--- title: "How a Pencil Changed My Life - Private Island and Beach Resort Near Singapore" description: "by Florensia Uba Doni" canonical: "https://telunasresorts.com/how-a-pencil-changed-my-life/" language: "en" date_modified: "2020-05-15T00:00:00+08:00" --- ![How a Pencil Changed My Life](/_next/image/?url=%2Fimages%2Feducation.jpg&w=2560&q=75&dpl=dpl_AH8mVcByu4kutkNWahQXeoYSfUTr) Staff Stories # How a Pencil Changed My Life May 15, 2020 | Staff Stories By Florensia Uba Doni 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. 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