November 6, 2018

First Entry — English debate contest : )

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.