notified of their IELTS test date and JST interview date on January the following year
January IELTS test and JST interview conducted
February Result of interview communicated to shortlisted candidate
March Pre-Departure Training commences for awardees with IELTS 6.5 or more
Incomplete documentation will make your application INELIGIBLE for consideration

Eligibility and Approval

ADS are offered in two main categories: ‘Public Sector Category’ and  ‘Open Category’.
Public Sector Category

Public sector applicants are employees from Government organizations, state universities and state owned enterprises. Their applications must be approved by training or foreign cooperation bureaus (BKLN) of their local or central agencies before being submitted to the ADS Program Office. Public sector candidates from government agencies outside Jakarta may apply directly to the ADS Program Office with the approval of their relevant Kakanwil or Kadinas and approval from Bupati or Governor (or representative) where necessary. Public Sector applications must identify in writing on the application form the agency’s reason for nominating the applicant in terms of the agency’s human resource development needs, the anticipated benefit of the applicant’s proposed study to the agency, a proposed strategy for utilizing the applicant’s knowledge, skills and qualification gained and commitment to adopting the strategy and supporting the applicant.
Calon Pegawai Negeri Sipil (CPNS) are not eligible to apply.
Open CategoryOpen Category applicants are from private organisations and universities and this category is also open to recent university graduates.
No prior Government approval is required for people applying in the Open Category, and applications are to be submitted directly to the ADS Program Office. They require, where relevant, the endorsement of the agency, institution or private university in which the applicant is working or studying. Applications are submitted directly to the ADS Office. Applications must identify in writing the anticipated benefit of the applicant’s proposed study to the agency, where relevant, and include, in such cases, a proposed strategy for utilizing the applicant’s knowledge, skills and qualifications.
Public servants (Pegawai Negeri) cannot apply in the Open category.
Targeted Category
Targeted Category exists for candidates who are identified by their organisations in consultation with the ADS Program.  Candidates may be from Government of Indonesia Key Agencies[1] or from organisations linked with AusAID activities[2].  Candidates within the Targeted Category must be identified by their home organization and must not apply to the ADS Program independently of their employer.
‘Targeted Category’ candidates are employed by organisations which are identified by the Government of Indonesia and Government of Australia (through AusAID) as being strategically aligned with the Development priorities of the Government of Indonesia.   Candidates within this category may also be employed by government organizations, state owned enterprises, non-government organizations (NGOs), civil society organizations (CSOs) and key state and private higher education institutions which service the training needs of these organizations.
General Requirements
  • be an Indonesian citizen and not have permanent residence in Australia or New Zealand
  • not be married or engaged to a person who is eligible to hold Australian or New Zealand citizenship or permanent resident status, at any stage of the application, selection, mobilisation processes or while on-scholarship in Australia
  • satisfy Australian Government requirements for international student entry to Australia (health, character etc)
  • not have obtained an academic qualification outside their home country in the 24 months preceding the application closing date, calculated from the date of arrival back in the home country
  • not be applying for another long-term AusAID scholarship unless they have returned to their home country and resided there for twice the length of the total time that they were in Australia (for example, a previous AusAID Scholar who has been on AusAID scholarship/s in Australia for five years will not be eligible to apply for another AusAID scholarship until they have been home for ten years)
  • be applying to commence a new course of study and not be seeking support through ADS for a course already commenced in Australia.
  • be able to take up the scholarship in the year for which it is offered
  • be able to satisfy all requirements of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) for an AusAID student visa  and
  • be able to satisfy the admission requirements of the Australian university at which the Scholarship is to be undertaken. 
Specifically, candidates must:
  • be applying for courses that fall within the areas of development priority (see “Choosing a Course of Study” below)
  • at the time of application be not older than 42 years of age
  • have a Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 2.9 or 2.75 for applicants from AusAID Geographic Focus Areas[3] and for applicants from the Targeted Category
  • have a Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 2.75 for awardees with a disability as declared on the ADS application form (for candidates with a GPA lower than 2.75, appropriate documented work/life experiences from exceptional candidates may be considered as equivalency, on a case by case basis)
  • have an English language proficiency of at least 5.0 in IELTS (or 500 in paper-based TOEFL or 61 internet based TOEFL). The IELTS or TOEFL result must be current (a test result obtained in 2010 or 2011 will be considered current).  No other English language test (including TOEFL prediction test) results will be accepted.
  • Contact details of test centre must be provided for verification of TOEFL test results.
  • Applications must include a minimum of one (1) copy of the original Institutional TOEFL test result.
  • already hold an undergraduate degree, if applying for a Masters
  • already have a Masters, if applying for a Doctorate
  • if applying for a Doctorate, applicants will be restricted to staff of universities, higher education institutions, research institutes, key policy makers and targeted candidates in other agencies associated with AusAID activities
  • answer all relevant questions on the application form
  • be willing and available to undertake full-time (Monday  - Friday 0800-1600) English for Academic Purposes (EAP) training in Indonesia prior to studying in Australia, if offered a scholarship.
  • It is highly desirable for Doctorate applicants to have a letter of support from an Australian university for their proposed field of study.
 For further information check it out  http://australiaawardsindo.or.id

Saturday, March 17, 2012

A Thousand Miles


"A Thousand Miles"

Making my way downtown
Walking fast
Faces pass
And I'm home bound

Staring blankly ahead
Just making my way
Making a way
Through the crowd

And I need you
And I miss you
And now I wonder....

If I could fall
Into the sky
Do you think time
Would pass me by
'Cause you know I'd walk
A thousand miles
If I could
Just see you
Tonight

It's always times like these
When I think of you
And I wonder
If you ever
Think of me

'Cause everything's so wrong
And I don't belong
Living in your
Precious memories

'Cause I need you
And I miss you
And now I wonder....

If I could fall
Into the sky
Do you think time
Would pass me by
'Cause you know I'd walk
A thousand miles
If I could
Just see you
Tonight

And I
Don't want to let you know
Drown in your memory

Don't want to let this go

Don't....

Making my way downtown
Walking fast
Faces pass
And I'm home bound

Staring blankly ahead
Just making my way
Making a way
Through the crowd

And I still need you
And I still miss you
And now I wonder....

If I could fall
Into the sky
Do you think time
Would pass us by
'Cause you know I'd walk
A thousand miles
If I could
Just see you...

If I could fall
Into the sky
Do you think time
Would pass me by
'Cause you know I'd walk
A thousand miles
If I could
Just see you
If I could
Just hold you
Tonight

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Tentang Tornado dan Pintu Basement yang misterius #Cerita dari Iowa

Suatu hari, seminggu setelah kami balik dari Chicago, stasiun TV The Weather Channel mengingatkan bahwa Iowa bakal diserang severe thunderstorm yang berpotensi menjadi Tornado.  Saya yang sedang asik melahap sebiji apel hasil 'jarahan' di UDCC nyaris keselek mendengarnya. 'What??Tornado???'
Dengan segera saya mengeraskan volume TV. 

'Mbak-mbak' penyiar WC (kok jd WC??) yang berambut pirang itu menjelaskan pada pemirsa potensi angin, storm and bla..bla..dengan riang gembira tanpa menghiraukan perasaan galau kami, perantau yang belum punya pengalaman dengan tornado dan sebagainya. Kontan, saya dan teman-teman lainnya jadi agak panik sendiri. Apalagi waktu itu, emak kami, Ms. Xiong, lagi ke Georgia, menghadiri kedukaan grandpha nya yang meninggal saat kami trip ke Chicago. Otomatis, kami bingung mo bertanya pada siapa soal kebenaran berita ini.

Di kampus, saya sempat bertanya pada staff IEOP tentang 'rencana' akan datangnya si Mas Tornado ini. Mereka tenang-tenang aja. Menurut cerita mereka, Iowa emang sering diserang Tornado. kalo di Ames sendiri so far belum ada yang parah-parah amat. "Every building here have basement, so you don't need to be worry, Riska.."kata Jessie, paman-tanpa-ekspresi kami. 

Yeah...itu kabar baiknya. Kabar buruknya, kami tak tau bagaimana mencapai basement di apertement kami. 
Sejak awal kami tiba di SV, kami tidak ditunjukkan dimana letak pintu menuju basement bila something darurat terjadi. 

Ada sebuah pintu darurat yang mencurigakan di bawah tangga. Menurut anggapan kami, pintu itu kemungkinan adalah  pintu menuju basement. Sayang, pintu itu terkunci. Di depannya tertulis "FIRE DOOR, KEEP CLOSED"

Wokeh.Jadi dimanakah jalan menuju basement??

Teman-teman lain pun bingung. Katanya basement ada di Laudry.. Dari apa yang saya baca di pesan yang ada di samping pintu masuk room 9B, katanya in case of emergency, kalo ada cyclone ato tornado menyerang, kami bisa bersembunyi di basement yang terdapat di laundry. 
Yaelah...jauh amat..kalo si mas Tornadonya keburu datang, masa kami harus ngacir ke laundry dulu buat berlindung. Aduuh..bingung.
Ibu Evi yang baik hati, seorang Indonesian yang menikah dan menetap di Iowa, mengirimkan email kepada kami untuk mengingatkan soal cuaca buruk yang diprediksi bakal menyerang Iowa ini.  

For Your Information, weather forecast hr ini diprediksi 90% chance of rain, strong to severe thunderstorm (kilat dan petir) and possible hail (hujan es). Jangan lupa bawa payung ke kampus. Effective severe weather forecast (ramalan cuaca) mulai siang ini sampai malam, termasuk strong wind.
Bbrp hal yang berlu dihindari kalau thunderstorm warning:
1. Jauhi jendela kaca, 2. Hindari mandi menggunakan shower (krn dapat menghantarkan arus listrik), 3. Hindari menggunakan telephon, 4. Sebaiknya tdk menggunakan laptop dan electronic devices lainnya, juga semua yang menggunakan headphone. Seandainya ada tornado warning berupa sirene, selamatkan dokumen penting spt passport dll, cari perlindungan ke basement apartment kalian..Semoga semua maklum demi keselamatan.
Bu Evie

***
Sorenya, cuaca nampak memburuk. Gelegar dan gemuruh terdengar di kejauhan. Awan cumullunimbus menggantung, menggulung-gulung di langit kota Ames. Angin bertiup perlahan memainkan ranting-ranting kering pepohonan yang daunnya telah berguguran. 

Saya sedang asyik asyiknya menonton sebuah drama di TV Lokal, tiba-tiba suara bising seperti sirene terdengar dari box elektronik itu. 
Tornado warning!
Rupanya Tornado  menyerang Iowa. Bukan di Ames. Tepatnya di dekat ibukota Des Moines.
'Wah..sesuatu nih'batin saya sedikit panik.
Saya mengintip keluar. Mudah-mudahan gak sampe sini nih mas Tornadonya.
Beberapa menit kemudian, terdengar sebuah ketukan di pintu apartemen saya. Luqman dan Yusuf rupanya.
"Kamu dengar tadi informasi di TV, ris?"tanya mereka.
"iya, waduh gimana dong..basement mana basement?'
Tetangga dari apartemen 9c itu mengedor-gedor pintu FIRE DOOR di bawah tangga.
"Wah gak bisa....ya.. udah berdoa aja mudah-mudahan tornadonya gak sampe sini".
Lalu kedua bocah itu ngeloyor pergi, naik kembali ke lantai atas. Meninggalkan saya sendirian, menatap nanar 'FIRE DOOR harapan' yang tak kunjung terbuka. 

Saya gak ingat kemana roomate saya, Lyla, sore itu. Entah sedang di kamar ato sedang berkelana ke Walmart. Maka saya yang merasa sendirian memutuskan untuk ngacir ke apatermen sebelah, di 10 B, apartemen si Suci dan Anggi, sekalian solat magrib berjamaah di sana.

Setibanya di sana, rupanya sudah ada Vita, Lia dan Dilla. Katanya mereka sempat panik juga dengan tornado warning tadi n berharap semoga gak kejadian di Ames. 

Si Suci sebaliknya, dengan riang gembira dan penuh suka cita dia berkata: 
"Eh tau gak, aku malah pengen liat tornado yang sebenarnya, mumpung kita di Amrik, selama ini kan kita cuma liat di tipi"
Yang di balas Anggi ( ato Dilla): "Yee..mana bisa kita liat tornado kalo kitanya sembunyi di basement'
Yang di balas oleh saya: "Syukur kalo ada basement, nah ini pintu menuju basementnya aja kita kagak tau"
Yang dipotong oleh teh Lia: "Ya udah mendingan kita solat aja trus ngaji, minta doa biar dilindungi dari bahaya

Kami pun segera solat berjamaah.

Di luar, hujan mulai turun perlahan. Angin mendayu-dayu memaikan ranting kering tepat di balik jendela apartemen 10. Gelegar guntur masih terdengar di kejauhan. Sesekali 'kilat' nampak menyambar, membelah langit kota Ames.

Sore itu, doa sehabis solat saya lebih panjang dari biasanya.

***
Keesokan harinya....

Alhamdulillah severe weather tidak terlalu serius di Ames td malam. In case of another severe weather lagi..sy anjurkan utk stay tune di channel TV 26, 13, 5, 8 for complete coverage..disitu akan terlihat semua pergerakan arah angin dll yg dikirim via radar. Tornado did touch down semalam di Selatan Iowa dan menghancurkan bbrp rumah. Semalam sebetulnya sy coba telp Lukman/Yusuf..ada nada sambung namun telp tdk diangkat. Patut kita syukuri, hr ini cuaca lumayan agak lbh baik. Cuaca spring di daerah midwest rata2 spt ini tiap thnnya. Thn 2005 Ames pernah kena tornado kecil namun cukup dahsyat. Kl angin kencang, jauhi kaca jendela/cermin kamar mandi..kl td ada basement, usahakan berlindung di dalam closet (lemari pakaian) atau kamar mandi, sekali lagi kl di kmr mandi, jauhi cermin. Mudah2an tdk akan ada lagi bad weather selanjutnya..
Bu Evie




*Ames, Iowa.
  Maret, setahun yang lalu


Monday, March 5, 2012

God's Promises

Barangsiapa diuji lalu bersabar, 
diberi lalu bersyukur, 
dizalimi lalu memaafkan 
 dan menzalimi lalu beristighfar
 maka bagi mereka keselamatan dan mereka tergolong orang-orang yang memperoleh hidayah. 
 
(HR. Al-Baihaqi)

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

ADS 2012 is now open!

 Oztrali is welcoming you! :)

Background

Australia Awards are an Australian Government initiative designed to promote knowledge, education links and enduring ties between Australia, our neighbours and the global community.
Australia Awards include Development Awards administered by AusAID and the Endeavour Awards administered by the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education. They provide a range of opportunities for study, research and professional development in Australia.
Development Awards are an important component of Australia’s investment in education—the flagship of the Australian aid program. They provide long and short term study and professional development opportunities to citizens from developing countries around the globe.
Australia's Development Awards have been an important component of the Australian Government’s efforts to reduce poverty and achieve sustainable development since the Colombo Plan commencing in the1950s.
They aim to:
  • develop capacity and leadership skills so that individuals can contribute to development in their home country
  • build people-to-people linkages at the individual, institutional and country levels.
This is the home page for the Australian Development Scholarships (ADS) and the Australian Leadership Award Scholarships (ALAS)

Application Dates and Process

The current application round opens on 12 March and closes on 17 August 2012.
Applications must be submitted in hardcopy and will not be considered after this date.
Application process:
  1. Check that you meet ADS criteria;
  2. Make 2 copies of your ADS application form (application form and required documents)
  3. Go to a notaris to certify (legalisir cap asli) that the copies made of the academic transcript, university qualification certificate and English language proficiency  certificate are true and accurate;
  4. Submit 3 hardcopies of the completed ADS application form (1 x original, 2 x copies OK) and required documents by 17 August 2012;
What happens after application?
December Successful and non-successful shortlisted candidates are notified of their IELTS test date and JST interview date on January the following year
January IELTS test and JST interview conducted
February Result of interview communicated to shortlisted candidate
March Pre-Departure Training commences for awardees with IELTS 6.5 or more
Incomplete documentation will make your application INELIGIBLE for consideration

Eligibility and Approval

ADS are offered in two main categories: ‘Public Sector Category’ and  ‘Open Category’.
Public Sector Category

Public sector applicants are employees from Government organizations, state universities and state owned enterprises. Their applications must be approved by training or foreign cooperation bureaus (BKLN) of their local or central agencies before being submitted to the ADS Program Office. Public sector candidates from government agencies outside Jakarta may apply directly to the ADS Program Office with the approval of their relevant Kakanwil or Kadinas and approval from Bupati or Governor (or representative) where necessary. Public Sector applications must identify in writing on the application form the agency’s reason for nominating the applicant in terms of the agency’s human resource development needs, the anticipated benefit of the applicant’s proposed study to the agency, a proposed strategy for utilizing the applicant’s knowledge, skills and qualification gained and commitment to adopting the strategy and supporting the applicant.
Calon Pegawai Negeri Sipil (CPNS) are not eligible to apply.
Open CategoryOpen Category applicants are from private organisations and universities and this category is also open to recent university graduates.
No prior Government approval is required for people applying in the Open Category, and applications are to be submitted directly to the ADS Program Office. They require, where relevant, the endorsement of the agency, institution or private university in which the applicant is working or studying. Applications are submitted directly to the ADS Office. Applications must identify in writing the anticipated benefit of the applicant’s proposed study to the agency, where relevant, and include, in such cases, a proposed strategy for utilizing the applicant’s knowledge, skills and qualifications.
Public servants (Pegawai Negeri) cannot apply in the Open category.
Targeted Category
Targeted Category exists for candidates who are identified by their organisations in consultation with the ADS Program.  Candidates may be from Government of Indonesia Key Agencies[1] or from organisations linked with AusAID activities[2].  Candidates within the Targeted Category must be identified by their home organization and must not apply to the ADS Program independently of their employer.
‘Targeted Category’ candidates are employed by organisations which are identified by the Government of Indonesia and Government of Australia (through AusAID) as being strategically aligned with the Development priorities of the Government of Indonesia.   Candidates within this category may also be employed by government organizations, state owned enterprises, non-government organizations (NGOs), civil society organizations (CSOs) and key state and private higher education institutions which service the training needs of these organizations.
General Requirements
  • be an Indonesian citizen and not have permanent residence in Australia or New Zealand
  • not be married or engaged to a person who is eligible to hold Australian or New Zealand citizenship or permanent resident status, at any stage of the application, selection, mobilisation processes or while on-scholarship in Australia
  • satisfy Australian Government requirements for international student entry to Australia (health, character etc)
  • not have obtained an academic qualification outside their home country in the 24 months preceding the application closing date, calculated from the date of arrival back in the home country
  • not be applying for another long-term AusAID scholarship unless they have returned to their home country and resided there for twice the length of the total time that they were in Australia (for example, a previous AusAID Scholar who has been on AusAID scholarship/s in Australia for five years will not be eligible to apply for another AusAID scholarship until they have been home for ten years)
  • be applying to commence a new course of study and not be seeking support through ADS for a course already commenced in Australia.
  • be able to take up the scholarship in the year for which it is offered
  • be able to satisfy all requirements of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) for an AusAID student visa  and
  • be able to satisfy the admission requirements of the Australian university at which the Scholarship is to be undertaken. 
Specifically, candidates must:
  • be applying for courses that fall within the areas of development priority (see “Choosing a Course of Study” below)
  • at the time of application be not older than 42 years of age
  • have a Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 2.9 or 2.75 for applicants from AusAID Geographic Focus Areas[3] and for applicants from the Targeted Category
  • have a Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 2.75 for awardees with a disability as declared on the ADS application form (for candidates with a GPA lower than 2.75, appropriate documented work/life experiences from exceptional candidates may be considered as equivalency, on a case by case basis)
  • have an English language proficiency of at least 5.0 in IELTS (or 500 in paper-based TOEFL or 61 internet based TOEFL). The IELTS or TOEFL result must be current (a test result obtained in 2010 or 2011 will be considered current).  No other English language test (including TOEFL prediction test) results will be accepted.
  • Contact details of test centre must be provided for verification of TOEFL test results.
  • Applications must include a minimum of one (1) copy of the original Institutional TOEFL test result.
  • already hold an undergraduate degree, if applying for a Masters
  • already have a Masters, if applying for a Doctorate
  • if applying for a Doctorate, applicants will be restricted to staff of universities, higher education institutions, research institutes, key policy makers and targeted candidates in other agencies associated with AusAID activities
  • answer all relevant questions on the application form
  • be willing and available to undertake full-time (Monday  - Friday 0800-1600) English for Academic Purposes (EAP) training in Indonesia prior to studying in Australia, if offered a scholarship.
  • It is highly desirable for Doctorate applicants to have a letter of support from an Australian university for their proposed field of study.
 For further information check it out  http://australiaawardsindo.or.id

Saturday, March 17, 2012

A Thousand Miles


"A Thousand Miles"

Making my way downtown
Walking fast
Faces pass
And I'm home bound

Staring blankly ahead
Just making my way
Making a way
Through the crowd

And I need you
And I miss you
And now I wonder....

If I could fall
Into the sky
Do you think time
Would pass me by
'Cause you know I'd walk
A thousand miles
If I could
Just see you
Tonight

It's always times like these
When I think of you
And I wonder
If you ever
Think of me

'Cause everything's so wrong
And I don't belong
Living in your
Precious memories

'Cause I need you
And I miss you
And now I wonder....

If I could fall
Into the sky
Do you think time
Would pass me by
'Cause you know I'd walk
A thousand miles
If I could
Just see you
Tonight

And I
Don't want to let you know
Drown in your memory

Don't want to let this go

Don't....

Making my way downtown
Walking fast
Faces pass
And I'm home bound

Staring blankly ahead
Just making my way
Making a way
Through the crowd

And I still need you
And I still miss you
And now I wonder....

If I could fall
Into the sky
Do you think time
Would pass us by
'Cause you know I'd walk
A thousand miles
If I could
Just see you...

If I could fall
Into the sky
Do you think time
Would pass me by
'Cause you know I'd walk
A thousand miles
If I could
Just see you
If I could
Just hold you
Tonight

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Tentang Tornado dan Pintu Basement yang misterius #Cerita dari Iowa

Suatu hari, seminggu setelah kami balik dari Chicago, stasiun TV The Weather Channel mengingatkan bahwa Iowa bakal diserang severe thunderstorm yang berpotensi menjadi Tornado.  Saya yang sedang asik melahap sebiji apel hasil 'jarahan' di UDCC nyaris keselek mendengarnya. 'What??Tornado???'
Dengan segera saya mengeraskan volume TV. 

'Mbak-mbak' penyiar WC (kok jd WC??) yang berambut pirang itu menjelaskan pada pemirsa potensi angin, storm and bla..bla..dengan riang gembira tanpa menghiraukan perasaan galau kami, perantau yang belum punya pengalaman dengan tornado dan sebagainya. Kontan, saya dan teman-teman lainnya jadi agak panik sendiri. Apalagi waktu itu, emak kami, Ms. Xiong, lagi ke Georgia, menghadiri kedukaan grandpha nya yang meninggal saat kami trip ke Chicago. Otomatis, kami bingung mo bertanya pada siapa soal kebenaran berita ini.

Di kampus, saya sempat bertanya pada staff IEOP tentang 'rencana' akan datangnya si Mas Tornado ini. Mereka tenang-tenang aja. Menurut cerita mereka, Iowa emang sering diserang Tornado. kalo di Ames sendiri so far belum ada yang parah-parah amat. "Every building here have basement, so you don't need to be worry, Riska.."kata Jessie, paman-tanpa-ekspresi kami. 

Yeah...itu kabar baiknya. Kabar buruknya, kami tak tau bagaimana mencapai basement di apertement kami. 
Sejak awal kami tiba di SV, kami tidak ditunjukkan dimana letak pintu menuju basement bila something darurat terjadi. 

Ada sebuah pintu darurat yang mencurigakan di bawah tangga. Menurut anggapan kami, pintu itu kemungkinan adalah  pintu menuju basement. Sayang, pintu itu terkunci. Di depannya tertulis "FIRE DOOR, KEEP CLOSED"

Wokeh.Jadi dimanakah jalan menuju basement??

Teman-teman lain pun bingung. Katanya basement ada di Laudry.. Dari apa yang saya baca di pesan yang ada di samping pintu masuk room 9B, katanya in case of emergency, kalo ada cyclone ato tornado menyerang, kami bisa bersembunyi di basement yang terdapat di laundry. 
Yaelah...jauh amat..kalo si mas Tornadonya keburu datang, masa kami harus ngacir ke laundry dulu buat berlindung. Aduuh..bingung.
Ibu Evi yang baik hati, seorang Indonesian yang menikah dan menetap di Iowa, mengirimkan email kepada kami untuk mengingatkan soal cuaca buruk yang diprediksi bakal menyerang Iowa ini.  

For Your Information, weather forecast hr ini diprediksi 90% chance of rain, strong to severe thunderstorm (kilat dan petir) and possible hail (hujan es). Jangan lupa bawa payung ke kampus. Effective severe weather forecast (ramalan cuaca) mulai siang ini sampai malam, termasuk strong wind.
Bbrp hal yang berlu dihindari kalau thunderstorm warning:
1. Jauhi jendela kaca, 2. Hindari mandi menggunakan shower (krn dapat menghantarkan arus listrik), 3. Hindari menggunakan telephon, 4. Sebaiknya tdk menggunakan laptop dan electronic devices lainnya, juga semua yang menggunakan headphone. Seandainya ada tornado warning berupa sirene, selamatkan dokumen penting spt passport dll, cari perlindungan ke basement apartment kalian..Semoga semua maklum demi keselamatan.
Bu Evie

***
Sorenya, cuaca nampak memburuk. Gelegar dan gemuruh terdengar di kejauhan. Awan cumullunimbus menggantung, menggulung-gulung di langit kota Ames. Angin bertiup perlahan memainkan ranting-ranting kering pepohonan yang daunnya telah berguguran. 

Saya sedang asyik asyiknya menonton sebuah drama di TV Lokal, tiba-tiba suara bising seperti sirene terdengar dari box elektronik itu. 
Tornado warning!
Rupanya Tornado  menyerang Iowa. Bukan di Ames. Tepatnya di dekat ibukota Des Moines.
'Wah..sesuatu nih'batin saya sedikit panik.
Saya mengintip keluar. Mudah-mudahan gak sampe sini nih mas Tornadonya.
Beberapa menit kemudian, terdengar sebuah ketukan di pintu apartemen saya. Luqman dan Yusuf rupanya.
"Kamu dengar tadi informasi di TV, ris?"tanya mereka.
"iya, waduh gimana dong..basement mana basement?'
Tetangga dari apartemen 9c itu mengedor-gedor pintu FIRE DOOR di bawah tangga.
"Wah gak bisa....ya.. udah berdoa aja mudah-mudahan tornadonya gak sampe sini".
Lalu kedua bocah itu ngeloyor pergi, naik kembali ke lantai atas. Meninggalkan saya sendirian, menatap nanar 'FIRE DOOR harapan' yang tak kunjung terbuka. 

Saya gak ingat kemana roomate saya, Lyla, sore itu. Entah sedang di kamar ato sedang berkelana ke Walmart. Maka saya yang merasa sendirian memutuskan untuk ngacir ke apatermen sebelah, di 10 B, apartemen si Suci dan Anggi, sekalian solat magrib berjamaah di sana.

Setibanya di sana, rupanya sudah ada Vita, Lia dan Dilla. Katanya mereka sempat panik juga dengan tornado warning tadi n berharap semoga gak kejadian di Ames. 

Si Suci sebaliknya, dengan riang gembira dan penuh suka cita dia berkata: 
"Eh tau gak, aku malah pengen liat tornado yang sebenarnya, mumpung kita di Amrik, selama ini kan kita cuma liat di tipi"
Yang di balas Anggi ( ato Dilla): "Yee..mana bisa kita liat tornado kalo kitanya sembunyi di basement'
Yang di balas oleh saya: "Syukur kalo ada basement, nah ini pintu menuju basementnya aja kita kagak tau"
Yang dipotong oleh teh Lia: "Ya udah mendingan kita solat aja trus ngaji, minta doa biar dilindungi dari bahaya

Kami pun segera solat berjamaah.

Di luar, hujan mulai turun perlahan. Angin mendayu-dayu memaikan ranting kering tepat di balik jendela apartemen 10. Gelegar guntur masih terdengar di kejauhan. Sesekali 'kilat' nampak menyambar, membelah langit kota Ames.

Sore itu, doa sehabis solat saya lebih panjang dari biasanya.

***
Keesokan harinya....

Alhamdulillah severe weather tidak terlalu serius di Ames td malam. In case of another severe weather lagi..sy anjurkan utk stay tune di channel TV 26, 13, 5, 8 for complete coverage..disitu akan terlihat semua pergerakan arah angin dll yg dikirim via radar. Tornado did touch down semalam di Selatan Iowa dan menghancurkan bbrp rumah. Semalam sebetulnya sy coba telp Lukman/Yusuf..ada nada sambung namun telp tdk diangkat. Patut kita syukuri, hr ini cuaca lumayan agak lbh baik. Cuaca spring di daerah midwest rata2 spt ini tiap thnnya. Thn 2005 Ames pernah kena tornado kecil namun cukup dahsyat. Kl angin kencang, jauhi kaca jendela/cermin kamar mandi..kl td ada basement, usahakan berlindung di dalam closet (lemari pakaian) atau kamar mandi, sekali lagi kl di kmr mandi, jauhi cermin. Mudah2an tdk akan ada lagi bad weather selanjutnya..
Bu Evie




*Ames, Iowa.
  Maret, setahun yang lalu


Monday, March 5, 2012

God's Promises

Barangsiapa diuji lalu bersabar, 
diberi lalu bersyukur, 
dizalimi lalu memaafkan 
 dan menzalimi lalu beristighfar
 maka bagi mereka keselamatan dan mereka tergolong orang-orang yang memperoleh hidayah. 
 
(HR. Al-Baihaqi)

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Tuesday, March 20, 2012

ADS 2012 is now open!

 Oztrali is welcoming you! :)

Background

Australia Awards are an Australian Government initiative designed to promote knowledge, education links and enduring ties between Australia, our neighbours and the global community.
Australia Awards include Development Awards administered by AusAID and the Endeavour Awards administered by the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education. They provide a range of opportunities for study, research and professional development in Australia.
Development Awards are an important component of Australia’s investment in education—the flagship of the Australian aid program. They provide long and short term study and professional development opportunities to citizens from developing countries around the globe.
Australia's Development Awards have been an important component of the Australian Government’s efforts to reduce poverty and achieve sustainable development since the Colombo Plan commencing in the1950s.
They aim to:
  • develop capacity and leadership skills so that individuals can contribute to development in their home country
  • build people-to-people linkages at the individual, institutional and country levels.
This is the home page for the Australian Development Scholarships (ADS) and the Australian Leadership Award Scholarships (ALAS)

Application Dates and Process

The current application round opens on 12 March and closes on 17 August 2012.
Applications must be submitted in hardcopy and will not be considered after this date.
Application process:
  1. Check that you meet ADS criteria;
  2. Make 2 copies of your ADS application form (application form and required documents)
  3. Go to a notaris to certify (legalisir cap asli) that the copies made of the academic transcript, university qualification certificate and English language proficiency  certificate are true and accurate;
  4. Submit 3 hardcopies of the completed ADS application form (1 x original, 2 x copies OK) and required documents by 17 August 2012;
What happens after application?
December Successful and non-successful shortlisted candidates are notified of their IELTS test date and JST interview date on January the following year
January IELTS test and JST interview conducted
February Result of interview communicated to shortlisted candidate
March Pre-Departure Training commences for awardees with IELTS 6.5 or more
Incomplete documentation will make your application INELIGIBLE for consideration

Eligibility and Approval

ADS are offered in two main categories: ‘Public Sector Category’ and  ‘Open Category’.
Public Sector Category

Public sector applicants are employees from Government organizations, state universities and state owned enterprises. Their applications must be approved by training or foreign cooperation bureaus (BKLN) of their local or central agencies before being submitted to the ADS Program Office. Public sector candidates from government agencies outside Jakarta may apply directly to the ADS Program Office with the approval of their relevant Kakanwil or Kadinas and approval from Bupati or Governor (or representative) where necessary. Public Sector applications must identify in writing on the application form the agency’s reason for nominating the applicant in terms of the agency’s human resource development needs, the anticipated benefit of the applicant’s proposed study to the agency, a proposed strategy for utilizing the applicant’s knowledge, skills and qualification gained and commitment to adopting the strategy and supporting the applicant.
Calon Pegawai Negeri Sipil (CPNS) are not eligible to apply.
Open CategoryOpen Category applicants are from private organisations and universities and this category is also open to recent university graduates.
No prior Government approval is required for people applying in the Open Category, and applications are to be submitted directly to the ADS Program Office. They require, where relevant, the endorsement of the agency, institution or private university in which the applicant is working or studying. Applications are submitted directly to the ADS Office. Applications must identify in writing the anticipated benefit of the applicant’s proposed study to the agency, where relevant, and include, in such cases, a proposed strategy for utilizing the applicant’s knowledge, skills and qualifications.
Public servants (Pegawai Negeri) cannot apply in the Open category.
Targeted Category
Targeted Category exists for candidates who are identified by their organisations in consultation with the ADS Program.  Candidates may be from Government of Indonesia Key Agencies[1] or from organisations linked with AusAID activities[2].  Candidates within the Targeted Category must be identified by their home organization and must not apply to the ADS Program independently of their employer.
‘Targeted Category’ candidates are employed by organisations which are identified by the Government of Indonesia and Government of Australia (through AusAID) as being strategically aligned with the Development priorities of the Government of Indonesia.   Candidates within this category may also be employed by government organizations, state owned enterprises, non-government organizations (NGOs), civil society organizations (CSOs) and key state and private higher education institutions which service the training needs of these organizations.
General Requirements
  • be an Indonesian citizen and not have permanent residence in Australia or New Zealand
  • not be married or engaged to a person who is eligible to hold Australian or New Zealand citizenship or permanent resident status, at any stage of the application, selection, mobilisation processes or while on-scholarship in Australia
  • satisfy Australian Government requirements for international student entry to Australia (health, character etc)
  • not have obtained an academic qualification outside their home country in the 24 months preceding the application closing date, calculated from the date of arrival back in the home country
  • not be applying for another long-term AusAID scholarship unless they have returned to their home country and resided there for twice the length of the total time that they were in Australia (for example, a previous AusAID Scholar who has been on AusAID scholarship/s in Australia for five years will not be eligible to apply for another AusAID scholarship until they have been home for ten years)
  • be applying to commence a new course of study and not be seeking support through ADS for a course already commenced in Australia.
  • be able to take up the scholarship in the year for which it is offered
  • be able to satisfy all requirements of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) for an AusAID student visa  and
  • be able to satisfy the admission requirements of the Australian university at which the Scholarship is to be undertaken. 
Specifically, candidates must:
  • be applying for courses that fall within the areas of development priority (see “Choosing a Course of Study” below)
  • at the time of application be not older than 42 years of age
  • have a Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 2.9 or 2.75 for applicants from AusAID Geographic Focus Areas[3] and for applicants from the Targeted Category
  • have a Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 2.75 for awardees with a disability as declared on the ADS application form (for candidates with a GPA lower than 2.75, appropriate documented work/life experiences from exceptional candidates may be considered as equivalency, on a case by case basis)
  • have an English language proficiency of at least 5.0 in IELTS (or 500 in paper-based TOEFL or 61 internet based TOEFL). The IELTS or TOEFL result must be current (a test result obtained in 2010 or 2011 will be considered current).  No other English language test (including TOEFL prediction test) results will be accepted.
  • Contact details of test centre must be provided for verification of TOEFL test results.
  • Applications must include a minimum of one (1) copy of the original Institutional TOEFL test result.
  • already hold an undergraduate degree, if applying for a Masters
  • already have a Masters, if applying for a Doctorate
  • if applying for a Doctorate, applicants will be restricted to staff of universities, higher education institutions, research institutes, key policy makers and targeted candidates in other agencies associated with AusAID activities
  • answer all relevant questions on the application form
  • be willing and available to undertake full-time (Monday  - Friday 0800-1600) English for Academic Purposes (EAP) training in Indonesia prior to studying in Australia, if offered a scholarship.
  • It is highly desirable for Doctorate applicants to have a letter of support from an Australian university for their proposed field of study.
 For further information check it out  http://australiaawardsindo.or.id

Saturday, March 17, 2012

A Thousand Miles


"A Thousand Miles"

Making my way downtown
Walking fast
Faces pass
And I'm home bound

Staring blankly ahead
Just making my way
Making a way
Through the crowd

And I need you
And I miss you
And now I wonder....

If I could fall
Into the sky
Do you think time
Would pass me by
'Cause you know I'd walk
A thousand miles
If I could
Just see you
Tonight

It's always times like these
When I think of you
And I wonder
If you ever
Think of me

'Cause everything's so wrong
And I don't belong
Living in your
Precious memories

'Cause I need you
And I miss you
And now I wonder....

If I could fall
Into the sky
Do you think time
Would pass me by
'Cause you know I'd walk
A thousand miles
If I could
Just see you
Tonight

And I
Don't want to let you know
Drown in your memory

Don't want to let this go

Don't....

Making my way downtown
Walking fast
Faces pass
And I'm home bound

Staring blankly ahead
Just making my way
Making a way
Through the crowd

And I still need you
And I still miss you
And now I wonder....

If I could fall
Into the sky
Do you think time
Would pass us by
'Cause you know I'd walk
A thousand miles
If I could
Just see you...

If I could fall
Into the sky
Do you think time
Would pass me by
'Cause you know I'd walk
A thousand miles
If I could
Just see you
If I could
Just hold you
Tonight

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Tentang Tornado dan Pintu Basement yang misterius #Cerita dari Iowa

Suatu hari, seminggu setelah kami balik dari Chicago, stasiun TV The Weather Channel mengingatkan bahwa Iowa bakal diserang severe thunderstorm yang berpotensi menjadi Tornado.  Saya yang sedang asik melahap sebiji apel hasil 'jarahan' di UDCC nyaris keselek mendengarnya. 'What??Tornado???'
Dengan segera saya mengeraskan volume TV. 

'Mbak-mbak' penyiar WC (kok jd WC??) yang berambut pirang itu menjelaskan pada pemirsa potensi angin, storm and bla..bla..dengan riang gembira tanpa menghiraukan perasaan galau kami, perantau yang belum punya pengalaman dengan tornado dan sebagainya. Kontan, saya dan teman-teman lainnya jadi agak panik sendiri. Apalagi waktu itu, emak kami, Ms. Xiong, lagi ke Georgia, menghadiri kedukaan grandpha nya yang meninggal saat kami trip ke Chicago. Otomatis, kami bingung mo bertanya pada siapa soal kebenaran berita ini.

Di kampus, saya sempat bertanya pada staff IEOP tentang 'rencana' akan datangnya si Mas Tornado ini. Mereka tenang-tenang aja. Menurut cerita mereka, Iowa emang sering diserang Tornado. kalo di Ames sendiri so far belum ada yang parah-parah amat. "Every building here have basement, so you don't need to be worry, Riska.."kata Jessie, paman-tanpa-ekspresi kami. 

Yeah...itu kabar baiknya. Kabar buruknya, kami tak tau bagaimana mencapai basement di apertement kami. 
Sejak awal kami tiba di SV, kami tidak ditunjukkan dimana letak pintu menuju basement bila something darurat terjadi. 

Ada sebuah pintu darurat yang mencurigakan di bawah tangga. Menurut anggapan kami, pintu itu kemungkinan adalah  pintu menuju basement. Sayang, pintu itu terkunci. Di depannya tertulis "FIRE DOOR, KEEP CLOSED"

Wokeh.Jadi dimanakah jalan menuju basement??

Teman-teman lain pun bingung. Katanya basement ada di Laudry.. Dari apa yang saya baca di pesan yang ada di samping pintu masuk room 9B, katanya in case of emergency, kalo ada cyclone ato tornado menyerang, kami bisa bersembunyi di basement yang terdapat di laundry. 
Yaelah...jauh amat..kalo si mas Tornadonya keburu datang, masa kami harus ngacir ke laundry dulu buat berlindung. Aduuh..bingung.
Ibu Evi yang baik hati, seorang Indonesian yang menikah dan menetap di Iowa, mengirimkan email kepada kami untuk mengingatkan soal cuaca buruk yang diprediksi bakal menyerang Iowa ini.  

For Your Information, weather forecast hr ini diprediksi 90% chance of rain, strong to severe thunderstorm (kilat dan petir) and possible hail (hujan es). Jangan lupa bawa payung ke kampus. Effective severe weather forecast (ramalan cuaca) mulai siang ini sampai malam, termasuk strong wind.
Bbrp hal yang berlu dihindari kalau thunderstorm warning:
1. Jauhi jendela kaca, 2. Hindari mandi menggunakan shower (krn dapat menghantarkan arus listrik), 3. Hindari menggunakan telephon, 4. Sebaiknya tdk menggunakan laptop dan electronic devices lainnya, juga semua yang menggunakan headphone. Seandainya ada tornado warning berupa sirene, selamatkan dokumen penting spt passport dll, cari perlindungan ke basement apartment kalian..Semoga semua maklum demi keselamatan.
Bu Evie

***
Sorenya, cuaca nampak memburuk. Gelegar dan gemuruh terdengar di kejauhan. Awan cumullunimbus menggantung, menggulung-gulung di langit kota Ames. Angin bertiup perlahan memainkan ranting-ranting kering pepohonan yang daunnya telah berguguran. 

Saya sedang asyik asyiknya menonton sebuah drama di TV Lokal, tiba-tiba suara bising seperti sirene terdengar dari box elektronik itu. 
Tornado warning!
Rupanya Tornado  menyerang Iowa. Bukan di Ames. Tepatnya di dekat ibukota Des Moines.
'Wah..sesuatu nih'batin saya sedikit panik.
Saya mengintip keluar. Mudah-mudahan gak sampe sini nih mas Tornadonya.
Beberapa menit kemudian, terdengar sebuah ketukan di pintu apartemen saya. Luqman dan Yusuf rupanya.
"Kamu dengar tadi informasi di TV, ris?"tanya mereka.
"iya, waduh gimana dong..basement mana basement?'
Tetangga dari apartemen 9c itu mengedor-gedor pintu FIRE DOOR di bawah tangga.
"Wah gak bisa....ya.. udah berdoa aja mudah-mudahan tornadonya gak sampe sini".
Lalu kedua bocah itu ngeloyor pergi, naik kembali ke lantai atas. Meninggalkan saya sendirian, menatap nanar 'FIRE DOOR harapan' yang tak kunjung terbuka. 

Saya gak ingat kemana roomate saya, Lyla, sore itu. Entah sedang di kamar ato sedang berkelana ke Walmart. Maka saya yang merasa sendirian memutuskan untuk ngacir ke apatermen sebelah, di 10 B, apartemen si Suci dan Anggi, sekalian solat magrib berjamaah di sana.

Setibanya di sana, rupanya sudah ada Vita, Lia dan Dilla. Katanya mereka sempat panik juga dengan tornado warning tadi n berharap semoga gak kejadian di Ames. 

Si Suci sebaliknya, dengan riang gembira dan penuh suka cita dia berkata: 
"Eh tau gak, aku malah pengen liat tornado yang sebenarnya, mumpung kita di Amrik, selama ini kan kita cuma liat di tipi"
Yang di balas Anggi ( ato Dilla): "Yee..mana bisa kita liat tornado kalo kitanya sembunyi di basement'
Yang di balas oleh saya: "Syukur kalo ada basement, nah ini pintu menuju basementnya aja kita kagak tau"
Yang dipotong oleh teh Lia: "Ya udah mendingan kita solat aja trus ngaji, minta doa biar dilindungi dari bahaya

Kami pun segera solat berjamaah.

Di luar, hujan mulai turun perlahan. Angin mendayu-dayu memaikan ranting kering tepat di balik jendela apartemen 10. Gelegar guntur masih terdengar di kejauhan. Sesekali 'kilat' nampak menyambar, membelah langit kota Ames.

Sore itu, doa sehabis solat saya lebih panjang dari biasanya.

***
Keesokan harinya....

Alhamdulillah severe weather tidak terlalu serius di Ames td malam. In case of another severe weather lagi..sy anjurkan utk stay tune di channel TV 26, 13, 5, 8 for complete coverage..disitu akan terlihat semua pergerakan arah angin dll yg dikirim via radar. Tornado did touch down semalam di Selatan Iowa dan menghancurkan bbrp rumah. Semalam sebetulnya sy coba telp Lukman/Yusuf..ada nada sambung namun telp tdk diangkat. Patut kita syukuri, hr ini cuaca lumayan agak lbh baik. Cuaca spring di daerah midwest rata2 spt ini tiap thnnya. Thn 2005 Ames pernah kena tornado kecil namun cukup dahsyat. Kl angin kencang, jauhi kaca jendela/cermin kamar mandi..kl td ada basement, usahakan berlindung di dalam closet (lemari pakaian) atau kamar mandi, sekali lagi kl di kmr mandi, jauhi cermin. Mudah2an tdk akan ada lagi bad weather selanjutnya..
Bu Evie




*Ames, Iowa.
  Maret, setahun yang lalu


Monday, March 5, 2012

God's Promises

Barangsiapa diuji lalu bersabar, 
diberi lalu bersyukur, 
dizalimi lalu memaafkan 
 dan menzalimi lalu beristighfar
 maka bagi mereka keselamatan dan mereka tergolong orang-orang yang memperoleh hidayah. 
 
(HR. Al-Baihaqi)