Big Mistakes

Writing 1A by Miss. Endang

“BIG MISTAKE” About five years ago, exactly on July 1996 I was in a college of Atma Jaya University by passed the formally test.As usually, all of the new student had to take apart in a kind of campus orientation called “OSPEK” for two days. I joined that program with pleasure. The program was started by a briefing on a day before the main programme. The committee gave us a lot of short explanation about the uniform, strange equipments for the first day. It’s a very difficult job. On the first “OSPEK” day, we should came at 5:00 with foolish dresses, but I didn’t. I was late about 30 minutes. The seniors started their action by angried, shouted, and looked for our mistakes. We were given the second briefing about what we should did on the next day on 20:30 One of the message was a question which the answer would be a time that we should arrived an the campus tomorrow. I wrote the question uncompletely because I was very tired. We went home at 21:00 furiously and so weary. I prepared all things to face the next day. Fortunately, I got some help by my brother Dimmy. He asked me “What time should you go to the campus tomorrow?”. He reminded me about the question. I felt very drowsy but I had to finish that last job. I tried hard to find the answer. Unfortunately, the question wasn’t complete. Finally, I solved this problem by many cheets and I got 1600 which meant I had to be at the camp before four o’clock in the afternoon. I suddenly went to bed after everything was ready. “ There is enough time for me tomorrow …!!”. My brother was very astonished because I told him that the activity would started at 16:00; nevertheless, he didn’t have any reaction for it because he was the student of Sanata Dharma University. I left the house on 15:00 and arrived at the camp on 15:30. There were a few man of the committee stood up in front of the lobby. They intercepted me seriously. It was surprised me and I asked to myself, “What is the problem? What is my fault?” One of them asked for being late. “ Because the answer is 1600!!”, I told them certainly. “ Ha…hah…ha…What?” They mocked me. I was ordered to come into the garden where my friends was being slaughtered by the seniors. It was surprised me. My brothers and sisters in arms were in confusion, weary, and angry. All of them were commanded to stand surroundings the garden and I was the center. The head of the committee told to all of the audience loudly, “ There is a boss who comes into the office at four o’clock in the afternoon” All of them laughed at me include the cleaning service on the 3rd floor. “ Why do you come so late, boss?”, he asked me. I gave him the same answer. They laughed again. I didn’t know what is the matter until that moment. Then, the head committee asked to all of the yuniors. “ What is the correct answer, boys?” They answered it noisy, “ 500, sir…”. That meant five o’clock in the morning. Ups…..how shy I was. I was the only one of the yuniors who had a different answer. That mistake made me late about ten hours. But, had you ever heard this motto: “Being late is better than not coming at all”. By :

SANDY I. Y. EC / 0358 / 2000 / I Yadara III / 7