I was born and grew up on Sugi Island, the island where Telunas Beach Resort is located. My house is in the jungle because my father was a farmer. He always liked being in the field rather than in the house. We were a simple family living a simple life.
It was difficult to move away from my simple jungle life. I was a very shy kid, and didn't feel like I fit in the "city." (The island I moved to was actually still quite small, but it did have roads and a market!) There was a school I could walk to for middle school, so I went.
One day, some foreigners came to my middle school. They were the first foreigners I had ever seen in person! They smiled and talked with us, and then gave each student a pencil. The pencil had the words "Jesus loves you" written on it.
The next time I went back home to my family, I told my mom about the pencil from the foreigners. I told her all about them - about their strange language and their blonde hair and blue eyes. She replied, "You should learn English. One day, many Westerners will come to our region."
Time passed, and I moved on to high school. I continued to learn English and grow in confidence. During my last year of high school on a school holiday, my friends and I heard about a resort being built on our island. We went to take a look - and that was the first time I saw Telunas.
When I went back home, I told my family about what we had heard. My mom explained that one day, many Westerners would come to our region. And at that moment, a dream was born. One day, I wanted to be part of this place.
My family sacrificed a lot for me to be able to go to university in Batam. I was the first in my family to be able to continue education after high school. I studied English Education, but I realized I also needed to gain real experience in hospitality to achieve my dream.
I have now worked at Telunas Resorts for four years! I am so thankful for this opportunity. I came knowing nothing. But Telunas has intensively and intentionally trained me every day, not just in hospitality skills but in character and life skills - and now I get to help train others.
Florensia Uba Doni has worked at Telunas for the last four years, serving resort guests and running Outdoor Education programs for international schools. In her free time, she loves to spend time helping the local community.
