Ari

Translated from Bahasa Indonesia

Introduction

Hello, my name is Ari, I'm from Jakarta. I've been in Bali for more than 2 years, entered one day before corona happened.

What brought you to the PKP Center?

The universe, of course. Everything has been arranged by fate.

What makes you happy?

Health, for sure. Second, family. Family is mainly my children and parents. They are part of my breath. When they are sick, I will feel sick. When they are happy, I am definitely happier. 

When do you feel the happiest?

The happiest moment is definitely when I meet my family. When I meet my children, meet my parents, and see them healthy. That's what makes me happy. And, achievement. When the process I go through has a result, even though it's not easy, that makes me happy. And I believe, trust the process. 

What challenges are you facing?

Initially it was cultural. When I entered Bali there were so many things going on in my life, and the people in Bali, especially at PKP, were very welcoming to me, very open and became my family. 

But the main challenge was family. I’d moved away from my family, that was one of my obstacles. There was a feeling that when I moved here, I had to organize myself first. To do anything, you have to organize yourself first. So that was one of my hurdles in Bali, separating from my family.

Why did you part with your family?

When the separation happened, it was definitely because I didn't match with him. My ex-husband. There was violence. But I don't want to go too deep into that. Incompatible for sure. In the past years, I’ve been in and out of the hospital. I was even found near the hospital unconscious. All this time I'd been holding back because I didn't like bringing my household problems to other people. I preferred to keep my marital problems from my family. I didn't want my life to make my parents sad. 

Although in the end, when I wasn't around, my parents knew what I was going through for years. And that's what makes my mom especially unbelieving that I'm okay here. I have to prove that it's true, I'm good here. I'm healthier, much healthier compared to when I was in Jakarta. It's not easy to restore that trust because I cover up a lot of things with "I'm fine". Alhamdullilah, just yesterday I restored a little trust to my parents after seeing them in person.  

What is love?

Love is a prayer. When we love, even when we are not around, it is a prayer that we always express. It's a prayer that is within our grasp. Now I'm on Earth, but when I pray I feel like I'm in the sky. I hope that the angels in the sky will answer my prayers. My prayers for my child, for my parents. Love is a prayer. 

Can you tell us about your son?

My son is currently 17 years old. He's in the 3rd year of high school, he's a very good boy. He’s very responsible. He is currently studying in Jakarta and he understands why I left him and his father. That's why I knew I could leave, because my child said "Mama it's okay. You let me go." He really thinks about parents. Not even married, he already knew how to take care of me, his mother who was in the hospital. He's not ashamed to buy pads. He's a man but he's not ashamed to take care of his mother. That's the kind of person he is, a responsible person that I appreciate. 

In fact, he defended a friend of his when his mother got angry at him and said "Why are you so mean, to get so angry at your child?" He strongly dislikes violence, both verbal and physical. 

Who is an inspirational figure for you?

There are many people who inspire me in life, not just one. I live in this world because of my mother. My mother is a responsible person, my mother is a loving person, teaching me that love is very necessary. When something goes wrong, we should not reprimand harshly, but discuss. That's what my mother modeled. 

My teacher inspired me. How to teach children. Before then, I didn't want to teach children with special needs, because I saw in Jakarta, teachers teaching special children, were tired. Emotionally tired, physically tired. But I had a change of heart when I was interviewed for a job, "Why don't you want to?" I didn’t end up getting the job. 

Then, I saw on a website that there was a doctor from India called Sagita Rahman. She worked abroad and saw the injustice to special children. After that she left medicine and went straight into teaching special children. Thats where I opened my heart, I immediately dedicated myself to special children. And in line with what Ibu Sari does, it just clicked there and that's one of the things that brought me here. 

Message for the World

Don't give up no matter what. Because whatever we do, there will be results. Believe that after the rain there will be a rainbow. After sorrow there must be happiness. God is not deaf, God never closes his eyes and heart, he will give a gift at the end of the story we live.