One of my biggest dreams is that I want to travel to every country in the world, sometimes with my
family and sometimes with my friends. I know it will take my whole life, but I really want to experience
as much of the world as I can. I want to see how people live in different places, try food I have never
tasted before, hear languages I do not understand, and experience cultures that are completely different
from mine. For me, traveling is not only about taking pictures or visiting famous places. I like the feeling
of discovering something new. Even something very normal for local people can be very interesting to
me.
I grew up in Bali, which is already a place that many people from around the world dream of visiting.
Growing up there made me used to seeing tourists and people from different countries. Maybe that is
one of the reasons why I became curious about the world outside Indonesia.
Later, I had opportunities to travel abroad through university activities and eventually moved to
Taiwan for my studies. Every time I visit another place, I feel like my world becomes a little bigger. At
the same time, no matter how far I want to travel, there is one place and one group of people that will
always be the most important to me which is my family. I did not grow up in a wealthy family. There
was a time when continuing my education was not something I could simply assume would happen. My
family’s financial situation made higher education difficult, and I almost did not continue my studies.
Then I received a scholarship. I still remember how grateful I felt. For some people, going to
university might feel like a normal next step after high school. For me, it felt like someone had given
me an opportunity that could completely change my future. Because of that, I have always felt that my
education is not only for myself. My parents and family have supported me with whatever they could,
even when they did not have much. I want to build a life where I can take care of them in return.
One of my biggest motivations for working hard is actually very ordinary. I want my family to live
comfortably. I want them to worry less about money. I want to be able to take them somewhere they
have never been before, buy something for them without thinking too much about the price, and give
them experiences that maybe they never imagined having. I think growing up without having everything
also made me appreciate opportunities more. When someone helps me, I remember it.
Receiving a scholarship made me think about this a lot. Somebody or some institution decided to
give me an opportunity when I needed it, even though they did not personally know what my future
would become. That made me feel that, if I have something I can share with other people, I should try
to share it too. It does not always need to be money. Sometimes it can be time, information,
encouragement, or simply helping someone with something I already know.
Another thing that is very important to me is friendship. I really love making friends. I feel happier
when I have people around me with whom I can talk, share experiences, and try new things. I also enjoy
meeting people from different backgrounds because everyone has their own stories, perspectives, and
experiences that I can learn from. I think this is actually one of the reasons why I have always enjoyed
joining organizations and participating in many different activities.
During university, I joined student organizations, international programs, competitions, volunteering
activities, and different projects. Of course, I joined them because I wanted to learn and improve myself,
but if I am being very honest, another big reason was simply that I liked meeting new people. Every
activity gave me a new group of friends. Sometimes we only worked together for a short project.
Sometimes we became close friends even after the activity ended. I have met people from different
universities, different cities, and even different countries because I kept saying yes to opportunities to
participate in something new.
For me, that is one of the best parts. When I look back at an organization or competition, I usually
do not remember only the result. I remember staying up late preparing something together, being
nervous before a presentation, eating together afterward, joking around during meetings, or talking
about completely unrelated things while working. Those small moments often become more memorable
to me than the achievement itself. Having friends around me also keeps me motivated. Doing something
alone can sometimes become tiring, especially when things do not go as planned. But when I am
working toward something together with other people, I feel much more motivated to continue. There
is someone to discuss ideas with, someone to complain to when we are tired, and someone to celebrate
with when something finally works. I also love being able to share what I experience with my friends.
If I learn something useful, I want to tell them about it. If I visit a beautiful place, I want them to see it
too. If I find an opportunity, sometimes my first thought is whether one of my friends might also be
interested.
I know that people often talk about being independent and learning how to enjoy life alone. I agree
with that. I can travel alone, eat alone, study alone, and work independently. But personally, I still feel
that this world is too beautiful to enjoy completely alone. Seeing an amazing place is wonderful, but
seeing it together with someone you care about creates a different kind of memory. Achieving something
feels good, but being able to turn around and share that happiness with your family or friends makes it
much more meaningful to me.
Maybe that is why I keep joining things. Every new activity gives me a chance to learn something,
challenge myself, and hopefully achieve something. But it also gives me a chance to meet another person
whose story might become part of mine. Maybe that is also why traveling means so much to me. I do
not want to just collect countries on a list. I want to remember the people I met there, the conversations,
the food, the mistakes, the funny situations, and the people who helped me when I did not know what I
was doing. And someday, if I am fortunate enough to achieve the things I am working toward now, I
want to share that life with the people who were there for me before I achieved anything.
I want to take care of my family. I want to keep meeting new friends. I want to help other people
when I have the ability to do so. And yes, I still want to visit every country in the world. Maybe one day
I will actually do it. But even if I do, I think the best part will not be saying that I have visited every
country. The best part will probably be all the people, memories, and stories I collected along the way.