Saya begitu terharu membaca essay yang ditulis anak saya untuk sekolahnya. Saya ingin berbagi krn ungkapan pemikiran dan perasaannya pasti mewakili anak2 lainnya.
How grateful they are for having us.
English
Grow Great
Expository Text - Exhibit
August 2009
On April 20, 1993, in Vancouver, Canada, I took my first breath in the world. In the next 16 years, I walked, laughed, cried and was exposed to various influences which have shaped my characteristics, values, attitudes and beliefs. At first I thought the task of analysing and writing about one’s self seemed like a daunting and slightly intimidating task, but as I looked into myself I soon realised that these influences were the fundamental nutrients for my growth; as depicted in the exhibition. That is why I chose a growing plant to symbolise myself; many of my characteristics are still developing, and I still have a long way to grow until I reach my full potential. I could never imagine what kind of person I would have become without these ideologies – and that’s when I also realised how important these influences were to my life.
My parents have provided most of my fundamental characteristics and attitudes. Throughout my life, I have spent most of my time with my mother. She was raised in an affectionate environment, surrounded by modesty, love, forgiveness and understanding. My mother sacrificed countless things including her career to raise my brothers and I, and as a result I have subconsciously inherited most of her personality, including her magnanimity, compassion and positive outlook on life. My father has also contributed significantly to my values and attitudes. he grew up learning to earn things through hard work, perseverance and frugality. As such, the only way he could enter certain schools and university were through scholarships, and as a result he spent most of his time studying and learning. He moved from Indonesia to Canada in order to earn his PhD. Through my father’s background when he was young to the present time, I learnt discipline and that it does not matter where you come from, the quality of schooling you receive or how you were raised— if you set your mind to something you can achieve it. Certain influenced characteristics are labelled on the roots of the plant below the ground level. The sizes of the roots where my attributes have been labelled signify the strength of that particular trait. My parents are also depicted in the photo with the plant growing from it and the plant has intentionally been placed to grow closer to my mother as compared to my father. This is because my mother has influenced me slightly more than my father. In the end though, the photo of my parents was placed at the centre of the plant not only because both my parents provided the roots and strong establishment for the growth of my characteristics, but also because from their influenced stems other major impacts, like religion.
Religion has made a profound impact on my life. I am a Muslim and I follow Islam’s teachings closely and try to my best to follow its rules. Unlike many representations of my religion in the media; which I can say are downright opposite and wrong to the fundamental principles of Islam, Islam is a way of life –a way of peace, well-being, compassion, tolerance and freedom of speech. I learnt never to discriminate, as religion has taught me that all genders, cultures, classes and races are equal. There are rules that govern virtually every aspect of life, from marriages to permitted food to career choices. As a result of the teachings of the religion, I try to dispel tension and slander between people and always keep a smile on. Islam is also entirely opposed to terrorism and acts of violence, condemning those who do so. I have absolutely rejected many of the erroneous media representations of my religion, knowing that many of those who wrongly represent Islam in the media do things for their own personal interests and are nothing but ignorant, fanatical people who are completely estranged from the religion’s morality and teachings. The leaves that have withered away connote the rejected beliefs of violence and false representations of Islam in the media. I have placed various verses from our Holy Book, the Qur’an, in the soil of my exhibit to support my stance, representing them as the fertile ground for my growth that has come from Islam. The rich dark brown colour of the soil also connotes how exuberant the soil is with natural minerals. With something that has impacted in such a way to my attitudes and beliefs, I have learnt to see the world in a different light.
The strong effects of school have also influenced my characteristics and views. Every year for more than 10 years I have been to school 200 out of 365 days. In the 6 hours I spend in school every day, I have learnt about various subjects and topics, achieved essential skills for the real world and sharpened my socialising and interactive skills by communicating with other adults and teenagers. By going to school, I am in a state of constant development—I have learnt to open my mind to the beliefs and values of other people, and my brain is continuously cultured in terms of knowledge and experience. As a result, the most vital aspect school has probably provided for me would most likely be the door to education and therefore the potential for university and a career. With school also comes friends— many of my current friends are linked to schools I have been to before, and hence without school I would not have these friends. Although they are not as influential as my family in terms of attitudes and beliefs, the impact of interacting and laughing with my friends has improved my well-being and self-esteem significantly. I am consequently able to act more cheerful towards people and smile more often; valuing the gift of life. In my exhibit school is symbolised as nutrients for my development, promoting my growth, labelled above ground level. Some nutrients have larger labels to indicate how significant those were to my life. In 10 years time I am confident that I will be able to look back towards school and smile at the positive impact it had on my attitudes and characteristics.
In the start of my life I was but a seed growing blindly in the unknown, but with my parents—roots; religion—soil and school—nutrients, I am now a plant well on my way to bearing fruits and flowers. There are various silences I have chosen not to mention, either because they are too personal or simply because of the impending word limit. I am happy with the influences and impacts I have experienced throughout my life though, and hopefully many years from now my mother would be able to face me and with a smile and satisfaction of sacrificing countless things for my growth, say: “Reza, you’ve grown into a great man”— and at the moment and for a very long time, that’s all that matters.
By:Linda Sundari/Anak-anakku
How grateful they are for having us.
English
Grow Great
Expository Text - Exhibit
August 2009
On April 20, 1993, in Vancouver, Canada, I took my first breath in the world. In the next 16 years, I walked, laughed, cried and was exposed to various influences which have shaped my characteristics, values, attitudes and beliefs. At first I thought the task of analysing and writing about one’s self seemed like a daunting and slightly intimidating task, but as I looked into myself I soon realised that these influences were the fundamental nutrients for my growth; as depicted in the exhibition. That is why I chose a growing plant to symbolise myself; many of my characteristics are still developing, and I still have a long way to grow until I reach my full potential. I could never imagine what kind of person I would have become without these ideologies – and that’s when I also realised how important these influences were to my life.
My parents have provided most of my fundamental characteristics and attitudes. Throughout my life, I have spent most of my time with my mother. She was raised in an affectionate environment, surrounded by modesty, love, forgiveness and understanding. My mother sacrificed countless things including her career to raise my brothers and I, and as a result I have subconsciously inherited most of her personality, including her magnanimity, compassion and positive outlook on life. My father has also contributed significantly to my values and attitudes. he grew up learning to earn things through hard work, perseverance and frugality. As such, the only way he could enter certain schools and university were through scholarships, and as a result he spent most of his time studying and learning. He moved from Indonesia to Canada in order to earn his PhD. Through my father’s background when he was young to the present time, I learnt discipline and that it does not matter where you come from, the quality of schooling you receive or how you were raised— if you set your mind to something you can achieve it. Certain influenced characteristics are labelled on the roots of the plant below the ground level. The sizes of the roots where my attributes have been labelled signify the strength of that particular trait. My parents are also depicted in the photo with the plant growing from it and the plant has intentionally been placed to grow closer to my mother as compared to my father. This is because my mother has influenced me slightly more than my father. In the end though, the photo of my parents was placed at the centre of the plant not only because both my parents provided the roots and strong establishment for the growth of my characteristics, but also because from their influenced stems other major impacts, like religion.
Religion has made a profound impact on my life. I am a Muslim and I follow Islam’s teachings closely and try to my best to follow its rules. Unlike many representations of my religion in the media; which I can say are downright opposite and wrong to the fundamental principles of Islam, Islam is a way of life –a way of peace, well-being, compassion, tolerance and freedom of speech. I learnt never to discriminate, as religion has taught me that all genders, cultures, classes and races are equal. There are rules that govern virtually every aspect of life, from marriages to permitted food to career choices. As a result of the teachings of the religion, I try to dispel tension and slander between people and always keep a smile on. Islam is also entirely opposed to terrorism and acts of violence, condemning those who do so. I have absolutely rejected many of the erroneous media representations of my religion, knowing that many of those who wrongly represent Islam in the media do things for their own personal interests and are nothing but ignorant, fanatical people who are completely estranged from the religion’s morality and teachings. The leaves that have withered away connote the rejected beliefs of violence and false representations of Islam in the media. I have placed various verses from our Holy Book, the Qur’an, in the soil of my exhibit to support my stance, representing them as the fertile ground for my growth that has come from Islam. The rich dark brown colour of the soil also connotes how exuberant the soil is with natural minerals. With something that has impacted in such a way to my attitudes and beliefs, I have learnt to see the world in a different light.
The strong effects of school have also influenced my characteristics and views. Every year for more than 10 years I have been to school 200 out of 365 days. In the 6 hours I spend in school every day, I have learnt about various subjects and topics, achieved essential skills for the real world and sharpened my socialising and interactive skills by communicating with other adults and teenagers. By going to school, I am in a state of constant development—I have learnt to open my mind to the beliefs and values of other people, and my brain is continuously cultured in terms of knowledge and experience. As a result, the most vital aspect school has probably provided for me would most likely be the door to education and therefore the potential for university and a career. With school also comes friends— many of my current friends are linked to schools I have been to before, and hence without school I would not have these friends. Although they are not as influential as my family in terms of attitudes and beliefs, the impact of interacting and laughing with my friends has improved my well-being and self-esteem significantly. I am consequently able to act more cheerful towards people and smile more often; valuing the gift of life. In my exhibit school is symbolised as nutrients for my development, promoting my growth, labelled above ground level. Some nutrients have larger labels to indicate how significant those were to my life. In 10 years time I am confident that I will be able to look back towards school and smile at the positive impact it had on my attitudes and characteristics.
In the start of my life I was but a seed growing blindly in the unknown, but with my parents—roots; religion—soil and school—nutrients, I am now a plant well on my way to bearing fruits and flowers. There are various silences I have chosen not to mention, either because they are too personal or simply because of the impending word limit. I am happy with the influences and impacts I have experienced throughout my life though, and hopefully many years from now my mother would be able to face me and with a smile and satisfaction of sacrificing countless things for my growth, say: “Reza, you’ve grown into a great man”— and at the moment and for a very long time, that’s all that matters.
By:Linda Sundari/Anak-anakku
