Group 4 Alpine

11th February 2016, the day the 9th Grade students of Sekolah Victory Plus went on an excursion to the botanical garden of Cibodas, Puncak. The day when sitting on a bus for hours next to a pair of friends, while singing an abundance of catchy pop songs, didn't sound as bad as it was. The day when we sought to find the meaning of achievement through the eyes of someone new.

The girls, posing with Bu Esa, unfazed by the chilly wind

Our group was assigned to wander around the gardens, searching for and interviewing individuals with perspectives that were different from our urban point of view.To fulfil the day's objectives, we interviewed a number of people, all of which had varying opinions and lifestyles. Some of the answers they gave us were incomplete or too vague to be properly interpreted. Some others didn't even understand the questions posed. Fortunately, there was one person willing to give us the interview that we needed, and show us how the world looks with a different set of glasses.

Mak Ati, our interviewee
(that rhymed) 

Mak Ati, a 66 year old woman who's occupation is renting mats for tourists that visit the national park. Although she was one of the many people who didn't comprehend our questions as well as we hoped, it was obvious where her heart truly lies; her family. All her answers were family-centric, expressing the strong love that she feels for her them. 

"For me, achievement is being able to support the needs of my children and grandchildren," she states "to give them the education that they deserve." 

Her seemingly simple answer moved something inside the four of us. It made us realize how most, if not all of our goals are self-centered. Getting a good job, graduating from school, marrying someone we really love, they are all done for the happiness of ourselves; they were merely individual achievements. Mak Ati opened our eyes and revealed to us that happiness can also be acquired by a striving for someone else's. 

Regina giving the camera a hidden peace sign.

This excursion gave us the opportunity to converse with the inhabitants of a place that is far from the bustling and crowded city of Jakarta. It felt as if we travelled back in time to when things were mellow, goals were simple, and the true nature of achievement was less complicated than we thought.