I Have A Dream

No, it's not a song to sing.

Apparently, I have reached what is called "senior year", where the bullies are now your lecturers, your academic advisors, and your parents.

The story begins when I applied for Chinese Studies in Universitas Indonesia. Now I have passed three years of language learning, the "dark ages" of every Chinese Studies students like me, because here, you have to struggle with all your strength, efforts, prayers, hopes, and lucks, to get to the next level of Modern Chinese class. Yup, we've been taught every bit this and that about China, but nothing harder then the Chinese language itself.

Yet since I eventually, and luckily have passed those times (which, I assure you, not an easy works, but it's another story), I am now about to tell you what senior year here likes.

First, you have a big chance of participating in IMSi, Universitas Indonesia's Sinologs Association. We held big events, like freshmen welcoming night/Sinonite, Sinology Festivals, temple visits, and so on. At this point, I hold the position for online media administrator, who tweets, updates, and control everything in cyberworld for IMSi. Pretty big, umm, responsibilities.

Second, as well as the big challenge, it is the final thesis. Hopefully, in Faculty of Humanity, you don't actually need to fulfill this task to graduate. Once you reach 144 credits, you can just apply for your graduation. But no, I choose (and it seems like I have to) the other way around, by writing final thesis which will give me five credits for finishing it.

But, WHY?

The big question lies in every curious minds, why do I choose this way? Am I just an attention whore who likes to brag about how good I am in this field?

NO. Or if you want to say so, yet you're still welcome, but probably you don't need to read more of this blogpost.

My father, in fact is a researcher, and a chairman for Social Economy study program in Andalas University, and yes, he's a professor too. Which make him a very good writer in his field. My mother, graduated from the same field of my father, she's a civil worker in Agriculture Department. Her works included teaching the peasants, farmers, animal breeders, in our city to raise their products in a good and effective way. They both graduated from Andalas University with a final thesis (though my mom needed every helps from dad while he achieved it, with Cum Laude title, feel sorry that I can never get the title when I graduated due to a 'mistake' in one of my class).

So what is the correlation between this story about my parents? Am I showing off their hardworks? What I wanted to tell you is, I have this "heavy burden", if you want to call so, because of their achievements. Everyone, especially in my family, wants to see me equal as my Dad, or even achieve something bigger. They want me to graduate by leaving something special for my study program, which you can guess, a final thesis. Besides, dad always told me if I want to continue to major degree, I need to ever write one research because there's no scholarship for major degree which doesn't require you an undergraduate thesis for applying. And yup, there goes another big point, I have to continue my study right after I get my undergraduate degree. As well I will need a high IELTS or TOEFL score (which I prefer IELTS more) and a special IELTS-like test for Mandarin  called HSK, Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi, Test of Chinese Language level.

I haven't start this term yet, haven't got any topic crossing my mind to write as undergrad thesis, haven't got a little courage to take IELTS and HSK. But, for every goals I need to reach at the end of my college life, I know what I wanted for me, my parents, my big family. I have these dreams. And once you embrace your dreams, believe that God always listening.