kelas inspirasi that inspired

Growing up is not a choice. It’s one of the exact phases of everyone’s life that will happen during human being’s time period. Growing up is not easy, and is, perhaps, especially for me, only exciting  when i was a little child. Children in my age that time couldn’t wait to grow up.  making money to live and do whatever we want by our own, getting over the permission from parents, being a bestfriend of a freedom,  and, one of the most important one, being someone we really wanted to be that time. a doctor. An architect. A teacher. A police officer. Whatever. For me personally, “i want to be a teacher” is an answer to all those kind of what-do-you-want-to-be-in-the-future questions.

Who says growing up is easy?. No one will say so. In fact when you grow up, you know there are two kind of things; giving up with your life or going ahead to whatever you want for the future. Therefore, there is only one kind of person who can survive a grown-up life; one who has a dream.

Well, those words are simply a kind opening for a story i want to tell you here.

one fine morning, i read my friend’s story about her involvement in a social and voluntary project in Jakarta named kelas inspirasi. I thought it was such kind of seminar to share an inspiration kind of stuff. But i found out that it was way greater than that. Kelas inspirasi is one of indonesia mengajar project specially made for all selected professionals who have a very tight daily schedule  to join in a voluntary activity. They all will gather in one group to go to elementary schools to share or introduce their profession to children in the class. i was amazed and had a wish to be part of those generous professionals but it seemed i should throw the wish away since they didn’t open for another batch that time. But once again my wish was heard and came true when in a month later one of the organizing committee emailed me and welcomed me to apply for another batch which will be done in Depok.  I applied for a position so hurriedly, and got an information 2 weeks later that i was accepted.

We gathered several times before the D-Day on weekends, and they were all exciting meetings i’ve ever had. I met my team consisting of inspiring and extraordinary people from very dfferent background, culture, and age, which is, for me, so much special experience. Even if it was the very first time we met, but we were attached like brothers and sisters. One learning i got from this; difference is miraculously connected with one pure purpose. And the purpose in our case is sharing a dream to children in small part of Indonesia.

We were briefed by mr. Anies baswedan, the most enchanting and super extraordinary person who believes that one simple way to make Indonesia better in the future, is to fix up the education for children and prepare them as an asset of Indonesia in the future. Couldn’t agree more, mr. Anies. Here it is. We wouldn’t just nod our head and shouted that we agree, but we would go down there to the field together. We were very keen to involve as part of the project to make sure that indonesian children, who will replace us, will never be scared to put their dreams higher than their eyes can see. Mr. Anies said that it was as if we blow up a candle. As the candles keep the light on, it will shine the future brighter than the sun does.

After those exciting meetings, we finally arrived there, in the D-Day. I was so happy to wake up in my earliest morning, before the sun came and hurt my eyes, and went to depok to an elementary school named depok jaya 2. I was ready with my properties for the class.

Our team consisted of great people with different backgrounds. An engineer, a lecturer, a trainer, an IT consultant, a human resource officer, a reporter, a journalist, an entrepreneur, a graphic designer, all is gathered in one team with the same purpose. they all are grown up. Maybe i was one of the youngest who just came to the jungle. But i felt a clear connection. I couldn’t see anything more beautiful than that.

I finally came to the class. those little faces i saw were curios, as if there was a thing they didn’t know yet. Not just a thing. So many things, i assumed. I thought i wanted stay there in a long time. not just 35 minutes of each classes like what had been regulated. I thought i wanted to sit there and had them in a circle. I thought i wanted to tell them a story, of how i had been growing up.

I communicated with them through a story i told of how i was spending my daily life at work and with a game i threw so that they would more understand of what i actually do. They all laughed together. They put faces as if they were happy. I assumed, yes, they were. I was so proud when they put their hands at the highest when i asked a question or when i challenged them to vonluntarily came to the front of the class. and i was so much prouder when they shouted the loudest when they were asked what they want to be in the future. With bright eyes. With honest motions. With cheerful expression. I can hear their biggest spirit from their voice. Since then, the scene walked in a slow-motion mode. It brought me a flashback of how i mentioned what i wanted to be when i was in their age. A gentle reminder, that i had a dream too.

Here, i told you what i gladly got from my experience last week involving in this kelas inspirasi project:      

• Being a teacher is not as easy as you might see. it’s a worth-appreciating occupation that, in my opinion, should gain the highest amount of money, or, many kind of appreciation.
•  Remembering my childhood and what happened back then can bring back my energy
• In the middle of my super busy time for my own life, my heart is recharged already by doing something for others
•  Being a grown-up, like what i have said, is not easy. Several times in my life, i almost gave it up. And this experience simply reminded  me that i can never stop to fight since i have a dream. as long as i never stop, i will arrive.
• the resolution point of 'doing some voluntary activities' is, excitedly and happily, checked

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what if one of those faces is our future most influential leader of indonesia? 

once upon a time there was a teacher telling her students of something really important when her students asked about how they could reach their dreams. the teacher grabbed a loop and a paper and asked her students to go out of the class, to find a sunlight. the teacher put the loop above the paper under the sunlight, and asked the students to put attention on it. in minutes, the paper was burnt and the students were amazed. she said, "my dear, if we focus on one thing, we can burn the world". 

i tell the children to let the dream fly to the highest place their eyes cannot see right now. 
"but don't forget to tell it 'see you very soon'", i said.