Ini ketiga kalinya saya mengikuti Dear Reader Contest. Dan masih belum ada
yang menang sepertinya : ). Entah mungkin akan masuk dalam honorable mentions.
Komentar dari Suzanne Beecher yang
mengadakan kontes tersebut hampir sama dengan pujian dari beliau tahun lalu.
Dia berkata, "The quality of the
entries this year was amazing--I'm sincere about that. It was very difficult to
choose winners."
Saya tidak akan menyerah : ). And I'm eager to wait the next year's contest.
Berikut ini saya akan memposting entri
pertama saya di kontes tahun ini, dan esok serta lusa akan saya posting tulisan
yang kedua dan ketiga.
Semoga menjadi berkat, dan mohon maaf
kalau bahasa Inggris saya masih sederhana karena masih terus belajar. : )
***
It was during my 12th grade
year in 2001.
I forgot whether it was my English
teacher who chose the names, or myself and other friends who voluntarily
representing our school, SMU Negeri 18 Surabaya, to compete in an English
Debate Contest againts other high schools in East Java Province.
I couldn't recall the whole activities
during the event also actually, but I do still remember one exact moment.
Along with my teammates named Lady
Ishar and Wadeng Prayogi, we have made some preparations due the debate.
And finally, it was our time to
compete.
The audiences were ready. Our opponent
was ready. We were ready—at least, that was what I thought.
Our opponent took the first opportunity
to present their views regarding a particular subject we agreed to select to
debate. After several minutes, it was finally our turn to oppose their
conclusion, and to present what our team had in mind. It was my turn first in
the team.
I could see many faces of the
audiences. Among them, I could see one familiar face, staring straightly at me,
kind of believing that I could deliver my material. It was our English teacher,
Mrs. Ratna.
As I stood and about to deliver my
speech, a moment of silence took place. At first, it was for ten seconds, then
a minute, and two more minutes. Not to impress the judges or the audiences and
to grab their attention with my silence before speech. But …
I couldn't say a word!
Not a single word came out of my mouth.
Was it because I was so nervous due to
stage fright? Probably 50 percent.
Was it because of lack of preparation?
It might be.
But most of all, I think it was because
the attitude of my heart—underestimating and being so cocky that I thought I
could do it and beat any opponents.
A minute of silence felt like an
eternity.
I was sad, especially inside.
I could see Mrs. Ratna's face as I
still standing right there, who seemed disappointed at that time regarding my
performance, although I never asked her about it afterwards.
As I began to sit down again, I
couldn't think about anything else but streams of words that were still buried
in my mind and didn't have the chance from me to let them go.
I couldn't remember what happened next,
but since that time, I believe that I have made a little promise in my heart
that I will always learn English.