Learning by Doing

When I was at university, one of my classmates introduced me to IofC.  When I visited the IofC office, I got some new friends and joined them having quiet time and sharing session. I was not familiar and felt awkward to stay silent and then sharing with people. I was not used to sharing my feelings and thoughts to new people. Since then, I avoided my friend’s invitations to go back to IofC with several excuses.

Finally I decided to join the annual Youth Camp organized by IofC Indonesia in 2015. One of my reasons to join was that I felt empty and couldn’t deal with my problems. During the camp, I learnt to share what I felt and listened to what other people shared. At that time I felt free and comfortable to share. I didn’t feel judged and interrupted by my family group.

Through the sessions, I realized that sharing our thoughts and expressing feelings could relieve stress and anxiety. I also found that listening to other people helps me to understand how their lives are like, build empathy, and also build bridges to connect with others.

In 2018 I joined Asia Plateau Volunteers Internship Program (APVIP) in India.  I stayed in the centre of IofC in Asia for 5 months and that gave me space to know more about myself and learn more about IofC values. Again, I was in the learning process of meeting new people, and I motivated myself to step forward to find new environments and experience new things.

Every morning we had a quiet time for an hour and we were encouraged to write our thoughts to reflect on ourselves and things that distracted my mind. We then shared with friends in a group.  I am now learning to understand myself and my feelings deeper, to control my emotions, and respect diversity. I learn by doing, doing the right things through quiet times.

Wahyu Niaga Sari