A Year Living in East London: Familiarity and Inclusion in A Diverse Environment

After a year spent my first time ever living abroad, instead of answering my questions and curiosity, I feel like it left me with more questions and things that left unanswered. There are several things that I expected to find out there, both personally and academically: Living in a diverse community as a minority

For me, I expect London would be like full of British people as it famous for it in the cinemas. London had certain image in my head of how people look, interact and spend their days. I didn't expect that I will land my first day in London at Whitechapel. I know beforehand that the area is full of immigrants and people said that its also home for muslims who live in London. Things that I didn't expect is the area more multicultural than I imagined. Walking through the streets of Whitechapel, I was surrounded by a mix of languages, cuisines, and cultural expressions that made me question my initial assumptions about the city. Instead of the stereotypical British experience I had envisioned, I found myself immersed in a global melting pot where the definition of "Londoner" extended far beyond its historical Anglo-centric image.

My flat is just 15 minutes from Tower Bridge and 10 minutes from Liverpool Street, situated between Tower Hamlets and the City of London. Despite being only a 10-minute tube ride apart, Whitechapel and Liverpool Street feel like two completely different worlds. Liverpool Street is dominated by office workers rushing between skyscrapers, while Whitechapel is filled with families, small community-run shops, and a mix of restaurants reflecting its diverse population. The contrast between these two areas is striking, highlighting the city's social and economic divides within such a short distance.

This experience made me reflect on what it means to be a minority in a diverse community. While I was expecting to feel like an outsider, I was surprised to find a sense of familiarity in the way different cultures coexisted. The presence of halal restaurants, grocery stores selling Indonesian ingredients, and the call to prayer echoing in the neighborhood made me realize that London, despite being foreign, also held fragments of home for many people. It was both comforting and unsettling, as it blurred the lines between feeling like a visitor and belonging to the city.

However, being part of this diversity did not always mean inclusion. I noticed how different communities often remained within their own cultural bubbles, interacting mainly within their groups using their language rather than integrating with others. It made me wonder—does diversity automatically mean social cohesion? Or do people still navigate their daily lives in parallel, without truly intersecting? These questions lingered as I continued to explore London beyond Whitechapel, experiencing different neighborhoods and witnessing the layers of social and cultural complexities that shaped the city.

This realization extended beyond my personal experience and into my academic curiosity. How does urban diversity influence social dynamics? What policies shape these interactions, and how do cities foster genuine inclusivity rather than mere coexistence? Instead of finding answers, my time in London only expanded my questions, pushing me to rethink the ways in which cities accommodate, challenge, and redefine the concept of belonging.

Once I came home, I feels like I have been living as majority almost all of my life time, taking the privilege for granted. On the other hand, experiencing living abroad in one of the biggest city, London, especially in East London, makes me realize what it means to be a minority. In East London, I was surrounded by people from different backgrounds, languages, and cultures, yet I often found myself feeling like an outsider. Simple things, I acquired new skill to point out an Indonesian even though I never seen them before. I also feel utterly happy whenever I found Keripik Singkong, Tempe, and Rambutan in the market. Even though I live near from Tian Tian Market (only 5 minutes away from my flat) and Kacha Bazaar (Bangla Market), I still struggling to find familiar food, made me aware of the privileges I had back home. It made me rethink my own identity and what it means to be part of a community. I started noticing the small acts of inclusion and exclusion, how people navigate differences, and how the city itself influences who feels welcome and who doesn’t.

This experience challenged my perspective, making me more conscious of the way space, history, and power shape daily life. It left me wondering—how do people truly integrate into a city? What makes a place feel like home? And most importantly, what can be done to ensure that cities become more inclusive for everyone?

Daftar LPDP Sampai 7 Kali?! Tentang Kegagalan dan Resiliensi Diri

Ketika mengikuti kegiatan persiapan keberangkatan angkatan 212 di bulan Agustus 2023, saya ingat salah satu narasumber bertanya: “Sudah berapa kali Anda mencoba beasiswa LPDP?”. Banyak yang menjawab sudah dua kali, tiga kali, hingga empat kali. Namun, di ruangan itu saya satu-satunya yang menjawab tujuh kali diantara 300an awardee. Saat seluruh ruangan riuh bertepuk tangan dan narasumber memberikan mic-nya kepada saya, saya sangat bingung apa yang akan saya katakan. 

Selama ini saya anggap hal tersebut sebagai aib, alih-alih prestasi. Di saat banyak awardee yang membagikan tips lolos dalam satu kali daftar, saya kok tahan untuk terus-menerus mendaftar sejak 2016 hingga ‘beruntung’ di percobaan ke tujuh. Setelah saya lulus studi master, saya baru dapat merelasikannya. Semua terjadi di saat yang tepat, ketika saya siap, support system cukup, pengalaman bekerja saya mumpuni untuk belajar di jurusan, kampus dan kota yang saya suka. Bonusnya adalah jurusan saya mewajibkan seluruh mahasiswanya untuk pergi penelitian ke Indonesia.

Saya lulus dari jurusan Arsitektur Interior ketika S1 dan mendaftar jurusan Sosial Development Practice untuk jenjang S2. Sekilas, kedua jurusan ini sulit untuk ditemukan benang merahnya. Dugaan saya, inilah yang membuat saya sulit mendapatkan skor tinggi dalam wawancara seleksi LPDP karena saya belum bisa memberikan jawaban lugas akan hal ini. Hal ini salah satunya juga karena saya masih mengeksplorasi hal-hal yang membuat saya tertarik dalam pengembangan karir maupun kontribusi di masa depan. 

Ada salah satu pengalaman yang sangat membekas saat saya berada di S1, yaitu mengikuti mata kuliah “Everyday in Architecture”. Mata kuliah ini membahas ‘keseharian’ manusia, hal-hal yang dianggap berpengaruh dalam bagaimana keputusan desain dibuat. Saya baru terpapar juga dengan konsep “Participative Design”, yaitu ketika desainer bukan lagi sebagai sumber ide, namun bagaimana jika desainer menggeser posisinya sebagai fasilitator yang membiarkan siapapun memberikan kontribusi dalam membangun ruangnya. Konteksnya bisa disesuaikan dengan apapun: ruang privat, ruang tinggal, ruang kota, dan lainnya. 

Mata kuliah tersebut juga memberikan tantangan kepada mahasiswanya untuk membuat penelitian kecil bersama masyarakat dalam satu semester. Alih-alih berhasil, kegiatan kelompok kami banyak membuat kegagalan. Namun, hal tersebut membuat dosen kami kagum dan mendorong kami lebih jauh: “Berapa kali lagi kalian sanggup membuat kegagalan? Petakan dan analisis kegagalan tersebut, lalu jadikan buku.” 

Hal tersebut cukup membekas dalam pengalaman studi saya di S1 sehingga ketika memilih karir pun saya lebih tertarik untuk terjun dalam kegiatan riset partisipatif di sebuah NGO yang fokus dengan konteks urban. Kendati memiliki sedikit pengalaman dalam konsep “Participative Design”, perbedaan antara arsitektur interior dan urban memiliki jarak yang harus saya kejar.

 

Hingga suatu ketika saat saya kunjungan kerja penelitian dan aksi masyarakat ke kota Banjarmasin, saya menemukan booklet yang dibuat oleh jurusan Social Development Practice, University College London. Hal tersebut menginspirasi saya untuk mencari tahu lebih dalam mengenai kegiatan yang mereka lakukan dan apa saja yang dipelajari. Saya yang sedang mendalami isu partisipasi warga dalam perencanaan kota merasa bahwa ini petunjuk dari Allah untuk bisa mendalami keilmuan ini, ditambah lagi jurusan Social Development Practice UCL juga memiliki fokus wilayah di Global South. 

Ketika belajar Social Development Practice, saya merasa bahwa kegelisahan saya selama menjalani pekerjaan saya sebagai peneliti dan aktivis urban dibahas secara mendalam. Salah satu teori partisipasi yaitu Ladder of Participation yang selalu saya jadikan acuan di lapangan akhirnya dijadikan bahasan dalam kelas, beserta pengembangan teori partisipasi lainnya. Dosen yang menjadi pengampu mata kuliah utama juga sudah familiar dengan beragam konteks isu di Indonesia, juga terdapat bahasan kelompok yang mengambil studi kasus acuan dari negara ini. 

Di samping itu, saya sangat dimanjakan dengan pembahasan studi kasus dari berbagai negara, di mana dosen-dosen saya berkecimpung langsung di dalamnya. Mereka kebanyakan berprofesi sebagai praktisi international development dan bergabung dalam komunitas-komunitas internasional sehingga sangat paham dengan kompleksitas di lapangan. Selama ini di pekerjaan saya terkadang merasa clueless dan harus mencari tahu sendiri jawaban atas tantangan-tantangan yang saya hadapi. Saya bersyukur berada di lingkup akademis yang sangat kuat dalam praktik lapangan. 

Salah satu tantangan yang saya alami adalah ada banyak bahasa-bahasa akademik yang saya harus pelajari dengan cepat di jurusan ini. Kendati sudah bekerja selama kurang lebih 7 tahun, kembali lagi untuk sekolah tentunya bukan hal yang mudah. Untungnya, kampus memberikan beragam program tambahan untuk academic writing dan fasilitasi tugas di luar jadwal perkuliahan. Saya bisa booking jadwal fasilitasi one on one untuk essay dan fasilitator yang kebanyakan merupakan mahasiswa S3.

Pengalaman terbaik adalah ketika saya mengikuti Overseas Practice Engagement ke Surakarta Indonesia bersama 31 orang teman sekelas dan 5 orang dosen serta peneliti dari UCL selama 2 minggu. Fokus penelitian ini juga sejalan dengan proposal disertasi yang saya ajukan karena saya terpilih sebagai salah satu peserta program Research Fellowship di Development Planning Unit UCL. Saat itu kami meneliti tentang partisipasi orang muda dalam pembangunan kota Surakarta dan aktivisme mereka di dunia digital. Tentunya saya sangat bangga memperkenalkan Indonesia dan berusaha untuk memberikan impresi terbaik. 

Merasakan bahwa teman-teman saya belajar mengenai komunitas orang muda di Surakarta, saya sadar bahwa kegiatan ini juga memberikan energi timbal balik antara komunitas orang muda dan mahasiswa Social Development Practice. Saya merasakan apa yang kami pelajari dan rencanakan di kelas yang berada di Inggris, dapat diaplikasikan langsung sesuai dengan konteks Indonesia sebagai lokus penelitian. Saya belajar menambal kekurangan yang pernah saya lakukan dalam berpraktik dahulu saat bekerja, juga memberikan ide praktis saat menggali data penelitian berdasarkan pengalaman saya sebelumnya. 

Selain itu, bekerjasama dengan orang yang beragam latar belakang, bahasa dan budaya juga menjadi pembelajaran saya baik selama berkuliah di Inggris maupun ketika berpraktik sebagai peneliti. Saya beruntung mendapatkan pengalaman berharga tersebut baik secara teori dan praktik. Sensitivitas dalam melihat konteks, menempatkan diri dan mengajak komunitas untuk berpartisipasi dan bertukar pengetahuan membutuhkan kepercayaan dan keingintahuan yang tulus. Kesadaran akan adanya beragam identitas yang terlibat dengan inisiatif yang dikerjakan bersama, serta memikirkan dari sudut pandang komunitas yang rentan terhadap isu pembangunan, menjadi standar praktik baru dalam pekerjaan saya.

Salah satu goal yang saya tulis dalam esai LPDP saya adalah bagaimana membangun komunitas dengan sensitivitas isu lokal dan memiliki wawasan sudut pandang global. Kolaborasi lintas disiplin dan juga lintas negara menjadikan komunitas yang terlibat memiliki kekayaan pengalaman. Kolaborasi keilmuan dan sinergi antara praktisi, akademisi, pemerintah juga sektor privat memberikan kesempatan tersebut. Hal ini menginspirasi saya bahwa Indonesia memiliki ruang tumbuh yang luas untuk bisa maju dengan kesadaran akan potensi sekitar dan dapat berkontribusi sebagai contoh bagi negara lain.

Dalam perenungan saya mendalami makna lika-liku perjalanan untuk bisa belajar di universitas dan jurusan yang saya minati, saya menyadari bahwa setiap kegagalan dan pencapaian yang saya alami merupakan bagian dari proses yang telah mempersiapkan saya untuk langkah berikutnya. Semua pengalaman tersebut memberi saya perspektif yang lebih luas, tidak hanya dalam konteks akademis, tetapi juga dalam melihat masalah sosial dan pembangunan secara lebih holistik. 

Kini, dengan bekal pengetahuan yang lebih matang dan pengalaman lapangan yang berharga, saya siap kembali ke Indonesia untuk berkontribusi dalam pembangunan sosial yang lebih baik. Saya berharap dapat mengaplikasikan berbagai teori dan praktik yang telah saya pelajari, serta terus belajar dari masyarakat untuk menciptakan solusi yang relevan dan berkelanjutan. Dengan begitu, perjalanan saya selama ini tidak hanya menjadi sebuah pencapaian pribadi, tetapi juga sebagai upaya untuk memberikan manfaat bagi banyak orang dan menginspirasi perubahan yang lebih positif.

Reflection : Amelia in 32 to 33

As I am writing this blog, the cafe where I sit playing a song by Afgan: Jodoh Pasti Bertemu (Destiny will bring us together). Is that a sign for me to stop worrying about finding a romantic partner? lol

Okey stop for now, I want to write a reflection on being 32 while still clueless about how to get my life together for 33 years old me. 

Being 30s is not as bad as I thought it would be and I still enjoying my life with new opportunities. I keep my childish interests such as dolls, small figurines, colorful clothes, and cute trinkets. I gained another skill of being alone. I went to solo trip for 15 days to entirely different country with non-english speakers around. I am mastering on plan and book my own trip. I also getting better at taking care my personal hygiene and especially my bedroom. I love making it tidy, organized and pretty. I deal perfectly with laundry and accepting that I don't need to ironing my clothes all the time. I also fight and speak for myself when I almost get scammed by trolls in a foreign country. 

One thing that I would love to get better is to cook fancy foods and desserts. I wish I learn more about making pasta, pizza, baking delicious brownies and get better at food preparation. On the other hand, I need to excelling my skills in making Indonesian food.  

I already wrote everything in my essay paper about my career reflection and how I want to make difference in my profession. Honestly I want to pursue my career both in the country and abroad. Since I got the opportunity to study overseas in merely a good university, I think I had to use them effectively, in a good way. I feel like my career is stagnan before I started my master degree. Now, I have so many ideas and opportunities to try, but still I feel guilty for friends who want to collaborate with me in the past. I feel like I have that career trauma that makes me so hard to develop myself further. I always hesitates to take the risks, meanwhile its perfectly fine to share the burden with people you trust. I am afraid that I will make them dissapointed. I need to compare myself: How come I was enjoying every process of my master degree while hesitate and afraid to work on the real thing? I still find ways to overcome this situation. 

One thing that I realized, I am perfectly great working with people, who give me certain direction rather than being the one who lead all of that. Despite of my past experiences as leader of organization and program manager, I feel that taking the legacy over it making me imagining big stone throwing at my head. I need a partner who can give me assurance how things will be going. Do I need to consult this to professional? Maybe, I don't know.

Talking about relationship, honestly I prefer to maintain people who are close to me rather than build new relationship. I will always come to any friend meeting if I could. Also I prefer to make the circle small. The only bad thing is I don't always keep my guy friend close even though I have some of them around. Maybe that is why I being single ever since. I don't think that is a bad thing to be single all my life but eventually I feel so lonely whenever I see friends posting their photos with their significant other or with their children. 

Maybe it is time to open for new romance? Will it help if I am using online dating apps? Nowadays people love to reconnect with that especially we are in digital era. I just hate to do the chat, I prefer in-person meeting. On the other hand, I am afraid to meet people from online as there are many freakish people around. What should I do?

In my 32, I don't really think that I have certain issue for physical and mental health. Maybe I just have not discover it yet or I did not realized that I need help. I was so happy living abroad that I always explore new places, sometimes by my own self. I think I handled my priority better that I always submit my task before the deadline, never ask for delaying my submission and get okay mark for them. Only that I feel so distant with my friends in Indonesia that I neglected several projects because of that. Some of them even did not receive enclosure from my last statement that I ghosted them without any warning. My two worst traits is neglecting tasks that did not interested me anymore and I keep procastinate big tasks for smaller (and unimportant) events. 

There are things that I need to pay attention for my physical health. First of all, I am so scared of small lump in my armpit. Second one, I am gaining weight that put me to danger line of obesity. Third one, I always worry about my skin and teeth. Maybe it is time to scheduling my visit to doctor. 

 

Since I have been studying abroad, it change my perspective about how to contribute to the world and my country. There are so many people trying to live globally by staying in other country and contribute to the works where they are best at. I envy people who can give their best everywhere they are dwelling. Maybe, maybe I will do that too? 

Right now as my interest is become stronger in research, urban, social and environment, I am perceiving myself as a researcher. I love writing paper or articles and I have strengthen my ability to read academic resources and research method. Maybe one day I will pursue PhD and strengthen my position as researcher. I wish to do it before getting 40 or 35 (who knows lol). 

Honestly, in term of saving and investment, I have not doing anything instead of using my GPB saving lol. Will look into any form of investment since I am so worry about my future financial ability. I do not have house yet and struggling to fulfill my everyday needs as for now I do not have any full time job. I wish to built my own organization or company, maybe NGO one. 

I am trying to focus on my small achievements while being grateful for everything. Of course I had challenges and have been living in difficult situation, as it was my first time living away from home abroad. But everything is well executed on my part. I believe it is because of God's willing and my parent wishes.

My main lesson learned is I realized that I am still young to explore many opportunities ahead and it is okay to take a rest, lean back, trying new things that is not always related to my profession or my life vision. Using my time to enjoy walking in the city, is never time wasted. Instead, it gives me new inspiration, new reason to live a better life and to reconnect with God and my inner self. 

Overall, I am living a happy life in my 32 as many of my dreams has become true. I traveled to many countries, I have visited art galleries, famous places and artworks. I visited many architectural gems that I learned through my undergrad study. I also learned about cities and public transportation along when I living there. I was taking so many pretty pictures using my camera and did some of the drawings. I am happy that I found my young self again while leverage my academic skill, using scholarship. All of these situation is perfect for me that I am sad I had to leave. 

Wish the better me in this 33 years old, my main mission is to find a long-life partner and landing on stable profession. 

Also, cheers to 2025

Good Bye the Best Year of My Life: 2024

 Entering this new year while reminiscing about my important experiences in my academic journey and profession :)

2024 is the peak of my academic journey as I had the opportunity to learn at one of the best universities in the world, University College London (UCL), with a scholarship from the Indonesia Endowment Fund. One of my biggest dreams has always been to earn my master's degree at the Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment. I learned so much from the Social Development Practice program, where I had the chance to develop my interest in development studies and citizen participation in planning.

In January, I submitted three essays that I worked on during the winter holiday, and I was thrilled to receive an A grade for two of them. I had struggled with academic writing and was feeling hopeless about my very first essay in my master's program, especially as it was my first experience studying abroad. I’m glad that I put in the effort to go through piles of materials and readings. :D

In February, my dissertation proposal was accepted as part of the fellowship research participants from the YUP: Young Urban Participation program. My study focused on young people’s communities in Surakarta and Lebanon. During this time, I had the best opportunity to learn from both theory and practice in young citizen engagement in an urban context, with the help of Kota Kita, an NGO in Surakarta.

Between April and May, I traveled back to my home country, Indonesia, with my classmates, lecturers, and researchers from the SDP UCL program. Thirty-six of us conducted research through the Overseas Practice Engagement program, staying in the same location and performing interviews, focus group discussions, and presentations. It felt like a surreal experience for me. I am grateful to the host organizations, government offices, and all the young people’s communities that worked with us for about two weeks. I gained new perspectives on detailed research practices in real-world situations and on grassroots issues.

From June to September, I struggled with my dissertation as I delved deeper into young people's participation and critiqued the digital literacy movement policy in Indonesia. Writing specifically about policy was a new experience during my master’s degree. It was certainly challenging, as I was only allowed to conduct desk research. Fortunately, I had my organizational partner working with me to help ensure accuracy with documents and interview transcripts. I also worked with my wonderful supervisor, Julian Walker, as well as my course leader, who actively provided valuable suggestions. I am beyond grateful that I was able to submit it just before the official deadline.

At the end of September, I was accepted into a Summer School program with a scholarship for an incredibly interesting program titled "Governing with Climate Change Resilient Cities." Staying at one of the oldest universities in the world, the University of Pisa, I met practitioners and academics from all over the world, sharing insights on the issue of climate change. Each speaker was actively engaged in climate change-related work and came from different academic backgrounds. It was refreshing to gain new perspectives from an interdisciplinary approach, as we need to strengthen collaboration across sectors to minimize the impact of climate change.

From October to December, I participated in several activities related to my past practice, and it was wonderful reconnecting with familiar faces. I had the chance to meet with community leaders in Jakarta for a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) about community waste management as a facilitator for the Kota Tanpa Sampah program. I also traveled to Semarang and Bandung as part of a Greenpeace event. In mid-December, I was invited to speak at the Environment Department of Jakarta and also worked on research with a specific focus on fashion waste.

In the middle of December, I received my award letter from my university, officially confirming the completion of my master’s degree.

I have many plans for 2025, some of which involve new initiatives, and I anticipate them with hope and optimism.

Cheers to the new year! :)

Please Let Me Finish my Dissertation Today 🙏💗

 

I need supportive peers around this time

I am lucky to have my friends around me so I feel so grateful of this

Let's finish it quickly

Hopefully all of us got the best result~

I Need to Finish My Dissertation First Draft

Hello~
Here I am in a city that 11,718.40 km away from my hometown trying to fulfill my responsibility as a student~

Nowadays I have been thinking about my next goal. Whether I need to move out and back to Indonesia or spend another year to get internship? I still contemplating on how I will direct my near future. 

Finding some internship is not an easy task as I am still looking for a suitable position. I need to looking for them from now in order to survive but I am hesitant at the same time. I am still a little bit worry about the minimum wage, whether it is enough to fulfill monthly rent and my overall needs. A year study is too short! I wish I can get my second master later or I have a little bit interest going on with PhD even though it means I have to contemplate on my next goal. 

Continuing my career in Indonesia is still questionable issue as well. I have the list and all the plan ready. I am afraid I broke out the trust while concentrating in my study. Before, I promise them to join the projects while I am here and I have difficulties finishing them all. Turns out, I still have those issue, abandoning projects but afraid to tell the truth about my condition. As a consequence, I am ghosting my colleagues while have my own everyday struggles. I think I need to change my attitudes, otherwise I can't get mature in this professional career. 

I also have been thinking about finding some new friends that will develop as my romance interest later. I think its because I am in that age when I feel the urge to start building my own family. I countlessly writes about my intention to get married but I need to sorting out my thoughts and asking for my parent's blessing. Day by day, I am starting to imagining people stay by my side, while helping me to continue with my study. I think I am starting to get crazy, thinking that I am really really bad at relationship and never feel good enough for anyone. These are the issues that lingering in my head and become an annoying distraction while I am doing my writing. Moving out to study is one thing that difficult to do, let alone the thought of marriage.

Still, I want to find him through my journey. 

May Allah granted this wish before I have my graduation ceremony (who knows!)

Well, everytime I get bad with time management, I don't know but I always coming back to this blog to write everything that become my distraction.

My second grade came out and it's A again

 

My second grade came out and it's A again!

Later I will share how I am planning out my writing paper and how I get to find my materials through literature~

I just want to say that I am so grateful!