My Life is A BIG Adventure

When we were kids, my father and/or Mummy always drove us to school. It wasn’t far just half a mile away from home. Lazy? It wasn’t anything like that at all. Most people in my village were just not used to walk. Till now I believe J If they don’t have their own vehicles they will go anywhere by public transport. If it is not far than ‘becak’ is the option.

One day when I was 10 year old my father drove me to school liked always. My sister and my brother went to different schools already. Out of the blue I had an idea I asked my father to take me to school by a pushed bike the next day. He didn’t have one J but he agreed and managed to borrow our gardener’s bike.

I remember although it was not comfortable sitting on the back I had fun. I hold on tight with a big smile on my face. On the way, I asked my father what to say if I wanted people knowing I did not speak English. Because few days before one of his company’s customers asked what my name is in English. Of course I didn’t understand at all what he said and just smiledJ. My father was my interpreter. He told me what they asked. “Farah Wasarrotin Nuvus” I said loudly & proudly J they asked more questions such as; what does my name mean? How old I am? … Those days, English was not being taught to elementary students in Indonesia.

My father spoke English very well. He had studied in an English speaking boarding school. And he worked for our family’s tobacco company that had a lot of customers from abroad.

Since that day, I found myself interested in learning English. My father started to teach me a little bit. And I started to get English lesson at school when I was 12. My father still drove me to school. Moreover it was farther; 7,5 miles away. Sometimes on the way I asked what any thing called in English. It wasn’t for long L my father passed away a year after…

Time flies… I started to study in a university on August 1992. And it was an English Department. One day I got tears in my eyes…I said to myself “If only ‘Ayah’ (that’s how I called him) were still alive. If only he could still drive me to school… we would have been speaking in English…” Though my English was not so good that time J

Now my English is a bit better J I am sure he would be proud of me no matter where he is… May you rest in peace, Ayah. I love you.