“Sometimes you are so caught up in your own problems that you forget to look around”

“Sometimes you are so caught up in your own problems that you forget to look around”

Tilburg University is a melting pot full of interesting people. Student Rebekka Rohe finds and portraits them. Today: Rarasati (18), who was born in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, and lived there until until finishing high school. Last year, she moved to Tilburg and is now studying Global Law in her first year.Raras, as friends call her, is a very positive and open person. While being interviewed, she laughs and smiles a lot without taking the seriousness out of her voice, telling her story. You get the impression that she knows who she is and is not afraid of showing it.

Even though Raras lived in Jakarta all her life, she has a lot of multicultural experience, being the daughter of an Indonesian mother and a European father. This, of course, is an advantage. Yet, it also has its dark sides. „Self- complacence is a big topic for me right now. All my life, I’ve just been confused because I was an outsider.” Raras tells. “In Indonesia I was not an Indonesian but I also don’t fit in here. I’ve never really known where I belong but now that I made international friends I realized that not everyone has to know where they belong. As long as you are happy with yourself it’s all fine.”

In addition to self-acceptance, her environment plays a big role for Raras. Not only does she find inspiration in others, helping here to “put her problems into perspective”, she also wants to be there for others. “When I was in high school I realized how privileged my life is compared to others. I think everyone experiences that at one point in their lives, only that many choose to look away. And I cannot blame them, since it is tough to see it and change something about it”. Yet, looking away is not an option for Raras. One day, after finishing her studies, she wants to go back to Indonesia and become an activist for women empowerment. “It makes me sad that maybe the next Einstein is a girl somewhere in a remote Indonesian village and we’d simply never know, since culturally seen, it is still the job of girls to stay home”.

“It makes me sad that maybe the next Einstein is a girl somewhere in a remote Indonesian village and we’d simply never know”

Raras really has the potential to fulfil her dream, especially since she is not biased with ”western ideals” but knows the mentality and culture of Indonesia, which makes it possible to effectively change something.

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