For the start of a new decade, I thought it would be best if I just honestly share my experience for the last 4 months as a tunza ambassador. I know all of you have the same experience, or even had it the worst. But, you know, sometimes being vulnerable and candid is fresh and needed. (hehe. So you might have to get ready for a cheesy yet obvious story.)

The day of my first enrollment as a Tunza ambassador, I was ultimately led to acknowledge the predicament that I was in. As a high-school senior, the stress and pressure of being accepted into a prestigious college was huge. Despite knowing that I would be expected to write 2 articles per month and organize an event, I still decided to take my chances.Who would have thought that I would be accepted for real?

After realizing that I added more to my busy schedule, cold sweats started draining down my back. The task of prioritizing started getting harder as time passed; the choice was between whether I would spend more time writing my college essays and preparing for standardized tests or invest my time and knowledge to protect the future of the earth. It seemed as if I was on one of those nerve-racking dramas where its main character has no-choice but to select his/her future career over loved ones etc. 

I always overlooked the criticism circulating activism of being too occupant of activists’ personal lives and career successes. That changed when the stress level started increasing since I felt as if I had the responsibility to successfully finish my Tunza term whilst getting accepted into a college, looking after my nephews, continuing my academic prosperity, and spending a decent amount of time with my family. 

That is the reality of an activist. We devote our time, hard work, and sweat -- not because we have a free time -- because we saw those issues as a concerning matter that deserves and needs our attention. People often disapprove of our work as an activists as we do spend equal if not more time working on those issues more than our usual family occasions. It is a valid criticism, however, the concerns of global warming, poverty, war, and inequality truly outweighs our daily routines’ goals as those concerns directly impact our daily lives.

Times have passed since then; I got into my dream college, and I am currently preparing for my Tunza project whilst making valuable memories as the youngest in my family. The life of an activist is not just stressful -- it is true that our lives are a bit more stressful and busy than an average carefree people -- but full of adventure, adrenaline rush, and feeling of success. We see ourselves as the last resort of a dying planet as we never forget why we got into the path of an activist: for our families and the future.