[Perjalanan Menuju FKUI] Daniel Amartya

My name is Daniel Amartya. I am 17 years old, a fan of the NBA and “was” a huge time gamer. In this article I would like to share my begginings and what I learnt and developed during my times from primary all the way up to senior highschool, and how I eventually ended up in a medical school in Universitas Indonesia. I believe that the beginning plays a major role in deciding the end. And thus I would like to share my begginings with the readers and I hope that there are some readers who can relate to my story and use this as a refferance to how they would like to continue their carreers. All men have their weaknesses, and I believe that we have to overcome our weaknesses to be even stronger.

The year 1998 was a rough year for the citizens of Jakarta. Riots and an economic instability filled the city. However, I was fortunate enough to be brought into this world after the turmoil died down. I was born to two amazing and caring parents in the 7th of December. I was raised in a christian environment and the eldest among my 2 siblings. This enviroment was introduced to me since a young age. My parents believed that homeschooling was the optimal path for me and my brothers to receive our primary school education was to be taught by my mother, and thus all three of us did homeschooling. The 4 years that I did in homeschooling were probably the most important period of my life, as it made me the person who I am today. I developed concrete foundation in my faith and character.

The first couple of years in highschool was tough for me. I was shy and quiet, probably a super introvert. Homeschooling only dug this hole even deeper, as I was not accustomed to meeting new people. Another obstacle was my inability to speak Bahasa Indonesia, a problem which continues to shadow me. This was so bad that people said that they could count how many words I spoke in a day, which was ussualy less than the number of fingers we have. The only conversations I had was because of the empathy the other students had towards me.

My parents continuosly preached to me that healthy academics was not all there is to life and that having a healthy relationship with the people around you is as equally important. I finally took it by heart as i entered senior highschool. I was able to make several close friends. A year later, something which I regret until now happened. I lost 3 of my close friends and I was not able to recover their trust. This shattered my new found confidence and I was led astray by this. I was slowly returning to my old self. I was lost in my own thoughts. Before I could run back into my shell, I was reminded that those 3 were not my only friends and that I still have friends that care about me. They pulled me out and helped me during those hard times. This was the real turning point. You can only rise once you have fallen. I became even more confident and made even more friends. At the 2nd year of senior highschool I ran for Head of Student Council, and won. This was ultimate achievement I obtained, i was able to win the trust of not only my close friends, but a majority of my school. The path was long and hard, and I cannot stress how important it is to have close friends that you can trust and those who are willing to fall down together with you.

At the end of the 3rd year in senior highschool, I was faced with a difficult decision. I had to decide what I wanted to take, and probably do, for the rest of my life. I always had a deep interest in biology and the human body. I also had a serious concern for the availabilty and quality of healthcare available in our country. As my mother was active in the social activities in church, she would regularly visit an dpray for the sick. Once she arrived home, she would tell me stories about how many of them were unable to obtain proper healthcare and that they were entirely dependant on the BPJS program provided by the government. The BPJS program is highly beneficial to these people, and I heavily commend the government for this. This deeply moved me. I was commited into helping these people, especially those who are affected by cancer. In the world that we live in, the trend is that those who are wealthy, are able to receive the best healthcare possible, and thus have a higher chance of recovery or at least to maintain the condition they have now or even better. Meanwhile those who are less fortunate, at some point, will only have faith and family to accompany them. Because of this, I am willing to dedicate my life into solving this problem. My goal is to reduce the cost of healthcare and ultimately make it affordable to the majority of the population. I can take several paths to reach my goal. I could enroll in biological engineering, pharmacy, biology, or in medicine.

I medidated my options for the future and narrowed it down into two options, which were biological engineering and medicine. I continued to meditate and pray until I was very sure that I am ready to commit my next several years in these programs. I finally decided to try to enroll in medicine in Universitas Indonesia, the best medical scholl in Indonesia. I prepared myself mentaly and spiritualy. I downloaded past papers and sample tests. I even tried to partake in classes in BTA 8. But it didn’t last long since I felt that their method of teaching does not suit me, and that too much time would be consumed if I were to take their classes. I am the type of student that prefers to study alone and read books, and create notes from those books. You will soon find out that this is not and ideal way of learning at Universitas Indonesia once you have entered the OBM classes. After my preparation was complete, I tried out for the SNMPTN, SBMPTN, and SIMAK Kelas Internasional. I did not get the results I want from SNMPTN, and SBMPTN.

After receiving the results for the SNMPTN and SBMPTN, I grew anxious and I questioned whether I am capable of enrolling in a medical degree. The results of the SIMAK Kelas Internasional was coming up the corner and I just grew even more anxious and tense. Once the day came, I became nervous and even more anxious. I decided to sleep it off and wake up just before the results came out at 2 o clock in the afternoon. I woke up, went to the website, and once I found out that I jumped, literally. I grabbed my phone and dialled my parents and they no one answered. I didn’t know who to share this with, and thus my friend was the first one to know I got accepted. I eventually told my parents that night.

I am currently residing in Park View Condominium, a suggestion by my cousin who entered the FKUI a year ahead of me, and my vision is to use my opportunity to attend FKUI as a medium to reach my goals. My family completely supports my decision and helped me greatly in making this possible.

These are three of the quotes that I live by:

Proverbs 3:5-6,

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, AND lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways aknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”

Kobe Bryant

“Rest at the end. Not in the middle.”

My Stupid Boss: Impossible We Do! Miracle We Try

“Impossible we do! Miracle we try!”

In this article, you might be wondering why the bulk of this article is not about my actual path into becoming but rather about my childhood. This was because I was confused about what I wanted to be all my life until late in the 3rd year of senior highschool. I have always wanted to become a businessman and follow in my father’s footstep. This was what I believed in my whole life. But after meditating and praying, I concluded that, what I want might not be the best, and that I felt what god wants is what is best for me. Thus my preparation was mostly based on faith