Hallo Everyone
I'm really interested in the contest that @theweekend is holding this week. I have many stories to tell you. But, before telling everything, the most important question is what is my hobby? This question is not easy to answer. Many people are confused by their hobbies. however, I am not confused by my hobby. I am happy whenever people ask about my hobby. I can say that my hobby is writing.
I remember this trip. 13 years ago, I started living with this. I tried to write articles at school. I remember, about the first article I wrote. That's one of my worries. About cheating on exams. Long ago, there was a very good student who cheated. I'm quite annoyed with that.
I've been studying for two days, but my grades lost to this guy. This really pissed me off. Until finally, I wrote about it and sent the story to the School Magazine. I'm trying to write again about something else. I sent my writing to the newspaper which received student stories from high school seniors. However, I feel disappointed. parents see and read my writing. I was forbidden to write. All my notes, poems and articles were burned. I don't know why, my parents hate me writing. I didn't ask that. My mother was furious when she found my poetry. Shee burned everything.

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I'm heartbroken, very deeply. I started thinking about quitting and focusing on my academics, but I was greeted by School magazine. My writing became the headline in the school magazine. Of course, I also became a member of the school magazine without selection. It was fun, I learned to write, I started covering school activities, I visited the biggest newspaper in my city. One more thing, I became a popular student at school.
Back when I was doing a visit to the newspaper, my passion for being a journalist started to kick in. Seeing a journalist in very casual clothes, makes me want to be a journalist. This is the first time I have an aspiration. Because, until I turned 18, I had no desire. I don't know what to say when asked about your dream.
I started to love my hobby. I can tell you a lot as I write. Yes, my parents don't want to know about what the kids are going through and feeling at school. it makes me feel disappointed. By writing, I can freely tell stories. Express my joy, anger and hope, it feels like, I am free from the prison that holds my mind and body. I really enjoy it, especially when I'm writing.

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My mother still continues to oppose me writing. He was angry when he found out I was a member of the school magazine. I do not know why. I had to hide with what I did in the school magazine. Long story short, I graduated from school. But, it became the initial phase for me to write. Becoming a writer is my second dream.
At that time, there was an online writing school. I came to a community called Cendol. All online communication, there are classes in writing fiction (short stories) and poetry. This is a class I always take every week. Oh, yes, I met @viviehardika. Because at that time, we were the youngest members of the community.
I am very happy with the classes held by the community. I also met several writers in Bandung. It made me hone my skills about writing. I started participating in a writing competition. The prizes are very attractive. Then, the community makes points for the brave members who write in the newspaper.
I'm trying to write a story. Some of the short stories I wrote were published in popular newspapers in Bandung. Most importantly, I can freely tell anything. That's the first time, I get money apart from my parents, almost every month I get an honorarium from the writings that I make. When I was in college, I joined an organization with a Nahdatul Ulama background. As it turned out, my story was not very well received.

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I'm pretty sad, people scorn my writing, but, but I found another room. I received training in writing essays in several cities in Indonesia. I started learning to write essays. I studied in two cities. Yogyakarta and Jakarta. In Jogjakarta I studied at a book publisher called LKis. In Jakarta in I learned about writing journalists and opinions. Oh, yes, I learned to write opinion too in Kuningan. Of the three places, I believe about my hobby, writing.
I also believe this to be a journalist. At the same time, I feel depressed because my novels are always rejected. My Friend @viviehardika has published her novel. A year later, I decided to become a journalist. I want to learn to write including spelling and stringing the right words. During my time as a journalist, I was very productive in writing. In a day, I dig up six stories. More or less. Until finally, I was getting tired of being a journalist.
I'm also not thinking about writing a novel. I thought, how my hobby can make money. In 2017, I started looking for a job that matches my hobby. I freelanced at an opinion site. For a year, I made to earn money. There is a lot of writing about it. But, I'm getting bored. I feel, my abilities are not developing. Until finally, I met my director, I started working part time with her.

Picture By Nurdiani
To believe another dream could come true. Six months after that, I started working as a media staff at an NGO in Indonesia. 50 percent of my job is writing. I'm still working on my hobby, but I'm also required to develop my other skills. I'm happy, I do my hobby, but sometimes I get bored. I need to travel to see new things and develop my other potential.
This is fun. Hopefully what I'm working on is still going on for a long time. I also want to thank my director. There are many things that I have now. I have developed a lot of potential, besides I developed my hobby in writing.
About Author
Nurdiani Latifah
My name is Nurdiani Latifah. I currently live in Jakarta – Indonesia, after 25 years I live in Bandung. I am a media staff at an NGO in Indonesia. I have worked in this institution for almost 2 years on issues of women and peace. I had been a journalist in Bandung for 3 years.
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