Volume 14: Connection by Perspektif Magazine

Vision To be a platform that exemplifies the diversity of Indonesian experiences by showcasing Indonesia ideas, talents, initiatives, and stories. Mission To create a visually appealing and intellectually engaging magazine.

PERSPEKTIF INDONESIAN FOR PERSPECTIVE (noun.) a point of view Perspektif is a biannual print and online magazine dedicated to showcasing talents and disseminating ideas. Perspektif is Indonesian for perspective, a name that signifies our aims: to promote the acceptance of varying perspectives, whilst representing Indonesian culture in a global context. Each volume contains a variety of written and visual pieces, from critical analyses to poems and personal anecdotes, each centralised on a theme. Supported by kind donations and passionate individuals, our magazine is entirely free and run by volunteers and contributors. We hope that Perspektif will inspire and familiarise you with new ideas, perhaps challenge your own, and possibly lead to the formation of new ones.

PHOTOGRAPHED BY

CLARA KOSASIH 2

CONNECTION

In the spirit of taking our theme further, we decided to remix some of the submissions that we got, allowing our team to take them as inspiration and create their own piece based on the original. So keep an eye out for them throughout this volume!

“We have not long to love” - Tennessee Williams

Throughout human history, the world has seen infinite permutations of human life, a constant evolution and recreation. What we are going through now is not new: it has happened to many generations before. We are, perhaps, the luckier ones, because you see, in the past few months, we’ve seen more people come together and keep each other up than ever before. Despite fire, disaster, hunger, and the uncertainty of our own futures, we refuse to give up on each other. We refuse to believe that we can only fend for ourselves. The world has seen us transform countless times - one thing has stayed constant: our belief in each other.

PHOTOGRAPHED BY

CLARA KOSASIH 4

EDITOR’S WORDS How do you define the realisation that every person you see, every person you speak to, every stranger that may only be a momentary passing thought, is just as dynamic, complex, and full of life as everyone else? With their own goals and expectations, with their hardships and aspirations, and with their very own perception of the same world you see? Despite the reality that the world may often be cold and unforgiving, we seem to have this inherent yearning for a bond, a particular ceaseless curiosity to know and, most importantly, understand each other, no matter how difficult or perilous it may be. But then, if it’s so difficult, why burden oneself with the trouble? Why stop to put your endeavours aside for a moment and ask each other, "are you alright?"

FOUNDERS

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Fauziyah Annur Rama Adityadharma Mary Anugrah Rasita

Alfarez Wirawan

MARKETING

CREATIVE

EDITORIAL

Marketing Director

Creative Director

Managing Editor

Olivia Sieva

Angela Theodora Nubary

Chiara Situmorang

Marketing Officers

Illustrator

Editors

Evelyn Homin Catherina Harley

Jennifer Chance Joanne Amarisa Pangkey Dahye Koo

Ivanka Maxwell Angela Stacia Sabrina Kosman Vanni Anastasya Arletta Witaria

Designer Nadya Evelyn Jennifer Wibisono

In times of misfortune, hearing the simplest "I miss you" may mean the entire world to those you care about, illustrated in Joanne Amarisa’s "I miss you, I miss you, I miss you". To reach out and acknowledge someone, to assure them they belong beyond just empty words, is a breath of fresh air to those who are branded as "others" or "undesired", explored by Jennifer Chance in "The Things We Carry: Passports and Visas in a Discriminating System." Perhaps in asking the question, you will have answered it for yourself. We empathise, we care—we connect—because it is precisely what makes us human, illustrated beautifully in the paintings by Kitman Yeung. This volume is a collection of the voices and experiences of people who, in spite of their personal troubles, find solace in the knowledge that they will not face the coming storm alone. I would like to thank our team, who has dedicated countless hours to create Connection. I hope you may find respite in this volume.

PHOTOGRAPHED BY

CLARA KOSASIH 6 Alfarez Wirawan

JENNIFER CHANCE DAHYE KOO JOANNE AMARISA KITMAN YEUNG CLARA KOSASIH D A LY I A A B U - G H A Z A L E H JAMES ROBERTSON J A G G E D WAV E S V A N N I A N A S TA S YA E V E LY N H O M I N A L FA R E Z W I R A W A N JENNIFER WIBISONO N A D YA E V E LY N ANGELA THEODORA NUBARY C AT H E R I N A H A R L E Y

CONTRIBUTORS

PHOTOGRAPHED BY

CLARA KOSASIH 8

W E N G Y E W: O N PA S S I O N , C L O U D S

AND SELF-DISCOVERY

WORLD

JENNIFER CHANCE

JOANNE AMARISA

24 16

JANCE: A LIFE OF RECOVERY AND NOT LOOKING BACK DAHYE KOO

ON POWER IN C O M M U N I T Y: W O R D S O F A M I L I TA RY W I F E JOANNE AMARISA

E J U E N : FA I T H A T T H E FRONT LINES

JAMIE: FINDING FA M I LY I N T H E D R A G

A MESSAGE FROM MUM

GOODBYE, MADRID

48 36

DARE TO LIVE

DAHYE KOO

HOLD

A L O V E A F FA I R V A N N I A N A S TA S YA

M R P H I L L I P A N T I P PA : FINDING MUSIC IN

F E AT H E R E D F R I E N D

SNOWBALLING THE MOON

JAMES ROBERTSON

JENNIFER CHANCE

THE 5 MINUTE FAV O U R

D A LY I A A B U - G H A Z A L E H

JAMES ROBERTSON

THE BUSTLE

THE THINGS WE C A R R Y: PA S S P O R T S AND VISAS IN A D I S C R I M I N AT I N G SYSTEM JENNIFER CHANCE

J A G G E D WAV E S

JENNIFER CHANCE

40 30

JAMES ROBERTSON

I MISS YOU, I MISS YOU, I MISS YOU JOANNE AMARISA

THE GALLERY OF HAPPY MEMORIES 2019/2020 TEAM

LETâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S WHEN THIS IS ALL OVER DAHYE KOO

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PHOTOGRAPHED BY

CLARA KOSASIH 10

W e n g Ye w : O n P a s s i o n , Clouds and Self-Discovery WORDS JENNIFER CHANCE ILLUSTRATION ANGELA THEODORA

A dash of white and grey, feathers ruffling on the wings of a bird, rushing past the image. And beside it, its twin, except softer, the light less contrasted, less in a hurry. A bird reaching the shore and taking a moment to rest. ‘In your light I learn how to love’ - like a final sigh, a quote by Rumi completes the photograph. After ten years of experimenting, Wong Weng Yew, 35, has found something in clouds that reflects the way he looks at life.

They are the same, and yet they are different." There is a subtle unease, Weng Yew describes, in personal relationships when he rubs shoulders with someone who is too similar. "If I am competitive and I see someone else who is very competitive, I will view that person as not very friendly. But then I realise, after taking such photos and putting them together, that perhaps the reason I don’t feel comfortable with them is because they are too much like me."

"Clouds make you think of the movement of time. They are there for one moment and they quickly disappear. It shows us that things are not permanent," he says. The idea behind his art is to make people pause. To make them look twice at reality. What do you see when you use a different lens, a different exposure button? This reflection also influences the way he looks at relationships. "When you see both images, they’re actually the same cloud. Part of the idea of putting them together is that I want the viewers to experience this tension that exists between the images.

PHOTOGRAPHED BY

Angela theodora nubary 14

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY /

JANCE: A LIFE OF RECOVERY AND NOT LOOKING BACK WORDS DAHYE KOO ILLUSTRATION CATHERINA HARLEY

Jance Deiker, 42, lives a life filled with love. 20 years have gone by since his recovery, yet his life of drugs, music, and sex doesn’t seem so long ago as he recalls his old ways. Everyone looks for self-love and a sense of identity. When asked what started his drug habit, he answered, "70s and 80s rock bands were my inspiration, and I fell in love with the idea of becoming like them. At one point, I found my answer in drugs." He continued to describe how he spiraled further into drugs. "Using drugs made me feel like my life is awesome. It allowed me to see life from a different angle, it expanded my creativity horizon, it made me feel like I could slow down life as I like it. It made me feel at peace with myself." Despite feeling like he was on top of the world, the people around him knew he needed help. However, when a therapist was provided, he denied the need for one. "What was the need for a therapist when I feel like my life has never been better?" He could not have known the euphoria was only temporary. As with drugs, all highs were followed by a16comedown. He went through a paranoid

phase for a month where he was isolated, thought he had lost his mind, and felt as if the world was coming for him and his loved ones. His whole identity that came from his desire to become like the 70s and 80s rock bands were instantly stripped away when he had no choice but to stop using. He felt–and was–lost. During his path to recovery, Jance traveled to Japan for a year. It was there that he found the true value of his relationships. "It was funny how during my drug-filled days, I became distant with my family. And after my recovery, most of my friends who had used drugs with me since high school were instantly gone." He realised that for his recovery to stay permanent, he needed to reprogram his mindset to heal and rediscover who he was. His relationship with God made him discover his true self, helping him reconcile with himself. "Relationships became primary in my life. I built relationships that are healthier after my recovery," ones that were with the right people, himself, and God. When I asked whether he was ever tempted to return to drugs, he chuckled and answered with no hesitation, "Never".

Ejuen Lee, 26, found her calling in medicine when she came to a Melbourne church conference. There, they played a video about children in need and something moved in her, changing her forever. "At that point, God just broke my heart," she says. "I knew this was something I wanted to do." Three years later, Ejuen finds herself working night shifts at the COVID ward. Being a frontline worker, she mentions how grateful she is that the situation in Australia is a lot more stable than in other countries. Shortage of medical equipment is not an issue and emergency rooms are not overflowing with patients. Overall, she has encountered four positive patients in two different hospitals.

E J U E N : FA I T H AT T H E F R O N T LINES WORDS JENNIFER CHANCE ILLUSTRATION EVELYN HOMIN

"There is some heightened anxiety for sure," she explains. "But we also acknowledge that Australia is quite good. It’s pretty well-controlled." Ejuen tells me that she has been pretty lucky.

a job and I still get paid. I think this is [also] just the time that people get to help one another." One problem, she points out, is how isolated COVID ward patients are, and how this affects their mentality. Being surrounded by people in masks and facing a potentially fatal disease alone is challenging for anyone. "When you’re in the COVID ward [the patients are] isolated and there’s all the stigma. You’re meant to have minimal interaction with them, so it can be quite a scary time. They’re all alone in the hospital. That’s what I’m praying about before going into my shifts, so I remember in the small interactions we have that I can still bring a bit of hope and joy." When asked how she remains positive in this period, she simply answers, "I get lots of comments about how ‘you’re always happy, you’re always smiling, you need to share whatever it is that you’ve got’. And I’m like, well, I can. It’s God."

"Honestly, I’m grateful that I still have

M R P H I L L I P A N T I P PA : F I N D I N G MUSIC IN THE BUSTLE WORDS JENNIFER CHANCE ILLUSTRATION ANGELA THEODORA NUBARY

Phillip Antippa started playing the piano when he was five, the violin at eight, and the viola at around ten. Throughout this time, he also knew he wanted to pursue a medical career. Now, he is a thoracic surgeon at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and a director of the Corpus Medicorum Orchestra. Antippa openly acknowledges the people who have shaped him throughout his journey, mentioning significant role models such as his first music teacher. "You’re always influenced by the people you meet or surgeons who inspire you. I’m encouraged by colleagues who share my passion. They inspire me to enjoy music like I do and aspire for excellence." When asked who he finds most important in his life, he recites an extensive list of family members, co-workers and patients. He ends with saying, "The people that are important to me are the people I’m important to." Living a passionate life, he explains, means having to make sacrifices. Loving music and medicine (and the occasional skiing trip) takes a toll on just how much time you can devote to one thing without taking away from another. "You need to work out for yourself if you think you can do everything, or you think

you can do anything. Both of those are possible but they have limitations." In other words, find out what is most important to you, and fight for it. He adds, "I’ll never be the musician I want to be because I never have the time to practice. If I did, I would be better at it than I am. I can do anything but it’s limited." Antippa professes the importance of community within his musical pursuit, and how this has been highlighted by the COVID-19 shutdown regulations. "Much of the pleasure that I derive out of playing music is chamber music or orchestral music, which means playing with other people. I play a lot of quartets for enjoyment over the weekends, and that I can’t do either. We depend on each other for our musical satisfaction." The orchestra has had to cancel one concert so far, and the future is on shaky ground. Still, there is some hope that, through it all, they will come out with a greater appreciation of everything that was almost taken for granted. "We know that when it starts back up again we’ll enjoy [playing] in a way we never did before, because we know what it feels like to not be able to do what we want to do."

J A M I E : F I N D I N G FA M I LY I N THE DRAG WORLD WORDS JOANNE AMARISA ILLUSTRATION CATHERINA HARLEY

"Drag is my alter ego," she said, "It gives me confidence. It’s what I want to be." Jamie, now 21, has been performing drag for the past two years. For our interview, she sits in her bedroom in full drag attire – a black choker, thigh-high stockings, platinum blonde hair. She left Japan in 2016. "I was like a misfit," she recalled. "I was so different. In Japanese tradition everyone had to be the same, and I just– I didn’t want that." Jamie grew up as a shy Filipino boy named Shota who loved dancing. Since the age of 18, she would watch in awe as many different drag performers went on stage night after night. One night, Jamie saw a drag group performance of the Pussycat Dolls here in Melbourne – they later became her drag family. It gave her four drag sisters, and a beloved drag mother, Gigi. "In this house, we are all people of colour," she explained. "It’s unique, and there’s more diversity." Drag mother Gigi became a doting figure. "She would call me, ask if I’d like to come

over, offer me Filipino food..." Gigi also helped Jamie book performing gigs. In one of their shows in St. Kilda last year, Jamie’s mother from Japan had come to visit and watch. "My mom’s always been supportive," Jamie said, even when raising the shy boy Jamie once was. "She’s really fun, she loves people." On that show night, she was introduced to Gigi. The two women clicked from the very beginning. "They were like besties," Jamie told me. They shared a language, went out to lunch, had their own jokes. "It was like they [had known] each other for a long time." Jamie’s mother still lives in Japan, in full support of Jamie’s career. When I asked what she thought of the show, Jamie answered, "She always knew I loved dancing." The drag family stays in touch, including Gigi, who now runs a business from her home. "People accept you no matter what," Jamie added. "So be who you want to be."

O N P O W E R I N CO M M U N I T Y: W O R D S O F A M I L I TA R Y W I F E WORDS JOANNE AMARISA ILLUSTRATION CATHERINA HARLEY

When K’Lee Reynolds decided to marry her husband back in 2010, she was in for a life-changing journey. "I knew what was coming, but I also didn’t." K’Lee has been living as an army wife for the past ten years. She lives in Kansas, now with her husband and four children. Her husband has been serving in the US Army for almost 14 years. "We’ve been together for 12 years, and married 10 years." K’Lee is one of the founders of the Homefront Heroes Ministries. It is a support group whose main purpose is reaching out to young military wives, who face struggles and loneliness on their own. Plenty of challenges enter the life of a military family. There’s the moving: "You have a lot of different transitions," she said, "you develop friends, just to find out you’re moving to a new duty station, where you know no one." Other difficulties include the times K’Lee had to act as a single parent, or explain to her children ‘why Daddy has to go away’.

"He is a combat engineer, so he would go out on long missions," she recounted. His longest time away was a 16-month deployment in Iraq. Throughout these seasons, K’Lee’s strong community of fellow military families has kept her going. Kansas has long been her home. In late 2018, when her family was living offpost, there was large rainfall, and their whole area flooded. "We lost furniture," she said, "everything in our house from the ground to 4 feet up." Evacuating with her husband, each of them carrying a child, with the water up to her hip, K’Lee admitted it was very scary. That day, her military family came to their rescue. "It was miraculous - by that afternoon, they showed us to a shelter," she recounted. "One of my husband’s leaders said, ‘Here’s my son’s car, use it as long as you need it.’" One family willingly shared a house. "We were a whole family, coming to stay with a whole family," she recounted. "They gave us their master bedroom. We kept saying no, we couldn’t take it, but

they insisted." She described it as support like no other. "It was incredible, the way people just showed up for us." It continues to be this shared love and care that gives her the strength

to persevere, much like her husband in the line of duty. "I don’t think [community] is something optional," she said, "it’s definitely a need." And in these communities, the women combat their hardships, and thrive. "I would say relationships in general are important," K’Lee finally said. "Having someone to lean on. People having people."

Hold WORDS JAMES ROBERTSON PHOTOGRAPH NADYA EVELYN

snap a shot you shall frame it on the wall the full days picture fades the colours grow cold once smiles pierced the dark loving boy lost spark hold it close now close to heart keep it beating steady, past 28

Feathered Friend WORDS JAMES ROBERTSON ILLUSTRATION EVELYN HOMIN

delicate feathers plume in the dawning disparate language chirp I say ‘morning’ peck at a seed content as can be there in my mind she is soaring 30

A Message From Mum WORDS JAMES ROBERTSON ILLUSTRATION CATHERINA HARLEY

the days, the days grow long and stringy don’t forget to clean those shoes, so sweetie that soap I procured it’s lavender and lime light of my life, where went the time your dad, your dad has golf on tv every night, eat corn sprouts - broccoli Ruby loves her bouncy ball, run around, give us a cuddle eleven days without you not much now to juggle my heart, my heart it’s shipped to Madrid there, a new recipe for you to taste, sip simmer for some time who’s not missing me love to the moon don’t forget your keys

Madrid, Madrid you have my heart with home I could never part days of the past long gone the smell of roses and vanilla a distant memory one I tucked away like an old chess pawn the years, the years flash before my eyes the dusty, maroon shoe box a blessing in disguise Mum’s heartfelt verse neatly folded under photos of the farmer’s market my heart aches can’t stop the tears streaming down my face

Goodbye, Madrid WORDS & ILLUSTRATION JAGGEDWAVES

the freedom, the freedom running through my veins on rooftop bars I let go of my pain Madrid, my love I am yours forever I would not dare leave but a call from mum yanks at my heart strings nagging in the corner– I can’t wait to see her

Daring to Live WORDS DALYIA ABU-GHAZALEH ILLUSTRATION CATHERINA HARLEY perhaps one of the most awe-inspiring attributes that we have is our ability to live despite fear we go on from day to day thinking that we are immune to trauma that we are not prone to disease that cancer will never knock on our doors that mental illness will never pay us a visit that losing a limb losing a breast losing a mom is not a loss we’ll ever know that a car crash doesn’t know our name that betrayal won’t slip into our rooms that amidst one of the worst pandemics in the last decade we will never lose anyone to a virus that war will never come near us that these are stories we hear about all the time stories we shed tears over stories we empathize with stories we read about in novels stories we binge movies on but not our stories to tell not our stories to live they’re stories of other people stories that might be very close to us but far enough not to get near us stories that we won’t be tested with

because God knows we won’t be able to handle them as if those who did live these stories ever thought that they could carry them and so when these stories do creep into our lives with no warning we try to forcefully push them out we sit in denial for days weeks years we blame others criticize ourselves condemn God when in reality we were never immune to these tragedies never protected never saved the very core element of being human is not being free from such stories but creating life amidst them all loving someone you know you may lose laughing when you know you can be scared following your dreams when you know they might hurt you flying across the world when you know you might not make it and daring to live in a world that promises us more death than life

A Love Affair REMIX from “Hold” WORDS VANNI ANASTASYA

A shadow follows closely Giggling, running up the stairs Be quiet, she whispered Her voice escaping the shrill creaking noise One summer night A boy dressed pleasantly Welcomed through the front door Meet John, she revealed A portrait of him hanging One thanksgiving dinner A shatter, then a squall Echoing back to her room He left, she confessed Her hands holding on to the remnants of his love One teary afternoon

REMIX of Daring to Live ILLUSTRATION by Joanne Amarisa 38

Snowballing the moon into a fist // soft kisses by light trickles of hair parting like breadcrumbs // dying isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t so bad my mother says //

I draw back her hair Pull out the white ones she says but the snow has ploughed the field it has destroyed everything in its wake // Years ago we were burying bad memories in the snow of men who left of kites that went loose and now it has piled up and turned against us

We lie side by side on a hospital bed bodies braided as she watches the first fallings of snow cover the garden outside

They placed her in the kidsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; section of the hospital children run by with billowing hospital garbs

When I say goodnight frost creeps over us

The moon descends the hill slowly always slowly

// little kites aimlessly floating //

Snowballing the Moon WORDS JENNIFER CHANCE ILLUSTRATION KITMAN YEUNG

L e t â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s W h e n T h i s i s A l l Over WORDS DAHYE KOO ILLUSTRATION KITMAN YEUNG I picture the stars in the darkest sky. I lie and close my eyes to say goodbye. Having witnessed cruel ends to those who hope, I discerned the follies of starry eyes. Intimacy among piles of fresh blood. Both good and bad merge like a lifeless cloud. Staring down from the daunting night sky, the dead stars dismissed my darkening sight. In dusk and dawn I search for one to hold, but I come to know that God is all cold. Facing the ground for the sky shows no grace, I wondered, "when will this all be over?" Stars stare down with eyes of indifference. And I submitted to my sufferance. In the end I close my eyes to witness, Last hope of sweetness turns to bitterness.

The Things We Car r y : Passpor ts and Visas in a Discriminating System WORDS JENNIFER CHANCE ILLUSTRATION ANGELA THEODORA NUBARY

You walk through border security, feeling a little nervous. You know - you know - there’s nothing in your bags, but still, the thoughts come. What if somebody had slipped something in? What if you’d accidentally brought a kitchen knife? What if? What if? You hand over your passport to the immigration officer. He flicks through it and nods, letting you pass. You breathe a sigh of relief. If your passport had been a different colour, they may not have nodded. If your passport was the same shade as those terrorists, they may have pulled you aside instead, holding your visa up to the light and asking if it’s real. Passports function as certificates of identity. The strength of a passport is determined by factors such as the stability of the nation and existing relationships between the country it was issued by and the one you’re travelling to. A ‘strong’ passport will allow its citizens entry into multiple countries without having to apply for a visa. Someone from the UK, for instance, has considerable freedom to jump between borders without worrying about their documents. And while this instrument is much needed in a globalised world, it also allows for systemic discrimination. Anne Moraa writes: ‘A good passport says the world is indeed yours.’ With a stronger passport, you can travel within a minute’s notice, whereas others may have to spend months gathering their

medical checkups and certified papers. This creates a glaring gap for the globalised generation. It doesn’t matter if you have lived in a different country for a long time. It doesn’t matter if you’re not a security threat. Your nationality determines more than your cultural identity; it puts you in boxes to be easily classified by the looming eyes of the state. As long as you are a citizen of a ‘safe’ – which often means ‘white’ – country, you don’t have to worry about the eyes following you at security checkpoints in the airport. At the end of the day, your identity is decided by which country you hold citizenship in. Indonesia’s passports can be considered relatively ‘weak’, but they’re not rock bottom, either. Applying for visas has been such a normalised process in my life that travelling anywhere without one is cause for surprise. At the same time, our passports don’t carry the same discrimination as ones from countries such as Syria and Pakistan. I was never worried I wouldn’t be allowed to travel because of the actions of my country. Bill Mckibben states: ‘Privilege lies in obliviousness’. This is never truer than with passports. If the system works for us, we look away. We don’t see the people who are caught in the gaps, who have to answer for their country’s mistakes. In ignoring this, we choose to perpetuate a system that dehumanises others and classifies them as threats or non-threats by things beyond their control. 45

Upon face value, when you’ve reached the point of receiving a visa, the struggle stops there. You’re free to travel. Surely that’s all that’s needed? Visas are birthed in discrimination – one defined by the strength of our passports – but during the COVID-19 pandemic, the difference between visa-holders and citizens or permanent residents becomes even more pronounced. The recent JobKeeper scheme removes temporary visa workers from assistance, even though they make up a significant portion of the Australian workforce, especially in food and service industries. As this happens, thousands are left to fend for themselves. The Asylum Seekers Resource Centre (ASRC) notes that since the start of the pandemic, the amount of people requiring their help has doubled. In one of his speeches, Prime Minister Scott Morrison addresses international students and visitor visaholders by saying, "It is time to make your way home." This rhetoric echoes worldwide. For instance, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in America has issued a declaration that international students learning online will have to leave the country or face deportation, leaving them with an impossible choice to make. At a time of crisis, a visa status becomes a way for a nation to separate the people it thinks are worth care and the ones it thinks are not. With cases increasing in home countries and

borders being closed, leaving a host country may mean being locked out in the future. For international students, the question of leaving comes in hand with the question of being able to return when face-to-face classes resume. On top of that, there are still bills and running costs to pay for, and simply returning to one’s home country does not solve the issue of dwindling finances. In a way, every visa-holder looking for their ‘American dream’ on various shores are now having the door shut in their faces. While countries welcome us with open hands during prosperous times, the ever-glaring message during times of crisis is ‘you’re not welcome here’. When we see videos of racial attacks, we hear leaders piping up about how ‘that is not us’, then turn around and establish policies that deliberately exclude lawful, taxpaying residents from adequate welfare. Being a rightful resident today only goes so far. Everything else depends on how you look, how you act, and how your papers identify you. There is always another step to take to be seen as equal in an ‘egalitarian’ society, and even then, it may never be enough. In a world defined by territorial borders and fear, we will always be defined by a system that classifies us as the ‘other’, the welcomed-but-not-so-welcome group of immigrants.

T h e 5 - M i n u t e Fa v o r WORDS DAHYE KOO ILLUSTRATION ALFAREZ WIRAWAN

GIVER

In a workplace, people are generally classified under 3 types: giver, taker and matcher. Giver: other-focused and provide support to others with no strings attached Taker: self-focused and put their own interests ahead of othersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; needs Matcher: preserve an equal balance of giving and taking. Mindset: tit for tat

However, have I tried helping others without expecting anything in return?

TAKER

MATCHER

The 5-minute favours are critical to helping givers set boundaries and protect themselves.

When I reflect on myself (which I would encourage you to do too) as an undergraduate student trying to find myself a place in the corporate world, I realize very quickly that I am a matcher. When I help others in general, I expect something in return, just like the saying tit for tat.

It is a myth that in order to give back, you have to achieve success first. The most successful people are the ones who start giving right from day one. Givers succeed because their giving leads to quality relationships, which benefit them in the long-run.

Why is this practice important? Selfless givers can become a catalyst for change in the culture and environment of an entire organizations and communities When giving starts to occur regularly, it becomes the new normal and people carry it from one interaction to the next. People begin to lead by example

The answer to this question is most likely, no. The majority of people do good for others if they can or have receive good from others.

Common attitude to the idea of helping others is the fact that it takes a lot of oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s effort and time. Take a look at the statistics:

However, a twist in the result shows that these givers make their organizations better. Studies show that the more often people are helping and sharing their knowledge, the better organizations do on every metric measured: higher profits, customer satisfaction, employee retention and lower operating expenses. Who are the best performers? Also the givers. The fact that givers hold the majority of both lowest and highest performance indicates that givers often burn out by helping others, thus the exposure to lower performance. Enter the 5-minute favor: "A five-minute favour is just a small way to add large value to other peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lives," Adam Grant says.

Who are the worst performers? Interestingly, the lowest performers are the givers. They were so busy helping others that they ran out of time and energy to do their work.

A simple act of kindness from a small interaction between an individual to another produces a domino effect. Individuals, partners, communities and organizations that are rooted in the idea to be givers can lead to realizing unrealized potentials.

We asked our team to send in a photo of something they held dear, something that made them happy or reminded them of a good time. Here is what they sent.

The Gallery of Happy Memories 50

By the 2019/2020 Perspektif Team

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Given to me by my high school math teacher whom I consider to be a close friend and mentor, the book was a bittersweet parting gift before she left to teach abroad. Personally I consider her decision to give away her book as a representation of giving me a fragment of her life experience. The book is her way of providing guidance despite being far apart.

A childhood friend gave me this pin as a farewell gift when we left for university. At that time, I didn’t think we could ever grow apart, but we did. Now, it reminds me that living means losing, but that joy still comes from forming genuine connections while we can. - Jennifer Chance

- Dahye Koo

Back during the first lockdown, my flatmate’s mom sent her a birthday cake. Just a simple celebration at home and the cake was really good! - Catherina Harley

My best friends gave me this compass some years ago in the airport shortly before my first flight to Melbourne. "Just in case you get lost there," they joked. This little thing always reminds me of them. - Alfarez Wirawan

This pink nametag was from my first easter camp. The camp was extremely tiring since we didn’t get any sleep, but at the same time, it was one of the best experiences I had in my life! I got to make so many friends and eventually made them my family in Melbourne! Oh, how I wish this year’s camp wasn’t cancelled!

This is a bouquet of flowers my friends gave me for my 20th birthday. Even though we live far away in different countries, they managed to make the most out of my quarantine birthday. - Evelyn Homin

- Nadya Evelyn

There was a time when my housemate and I got so hyped up about collecting these kinds of free collectibles from Woolies. We never knew that little things like these could make us so happy and make us feel like we’re little kids again.

This box contains a collection of letters from the closest people in my life. It was given to me by one of my best friends for my 17th birthday. I was going through a rough patch and these letters really helped me through. To this day, if I read any one of them I tear up instantly.

- Angela Stacia

- Arletta Witaria