He took it ruthlessly. Still there, but no longer visible. He remembers me, even though he has forgotten me. Giving both beautiful and bad memories at the same time.

Although there was a temporary presence, it slowly went away leaving me alone in solitude, it's okay, I will try even though it feels heavy.

This is the story of Kirin, a lonely little boy. This story is about Kirin's life with various obstacles. He has a father and mother, but it's as if they're not there. The story begins with his happy life, like the happy story of a typical family. Kirin lives with his parents and his two siblings, Lapi and Bibong. They live far away from their hometown and are happy. But all of that doesn't last long.

It all started when Kirin's parents were no longer harmonious, which led them to take separate paths. At that time, Kirin was 12 years old and in 7th grade of junior high school. Kirin had good grades in school, as he was diligent in studying with the ambition of becoming a professor in the field of biology. Everything was fine at first, but it changed when his father was about to leave the city and leave Kirin behind. Kirin didn't go with him because it was close to the time of the class promotion exam. His father gave him pocket money of three hundred thousand rupiah as he would be out of town for 3 days. Unexpectedly, it turned out to be a month.

As a result of his father's actions, Kirin didn't go to school for 3 weeks because all his clothes were dirty. When his father returned, unexpectedly, he brought a stepmother that shocked Kirin, as his father had remarried. Due to Kirin's absence from school for 3 weeks, he was left behind in class. This caused him to miss the opportunity to achieve his dreams. Not because he couldn't, but he was far behind his friends.

Days passed quickly, and when he didn't move up to the next grade, he was transferred to the same city as his grandmother to live with her. One year passed, and Kirin hadn't continued his education. To fill his emptiness, Kirin often read comics and watched movies in various languages. This made Kirin gradually become accustomed to the languages he heard, and without realizing it, he became fluent in those languages. Because of this, he became enthusiastic again to continue his education. He started going to school again, although he was left behind.

His new journey began on his first day of school. Kirin lived with his grandmother, who insisted that he be independent without burdening her. At first, Kirin thought he would be taken care of like when he was with his parents, but that couldn't happen because he felt sorry for his 83-year-old grandmother.

Unable to bear it, Kirin started doing his own household chores. He started washing his own clothes, helping with cooking, and cleaning the house. Kirin's grandmother was a retired teacher, which made Kirin think that his presence would burden her financially, even though his grandmother didn't say it directly.

This pushed Kirin to look for a job that he could do without disrupting his school. He tried many jobs, from working at a restaurant, being a janitor, to selling snacks at his school. In the end, he quit each of those jobs because they took up too much time.

Seeing his efforts to work hard, one of Kirin's relatives, who happened to be his uncle, offered him a job at a helmet storage facility located in a mall near his house. Kirin accepted it without much thought. Because the job only required him to work 2 hours a day and paid thirty to forty thousand rupiah per day.

"With the availability of that job, Kirin no longer burdened his grandmother financially until he graduated from high school. Kirin graduated from high school with hard work and perseverance, achieving a good score above the average of other students. He tried to continue his education at the university level. Kirin took various entrance exams for college, but it wasn't as easy as he thought. He tried multiple times in the first two years after graduating from high school.

Turns out, he wasn't able to get accepted into the public university he applied for. However, he did not give up because he still had the opportunity to apply once again to a public university, as there is a limit of three times for applying to public universities after graduating from high school. With all his efforts and hard work, he finally passed and was accepted into a public college, although it was not his first choice.

Due to his changing interests, he chose English as his major because he believed it was the key to understanding various languages. He based this decision on the fact that English is an international language and provides access to knowledge from various countries that is available in English.

His new journey continued with his first day as a freshman in college. As he desired to have extensive information, Kirin started joining various organizations that could support him in terms of the information he wanted to obtain through broad networking. At the beginning of his involvement as a student, Kirin and his batch were required to organize an Inauguration event. However, this was a bit challenging for him because at that time there was a pandemic that made Kirin and his batch less cohesive due to the online orientation period.

Due to his activity, Kirin was appointed as the class representative, with the aim of successfully organizing the event. Starting from the committees, fundraising concepts, event themes, and procurement of properties, everything had to be fulfilled. The first step Kirin took was to form a group for collecting funds for the inauguration. After the group was formed, Kirin and his batch collected funds from August to February, although the target was not fully met due to running out of time. The next step was to practice for the performance.

During the practice that was scheduled for one month, Kirin requested permission to take care of urgent matters that he had left behind for 5 months. Kirin asked for permission from the chairman of the student organization who was in charge at that time, hoping that the chairman would inform all his friends as he couldn't attend the practice session due to his urgency. However, it turned out that the chairman forgot or didn't inform the others about Kirin's situation, which triggered a conflict between Kirin and his classmates due to Kirin's absence during the practice. Kirin's friends asked the chairman about Kirin's whereabouts, but the chairman didn't know and instead asked about Kirin's whereabouts, which made Kirin's friends annoyed with the chairman.

The practice process was completed and the performance was scheduled to be held in 2 days. Kirin came to help prepare the stage and properties until the day of the performance. On the day of the performance, Kirin and all his friends were ready to perform. Since Kirin did not participate in the performance, he helped with the preparation of properties and stage arrangements until it was finished.

Three days have passed since the inauguration of Kirin. Kirin saw a message in the group chat stating that the photos and videos taken during the performance were now accessible. Kirin was excited and couldn't wait to see them. After looking at the photos, one caught Kirin's attention - it was a photo of the handover of a sash to the head of the department from the head of the student association. Kirin felt confused because he didn't know that there was a handover ceremony and that he was not the representative for it.

Kirin started asking his friends why he was not chosen as the representative. His friend said they thought Kirin already knew that he was no longer the head of the department, and someone else had taken over. Kirin felt even more confused after further inquiries. It turned out that the message Kirin had conveyed to the head of the student association, intended to be passed on to his friends, was never relayed. Instead, Kirin's friend said that the head of the student association had been looking for him, even though Kirin had already asked for permission from the head of the student association. It seemed as though Kirin had never communicated why he couldn't accompany his friends during their rehearsal process.

Despite the challenges, Kirin and his team were determined to make the event a success. They came up with innovative fundraising ideas, such as online donation campaigns, virtual concerts, and collaborative projects with local businesses. They also reached out to alumni and other organizations for support. Kirin utilized his language skills to communicate with potential sponsors and partners from different countries, and his efforts paid off as they received generous contributions from various sources.

With the funds raised, Kirin and his team organized a memorable and successful inauguration event. It was a combination of online and offline activities, with strict adherence to health protocols. The event was attended by students, faculty, and guests from around the world, as it was broadcasted online and shared widely on social media. Kirin was praised for his leadership, organizational skills, and fluency in multiple languages, which helped in building strong connections with international partners.

As a result of his successful involvement in organizing the inauguration event, Kirin gained recognition and respect among his peers and faculty. He was appointed as the president of the English Club, where he continued to showcase his language skills and leadership abilities. He also actively participated in various academic and extracurricular activities, such as research projects, debates, and cultural exchange programs, which further expanded his knowledge and language proficiency.

In his final year of college, Kirin was offered a scholarship to study abroad in a prestigious university in the United States. He was thrilled and accepted the opportunity without hesitation. With his determination and hard work, he excelled in his studies and graduated with honors in English Literature. He then pursued a Master's degree in Linguistics, specializing in sociolinguistics and language acquisition.

During his time abroad, Kirin made lifelong friends from different countries and cultures, and his language skills helped him connect with people from diverse backgrounds. He also conducted research on endangered languages and language preservation, which further fueled his passion for linguistics and language advocacy. His academic achievements and contributions to the field of linguistics earned him recognition and awards, and he became a sought-after speaker at international conferences and seminars.

After completing his Master's degree, Kirin returned to his home country with a mission to promote language education and preservation. He joined an international organization that focused on language revitalization and worked as a language consultant for local communities. He also taught English at a university and started his own language school, where he offered affordable language classes to students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

With his expertise in various languages and his passion for language preservation, Kirin made significant contributions to the field of linguistics and language education. He published research papers, conducted workshops, and raised awareness about the importance of linguistic diversity and cultural heritage. He also collaborated with local communities and government agencies to develop language revitalization programs and policies.

As his reputation grew, Kirin was invited to speak at international conferences and seminars, where he shared his experiences and insights on language preservation and education. He also received invitations to teach as a visiting professor at renowned universities around the world. Kirin's contributions to the field of linguistics and his efforts in promoting language education and preservation were recognized with prestigious awards and honors.

In addition to his professional achievements, Kirin also found happiness in his personal life. He met a supportive and loving partner who shared his passion for languages and culture. They got married and had two children, whom they raised in a bilingual environment, passing on their love for languages and cultural diversity to the next generation.

In his later years, Kirin continued to work tirelessly in advocating for language preservation and education. He mentored aspiring linguists, supported local communities in preserving their indigenous languages, and continued his research on language acquisition and sociolinguistics. His work was highly respected and inspired many others.

Author : Muhammad Nurin Zhacky F