The Changing

           Today is the 5^th day of my holiday and this afternoon I got a special guest. A person coming from my childhood. “I already in front of your house” as she texted me. And there she is, my old friend-Andwi Putri Lika (then I’ll just call her Putri). She came because I persuaded her to have a fasting break in my house, and of course my mom is very glad to see her.

Actually I have a kind of unique relationship with Putri. My parents and Putri’s are a partner when we were child in a government company. Then Putri’s parent decided to resign from the company and choose to be an entrepreneur. The most memorable thing about our childhood is ; Putri often bite my hand until I cried. Because she was seven months older than me, automatically she has more power back then.

After her leaving, we did’n meet each other for a long but finally we gathered again in the senior high school. So Putri was my childhood friend and also my classmate. After we graduated from school we separated again, I took my college in Yogyakarta and Putri continued her education in Universitas Sriwijaya (UNSRI) Palembang to take medical faculty as she want.

My mother was very impressed because of her present, she kept asking Putri about her family an so on. After having a fasting break, Putri and me sat in the terrace and made a kind of chit-chatting. We talked a lot until in the certain session I talked a bit serious. “You know what put, for more than one year I’ve tried to increase my English ability by practicing a lot” as I began. And then I told her that she was one of three persons inspiring me to keep learning English. The first one is Putri, the second one is Mbak Miranda, and the last one is Danang (maybe I’ll tell you latter about mbak Miranda and Danang).

Let me tell you something about Putri, when we were in senior high school Putri was very talented student in speaking English. I mean her ability in speaking English was unquestioned. She kept saying anything in English even though we’re not in English class. She kept making conversation instead of the fact sometimes we didn’t understand what he said. For certain person she looked so arrogant because they think she just wanted to show off all the time. But finally I realize that’s the only one way to be proficient in English. Keep practicing.

Still fresh in my memory when we had a morning ceremony and for each Monday we always have a speaker to present an English speech. But until the last minute we didn’t get any speaker yet. There’s no one dare to be a speaker. Suddenly Putri raised her hand and said “let me be the speaker”. What the ......!? She will be the speaker without any preparation, and she made it! And Putri kept winning a lot of speech contest in many championships. At that time i felt nothing compared to Putri and I decide from now I have to increase my English ability no matter what it takes.

And then I asked her whether she still practice her English or not. And I got a bit of shocking answer. “Rarely do I practice my English, I’ve left my English behind and now I only focus on my study”. For a couple of minutes I did’nt believe that Putri who I used to know, left all that tings behind. She said when she was in senior high school, she was a kind of achievement oriented person. She always push her self into her limit. But she was not happy because she only cares about how to attain something that she want. And then she said again, being famous and getting what you want are good but the most important one is how to make yourself is useful for the others. “Now I just concerned in my study and keep everything I have, my friends, my family, and make myself to be a useful person for the others” as she described. Then I realize she has turned off all of her ego and let go of everything that she though it cannot give any benefit to the others. Now she turned from achievement oriented person to be a social oriented person. She just want to make herself meaningful for the others.

Putri with some children from an orphanage

But despite her changing, Putri also let go of her English ability. This thing can be clearly seen from the way she spoke. I though now her English is decreasing. She said “My mistake is despite I let go of my ego, I also let go of my english”. She told me that she seldom use English in her daily life, she just use it when she got an assignment to find reference in the English text book. And also she didn’t have any environment supporting her to keep practicing, for instance an English group or English debating forum. As a friend I suggest her to start practicing again. I do believe Putri was still sharp as I used to know, all she need is only practicing to get her English back.

What a cool conversation with my childhood friend. I have seen a changing in her and I realize sometimes someone’s life that we think beautiful actually it is not as beautiful as we though before. The most important thing is we always gratitude with the life we have and run ours best. And even though now Putri is a bit different from Putri I used to know, at least she’s happy with her life now, and that’s the most important one. Go ahead put!