Sita’s musings

As time draws to a close of another UNISTAFF programme, I feel the need to say something, mostly because this is the last year for ISOS carrying out UNISTAFF.

I call them The Three Musketeers. I think they also see themselves that way. And looking up the original Three Musketeers story, I think it is appropriate. Although you most likely cannot see them as Athos, Porthos and Aramis but seven years ago, I was a d’Artagnan, leaving home to become a Musketeer at the training ground that is ISOS, University of Kassel, Witzenhausen Germnay, determined to defend the honor of Indonesian Higher Education

So who are these three gentlemen who I love to call the Musketeers?

I’ll start with Siawuch Amini. Sia Amini is the passionate researcher. Always has a lot to say, and it often comes out as jumbled words on the board. The images I have of Sia are those of true researcher who is most happy in the field, in the laboratory or in front of his computer, so when he’s the classroom, he sometimes looks out of place, and I also sometimes have a hard time understanding him. But beneath the grumpy exterior, he’s a lovable guy.

Then we have Matthias Wesseler. Matthias is the quintessential teacher. His concept of “educating someone is lighting a candle, not filling a empty glass” is one principle that I hold on to this day. Motivation is the key to unlocking a student’s potential, so that is what I continue to try to do in my students. Soft spoken, quiet, his optimistic look on life is uplifting and infectious.

What can I say about Michael Fremerey? The ideas he throws at someone are so often thought provoking and they incite emotions in you that never come up otherwise. He is the true sparring partner for me, patiently listening to my ideas, arguments, complaints and what not. Our discussions are always lively. Spreading the message of Change and Leadership is his calling, and he truly has contibuted to my personal change.

Together, these three have collectively trained around 400 university staff, young (and not so young) apprentices, ‘d’Artagnan’s who come to seek guidance at UNISTAFF. Most of them have moved on to become very important people at their institutions, agents-of-change who managed to create change on different levels. Some are quiet and never heard from again, but that’s okay, because you can’t expect all of them to grow and develop. What they have done is amazing. I can only hope that after seven years, I am now worthy to be the fourth (or fortieth, or four hundreth) Musketeer and stand beside them.

And so as the 2008 UNISTAFF comes to a close, I (virtually) stand up to honor these three gentlemen who truly embodied the spirit of the Musketeers “All for One, and One for All”.

Nggak, nggak, saya nggak akan nyebut-nyebut mbak CL dulu kok

Beberapa tahun terakhir, saya selalu dikerjain diminta tolong oleh pihak kemahasiswaan fakultas untuk membantu pemilihan Mahasiswa Berprestasi. Peranan saya, menilai kompetensi Bahasa Inggris para calon mahasiswa berprestasi tersebut. Dua tahun terakhir, penilaian kompetensi Bahasa Inggris diperluas menjadi Lomba Bahasa Inggris dan terbuka bagi seluruh mahasiswa.

Setiap tahun, pasti muncul bakat-bakat terpendam, hidden jewels, mahasiswa-mahasiswa yang memiliki kompetensi Bahasa Inggris yang di atas rata-rata. Hal yang lebih menggembirakan lagi adalah bahwa peminat lomba setiap tahun meningkat. Makin banyak mahasiswa FMIPA yang bilingual. Tahun ini peserta dari Dept Biologi yang lolos ke final ada 5 orang (dari 12 orang finalis). Sungguh, sebagai seorang dosen, hati saya berbunga-bunga, cieeeee. Belum lagi mahasiswa-mahasiswa yang belajar menulis Bahasa Inggris lewat blognya. Sangat membanggakan!

Sayangnya rasa berbunga-bunga itu sedikit dirusak dengan kehadiran celebrity muda yang meskipun cantik, tapi penguasaan bahasanya, ampun-ampunan deh. Generasi muda celebrity Indonesia saat ini memang kental dengan International flavor. Coba saja lihat nama-nama ini: Marsha Timothy, Richard Kevin, Andrew White, Ben Joshua, dll, dll.

And then we have, just like Snow White, the fairest of them all: Cinta Laura.

Anak ini, konon besar di LN, mengikuti tugas sang ayah sehingga dia lebih menguasai Bahasa Inggris ketimbang Bahasa Indonesia. Analoginya mungkin Ida Iasha (remember her, generation 80s?). Jadinya, kalau sedang berbahasa Indonesia, logat baratnya sangat kental.

And wouldn’t you know, Indonesian people just looove her accent. The “hujan-becek-ngga ada ojek” thing became a big hit. People (read: tabloids) make her say those words during interviews, eeeww.

The first time I heard her speak, I thought it was cute. She reminded me of my niece living in the UK. But after a hundred times it became annoying. I cringe every time I hear her speak. Look, she is not the only bilingual person in this huge metropolitan. All of my bilingual friends can manage two different languages without the heavy English accent. *I* managed to maintain my bilingual capabilities. So why can’t she do it?

My theory is now the accent is her gimmick/thing. She gets endorsement and advertising deals based on speaking English-accented-Indonesian so she’s got to keep up the act of talking like that, eventhough it makes her sound like a cartoon. What makes me more worried is that more and more Indonesian kids will sound like her. Is that what we want?

So kids, if you’re reading this, please, please, don’t use Cinta Laura’s language skills as a model. You can be bilingual without the accent!