L'avenir

           Hello, my name is Hana Latifa. People called me Hana, although some of them also called me with some unique nicknames like Hanoy, or Hanang. I was born on the middle of August in Jakarta, on a Friday afternoon. I have two siblings, both of them are younger than me. I live with my grandparents since I was 5 years old, and they have taken care of me with so much love for so many years.

            I like listening to music, watching movies, and hanging out with my best friends. I also love to hear their stories. Hearing people's stories is one of my hobbies, although sometimes when I also feel sad or tired, I will tell them I’m busy doing something else, while actually, I was busy recharging my energy. I love people who can listen to my stories too, and support me, convincing me that I can do anything in this world. I also like a person who shares the same humor taste with me, because it makes me feel like all my problems disappear the moment we laugh.

           Living with my grandparents makes it hard for me to nearly ask anything from them because I will always feel like a burden to them. But they’re so nice, they gave me stuff I didn’t even ask. It makes me feels guilty. And that’s why after I graduate from Senior High School, I didn’t go directly to the college. I apply for a job as a cashier on a minimarket near my house. I work there for about 3 months.

           Then the next year, my aunt told me to take the SBMPTN, and she said she will help my grandparents to paid my college fee. At that time, I think that going to college probably is the best choice to help me achieve my dreams. So I agreed, and I took the UTBK in Bandung. At first, I was hoping that I can get into the University of Indonesia with an Indonesian Literature major. But, my grades are not qualified to enter my dream major. So, I passed SBMPTN, but at my second option, English Literature major of UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta.

           Since I was in elementary school, there’s always one subject that interested me in class. It’s English. Learning English is always very fun for me. I like to listen to music in English, watch English dubbed movies and cartoons, and sometimes speaking English with my mom. When I was in kindergarten, I got so many A’s on my ESQ test. And from that moment I knew, that English is not just some subject for me. It is my favorite subject.

           Although I have loved English for so many years, in Senior High School I began to have an interest in Indonesian Literature, also Psychology. So of course English is not my first choice when I took the SBMPTN. My grandparents told me that I’m good at English so they suggested me to take English Literature as my major. At first, I was feeling very sad that I didn’t take my dream major. But my friends and family are encouraging me, they said that everything’s happened for a reason.

           After some time learning English in college, it turns out that I should feel grateful that I took an English Literature major. The assignments are easy to understand since I’ve always loved the English subject. Many of my friends took the major they didn’t like just because their parents force them to take it, and it makes them feel unmotivated to enroll. I’m glad that I took the English Literature major, especially here in UIN because there’s a balance between academic and spiritual lessons. That thing is rare to find in another college. 

           I also feel so grateful that I took this major because I’ve met so many kind people here. People with who I have similar thoughts, and people who can laugh at the same jokes with me. Imagine how hard it is for me to understand Chemical Major jokes. Although some of the subjects are harder than others, like linguistics, I believe I can do it. Moreover, there are fun subjects like Essay Writing.

           I hope that this Essay Writing class can bring me a glimpse of joy because I like to write. Learning new stuff about writing could be a huge advantage I can get from this class. And also I’d like to learn how to write an essay properly. Furthermore, the lecturer seems so friendly. I hope that many students could feel happy while taking this class. 

           After I graduate from UIN Syarif Hidayatullah, I hope that I can apply all the knowledge I’ve learned here. Having my dream job after I graduate is also my outlook. I hope that I can manifest a better future for my family, for my grandparents. Just like the title I gave on the top, L’avenir, which means ‘The Future’ in French. Cheers for the better future!