My Multicultural Self

 By: Ovnica Nitasari

                                                            www.funkorchildart.com

My multicultural self is one of the topic in the Humanistic studies course. Before this meeting I never thought about my multicultural self. It is a good thing for me, and I can reflect myself deeper. Miss Nisa distribute a piece of paper. In that paper has five bubbles and I have put my identities. Whatever word that can describe your identity. I really enjoy with this meeting. In my paper I wrote; a moslem, an observer, a female, a college student, and a sister.

Something that is ordinary if you just read those words, but for me is one of the biggest thing in my life now, because I have reasons to wrote it.

I am a moslem, maybe for this bubble everybody already know I am a moslem because of my veil. But I want to express that I am a moslem who appreciate other religion, I am not an anarchist person, I build a relationship with other religion, I try to understand the rule of their religion.

I am an observer. I like speak but I am a good listener. When I am talking with my friend and I see her/ his gesture or his/ her answer, That is the moment I observe his/ her. Try to understand him/ her. Try to know his/ her habits and based on it I have many tolerance in many cases, because of I know him/ her.

 I am a female. I remember when I was in elementary school, I am not comfortable to use skirt or long dress.  I have many friends and most of them are boys. In that time I never have a long hair. And until now, I don't like make up. Now it was changing.

I am a college student. I am happy with this label (college student). I learn more and I always meet inspire people in here. I like the atmosphere of campus. If I am not an SSE student, I don't know whether I can study in the campus or not. I am grateful to my god, thanks for the answered prayer :)

The last is I am a sister. I want to emphasized in this bubble because maybe people just think that sister is just a symbolize in the family. Unfortunately not in my life. I am a sister and I have three siblings. I am the first children and my mother passed a way two years ago. Because of the condition, subconsciously and gradually I become an instant mother for them. Even though I have a step mother now, but my siblings still need me more than the previous time. The condition is different, my life is changing. I love them so much, and I want to always with them everyday.

Both of the a college student (the forth bubble) and a sister (the last bubble) I face a conflict, because people just see me in one identity. For example, if we have a group work I want to finished the assignment before weekend  but my friends want to finished the assignment on weekend. I ask him/ her why you choose weekend to finished our assignment because I think we have time to finished it now. He/ her say " ya,, weekend aja lah, more relax then we are in the boarding house so not impossible to finished the assignment on weekend". And I think if I do the assignment on weekend, it's mean that I have to wait more to see my siblings. It is make me sad actually.

That is my multicultural self, something that maybe it is ordinary but extraordinary for me.

The last activity in this meeting (3rd meeting) is we have to make sentence(s) to express your self. Miss Nisa gave an example: Aku orang Indonesia tapi aku tidak suka ngaret (something like that, I'm sorry miss if I am wrong).

And my sentences are:

• I am female but I am not weak.
• I am a college student but I am not an ordinary.

:)