05/10

May 29, 2010

Cheers up, mate

Today, i attended my labmate (Chingwei and Ray)'s oral defense. Why I feel nervous even it is NOT me who done this defense? Actually, in the end they achieved a really good score (85 and 86). I am so proud of them, as if I am their parents lol. Ray was looked nervous on his turn, but he still managed to finish his presentation. During this defense, I remember all of my memories about lab, labmate and friendship between it.

Flashback on the first time i came to my lab, I remembered what they told me at the first time, "stella, you don't have any chair and table yet. When your table come, we will call you". I felt both disappointed and strangely rejected at that moment. So Ok, I didn't have place in my lab. I just can barely reply like "oh, it is okayh, please don't forget to call me when i get my own table" - In fact, I am NOT ok at all.

During my waiting period, I imagined how cool it is to have my own lab, labmate and research. Maybe I was a daydreamer, I dreamt it like me work day and night analysis my research datas, and once two times chit chatting with other labmate.

A month later, my labmate contacted me to give a (I thought a happy) news that my table set was already came. With a always fly footstep, I run away to my lab and enjoy my table. Then, that day. The first time I learnt that reality is not always the same with imagination.

My labmates looked shy to make a communication with me, or even just to make an eye contact. They said it is just because of their limited ability on english, not because they thought I am a strange alien from Indonesia. The only person who able to communicate with me is just Chingwei. He also wanted to be translator between me and another lab members.

Another reality far enough with my imagination is, as an structural engineer, there was no research at all. Nothing like collectiong data whatsoever. I just sit and do nothing in lab (Ok, Supposedly I can study like the others) what I was doing is just disturbed my seniors with all of my silly questions. Maybe, they really think that I am an alien.

When we moved to a new lab (hmmm, they did some "man jobs" like moving all shelf, books, and tables) They didn't ask me some help. Actually, I want to help them althought just a little. Another feeling like an outsider. The fourth months my study frame time and our relation hadn't improved at all.

Until one day, after my first semester finished, I back to Indonesia during this semester holiday. Yaohonh posted a post in my wallpost on facebook "stella, in this holiday session, i learned english to communicate with you" (well, not the exact sentence, but the point is like that). Yes, it touched me, I am not the outsider. They want to communicate with me, maybe It just because I haven't tried hard enough to understand them.

After I back from Indonesia, all of us tried hard to improve our relationship. We tried to tease around and tried to pass a joke everyday (althought sometimes body language required here, I can't help laugh out loud when Chehao made a body language to ask me about whether I have double tape or not). Thankfully, our efforts were works. Our relationship indeed improved a lot. They are the best labmates I ever had.