Citra Vlado Wedding

The Story of CV:
Two world citizens from Central Europe (Vlado) and Southeast Asia (Citra) are united in diversity through love. It was year 2010 when CV received scholarship from Turkish Government that brought them to meet each other in Izmir during Turkish language course. Since the first moment they felt there is a special connection between them. As time passed by they got to know each other better, their affection towards each other grew stronger and they knew that the chemistry between them is more than just a friendship, it is a love.
CV started their relationship on 21 March 2010. In autumn 2010 CV moved to Istanbul to start their Master’s degree programs through the same scholarship. They went to different university and studied different major, but stayed in the same dormitory area. They were supporting and helping each other throughout their studies.
Thank God, all prays & supports from CV's beloved people together with their excellent study results brought them to several countries in Europe and Australia, including another scholarship from European Union (Erasmus) to do thesis research and internship in the United Kingdom, Citra went to Newcastle and Vlado went to London. They have realized since the beginning that their relationship will face many obstacles and tests, such as physical distance between their homelands, different cultural backgrounds, language barrier and others. Nevertheless, as it is said, the course of true love never did run smooth. Alhamdulillah, CV's love proved to be stronger than all the obstacles they had to face and now they stand happily in front of you as a newly married couple, united in diversity. A happy marriage is a new beginning of life, a new starting point for greater happiness and usefulness.


Akad nikah / wedding ceremony : Saturday, 21 June 2014 / 23 Sya'ban 1435 H in Jakarta.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9Vm7466tcs

Additional thanks to: All Family & Best Friends, Puri Denpasar Hotel (Catering), Diamond (Decor), Mia Rosa (Kebaya & Make-up), Noni and friends (Wedding Organizer during The Day), Grup Kesenian BULOG (Music & Sound System), The Kadarto (MCs), Kopel Photography (Documentation)

My Speech: 7 KARTINI Habits to Progress Your Career

Kartini Day is commemorated and celebrated annually every mid April to mark the emancipation of Indonesian women and to preserve our culture. This year I celebrated Kartini Day by participated in speech competition that my office organized. Each participant was given 5 minutes to deliver a speech with a topic "what it takes to get the corner office, to progress our career".

Alhamdulillah, "7 Kartini Habits" speech I wrote and delivered in front of my super big bosses and colleagues both Indonesians and expatriates won the 1st place. I was very fortunate to get the opportunity to share, to receive appreciation and good feedback, even then several Asia Pacific VPs wanted me to move to their division and other colleagues suggested me to run for governor election because of my speech and public speaking skills :D :p

I wore traditional costume from Kalimantan/Borneo, the third biggest island in the world. As we know, Kartini is originally from Java island, same as me and probably you. However, there are many other Kartinis outside of Java island as well. A good example can be Borneo. Borneo women are very hard working and to reflect their hard-work nature, I wore their traditional costume. Now let me begin my speech.

Delivering speech with a topic "what it takes to get the corner office" at Kartini Day Celebration

7 KARTINI Habits to Progress Your Career

Ladies and gentlemen, do you know what it takes to get the corner office?
You know corner office has the best view where top management positions usually sit there.

I don’t see anyone raised a hand.

Is it some kind of secret that only chosen ones happen to know?
No, it’s not a secret. In fact, already thousand years ago people knew answer to this question.

Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle once said: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is not an act, but a habit.”

By the way, he said it when he was sitting in his corner office so you should trust him.

But joking aside, he was right.

It is your habits that can get you to the corner office.

Today I will share with you 7 such habits. To make it easier to remember, we can call them K-A-R-T-I-N-I habits, yes, KARTINI habits.

First habit, K is for Know your career passion and mission

If you do what you love, you will absolutely enjoy your life and the result of your work will guide you to achieve your career mission which is declaration of your goals.

Second habit, A is for Allocate time to make career plan and strategy

Have a plan of action with a goal and concrete achievable steps. For example, twice in a year I have discussion with my line manager and my mentors about my career development which will be updated into my Personal Development Plan (PDP).

Third habit, R is for Recognize your strengths and weaknesses

Build on your strengths can help you to stand out from the crowd. Minimize your weaknesses, otherwise they will drag you down while you are trying to reach the top.

Fourth habit, T is for Tie in your competence with good management and marketing yourself

Competence alone will not get you what you want. You must also manage your time and quality of work and ensure that the management notices when you do a good work. That is why you need to marketing yourself.

Fifth habit, I is for Improve yourself with new skills

Do not let stagnation enter into your professional life. Progress in your career can happen only when you evolve, and evolution is possible only when you keep learning new things. Take up certificate courses, attend seminars or workshops, undergo specialization trainings and so on.

Sixth habit, N is for Network, network, and network

Networking has been known to many as one of the most favorite and effective vehicles for growth. Make sure you network and do it with the right people.

Seventh and the last Kartini habits, I is for Integrate your work with your life in a balanced way

People who have found proper work-life balance truly follow the Carpe Diem ideology – they seize each day and make the most of it.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I started my speech with a quote and I will also finish it one. That’s one thing about me, I like to have things in a balanced way.

But this one is not from Aristotle, it’s from Mahatma Gandhi. He once said: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” And I believe it’s valid also for our careers, be the change you wish to see in your career.

If you want to get the corner office, you should start with yourself, through your habits. And the 7 Kartini habits that I shared with you today will show you the door to the corner office.

Thank you.

- Citra Chergia

Scholarship: Motivation and Tips

Motivation

What is your motivation trigger?

It is your D-R-E-A-M.

Everything starts with a dream and a burning desire to make it into reality.

If one of your dreams is to get a scholarship (especially abroad), get ready for abundance of benefits: Recognition, good sources of knowledge & research supports, financial incentives, personal development (e.g. more independent, open-minded), networking, traveling, new culture and language, career (make you a more attractive job candidate), international exposure (e.g. publication-international journal, opportunity to join or even publish your work at international forums), contribution to the nation (remember that each one of us is an ambassador for our nation).

How do I decide which scholarship I should pursue?

Begin with the end in mind.
Know your wish lists: career path (what do you want to be?), destination (which university, city and country?), duration (how long do you want to allocate your time to pursue your studies further?), coverage (€$£ what kind of support do you need?-tuition fee, living cost, settlement, transportation fee, research grant, preparation course, insurance, living cost for family).

Types

- Based: Merit-based, financial need, combination

- Provider / Sponsor: Local vs. international, government vs. NGO vs. public company vs. private company

- Coverage: Full vs. partial

- Mechanism: Get the LoA first, get the scholarship first

- Terms: Contract vs. free, specific rules

- Target: General vs. segmented/particular groups (for specific gender, specific career, people from a certain region)

Process

Actions to get scholarship:

1. Find the scholarship that suits your dream and conditions (relate to your strengths, match the scholarship eligibility)

2. Prepare and get all materials (e.g. take English course, make motivation letter, find suitable people to provide letters of recommendation)

3. Complete your application

4. Apply

5. Follow the selection process (next step could be interview or FGD)

6. Pray

Start earlier and prepare better!

General required attachments:
- Legal copy of certificates and transcripts of your previous education
- Letters of recommendation (academic/work)
- Language certificate (e.g. TOEFL, IELTS)
- Motivation letter (objective, related experience and achievement, future contribution)
- Curriculum Vitae (resume)
- Copy of identity card/passport
- Others

You sometimes need to provide examples of your past work/research/writing, financial aid statement, research proposal and other standardized tests certificate (e.g. GRE, GMAT)

Tips

20 Tips on winning the scholarship:

1. Start searching for scholarships as soon as possible

2. Do not miss deadlines, use reminder and checklist to get organized

3. Look for scholarships on bulletin boards

4. Use a free scholarship matching service (e.g. fastweb.com)

5. Join scholarship network (e.g. Indonesian fellows can subscribe facebook fanpage Pemburu Beasiswa Dalam dan Luar Negeri, beasiswa@yahoogroups.com)

6. Make sure scholarship information and offers you receive are legitimate

7. Be careful about scams and remember that you don't have to pay to find scholarships or other financial aid

8. Learn from previous scholarship receivers

9. Contact the Professor(s) at your targeted university

10. Invest your time and money to fulfil the requirements (e.g. take language course and recognized international English language exams if required)

11. Boost up your CV (win academic competition, participate in campus event, join organization, get certification, attend seminar, achieve high GPA, get publication, join student exchange)

12. Tailor your application to the sponsor’s goals

13. Personalize your essay and be passionate (make an outstanding application: write your interest, talk about your impact on other people, give examples, be specific, create a stand-out application)

14. Maintain a good relationship with your current Professors/Lecturers/Academic Adviser/Employer

15. Try to have a professional online profile (use a professional email address, remove inappropriate and immature material)

16. Proofread a printed copy of your essay and the application for spelling and grammar errors (ask for help from the expert if necessary)

17. Make sure everything is filled in neatly

18. If you are sending a printed application

a. Arrange the documents in order

b. Make a nice and clean application folder (impression that you are organized)

c. Make a photocopy of your application before mailing it and send the application by certified mail (return receipt requested with delivery confirmation)

d. Do not send original documents of your certificates (unless it is specifically requested, e.g. official IELTS certificate is required)

19. If you are sending an online application, send in PDF format

20. Focus

Available Scholarships (Examples)

- Government Scholarships: Indonesia (LPDP), US (Fulbright), European Union member countries (Erasmus: Erasmus Mundus, Erasmus Lifelong Learning Programme), Germany (DAAD), UK (Chevening), Australia (ADS, ALA, Endeavour Awards), France (Eiffel), Netherlands (NFP), Japan (Monbukagakusho), others (Chinese, Czech, Indian, Italian, Korean, New Zealand, Russian, Slovak, Swiss, Turkish Government Scholarships, etc)

- Scholarships from NGO, public and private companies 

- Scholarships from internal university (check the webpage)

Conclusions

- Start dreaming and set up your target as soon as possible

- Prepare a stand-out application

- Follow the procedures and tips

- Apply to every scholarship for which you are eligible. Apply more = experience more & bigger chance

Millions of scholarships are available to students across the nation, do not miss your chance!

Good luck, scholarship hunters!

Cheers,

Citra Chergia

Scholarship receiver of Turkish Government Scholarship and Erasmus Lifelong Learning Programme for Master’s Degree at Istanbul Technical University (Turkey) and Master's dissertation research at Newcastle University (UK)


Me when sharing some tips to get scholarship from Turkish Government and European Union Erasmus Lifelong Learning Programme:

http://i-4.or.id/id/2015/02/25/i-4-talks-meraih-beasiswa-pemerintah-turki-beasiswa-uni-eropa-erasmus-lifelong-learning-program/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8i2kA5IVfk

http://www.pedomannews.com/news/29962-rotaract-club-semanggi-dan-gen-c-gelar-social-movement-festival

Türkiye Bursları / Beasiswa Turki: Turkish Government Scholarship (TGS)

Ada beragam beasiswa yang ditawarkan bila Anda tertarik untuk kuliah S1/ S2/ S3 di Turki, salah satunya adalah beasiswa dari pemerintah Turki (Turkish Government Scholarship) yang aplikasinya setiap tahun biasa dibuka sepanjang bulan Maret. Ada pula beasiswa untuk Turkish Language Summer Course (from July to August) yang aplikasinya setiap tahun dibuka di bulan Mei. Info lengkap mengenai beasiswa yang ditawarkan dapat diakses di http://www.turkiyeburslari.gov.tr/index.php/en/

Karena pengalaman saya terkait pada beasiswa untuk kuliah S1/ S2/ S3 di Turki dari pemerintah Turki (Turkish Government Scholarship – TGS), maka tulisan ini hanya akan terfokus pada jenis beasiswa tersebut. Tahapan proses seleksi, penerimaan, hingga memulai perkuliahan antara lain:

Bila Anda lulus tahap screening administrasi aplikasi, maka Anda akan diwawancarai by phone/langsung oleh pihak kedutaan Turki. Pertanyaan dalam wawancara tersebut biasanya seputar isian aplikasi Anda: motivasi & alasan mengapa ingin kuliah di Turki, prestasi dan pengalaman Anda, pengetahuan Anda tentang Turki, kontribusi apa yang ingin Anda lakukan bila sudah menyelesaikan studi Anda di Turki, apa sajakah pilihan studi dan universitas yang Anda tuju di Turki serta apa alasannya. Interviewer juga biasanya menjelaskan apa saja yang akan Anda peroleh bila terpilih, bagaimana kondisi kehidupan secara umum dan secara akademis di Turki, dan kemudian bertanya apakah Anda sudah yakin dan sanggup untuk merantau belajar di Turki. Di akhir sesi wawancara, Anda pun diperbolehkan untuk bertanya kepada pewawancara. Kuncinya adalah just be yourself and relax.

Pengumuman hasil beasiswa biasanya diberikan sekitar bulan September. Jumlah penerima TGS di setiap negara bervariasi setiap tahunnya, bergantung pada kuota beasiswa yang tersedia. Bagi yang terpilih, pihak kedutaan Turki di Jakarta akan mengundang Anda dan memberikan pre-departure orientation agar Anda dapat lebih mempersiapkan diri sebelum tiba di Turki.

Foto ketika pre-departure orientation

Anda diharapkan dapat tiba di Turki di bulan Oktober. Namun, berdasarkan pengalaman, bila ada alasan yang logis, maka Anda diperbolehkan untuk menunda keberangkatan (tapi tidak menunda terlalu lama, terutama bila Anda awam terhadap bahasa Turki). Saat itu saya tiba di Turki di bulan November 2009 karena masih harus bekerja di bulan Oktober. Guna membantu persiapan diri yang lebih baik, Anda sebaiknya menghubungi teman-teman Indonesia yang berada di Turki (contoh: melalui PPI Turki http://ppiturki.org/, PPI cabang, Indonesian Student Society di masing-masing kampus, ataupun perkumpulan masyarakat disana: masyarakatriditurki@yahoogroups.com, facebook group: Masyarakat Indonesia di Istanbul (MII), dll ).

Belajar di perantauan menuntut dan membentuk Anda menjadi pribadi yang mandiri, maka siapkanlah diri Anda sebaik mungkin. Sebagai salah satu persyaratan dari penerima TGS, sebelum memulai perkuliahan, Anda wajib untuk mengikuti Turkish language course di sekolah bahasa TÖMER hingga Anda memperoleh sertifikasi diploma. Saat itu saya sekolah di TÖMER selama 7,5 bulan dan saya sama sekali tidak bisa Bahasa Turki sebelum memulai course ini. Salah satu tujuan TGS adalah mempromosikan Turki, termasuk bahasanya. Disamping itu, penguasaan bahasa Turki bermanfaat bagi kehidupan sehari-hari Anda disana karena bahasa Inggris biasanya hanya common digunakan di kota-kota besar dan wilayah wisata, bisnis, dan akademis. Selama belajar di TÖMER, Anda akan bertemu dengan teman-teman baru, baik penerima TGS maupun murid non-penerima TGS, dari berbagai belahan dunia. It’s gonna be challenging and fun!

Selama belajar di TÖMER, Anda perlu tetap memantau perkembangan aplikasi Anda di kampus dan jurusan yang Anda tuju, karena meskipun Anda officially sudah memperoleh TGS, tapi Anda belum official diterima di kampus dan jurusan yang Anda tuju.

Bila tujuan Anda melanjutkan pendidikan di kampus dan jurusan yang menggunakan bahasa Turki, maka nilai diploma Turkish language Anda di TÖMER, sangatlah penting dan menjadi persyaratan penerimaan di kampus dan jurusan tersebut. Bila tujuan Anda melanjutkan pendidikan di kampus dan jurusan yang menggunakan bahasa Inggris, maka Anda perlu submit nilai dengan standarisasi tertentu dari hasil English proficiency test yang kampus tujuan Anda adakan, atau dari hasil IELTS / TOEFL iBT / TOEIC. Bila tujuan Anda melanjutkan pendidikan di kampus dan jurusan yang menggunakan French ataupun Deutsch, Anda akan perlu submit nilai kompetensi Anda dalam bahasa tersebut. Silahkan mengecek persyaratan penerimaan mahasiswa di website kampus dan jurusan yang Anda tuju. Ada banyak kesempatan yang dapat Anda raih di Turki, termasuk untuk berorganisasi, mempromosikan Indonesia, berprestasi, berkreasi, memperoleh beasiswa tambahan, maupun pekerjaan sambilan. Seize the moment!

Selain itu, bila Anda kuliah di universitas unggulan di Turki, maka Anda berkesempatan untuk mendaftarkan diri Anda dalam beasiswa Erasmus Lifelong Learning Programme. Tulisan saya mengenai beasiswa ini dapat diakses di: http://www.indonesianembassy.org.uk/education/06Program_Beasiswa_Erasmus-Lifelong_Learning_Programme.pdf

Selamat mencoba, semoga sukses dan berhasil.

Salam,

Citra Chergia

- Penerima Turkish Government Scholarship

   > Lulusan diploma kursus Bahasa Turki di Ankara University – TÖMER cabang kota Izmir 2010 (memulai kursus per Nov 2009)

   > Lulusan S2 jurusan Construction Management, Civil Engineering Department, Istanbul Technical University di kota Istanbul 2012 (memulai studi per Sep 2010)

   > The 2012 Best Graduate (based on GPA achieved) among international Turkish Government Scholarship graduates from 86 countries by Turkish Minister of National Education.

- Penerima Erasmus Lifelong Learning Programme untuk penelitian disertasi S2 di Newcastle University di kota Newcastle (Inggris) sejak 21 Sep 2011 hingga 21 Feb 2012

*Tulisan ini ditulis dikarenakan adanya pertanyaan-pertanyaan mengenai TGS. Tulisan di atas adalah berdasarkan pengalaman saya selama mengikuti dan menjalani proses beasiswa tersebut. Proses beasiswa dapat berubah seiring dengan berjalannya waktu. Any questions and concerned are welcomed :)

Tautan ketika saya diberikan kesempatan untuk sharing Beasiswa Pemerintah Turki dan Beasiswa Uni Eropa Erasmus Lifelong Learning Programme:

http://i-4.or.id/id/2015/02/25/i-4-talks-meraih-beasiswa-pemerintah-turki-beasiswa-uni-eropa-erasmus-lifelong-learning-program/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8i2kA5IVfk

http://www.pedomannews.com/news/29962-rotaract-club-semanggi-dan-gen-c-gelar-social-movement-festival

LONDON

London is a thriving and vibrant capital. Similar to New York City in the U.S., this largest city in England has been used frequently as filming location. I could not stop taking pictures in every corner of it. Awesome!

The Big Ben

Westminster Palace

Westminster Palace

 Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge

London Eye (Millennium Wheel)

London Eye (Millennium Wheel)

London Eye (Millennium Wheel)

Red Double-Decker Bus

Red Phone Booth

Buckingham Palace

British Guards

 British Guards

British Guards

British Guards

Canary Wharf

O2 Arena

Harrods

Oxford Street

Piccadilly Circus

Burlington Arcade

Hyde Park

Hyde Park

Trafalgar Square

British Museum

King's Cross & St Pancras

St Pancras

St Pancras

Wellington Arch

The Sherlock Holmes Museum

Greenwich Observatory

Tate Modern

The London Dungeon

Emirates Stadium (Home of Arsenal FC)

Stamford Bridge (Home of Chelsea FC)

Surroundings:

Stonehenge

Stonehenge

Windsor Castle

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