A letter for 35-year-old version of me

Hello, the 35-year-old version of me. How have you been? A decade has passed, memorable events happened during the period, have you learned a lot?

By the time you read this, you must've gotten your Master's Degree, right? I guess the education system in Indonesia is getting better now so that everyone, even those who are living in the countryside, can have access to the best education. Having a throwback, do you remember this question people often asked you:

"How could your parents afford the school fee? Do not dream too high, just be realistic".

I still clearly remember what your neighbors said to you in 2010. They said it would be better if you chose vocational school over the formal senior high school so that after graduating, you could directly look for a job and help your parents. As a stubborn young girl, you obstinately chose the best formal high school in your region and eventually got accepted with a full scholarship. The same situation repeated once again after you finished your study in high school in 2013. They kept telling you to just look for a job instead of continuing your study at the university level. They thought how could your parents afford both you and your brother's school fee while your dad only got unstable revenue from selling used cardboards and bottles which he collected during midnight so that you would not be embarrassed. On the other hand, your mother also worked as a shop assistant with a salary of about 11 USD per week.

I know it was tough and you were afraid about it. But your parents, who only finished their studies until elementary and middle school, always told you that their children should be studying as high as possible. They kept telling you not to worry about the financial issue, they had to look for a way to make their children well educated. As the oldest children in your family, you also needed to be a good example for your brother.

Miracles happened when we tried our best. You got accepted into two campuses which provided scholarships and even monthly allowance for the students. You chose statistics as your undergraduate major and you moved from your hometown in Yogyakarta to Jakarta, the Capital City of Indonesia where the campus was located. Four years had passed, your graduation day finally came. Your whole family came to see you with their brightest smile ever. I could see how proud they are to finally see you as the first bachelor in your family. On that day, you were living their dreams they never could achieve, having an undergraduate degree, that maybe for some people it is just a piece of cake.

A few months after graduating, you got accepted being a civil servant as a staff of Statistics Indonesia. By the time you read this letter, it has been twelve years now. And thankfully you could help your parents to pay your brother's school fee for his undergraduate degree as well. At this point, I am wondering about lots of things. What if you listened to your neighbors and gave up on your dreams. You might end up being a blue-collar worker or getting married earlier just like your peers in your village. If those happened, your brother would never attend a university as well, and your family would never be in better condition. And above all, you would not be able to see your parents smile gladly as you saw on your graduation day.

All those good and bad experiences have taught you to become a resilient person with a compassionate heart. In 2030, I hope you could give more than you get to your community by sharing your experiences knowledge, and fortune. I hope you do a great job to encourage the younger generation, especially those who are less fortunate just as you were, not to listen to people who underestimate their dreams and believe in themselves. Please tell them, anything is possible and it all starts with education. Finally, I hope people getting more supportive of one another so that we can live a better life together.

Regards,

Evi Sanjaya

This was originally an essay that I made for a competition (that's why it only consists of 700 words) but turned out like I was wrong in interpreting the rule, so here it is, in the hope this writing will bring good impacts for you all. Enjoy reading.