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Up Close and Personal with Anita Putri

It was a beautiful morning, the sun shone brightly, the wind breezed lazily, as if emphasizing the appearance of another living beauty in casual black t-shirt and faded blue jeans. The beauty was Anita Putri, an English Department student of semester V, who recently won the precious Faculty Award, a recognition for her academic achievement which put her on the Dean’s List.  During the interview, she showed her enthusiastic nature as well as the wisdom of a girl of her age. Excerpt:

Question (Q): Tell me about your life.

Anita (A): Well, my life is actually ordinary. I’m just an ordinary girl like the others. 

Q: There must be something in you which differentiates you from the others.

A: Perhaps, my being a vegan and my choice not to use products made of animals distinct me from the others.

Q: Why did you choose to be a vegan?

A: I’m not saying I’m better than the rest because I’m a vegan, but this is my choice that I believe will lead me to a betterment.

Q: Your philosophy of life?

A: I believe in karma that everything I do today will eventually have a consequence to my future life. I always think first before I do something.

Q: Isn’t that difficult, living such life. I mean, you must be careful because you filter everything and think about it first before taking an action?

A: Well… (pause, tidying her hair) I think in my part, it is not difficult because it is already internalized in my life. I consider every aspect first before deciding something. And the result is rewarding.

Q: Academically?

A: Yeah, you may say so (laughing).

Q: How did you see your past?

A: Mmmm… in general?

Q: Yes, I mean you are a thinker, now that you have reached a certain point in your life, how do you see your past contribute to who you are now?

A: Well, honestly there was a huge turning point which changed my life upside down, which I can’t share here (smiling). But, yes, I considered that moment a reprimand from God for me to reorient my life to be better.

 

 

 

Anita’s eyes were little bit fading when she talked about her past, her struggle to cope with her life, and the resolution that she eventually accomplished. In a somewhat different tone she thanked the Almighty for extricating her from a harsher past.

Q: Wow, it’s very religious. Are you a Buddhist?

A: (laughing) Hahhaa... good guess.

Q: So, you are a carpe-diem kind of girl, then?

A: If what you mean by carpe diem is live your life today to the utmost, yes. But, not in a hedonistic sense.

Q: You have no worry about your future?

A: The future will take care of itself as long as I live my today life conscientiously.

Q: Your favorite colour?

A: Mmmmm… (thinking a while) basic colour, I guess. Black and white.

Q: That describes you perfectly. How do you see Indonesian politics?

A: Honestly, I don’t like politics. To me politics is just a bunch of people trying to enrich their own life without considering others. That’s why I don’t like politics, particularly in Indonesia.

Q: You are a Chinese. Did you experience a racial discrimination?

A: Yes. In Yogyakarta. Previously, I thought that I was no difference from others since I grew up in a homogenous society since I was born until reaching high school. My experience of having exposure with heterogeneous society was when I started living in Yogyakarta. First, I got shocked knowing I was different from others. But then, as time goes by, I get by. And I’m fine.

Since she was born, Anita was raised in a Chinese populated housing complex and attended mostly-Chinese schools. Therefore, living in Yogyakarta was her first encounter with other ethnic groups. It was a shocking experience at first, but then she could adapt herself and found living in heterogeneous society wonderful and challenging. She did not take “Dasar Cino” uttered by her friends seriously and knew that it was just a joke.  

Q: What’s your view about Sanata Dharma University?

A: I found it amazing. People here, particularly at the English Department, are wonderful and helpful in shaping me and nurturing me to be what I am now. My friends are good, we study, have fun, and do many other activities. The lecturers are amazing, they are not self-centered kind, and helpful to their students. They are not just prescriptive, telling their students what to do, but they give their students freedom to grow, and to explore themselves. That is awesome

Q: Any other activities beside studying?

A: Don’t get me wrong… (laughing) I have a lot of things to do beside studying. Now, I’m involved in English Debating Club, and I have fun too… (laughing)

Q: I thought you’re a not-having-fun kind of girl…

A: I have fun with my boyfriend, too… (laughing)

Q: What’s your hobby?

A: I like watching movies, romance particularly, and reading fiction.

Q: Social media you’re fond of?

A: To be honest, I don’t have any social media. I don’t have facebook, twitter, whatsapp, skype, and things like that. If people want to contact me, they just call or text me. You may say I’m a stone-aged girl… (laughing)

Q: No Facebook, no Twitter, no Skype, no LINE, no WhatsApp… so what do you have?

A: A life! (laughing, covering her mouth with her hands)

Q: What thing can you live without?

A: Water.

Q: Not a boyfriend?

A: (laughing heartily) I still can live without him…

Q: How do you see yourself in the next five years?

A: Mmmm… working, because I have an obligation to take care of my family and things like that.

Q: What’s your dream not yet accomplished?

A: My wildest dream is living in a foreign country with new neighbourhood, new environment, new people in which I can cut my past, my root, and start a life anew.

 

 

 

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