This I Believe- Khairil Razali - Indonesia

Click to Listen

I believe in Change
I grew up in a poor family in a remote and isolated village that far from glamour and modern environment when I was in childhood. I spent my primary and secondary school ages in a very dramatic nuance. I as a kid could not enjoy the moment as a kid as normal kids had. Khairil, as a kid should work hard, help parents, and look for income generate.
When I was in primary education, my father was only a less land farmer; he used to be a traditional fish seller from village to village using his old bike. I could not imagine what would be my future look like at that time. We lived in a very worry life circle. We just relied on annual harvesting from our rental paddy field as our family income. I as a kid should live from one place to another place, from one mountain side to another mountain side, from one village to another village. I, a kid, should always be with parents.
Although I was just a kid, I should pass mountain to mountain, bridge to bridge and bush to bush in the morning to get education. I should take this routine trip every morning when I was in primary education. It was hard. I did not know the ambition I had at that time; I just kept continuing pursuing my education even though I should walk for 2 to 3 miles every morning, but life should go on. I believed I should work hard and pray.
My secondary education, a horrible life I suffered from. I should be away from my family to start my adventure to dig a better education in another town, the capital of the province. I was fighting alone far from my family. I should manage and control myself alone. I did not have my parents anymore. I was alone living with relative in down town, working hard in their house, being almost like a maid, I should clean the dishes, iron clothes on the weekend of family members, clean and sweep the yard on Sunday.
It was really oppressed and horrible but I did not have any option. It was inspired me to work hard, to study hard and to pray for a better future. I did not want to live as I had, I did not want to be a maid, I did not want to be a janitor, a gardener, a cleaner, a dishes washer, I did not want to go back home to my village and become a farmer. I would like a change; I would like to be better in education, in life, in my social status.
When I was in university period, I did commit to myself; I should change my life, my future, my family social status. I studied hard, prayed hard, tried any efforts to reach my goals. I started to be a freelance teacher; I became a translator, and a private teacher in town. I started to be independent and not to rely on my parents funding, I started to separate step by step from family small funding. I was able. I could succeed; I was been able to support my finance little by little. I had been able to work even though it was temporary position, I got many jobs as a translator, I worked in international NGOs, I could make a better change in my life.
Since my undergraduate graduation, I made a commitment that I should be able to study abroad, but I did not have enough TOEFL score, how could I make it. I should make it. I should study harder and harder. I got many inspirations from my teacher who had been abroad, and it was inspired me. Through my work hard, pray, and hard effort, I could make it. The thing that I never imagined when I was a 10 years old boy, the thing that never crossed in my mind when I was in primary education. Thank God, by the time, I could make it. I believe in change through my philosophies; “WORK HARD, PRAY HARD, AND TRY HARD”