Terharu juga membaca tulisan anak gadisku satu-satunya ini, yang dia tulis ketika baru pulang liburan ke kampung halaman Indonesia pada summer 2014 yang lalu. Ternyata dia belajar banyak dari pengalaman libur ini. “My Lifes Trips”, by Bunga A Harahap There’s a superstition in Indonesia that if you are a middle child daughter with two brothers, you will become wealthy. I’ve been informed a few times on my summer trip to Indonesia. I’m not a superstitious person, but I sure do wish it were true, seeing as how I fit the criteria. Frankly, my goal in life is to become financially successful and happy. You see, my home country is not in the best shape economically. Many wake up before dawn every day to claim their territory on which they will hold out their hands to the people passing by. Children as young as five-years-old are exposed to the billowing black exhaust as they weave around the hurricane of cars and motorcycles in an attempt to sell the items they had shoplifted the day before. Elders are abandoned by their families after they are proven to be an unprofitable nuisance. Visiting a developing country last month after fourteen years of residence in America made me appreciate everything I have down to every last penny. My grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins who live in Indonesia are extremely fortunate to have roofs over their heads and plenty of food to go around. My parents are huge contributors to the wealth of their own parents. Emanating from a relatively poor village family, my father studied and worked to exceed everyone’s expectations. He took advantage of every opportunity he came across. Now, despite being more than ten thousand miles away, my parents continue to send aid to my relatives every month. I acknowledge the hardships in many of the world’s countries and sympathize with their less fortunate inhabitants. Watching my mother give small change to every beggar that approached her made me realize that there are millions of people in the world suffering just like the person standing before her. I wish to make a difference by providing others with another meal – a meal that could even save their lives from starvation. Keeping that goal in mind, I’m involved with multiple school and out-of-school activities, but I’m also not afraid to admit that I’ve quit some activities as well. Sports are not my thing (I cried the first time I ran a mile) and after five full years of playing the flute in band, I decided I would rather listen to music than play it. Instead of being the star of the track team or becoming the next Vivaldi, I’ve resorted to joining as many volunteer groups and advanced classes my schedule could possibly hold – and I love it. Some people ask why I take classes like advanced chemistry and environmental science even though they’re not exactly my main interests; some ask why I take advanced calculus and statistics even though I’ve heard of the low success rates among my friends. I do it for the extra information and the exciting challenge. A majority of kids take those courses solely for grade point boosters. Developing senioritis the moment I stepped foot into my last year of high school, I’ve come to care less about grades and more about the actual application of the education given to me by influential instructors and teachers. That is the reason why I signed up for classes that don’t necessarily improve my grades, but improve my understanding of the real world and the business world such as entrepreneurship and business law. I join clubs and do volunteer work not because National Honor Society requires me to nor to receive a fancy cord to wear at graduation, but because I truly enjoy helping others and making people happy. When I shelve books at the public library, it means one less thing for the librarians to do. When I collect recycling boxes in classrooms, I probably prevented another tree from being chopped down. When I hand out sack lunches to the homeless at the downtown soup kitchen, I may have saved a life with only a smile. Taking on challenges, spending my time on others, and also applying for my first job tests my ability to be well-rounded. Resiliency is a crucial attribute to becoming successful in the workforce. Even though one of my goals is to have wealth, money does not amount to happiness. True bliss depends on the person you ask; if you ask me, happiness stems from doing what you enjoy surrounded by the people you enjoy being with. Exploring various activities may prove to be helpful when the time comes to make pivotal decisions to achieve goals. The knowledge and experience that comes with the journey of a student is priceless. Fall 2014, Bunga
Posted on: Thu, 08 Jan 2015 04:48:02 +0000
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