Amanda Larasati

Theme: My experiences during the pandemic

A Blessing in Disguise

“2020 was a dreadful year.” It was one of the postings

that caught my attention when I scrolled down my social
media account a few months after the Covid-19 outbreak.
I saw a lot of people expressing their devastation and
discontentment on the internet due to the Covid-19
pandemic. I was one of those people who could not hide
my disappointment about the plight. At first, I complained
a lot about the situation. I could not actualize all the plans
that I had meticulously arranged in 2020. Furthermore, it
was difficult for me to find a new job since I just resigned
from my previous work. The pandemic has considerably
affected every single aspect of our lives from education,
social, cultural, and economic affairs. Many business
activities have been hampered because of the pandemic.
Various restaurants, cinemas, and shops cannot operate
normally due to the government’s restrictions. Students
are not able to attend face-to-face education as all the
classes are virtually conducted via applications such as
zoom or google classroom. They cannot feel the
excitements of attending offline classes and interacting
with their classmates. In addition, unemployment rate has
significantly increased amid the economic recession.

However, everything has its positive and negative sides

including the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite the complexities
that we have been dealing with since 2020, the pandemic
is also a blessing in disguise. It is not horrendous as I
thought it would be. I believe that God’s decisions are
never wrong. One of the decent things of this pandemic is
that I can devote my time to cultivate my knowledge and
skills. I have more opportunities to develop myself in this
pandemic. After resigning from my job, I decided to
enhance my skills and competencies, for example by
joining public speaking classes and writing workshops as
well as learning new languages such as Dutch and Turkish.
I was elated to find out about Britzone English Community
in the late of October 2020. I found this remarkable
English community when I was searching some
information about English Speaking communities in
Jakarta. I desperately want to improve my English
speaking skill as I do not have any speaking partners to
help me develop my speaking skill.

Joining Britzone is definitely one of the greatest decisions

that I have ever taken in my life. I never thought that I
would have this strong emotional bond with Britzone. My
first Britzone class titled the ways to cope with the
pandemic was fantastic. I was warmly welcomed and
appreciated by the incredible conductor, facilitators, and
participants. I remember my first facilitator was Arif. He is
such a kind and warm-hearted person. I also met a lot of
awesome Britzone committee such as Putri, Turah, Friday,
Nada, Ramdani, Dika, Ani, Winta, Nina, Princess etc. They
motivated me to achieve my goals in improving my
English skills. After the focus group discussion, I had a
chance to represent my group members to remark the
conclusion of our discussion. Despite my nervousness to
share my opinions in the main forum, the Britzone team
was highly supportive of me. They encouraged me to be
confident when speaking in the forum and not to be afraid
in case I make any mistakes. They inspired me to actively
participate in each session. Britzone is a safe platform to
hone my English skills because nobody is going to criticize
me when I make mistakes. I will always uphold the
consoling words of the committee about the importance of
being confident when speaking in public. I was impressed
by their friendliness and hospitality. All the participants
that I met were genuinely amiable and helpful.

Britzone offers a wide array of topics in each of their

meeting. It focuses not only on advancing our speaking
skills but also developing our personality and promoting
critical thinking skill. One of the most insightful Britzone
sessions that I ever attended was about the ways to
elevate our confidences. The session was conducted by Mr.
Amri who is a professional public speaking trainer. I
learned plenty of things about self-love, integrity, and
self-acceptance. I realized that I do not need to conform
to the cruel beauty standards in order to be accepted by
the society. Instead, I have to accept my imperfections
and focus on accomplishing my dreams. During the focus
group discussion, I met outstanding participants who
conveyed their profound arguments about self-acceptance.
Britzone team has always managed to conduct vivid and
interactive classes. After the sessions, the committee
usually organizes some ice-breaking events for instance
by playing the Kahoot game to enliven the ambiance of
the classes. There was an unforgettable session when I
won a book giveaway after presenting the conclusion of
my group’s discussion. The generosity of the committee
and the speakers held me in awe. I also acquired
numerous information about scholarship opportunities
through Britzone. The sharing sessions about abundant
scholarships such as the LPDP and Australia Awards
scholarships were exhilarating and beneficial. The
speakers disseminated not only the technical aspects on
how to apply for the scholarships but also the tips on how
to gain the scholarships.

Joining Britzone has given me enormous advantages.

They have become an essential support system to
improve my English skills. They help me unleash my
potentials such as public speaking, creative writing, and
story telling skills. In addition, I can foster my critical
thinking skill by participating in the discussions. Through,
Britzone, I have become more confident and assertive in
communicating my ideas without hesitation. Britzone also
has expanded my network. I met a lot of extraordinary
people from diverse backgrounds in this community. Most
importantly, Britzone is the source of my inspiration to
embrace my flaws, leverage my strengths, and stay
grateful for all the beauties in my life despite the
shortcomings.

My quarantine has become more lively and meaningful

because of Britzone. Words are never sufficient to express
how Britzone has exceptionally changed my life. Thank
you Britzone for accompanying my journey to advance my
skills and self-quality. I extend my utmost gratitude to
God for the opportunity to join Britzone. I sincerely hope
that one day, when this pandemic ends, I can take part in
Britzone offline classes and meet the awesome Britzone
team.