S t r a t a – G Test Prep & CV

@America Presents: Out of Indo … and Back: Tales of the Diaspora July 21, 2017

This talk is sponsored by @America, the U.S. Embassy’s American cultural center at Pacific Place Mall in South Jakarta.

The event takes place Thursday 3 August from 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. Don’t miss it!

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Koreans in Indonesia: Based on a True Story March 24, 2017

For over 500 years between the early 1400’s and the mid 1900’s, Indonesia and Korea fell out of contact.

 See, in 1406 the Majapahit Empire sent an envoy to the brand-new Kingdom of Chosŏn. But it got attached by pirates near Gunsan, in Chŏlla Province. It was loaded with ostriches, peacocks, parrots, pepper, medicine, sandalwood and textiles – and there were 120 men and women on board.

About 40 of them made it shore, but the pirates had taken all their clothes. 

Immediately, King T’aejong placed an order for food, clothing and a smaller, faster ship to get them back to Java — true story.

“Terima kasih,” said ambassador Chen Yanxiang, promising to return the next year. Perhaps he got busy — we don’t know — but the gifts he sent as a token of gratitude for the prior hospitality did eventually arrive.

So it’s 2017;  there are 35,000 South Koreans in Jakarta; and Korean food, clothing, and small-but-fast transportation is once again very popular in Java. What just happened?

Mostly war. And pirates. But another big milestone was when the Jakarta International Korean School opened its doors in East Jakarta in 1975. Today it’s a very large school.

Then, in 1982, Kim Woo-jae began selling kimchi and doenjang (about 10 minutes from where I live) in Kebayoran Baru. With a reliable supply of kimchi, imagine the progress made.

And the rest is history: The “Miracle on the Han River,” in the 1980s, was no joke: Korea stopped being a poor nation and starting being a rich one almost overnight.  In the early 90’s, Jeewon and LG came to Indonesia, followed by Samsung and many others. Some of the relevant sectors are electronics, manufacturing, automotive, steel and petrochemicals.

So today South Korea is the third largest foreign investor in Indonesia; Korean firms employ over  900,000 Indonesians; and “Lotte” is basically Indonesian for grocery store.

Of course, both Indonesia and Korea took a hit during the Asian financial crisis. I visited Korea twice that year and noticed not everyone on the train was whistling. Obviously things could have been better.

Mr. Kim’s Mu Gung Hwa grocery is now a”Koreatown” landmark, but Koreans live all over Jakarta (Cibubur, Kelapa Gading) and Greater Jakarta (Cikarang and Lippo Karawaci). Also, you don’t need to go anywhere to experience Korean culture, since Korean media and creative products will come to you. Indonesians know all about it, because the K-wave  hit Asia before it reached the West.

Meanwhile, Koreans don’t hesitate to learn Indonesian, enroll in Indonesian universities, start families or businesses in Indonesia, or become Indonesian citizens. That’s unique, if you stop to think about it.

If you check Twitter to see who’s practicing their Indonesian — usually Koreans. If you go to the University of Indonesia, you’ll see Korean students. If the hotel lobby is full of ecstatic teens and young adults, something Korean is going on.

There must be a fit.

SOURCE:  Koreans in Indonesia

Get outta here. Go! March 19, 2017

Going overseas to study isn’t just one thing. It’s a lot of things: A strategy, a statement, an investment, a leap of faith.

I get it. I love it. And I live it.

And that’s what this blog is about: Getting out of Indonesia. I want to hear your story, too; but here’s mine.

I left the United States for the first time when I was in 6^th grade. I went to Mexico to shoot a film with my dad. Our luggage got impounded by the officials at the Mexico City airport. We almost lost all the cameras. And so we got on a plane and headed back to the U.S. And I loved it.

The second time, we rented a huge motorhome, hid all the cameras deep inside, and filled the vehicle with children, mothers, uncles, grandmas – one big crazy family vacation. Actually, not. It was business and pleasure that time. We drove down to Mexico City and shot the film. And then we went to relax at my aunt’s house in Cuernavaca. I missed a month of junior high; and it was glorious.

The third time I went overseas I stayed for almost two years. I was a missionary. This was a huge experience. Massive. That’s why I speak Spanish. That’s why I study migration. That’s what I wrote about in my personal statement for Berkeley (Go Bears!).

And that’s why I’m living in Indonesia – and why my daughter is Indonesian.

I love to see the sun set behind the Mt. Pangrango and Mt Gede, the two volcanoes nearest Jakarta. I love to be awakened by a chorus of birds and look out to see the Bali Strait. I love to roll through the slums of South Jakarta on my motor scooter, where flooding forces all the families to evacuate and sleep in a communal shelter 5-10 times a year during rainy season.

And I love to hear Indonesians say that they’re headed to my country, or your country — or anywhere – to learn new things and have new experiences.

There is no downside, my friends. Just go.

Belajar GMAT / GRE adalah sport September 5, 2014

Frequently asked question (FAQ): Do you know anything about test prep?

Yes, I know it’s a bit game.

I’m not really a golfer or a gamer, so I’ll use a running analogy. The first time you run a half marathon … it will hurt. But if you keep running half marathons it eventually will not hurt.

Question is, will you keep running half marathons? And how are you going to run them –sporadically and barely –with great difficulty and occasional injury? Because that won’t work. You have to run them regularly, methodically and with some care.

So what about the 100 m dash? Now, if you’re already good at marathons, then nothing. In other words, your half marathon and marathon practice don’t help because 100 m  is different.

So that’s basically what the GMAT and GRE are like — if you ask me. Like a bunch of sporting events you need to train for. You don’t actually have to win. You just need to be competitive. 

But actually, all the different question types (“events” ) on the test do have a lot in common. Such as the fact the correct answer is basically hidden among incorrect answers.  

Kind of like a game. 

Game day

And then there’s “game day,” i.e., the competition. When you actually take the test. So the point is to work backwards, using all the remaining time before game day, without burning out. 

If you’re reading this discussion (please feel free to leave comments) and you still have a few years before you’re going to go to graduate school, congratulations — you’re ahead of the game.  

But what I’m saying is these are two of the biggest test prep pitfalls: 1) you don’t have enough time to prepare 2) you somehow got burned out before game day. 

Remember, your training regime has to at least bearable, perhaps even fun.

If you are a computer game player, please keep playing this game. Obviously the score will go up. If you’re a golfer, this game is for you: it’s entirely in your head. Each time you’re out there hitting the ball — in other words, doing practice questions — and getting ready for your tournament, you’re asking yourself: What just happened? Why did I do that? 

Was I over-thinking it? Under-thinking?

Too wide? Too narrow?

And … GOL!

So GRE/GMAT isn’t really about what you know. Just how well you play. 

Have fun!

EVENT | Writing undergraduate applications essays: @America, Oct 2, 2013 October 1, 2013

I wrote my application essays for UC Berkeley based on the recommendations of an admissions dean at UC Berkeley — and it worked! So if you’re applying to George Washington University, don’t miss this event.

My story is, it was a pretty autumn day and instead of going biking in Tilden Park I went to the “how to write an admissions essay” workshop sponsored by Boalt Hall. After all, I was already living in Berkeley and the the park wasn’t going anywhere.

I just honestly thought it would be a waste of time since I already knew how to write and had even published articles and monographs.

So I decided to do the boring thing.  And I learned really a lot, applied everything, and got accepted, even though my test scores were slightly below median.

Now if I hadn’t gotten accepted would I be writing this “success story”? No. Good point. But I know it helped me write a better essay because I still remember some of the points made by Edward Tom, who is still dean of admissions at Boalt.