We’ll Keep On Fighting And We’ll Be Here For You, Kiddo

I am the eldest in my family. I have two younger sisters. One is recently graduated from architecture ITB and the youngest is in the process of entering university.

When I was in high school, I was pretty a rebel. At least my family regarded my actions back then as kinds of rebellion. I often slept in the class and skipped several classes whenever I got bored. I was placed 20-ish in the class and my class was not even a favorite.

At the end of my high school time, I was confused. I didn’t know what I wanted to be in this life. Did I wanna be a doctor, a dentist, a business woman or what? I tried to take PMDK – easy way to enter university if you are a student with great accomplishment along your high school time –, but even though I chose the unpopular major with the fewest participants, I still didn’t succeed.

I went to Bandung and took an one month preparation course to enter university in Ganesha Operation. Every major of study in every public university (or state university?) has a passing grade. We have to do a test (in my time, it was called SPMB, now SNMPTN Tertulis) and if our test score is bigger than the passing grade, we pass and we can enter the university and the major that we had chosen. If it isn’t, then choose private universities with higher education and tuition costs.

That one month I studied quite hard. Since I was lazy in high school, there were very few materials of every subject (like physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics) that I understood. I had to replace my 3 years study time in high school (that I wasted) with one month studied in GO. It was kind of impossible job, but I tried to do my best.

In case I didn’t pass the SPMB, I registered myself to private universities in Bandung. And again, I failed the tests. I did some blunders though. I am not an artist and I don’t have any skill in drawing, but I registered in architecture which the highest point of the test result was got from the drawing test. I failed the second test because I don’t like the university. My aunts and uncles pushed me to do the test so I did it to make them happy. I came to that university, entered the test room, answered not more than 5 questions and went home. Of course I failed ;p

I was a very lazy student in high school, but I did my best when studied in GO. I had been more responsible for my future after living in Bandung. I did the SPMB and after I calculated my score I was confident I could pass it. Alhamdulillah I did it. I didn’t get my first choice, ITB, but Unpad accepted me.

After almost six years of study in geology Unpad, I graduated and now I’m working in an oil company as a geologist. I’m now doing what I like as a job and I’m paid more than enough. People might say I’m lucky and I will say that Allah loves me. My six years in Unpad wasn’t that smooth. If it was smooth, it was gonna be four years not six. My weakness in high school subjects (math, physics, and chemistry) let me to get bad score in my first semester. I got C for math and D for physics and I had to retake those classes the next year ;)

My thesis period also was not easy. But now, when I’m looking back to my past, I'm feeling very grateful. I barely got what I want easily, but in the end I usually still got it. Allah gave me a lot to learn and Allah gives this life for me to fight.

My sisters are different. Delvi was very diligent in high school. She is smart and she already knew what she wanted to be after high school since she was a kid. She wanted to be an architect. She did and passed the test, and voila, she became an architecture student in ITB until she graduated this year. Her journey throughout her time in university wasn’t so easy either. But I’m proud, she finished it.

Chessie, the baby of this family, has another story. This kiddo got first rank along her elementary school period. Her focus was distracted in junior high when she joined marching band but she got it back in high school. She was the best in her class, a favorite class. Her average score for National Exam (UN) was 9.18. She studied really hard because she wants to be a med student in UI. She joined national biology competition in Yogyakarta held by UGM and got bronze medal. She was just a small town student from Balikpapan, competed with participants from most of high schools in Indonesia. The gold and silver medal went to the top high school in big cities like Bandung and Yogyakarta. So, this bronze medal is worth more than its real worth for me.

She is just a small town student with a big dream and big effort to achieve the dream. My effort to enter Unpad was not even a half of her effort to enter UI. I often told her to stop study and continue it tomorrow because it was midnight and she didn’t even close her book yet and went to sleep. SNMPTN Undangan, her first way to enter university announced their result in 17 May 2011. Chessie was not one of the students that passed the selection to enter medicine faculty in UI. She cried a lot and it broke my heart to see her disappointed. She took SNMPTN Tertulis and the result will announce by the end of this month. I pray for her to pass the test. She deserves it.

Passing SNMPTN Tertulis is our Plan A. If it doesn’t work out that way, we have to prepare Plan B. Chessie registers to Simak UI, SMUP Unpad and UM UGM. All to medical faculty. Hope one of them will accept her as their med student. Chessie is a smart girl, and she tries so hard to be a med student. She wants to be a doctor. And she deserves to get her dream come true.

Kiddo, maybe this road isn’t as easy as my road or Delvi’s when entering university. Allah tested me with my laziness and gave me second chance before gave me life that i have today. That is Allah way to show me He loves me. Maybe this is a test from Allah, for you, for our family, before Allah gives you your gift. You are not getting it yet doesn’t  mean you will not get it. You will, insya Allah. We’ll keep on fighting and we’ll always be here for you, supporting you.