2. Leaving for Jakarta and the Beginning of the Struggle.
526 Words
Years passed. Maura grew into a captivating young woman. Her face had an exotic blend—sun-kissed tan skin and bluish-grey eyes she inherited from her mother. Many people said her features were striking, like the girls in international magazines.
In high school, Maura gathered the courage to send her photos to several modeling agencies in Jakarta. She asked Arka to help take pictures of her wearing simple outfits. To her surprise, one of the agencies replied to her email and invited her to an audition in Jakarta.
Her parents were hesitant. Jakarta wasn’t an easy place, especially for a young girl like her. But Maura was determined.
“Dreams don’t come twice, Ma, Pa,” Maura said softly, trying to hide her nervousness. “I don’t want to regret not even trying.”
In the end, though it broke their hearts, her family gave their blessing. Her father handed her some savings, her mother packed her with warm clothes and a heartfelt prayer. Her older brothers took her to the airport, hiding their sadness behind tight hugs.
Jakarta greeted Maura with chaos and crowds. She temporarily stayed at a distant cousin’s house in Cilandak. Not long after she arrived, she attended her first audition—for a famous teen magazine.
In a room full of tall and beautiful girls, Maura almost felt small. She only had one extra outfit, basic makeup, and half of her courage left.
But the moment the photographer asked her to stand in front of the camera, Maura transformed. She remembered her childhood in Bali—pretending in front of the mirror, holding a spatula like a microphone, smiling at an imaginary camera. Now, the camera was real. And Maura wasn’t going to waste a single second.
Pose after pose, she gave it her all. Her smile was genuine, her eyes alive. When the audition ended, one of the agency staff whispered to a colleague, “That girl from Bali... she has something special.”
A few weeks later, Maura got the news—she was accepted. Not only did she land a photoshoot, but she was also offered a three-month contract with the agency. That was the beginning of everything.
But life in Jakarta wasn’t just about career opportunities. Maura tasted loneliness for the first time. She had to learn how to manage money, navigate a harsh working environment, and face snide comments from fellow models envious of her mixed-race looks.
“Some people say I’m not tall enough,” Maura told her mother over the phone one night. “But I told them, I don’t need height to have big dreams.”
Her mother chuckled softly on the other end. “My little Maura, you’re stronger than you think.”
Maura began appearing in more and more magazine spreads. Her name and face slowly gained recognition. She was invited as a guest on teen talk shows, started getting commercial offers, and eventually… a casting call for her first soap opera.
That was the first step into the world she had only seen on screens—the world that would bring her joy, but also wounds she had never imagined.
- Writer
