English is a ticket for scholarship (Part 1)

well, this is my first come back post after idling for awhile.

Fist of all, sorry this blog will be my free writing stories in English just for  my exercises during my master degree here (Australia), so if I make a lots of mistakes in writing, spelling or tenses, please apologize it.  

Starting my scholarship hunter story.

English is a ticket for scholarship 

After 3 years as scholarship hunter, it not that easy as my friends's stories. The most hard phase in my scholarship hunter story is that I had to increase my English ability. Back that time, at 2012, I graduated from my university with my on average TOEFL's score 450 and it was institutional TOEFL, not international. I was thinking that it will be hard to seize my dream to be able to study abroad. At that time, I just want to study aboard because I had many influences from my environment. Gratefully, i have big support from my colleagues, my friends and also my family. I started to try increase my TOEFL's. I did many thing in order to increase my score. I tried to study in 'kampung inggris' (three times, how stupid I am!!!), get private English lesson from my housemate when we were in collage, and study from many TOEFL books by my self. All this things took 3 years, but it hard to get 550. I tried around 8 to 10 times for doing my TOEFL test. I don't know why, it very hard for me to get that score. when I lacked motivation due to failure to increase my score, i just called my friends who studied aboard and read scholar's books and it helped me. I try again, try again and try again. only that words that came up in my mind. At last, I got 523 for international TOEFL score. 

With my last TOEFL's score, I just wanna try to apply any scholarship. at March of 2015, i applied New Zealand ASEAN Scholarship (NZAS). With this same material, I tried to apply Australian Award Scholarship (AAS). However, in the last minute for the due date of AAS submission, I could't submit. Around, August to November were the time to NZAS's announcement. I just hope there was miracle for my first attempt, but again I failed. lucky me my environment always support me all the time. I called my friends to talk about this and they helped me with their supports. Next year, at 2016, I met one of my best colleague who also scholarship for her Ph.D. She had a good idea to make private IELTS group lesson in our workplace. This was not my first time to study IELTS, actually, but the most important for this was that I got my motivation back. We learned 5 times a week for 2.5 months. After finishing our lesson, we decided to take IELTS test (this is my third attempts for IELTS TEST) and I got overall 6. It was enough to apply AAS in April 2016. 

I just try with her for applying AAS, I asked some of my friends who got same scholarship for reviewing and they helped me a lot (feeling blessing) and then submitted it, just nothing too lose for this application. when the announcement of scholarship, my colleagues got accepted email at that day, and I just pried that i got same email. That day I haven't got any email from AAS. well just hoping the best for me tomorrow. Still, I did't get any email from AAS but in the 4th day I just called AAS Indonesia headquarter to clarify about my application because i haven't got any email either rejected or accepted email from them. They said that, if you haven't got email it meant that you are failed. It hard for me to accept that statement. 3 days letter, I got officially rejected email from AAS Indonesia. Well it just the matter of time to get scholarship. With this rejection, i just thing that I had to more often to submit another scholarship. LPDP, the most popular Indonesia's scholarship was the next target scholarship. 

A month letter after that rejection, I got call from Jakarta's number. I just pick up that phone and he told me that that phone was AAS Indonesia. He gave information that I got this scholarship and ask to reply his email. I just shocked and confused, in my mind, they just rejected me a moth ago but then the just reply their email as soon as possible. I just captured that email and sent to my colleague what that email means. She said that, yeah it was true that I got AAS scholarship. I'm over the moon for that email. God it was miracle. Thanks God, I know you plan is the best plan in this universe. Here i know that try the best that we can do is the best way to believe that Lord's plan is the best for us. 

“Faith is trusting Allah even when you don’t understand His plan. And Allah is the best of planners.”

Rohman, Queensland.