I was born on January 30, 1982 in a small town called State College, Pennsylvania. My parents named me Indah Hapsari but they ended up calling me Happy, which sort for Hapsari. Indah actually means beautiful in the Indonesian language and it is also part of my mother's maiden name. I was raised mostly in Jakarta, a busy and populated capital of Indonesia. For the next fifteen years, I grew up in an environment that was influenced by strong Islamic traditions.
While growing up in my country, I was not an average student. I did not do well in most of my classes. All I wanted was have fun, and I never felt like I had to study. A few years past by and in 9th grade, I finally realized that I would not be able to have a bright future because of my low grades. I transcended into not wanting to make my parents feel disappointed. Nevertheless, I ended up passing 9th grade, but I was not able to get accepted to a "good" high school.
My dad decided to send me to the United States to continue my high school education. I knew that he wanted me to obtain a better education. I came to the United States in September 1997. I lived with one of my sisters and she became my legal guardian. At the beginning, I felt very unhappy when my dad sent me here. Moving away from a place that I cherished the most was very difficult for me. Later on I realized that my dad made the right choice for me. I am thankful of what I have become now.
I have been living in the United States for two years now. I learned many things since I've lived here. I have also made progress in school and my grades have improved remarkably. I have been amazed to see how well my grades progressed at school. For example, I was able to get straight A's and only one B during my sophomore year. I felt delighted because I realized that I could actually do well in school.
Although I did well in school, I missed my friends in Indonesia very much. It took me a while to make friends because of my quiet and shy personality. When I first came to this country, I felt very isolated because I could not speak English fluently. I felt like I was "different" from everyone else and somehow I felt like everyone was always looking and staring at me in a different way. I wasn't sure if anyone liked or disliked me, but I felt like I was standing in the middle of a stage with everyone's eyes focused on me.
A few months after my arrival, I met a girl named Ana Abril who later became one of my good friends. I first noticed her because I had a feeling that we were alike in some ways. She wore glasses and was quiet just like me. Ana and I had many things in common, even though she was older than I was. I was a sophomore and Ana was a senior in high school. After she graduated we grew apart especially since I moved to San Diego.
The reason why I moved to San Diego was because my sister, Nurul, who decided to attend graduate school at San Diego State of University. In San Diego, I met another girl named Anh Luong who later became my friend. Our friendship only lasted a year because she had leave for college, and I was still in high school. I admired her because she was very kind and intelligent. Even though now we are not as close as we used to be, we still keep in touch with each other.
It is not easy for any individual to move far away from the place they grew up in. Leaving behind family, friends, and the culture one is accustomed to can be extremely difficult. On the other hand, there are some people who adapt quickly on their own. How quickly one adapts to living alone depends on how self-reliant they are. One must always have to try to be physically and psychologically reliant on oneself. Teenagers for example can't always depend on their parents to support them throughout life. One must learn to let go and get on with life. I think I've experienced the "getting on with life" part, but I still find it hard to let go of that life back home that I often miss until this day.