Ajeng Kamaratih: From Mastering Five Languages, Law and Becoming Wife and Mom

During a wide-ranging conversation with host Bayu Oktara, content creator and news presenter Ajeng Kamaratih, shared her journey to mastering four foreign languages when she was still a student of the Tarakanita Senior High School in South Jakarta. She then studied law at the University of Indonesia, and deepened her French knowledge at the Sorbonne University in Paris.

During their discussion, Ajeng and Bayu focused on literacy issues. According to Ajeng, mastery of foreign languages and law, not only enriched her life but also developed her soft skills and general knowledge which played an important role in her family life.

All of the competencies she obtained during her education years made a significant impact on her career as a professional news presenter, master of ceremony, content creator, and more importantly on her role as a wife and mother.

Majoring in the language in Tarakanita, she learned four other foreign languages – English, French, German, and Italian – apart from her native language Indonesian. She is most attracted to French because of the beauty of the language and she is fluent in German because she spent 20 hours per week learning it for a year.
Her family did not support her pursuit of language studies. “My mom questioned my choice of language studies, like many other mothers, she prefers me to choose science as my major,” said Ajeng who is also the mother of a three-year-old daughter.

When she wanted to continue her study at the University of Indonesia, she was accepted at the Faculty of Law. “When I went to the university, initially I was very interested to take the Chinese language because it can help me find a job either as a translator, tour guide or teacher,” said Ajeng who is also an experienced as a news anchor at various private TV stations.

When Bayu asked why Ajeng could become proficient in four foreign languages, she answered,” We must stick to our commitment every time we learn new knowledge. We must be committed to the new expertise. I could learn the languages because I was committed to learning them seriously.”

Reading Books for Knowledge
Ajeng strongly believes that books are the best way to acquire knowledge, as an old saying goes that a book is a window to knowledge, even in the era of the internet. “Books are windows that allow the light of knowledge. When reading a book, we can spend a few hours reading it, but on the Internet when it is not interesting it is very easy for us to change the topic,” said Ajeng who began her new career as a new content creator in September 2022.

Ajeng suggested that the books we read should align with our current interests. Additionally, it is important to be disciplined when reading, and setting a timeline to complete the book. Ajeng herself reads books on Mondays and Wednesdays before going to bed each week.

Raising Daughter
Ajeng now has a three-year-old girl from her marriage to a French national. Her husband has a strong commitment to sharing the responsibility of raising their daughter. Culturally French are very feminist. Her husband grew up where his father and mother played equal roles and responsibilities in raising kids. “It is very helpful. But sometimes there are some conflicts because we grew up in different cultures,” she said.

Her daughter reads 10 books per day. Most of the books are picture books because she is still too young for heavy reading materials. The daughter of the couple is never given gadgets and also never watches TV. It is believed by them that there are many things that she needs to explore with her senses. Their kid also learn new things through conversations and games, and hence, developing her sense of curiosity is considered to be very important by them.

“Parents must invest time in their kid even if they feel tired when accompanying their kid. When you want to have a kid, you need to be responsible as parents,” said Ajeng. “If you want to have smart kids, you must directly take part in educating them about values of life, only parents can teach it. My kid is well-prepared now, so she can go to daycare.”

Full video in Bahasa clicks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bi0M6ohypZc