Karir dan Keluarga

Untuk memulai menulis cerita ini memerlukan waktu berhari-hari lamanya sampai pada saatnya kuputuskan agar jari-jariku mulai melakukan sesuatu. Ini tentang kehidupanku yang mungkin juga menjadi bagian kehidupan dari perempuan-perempuan lain.

“Bapak, I have decided to discontinue my contract for family reason”, kalimat ini kuucapkan dengan pasti sebulan menjelang akhir kontrak kerjaku di ruangan bosku. Bisa dibilang aku mulai menyukai pekerjaan ini, apalagi gaji yg kunikmati sangat menjanjikan. Teman-temanku pun terkejut mendengar keputusanku waktu itu, “sayang sekali, kamu punya kesempatan kerja di tempat yg kata orang sangat sulit mendapatkannya”. Bosku yang orang asing ini pun mengerti akan keputusanku dan memintaku segera mencari pengganti posisiku.

“Ibuk!!!!” suara kecil periku Lita mengoyak lamunanku pagi ini. “Good morning sayang” kugendong tubuh anakku yang berumur 2,5 tahun itu sambil kupandang matanya yang bening. “Ibu baru apa tuh?” pertanyaan pertamanya mulai dilontarkan Lita. “Ibu bikin susu sereal dan roti panggang pisang, sarapan buat ayah dan Lita”, jawabku sambil tanganku mulai menuang air panas ke gelas. “Kok nggak maem nasi?”, “kok pake air panas?”,”kok pake pisang?”, kok pisangnya ditaruh di roti?”…. Demikian aku harus siap menjawab pertanyaan yg bertubi-tubi sampai anakku yang cantik itu puas dengan jawaban yang kuberikan.
Menyiapkan sarapan sudah menjadi bagian rutinitasku selama hampir sebulan ini, tepatnya sejak aku tak bekerja lagi. Saat itu juga suamiku telah kembali dari tugasnya di Amerika selama hampir setahun. Saat-saat seperti inilah yang kuimpikan, berkumpul bersama keluarga.

“Pagi bu, pagi Lita” ayah yang berkaos singlet dengan senyum hangatnya menyapa kami di dapur. “Pagi ayahhhhh” sahut manja Lita sambil minta gendong ayah. Ayah adalah seorang dosen di Jogja yang punya banyak kesempatan dalam hidupnya untuk meraih sukses di karirnya dan kebetulan mendapat beasiswa S3 di Australia mulai tahun ini. Berpisah lagi selama 4 tahun tapi aku bisa berkarir atau ikut ke Australia mengurus keluarga. Karir atau keluarga….. Keluarga adalah alasan kuatku berhenti bekerja.

“Cepet bukk… Lita sudah siap, ayah shake hand dong” teriak halus Lita dengan semangat barunya setelah seminggu lebih ini masuk day-care. Mengantar dan menjemput Lita, menyiapkan makan malam, belanja, nyuci seterika adalah rutinitas baruku yang kusukai. Aku melakukannya sebagai latihan 5 bulan kedepan sebelum berangkat ke Australia yang more and less akan sama situasinya. “Ingat ada 5 hal klo Lita sekolah”, sambil jariku mulai berhitung.”Tidak boleh minta pulang, tidak boleh nangis, makan yang banyak, tidak boleh bertengkar dan klo pipis bilang bu guru” jawab Lita dengan hafal di depan sekolah. “bye-bye ibu”… senyum manis Lita menjadi semangatku hari ini.

Sejak aku berhenti kerja, aku merasa hubunganku dengan anakku yang baru satu ini semakin erat, aku semakin memahaminya dan baru sebulan ini aku mencoba menggali kemampuannya. Ternyata luar biasa…. Lita termasuk anak yg pandai bergaul, pintar dan menyenangkan. Walau aku sudah tidak bekerja, aku sadar profesi baruku, sebagai researcher for human development, juga tak kalah penting dalam hidupku.

“Kok ibu senyum-senyum sendiri” sapa ayah dari belakang mengagetkanku malam ini. “Eh ayah udah pulang, kok gak kedengeran suara pintu kebuka…” aku berusaha mengalihkan pembicaraan. “Ya karena ibu serius sekali di dapur” ciuman mesra suamiku tercinta menyejukkan hatiku. Ayah adalah sosok suami yang sangat romantis dan cinta yang diberikannya kurasakan tak pernah luntur walau cinta kami sudah berumur 10 tahun. “Maaf ya yah… tadi pagi ibu mendapat pertanyaan dari tetangga yang mengganggu pikiran nih… kok ibu gak kerja? Pertanyaan klise yah… mo neranginnya hmm…. bisa jadi cerpen nanti” senyumku sambil mengaduk sayur lawar yang kudapat resepnya di internet tadi siang. Senyum ayah memaklumi gundah gulanaku dibalik senyumanku. Dirangkulnya pundakku sambil ayah membisikkan di telingaku “maaf ya bu, ibu banyak sekali berkorban untuk ayah… dan terimakasih sudah menjadi istri yang sangat baik”. “Makasih ayah… ibu sadar ini sudah menjadi konsekuensi dari keputusan ibu. Ibu akan support karir ayah semampu ibu. Empat tahun ke depan siapa yang tahu apa yang akan terjadi” Tanganku mengelus pipi ayah dan mencium hangat. Komunikasi seperti inilah yang efektif jika kami menghadapi masalah. “Ini lawar yang paling enak yang pernah ayah makan” puji ayah ketika mulai makan malam. “Ah ayah gombal, ibu kan emang baru pertama ini masak lawar” senyum kami menambah hangat suasana malam ini. Aku berharap segala keputusan yang kami ambil akan membuat keluarga kami menjadi lebih baik.

Kalau dulu aku tak pernah memikirkan bagaimana dulu pengorbanan ibuku, kini aku sadar bahwa ibuku adalah seorang researcher for human development yang berhasil. Thanks ibu.

Working in WHO

Having a year work experience in WHO is the prestigous thing that I ever had in my life. It is the one of International NGOs which work in health related area in the world. When my first step walk in Bina Mulia Building I floor 7, it was very exciting and also unbelieveble. I looked backward in the history of this. Dr Adi Utarini was the key person who gave me chance to apply a vacancy offered by WHO. She recommended me to send a CV and related documents ASAP. Only in a night I discussed this with my beloved husband for getting his support before I decided to try it. In a day as well, WHO rang me up invited me to attend the interview in Jakarta. Suddenly, my life became messy, because I have to consider that I still have a one year daughter and husband worked in Yogya. But I have to be responsible with my decision, I gone through the panel interview in Wednesday, 12 December 2006. There were 4 candidates interviewed by 3 interviewers (dr Firdosi, Petra dan dr Franky) and I was the youngest both in age and experiences. Most of them had more than 3 years experience in TB related area. But lucky me I was choosen as Research Assistant for TB Program in WHO.

I moved to metropolitan city, Jakarta with my beautiful daughter and temporarily separated with my husband. My husband got a fellowship for 9 months in Australia and New York... so we were really separated :)

Become one of TB Team WHO is my fortune, they just like my family... Mbak Nelsy, Mas Erwin, Mbak Candy, Pak Franky, Pak Servas, Bu Sri, Bu Din, Pak Ribi, Bu Rien and Pak Firdosi... We work together, I learnt many things from them both in public health area and life experiences.

The most important thing highlighted is I also learn about administration and financing that I never learnt before. From my experience, the weakness of the system in WHO is there are no clear regulation in administration and budget for implementer like me. It caused many headaches unrelatted with my profesionalism. Nobody perfect, including WHO... whatever it is, I will never forgot my TB family :) Miss U guys.... Hope I will comeback someday....

Scholarship

This is the second time I applied for a scholarship... The same as last year. On last year I failed to get it and this year I don't know. I tried hard to do the best. But now, deep inside my heart, doubtful will get it. Just realize that I can not expected more than my ability. Hope God will give the best for me....

World TB Day

I felt so lucky having a change to celebrate the World TB Day this year together as WHO - TB Team. It was celebrated in Makasar in collaboration with UNHAS and NTP as well. 24 March is known as WTBD since on that date Koch found Micobacterium Tuberculosis.
We stayed for a couple days to participate some activities i.e. opening ceremony by minister of Health, Pameran Program TB di Sulsel, health walk to campaign TB B3 (Bukan Batuk Biasa) and Dangdut music consert. I bought some Toraja's T shirt for Lita, Gita, Nanda, Mama and for my self. Fortunately, I have a causin who lived in Makasar. He picked me and took me to a durian outlet and taste a famous food in Makasar, Coto....
In conclusion, we have to fight for TB....

Motivation

I was very sleepy in a very early time for asking Lita to go to bed last night. It was 9.00 pm and I saw she still had at least 40% energy to fuel her movement (jumping, running, dancing and laughing)with her "twins", Gita. I tried hard to open up my eyes, and then watching TV was the solution I believed. Accidently, I watch the Mario Teguh's show, one of the famous motivators in Indonesia. At the beginning I thought that I would be more sleepy if I watched people talk only, no music and no gossips. But fortunately, I was interested with what he talked about: "predicting success". The more I focused on it, the more my eyes open and of course I said good bye to Mr. Sleepy.

Many of his words are still hanging around in my mind and need to be written here.
Problems. Having problems is the way you will get success in the future, meanwhile having no problem will make you just stuck in your current position. So, finding and solving the problems is the key of success. Do not think that problem is just problem but problem is a priority to be solved.
Success. We can predict our success by thought. If we always think positively about any possibility in our life, and believe that we can reach it, then the success is in front of you.
Performance. Performance is 50% of your modality to get success. If you have ability then performance will definitely support your success.

These 3 words are motivating me today... when my spirit is starting to decrease since I believe that less than 3 months to go the things will change again... Who knows and I love my life.

New Start in my Journey

It was started on July 2006, I was working as a GP in Tourism Clinic, and it was prestige enough because my patients were not only from local people but also tourists. It took sometime to settle down my self and return back my confident to diagnose and treat my patients. But I have a dilemma when poor patients come and have to pay to Clinic. I didn’t mind if they didn’t pay me, but clinic should be paid…. It was very hard for me. I just worked there for only one and half months then I focused as Research Assistance in CHSM-GMU. It was not about money, but as long as I was happy. I also have to learn many things in this work… statistic, research methods, excel, etc. Fortunately, many friends worked in my office supported me…. Very challenging….

I worked as field site’s coordinator for data collection in Jakarta. I think this is a new start of my journey, many experiences I gained. I communicated with at least 11 HIV NGO’s (IDU’s, waria, etc) with many kind of characteristics…. mostly they can be cooperative with me. But the other side I also have to approach a big hospital in Jakarta (director people and specialists) for having collaboration with them. But they gave defence and reject us. Then we found another hospital that agreed to have collaboration. I have success to make coordination with NGO’s and a hospital as a data collection sites. That was my first achievement. Recruiting and training local surveyors were very excited for me. Coordinating data collection and data entry were my responsibilities. Proudly, I have done it by myself. It was completed within less than 2 months…. Amazing…. I will never forgot this experience.

Looking for Job

Welcome to Jogjakarta... After 2 years, this old city looks remain the same. The progress is very slow and definitely not as same as Jakarta. I miss angkringan food, riding a motor cycle, having lunch in lesehan, etc. The difference now is me. I am a jobless doctor, a mother and a wife. Hikksss

I went to Medical Faculty of GMU for refreshing my memories… what a totally change!!! The buildings, the people, the system, etc, all reformed. I heard that this faculty is becoming the most expensive faculty amongst others in GMU. No questionable why doctor’s fee more and more expensive. I can’t imagine how poor people will not be able to access health facilities because of that. I met some of my friends by accident there. Some of them already work as lecturer, and some of them are still finalizing their Co-ass. I miss them. I tried to find out the information about continuing study as specialist and some vacancies announced. My eyes catch two announcements in the corner board that are very interesting: SOS International was looking for GP and CHSM was looking for research assistance. What a lucky person I am.

After discussing with my beloved husband, he supported me to apply both. All documents were sent to the addresses and I was waiting calls from them. In a short time, the calls came for the interview and writing test. It was done well eventhough I am litlle bit nervous. I got both jobs, as a part time GP in Mitra Medika Medical Services and fulltime research assistance in CHSM-GMU. How lucky I am…. Thanks God.