Reading the news lately made me feel to share this to you, English club members. It’s about someone called Tarnedi, a 54 years old guy and working as a taxi driver for 20 years. But this one, is a special driver. Not because he has the skills like those guys do in the Fast too Furious movie with the crowded and hectic street of Jakarta. What makes him being the news headlines these days is because his English.
You know how old he is, but yet he is still eager to learn English. He didn’t graduate from elementary school, but decided to learn English since about 2 years ago. It all started when he had foreigners in his cab and they all talked in English saying “meeting” over and over again. Got tired and maybe a little bit of curiosity with the word, he asked one of them who then told him the meaning. The next day, he got another foreigner. This one asked him to wait.
“Please waiting”, the foreigner said.
Tarnedi refused. That time, he thought “waiting” is the word he had learned, which is “meeting”. So he refused because he didn’t want to join the meeting. After he found out the meaning of “waiting”, he regretted that moment for losing him a passenger and decided to learn English so that language barrier should not be a problem anymore.
"After that I always ask my customer with English everyday until now," he said in English.
Not only that, he also asks them to write a sentence in English which he will try to find the meaning using his dictionary given by his passengers. Here’s some of them:
“Dear Mr Tarnedi, I am one of the many female police officer serving in Jakarta. I am comfortable in your taksi. I was not wrong to choice taxi.
As old at your age, you are still eager to make a living and you are still eager to learn the English Language with your passanger. I hope you can fit the spirit of it. Best regards, NF.”
“You are always seeing extraordinary. But the truth is you are the extraordinary one.
So, dont judge book by is cover”.
“I always remember your advice, I will not marry before graduade.
Quote: To be yourself in a world that is trying to make you someone else is the great accomplishment.”
Well, isn’t he amazing? Hope this guy inspires you.
I will leave you with his words when he was asked to give a speech for drivers by one of his passenger and a video. Of course, in English.
"Oke my friend it is nice to meet to you. I'm not here to teach but to learn as more you guys. I want to encourage all of you to speak English. We don't want to leave our culture, but we also don't want to leave behind. The best is we learn together.”
Source:
http://www.merdeka.com/peristiwa/ini-komentar-teman-tarnedi-sopir-taksi-berbahasa-inggris.html
http://www.merdeka.com/politik/ini-alasan-sopir-taksi-tarnedi-paksa-penumpang-berbahasa-inggris.html
http://news.detik.com/read/2013/12/11/185957/2439356/10/?992204topnews
Comments
Blog mu cantik sama kamu, dan saya harap akan menjadi teman kamu, mungkin? Silakhan , membaca blog saya, Pernikahan dan koment. I hope you add me to the list of your friends.
Very inspiring!!I loved it. :)
WOW! What an inspiring story. I like when he said "We don't want to leave our culture, but we also don't want to leave behind.". Thank you for sharing this story of remarkable man.