Anak itu Jiwanya Besar

Sepasang mata itu membelalak, sorotnya diarahkan lekat ke bola mataku. Bahkan dengan sisa jarak yang berdasarkan hitungan kasar serta mengandalkan kemampuan matematika yang bisa dibilang sangat pas-pasan adalah berkisar 10 meter, aku bisa dengan jelas melihat perubahan binar didalamnya. Sepertinya gadis kecil ini sudah sedari tadi menanti kehadiranku. 

“Good morning, Ma’am.” Sapaan khas anak didik kepada guru perempuan di sekolah tempat aku mengajar ini pun diucapkannya dengan penuh unsur magis. Seolah ada lonceng tak terlihat yang seketika bergemerincing mengiringi ucapannya. Tersungging senyum yang teramat manis dibibirnya ketika aku mendekat.

“Morning.” Jawabku sembari mengulas senyum yang tidak kalah manisnya. Meskipun secara teknis aku enam belas tahun lebih tua dari anak didikku yang satu ini, dan akan kalah telak jika harus melawan kelincahan dan kespontanannya, aku merasa masih bisa berkompetisi dengannya, paling tidak dalam hal ‘senyuman manis’ tadi.

“Ini Ma’am buku-bukunya C. S. Lewis yang kemarin aku bilang ke Ma’am lewat SMS.” Terangnya sembari menyodorkan tiga bendel buku yang sebenarnya tidak asing lagi buatku. Setiap pergi ke toko buku, tidak pernah absen aku melihatnya terpampang di salah satu rak di dalam toko tersebut. 

“Wah terima kasih ya, Ras. Tapi mungkin Ma’am ngembalikannya agak lama. Tidak apa-apa?”

“Tidak apa-apa Ma’am. Santai saja. Besok aku bawakan lagi empat buku sisanya, semuanya kan ada tujuh buku, Ma’am.” Yang dimaksud olehnya disini adalah tujuh buku The Chronicles of Narnia yang luar biasa terkenal dan sudah diangkat ke layar lebar itu.

“WOW! Okay, thank you, Ras. Kamu memberi PR yang lumayan banyak nih ke Ma’am.” Ujarku dengan sedikit merasa terintimidasi oleh Bu Guru kecil yang sedang berdiri dengan PD di hadapanku ini. Merasa terintimidasi apakah aku akan bisa menyelesaikan PR dengan baik dan tepat waktu.

***

Namanya Raras. Sekarang dia masih duduk di bangku kelas enam SD. Tapi jangan samakan ‘enam SD’-nya dengan ‘enam SD’-ku. ‘Enam SD’-ku artinya berhaha-hihi dengan teman, bertengkar dan kemudian tidak saling sapa, juga malas berangkat sekolah karena takut pada Guru Matematika. Sedangkan ‘enam SD’-nya berarti ikut lomba pidato Bahasa Inggris dan baca puisi, bergabung dalam klub jurnalistik, serta mengembangkan hobi fotografi. Kalau dulu ketika seumurannya aku masih sibuk dengan dakon, bongkar pasang dan bekel, dia sudah berkutat dengan blog, powerpoint, dan buku. Dan khusus untuk yang terakhir tadi, gadis cilik ini benar-benar membuatku heran sekaligus lega karena akhirnya ada kesamaan diantara setumpuk perbedaan ‘enam SD’ antara kami berdua, yaitu kami sama-sama berangan membangun sebuah perpustakaan pribadi.

Tidak kusangka ada gadis berumur sebelas tahun yang sudah begitu cintanya pada dunia baca, terutama melihat sebagian besar anak bangsa yang bahkan tidak tahu pentingnya budaya literasi ini. Dan demi menggapai citanya tersebut, rupanya dia sudah banyak mengambil langkah pasti. Sudah banyak buku yang dikoleksinya. Tidak tanggung-tanggung, buku yang dibaca pun bukan lagi buku cerita bergambar seperti yang selalu laris manis dipinjam siswa-siswa dari perpustakaan sekolah kami, tapi buku-buku yang mungkin banyak kakak kelasnya di SMP ataupun SMA bahkan tidak mau membacanya.

Gadis ini sudah kenal dengan Tere Liye dan Hafalan Shalat Delisa ataupun Dahlan Iskan dan Ganti Hati. Dia juga akrab dengan penulis internasional macam C.S. Lewis, Enid Blyton ataupun Roald Dahl. Dan nampaknya, kini si gadis cilik akan segera melebarkan sayapnya ke dunia sastra dan filsafat. Hal ini aku simpulkan sesaat setelah aku menerima SMS darinya siang tadi.

“Ma’am jadi beli bukunya Dahlan Iskan?”

“Tidak jadi, Ras. Ma’am kemarin beli beberapa buku sastra dan filsafat.”

“Aku sudah beli buku Dahlan Iskan, Ma’am. Juga bukunya Dee yang Madre. Aku tahu buku itu setelah baca blog Ma’am, Go Grab Books.”

“Wah padahal Ma’am sudah lama tidak posting di blog yang itu, Ras.”

“Ma’am sudah dapat bukunya Pramoedya Ananta Toer belum? Aku boleh pinjam Ma’am?”

“Dapat, tapi belum lengkap. Boleh, besok Ma’am bawakan yang biografi Kartini. Ma’am juga punya buku filsafat nih. Ceritanya tentang buku-buku dan perpustakaan ajaib. Mau pinjam?”

“Okay, Ma’am. Pinjam ya??”

“Sip.”

Mau jadi apakah gadis cilik ini? Sesaat aku merasa kecil dan.. iri hati. Iri pada minat bacanya yang gendut dibalik badannya yang kurus. Iri pada segudang prestasi yang didapatkannya di usianya yang masih belia. Iri pada semangatnya dalam menghidupkan budaya literasi. Hal ini bukan sekedar tong kosong nyaring bunyinya, aku sudah berulang kali mendapatinya meminjamkan buku-bukunya pada teman dan bahkan menyumbangkannya pada perpustakaan sekolah. Bukankah itu perwujudan paling nyata?

Di sisi lain, aku merasa bangga. Melihat anak didik yang berkilau dengan begitu indahnya. Dan bahkan hanya dengan berbincang beberapa menit saja aku tahu dia bujan anak kelas enam SD biasa. Cita-citanya besar, sebesar jiwa sosialnya. Kini aku merasa dia adalah seorang perempuan dewasa, bukan lagi anak didik apalagi anak kecil. Seketika ada yang membuncah di dadaku. Ah.. Begini rupanya kebahagiaan sejati itu.

Tentang Hobi dan Inspirasi

Kusendok cepat-cepat nasi goreng yang saling tumpang tindih di atas piring kaca lebar di hadapanku, sambil sesekali meneguk susu coklat hangat dari cangkir merah muda, pemberian dari seorang sahabat beberapa bulan yang lalu. Pagi ini aku bangun sedikit terlambat. Seperti biasa, aku memang melarang mama untuk menggedor pintu kamarku di pagi hari. Aku selalu menegaskan pada beliau bahwa aku ingin bangun atas kehendakku sendiri. Oleh karenanya aku memutuskan untuk membeli sebuah jam weker yang sejak satu tahun lalu terduduk manis di atas sebuah meja di samping kasur. Aku harus mandiri. Jam weker itu adalah salah satu perwujudan dari niat tersebut.

Tapi pagi ini aku merasakan kantuk luar biasa. Ketika weker itu berteriak tepat pada jam lima subuh tadi, aku malah memilih untuk membenamkan wajah ke dalam bantal. Tidak apa-apalah mengolor waktu barang sepuluh menit, pikirku. Tapi ternyata sepuluh menit berubah menjadi enam puluh menit. Dan beginilah kensekuensinya, aku harus melakukan kegiatan pagi tidak lebih dari tiga puluh menit saja. Karena tepat pada pukul setengah tujuh, aku harus sudah berada di atas boncengan mama menuju ke sebuah sekolah dasar dimana aku menimba ilmu selama hampir tiga tahun ini. 

Kantuk luar biasa yang aku rasakan tadi pagi bukannya tanpa alasan. Semalam, mata sipitku ini baru terpejam sekitar tengah malam. Bukan karena menonton film di televisi atau belajar, melainkan karena rasa gelisah yang mendadak menyerangku. Terdengar konyol memang, tapi itu benar-benar aku rasakan. Dan akan terdengar jauh lebih konyol saat aku katakan bahwa hal yang membuatku gelisah adalah kelas Bahasa Inggris. Kamu tahu mengapa? Karena pagi ini di kelas Bahasa Inggris aku akan menunjukkan kepada guru dan teman-temanku bahwa aku mempunyai hobi yang sangat menarik. Dan aku akan membuat mereka semua terbengong kagum melihat benda yang aku bawa ke kelas. 

Satu minggu yang lalu, Bu Kinan dengan jelas meminta kami untuk memilih satu jenis barang yang berhubungan erat dengan kegemaran kami, membawanya ke kelas di pertemuan selanjutnya dan menceritakan apa yang biasa kami lakukan dengan benda tersebut. Otakku sibuk mencari sesuatu yang bisa mengundang decak kagum. Berulang-ulang aku tanyakan kepada mama dan papa tentang apa yang seharusnya aku bawa, tapi jawaban mereka belum bisa memuaskan keinginanku untuk mencuri perhatian guru dan teman-teman sekelas. Sampai akhirnya beberapa hari yang lalu, sebuah ide cemerlang seolah terketik secara otomatis di otakku. Iya, benda itu lah yang akan aku bawa ke kelas. Sudah lama memang aku tidak menekuni hobi yang satu ini, tapi bagaimanapun hal itu benar-benar pernah menjadi suatu kegemaran, bukan? Maka perasaan tidak sabar akan hari esok membuatku terjaga sampai hampir tengah malam. 

Kulirik tas ransel bergambarkan sepasang kupu-kupu cantik yang kini tergeletak di atas kursi di sampingku. Benda itu sudah aman berada di dalamnya. Dengan benda itu, aku akan membuat teman-teman merasa iri. Kulafalkan sekali lagi presentasi dalam Bahasa Inggris yang sudah aku buat dua hari sebelumnya dengan bantuan mama. Lancar. Seolah aku sudah benar-benar bisa berkomunikasi dengan bahasa asing tersebut. Aku merasa seperti orang ‘bule’ kalau sudah begini. Berbekal benda yang ada di dalam ransel unguku dan apa yang baru saja aku ucapkan, sudah pasti kelas Bahasa Inggris di hari Kamis ini sepenuhnya akan menjadi milikku. 

***

Kami mepunyai perjanjian lisan dengan Bu Kinan. Bahwa setiap pergantian pelajaran Bahasa Inggris, maka setiap siswa harus sudah pada posisi siap belajar. Dalam artian kita semua harus sudah duduk manis di atas tempat duduk masing-masing dan tidak membuat kebisingan tak berarti. Kalau perjanjian ini dilanggar, maka Bu Kinan tidak akan memasuki kelas kami. Sejauh ini, aku dan teman-teman cukup berhasil dalam melaksanakannya. 

Begitu juga pagi ini, teman-teman sudah siap di kursi masing-masing. Mata mereka tampak berbinar penuh gairah. Sepertinya, bukan cuma aku yang tidak sabar ingin membuka bungkus yang menyelimuti benda misterius yang sedari tadi kami bawa. Kuedarkan pandangan ke seluruh penjuru kelas. Beberapa teman tampak sedang sibuk menghafal baris-baris presentasinya, sama seperti yang aku lakukan pagi tadi di meja makan. Bahkan ada beberapa yang sudah dengan bangga menunjukkan benda-benda favoritnya. Diantaranya aku melihat kaos sepak bola bertuliskan “Messi”, sebuah kaca mata renang, sebuah boneka beruang dan beberapa benda lainnya. Sejauh ini aku belum melihat ada seorang temanpun membawa benda yang sama dengan apa yang kusimpan rapi di dalam ransel. Diam-diam aku mengembangkan senyum.

Akhirnya saat itu datang. Terdengar suara langkah cepat dan tegas. Sudah jelas itu langkah Bu Kinan. Ketua kelas kami pun sibuk menyiapkan anggotanya, menginstruksikan kepada mereka untuk segera meletakkan benda-benda misteriusnya ke dalam loker meja masing-masing. Dan..muncullah sosok itu. Bu Kinan yang kurus, terutama bila dibanding dengan kebanyakan guru kami yang lain. Namun jangan salah, dibalik tubuhnya yang kurus itu, kami sering sekali mendengar suaranya yang menggelegar. Tapi tunggu dulu, apa itu yang ada di gendongan tangannya? Sebuah benda yang dibungkus oleh plastik hitam. Melihat dari bentuknya yang kotak, sepertinya itu adalah sebuah buku. Tapi aku tidak pernah tahu ada buku sebesar itu. Rasa penasaran seketika membuyarkan konsentrasiku pada tugas presentasi. 

Setelah mengucap salam dalam Bahasa Inggris, Bu Kinan menyakan kesiapan kami akan presentasi kali ini. Semua anak menjawab serentak, “Yes, Ma’am.” kemudian dilangkahkan kakinya menuju meja dan dengan terampil jari-jemarinya mulai membuka bungkusan plastik hitam yang dibawanya tadi. Saat akhirnya bungkusan itu terbuka, aku dan teman-teman dibuat kaget. Ternyata benar, benda kotak itu tidak lain adalah sebuah buku. Namun buku itu tidak seperti buku-buku yang aku punya atau yang terdapat di perpustakaan sekolah. Buku itu bersampul merah tua dengan tulisan berwarna kuning keemasan di sampul depannya. Ada sebuah gambar pria tua dengan memegang sesuatu seperti rokok namun tidak tampak seperti rokok. Aku tidak  tahu benda itu harus disebut apa. Rasa penasaranku buncah.

Bu Kinan tanpa diminta lantas bercerita bahwa buku itu adalah benda favoritnya. Dia membelinya dengan harga sepuluh poundsterling, atau sekitar seratus lima puluh ribu rupiah. Dan kamu tahu ada berapa halaman di buku tersebut? Seribu empat ratus delapan. Tidak kurang tidak lebih. Bisa kamu bayangkan butuh waktu berapa lama untuk menyelesaikannya. Buku itu dibelinya sewaktu dia berkunjung ke Inggris beberapa saat lalu. Yang membuat Bu Kinan tertarik untuk membelinya adalah karena Bu Kinan merupakan penggemar si penulis. Dia sangat mengagumi karakter utama dari cerita fiksi yang berkisah mengenai seorang detektif itu, yang belakangan aku tahu ternyata sangat terkenal, Sherlock Holmes. Dari situ aku menyimpulkan bahwa Bu Kinan benar-benar suka membaca.

Sungguh senang rasanya mendengar Bu Kinan bercerita tentang hobi dan benda favoritnya tersebut. Kami dibuat kagum dengan cerita tentang bagaimana hobinya itu akhirnya membawa dia terbang ke Inggris dan bahkan benar-benar mendatangi museum Sherlock Holmes di jantung kota London. “Mimpi yang menjadi kenyataan”, ujarnya. Aku juga ingin menjadi seperti Bu Kinan. Aku ingin menekuni hobiku dengan lebih serius. Seperti kata Bu Kinan, hobi itu adalah salah satu cara untuk mengasah bakat dan kemampuan setiap orang. Semakin kau tekuni, semakin terampil kau dibuatnya. Semangatku terbakar. Kupegang erat sebuah album yang memuat lembaran-lembaran kertas yang penuh dengan goresan tanganku. Iya, hobiku adalah menulis. Suatu hari aku ingin menjadi penulis terkenal. Penulis yang buku-bukunya digemari oleh orang seperti Bu Kinan. Bayangkan betapa kerennya jika melihat seseorang bercerita tentang penulis pujaannya dan ternyata penulis itu adalah aku?

Lamat-lamat aku mendengar Bu Kinan menawarkan kesempatan pertama untuk melakukan presentasi. Tanpa ragu, aku angkat tangan kananku dan melangkahkan kaki ke depan kelas. Semoga ini adalah awal dari mimpi yang jadi kenyataan.

*Persembahan kecil bagi teman seprofesi. Remember, a great teacher inspires!

Biarkan saya bermain dengan anak-anak itu...

Ada beberapa pertanyaan yang ingin saya lempar, tolong dijawab dengan jujur di dalam hati. Anda punya adik, keponakan, sepupu, tetangga atau bahkan mungkin putra dan putri yang saat ini duduk di bangku sekolah dasar kelas rendah? Menurut anda, selain coklat, es krim dan permen, apalagi yang bisa membuat mereka gembira? Iya, jawabannya tidak lain adalah "bermain". Tidak bisa dipungkiri anak-anak memang sedang dalam perkembangan usia dimana proses sosialisasi yang paling gampang bagi mereka adalah terjadi di antara teman sebaya. Dan saat anak berusia 7, 8 atau 9 tahun itu berkumpul, kemungkinan terbesar yang mereka lakukan adalah "bermain".

Hal inilah yang selalu saya coba untuk pahami dan pelajari selama menjadi seorang guru sekolah dasar. Anak didik saya bukanlah robot yang akan tanpa protes melakukan setiap tugas yang diberikan.  Pun tidak semua dari mereka menyukai mata pelajaran yang saya ajarkan, Bahasa Inggris. Saya juga tahu ada beberapa dari mereka yang mati-matian mencoba menghafal bagaimana menulis my name is dengan ejaan yang benar. Lantas kalau sudah seperti itu, dengan menimbang karakter dan kenyataan bahwa mereka dipaksa belajar bahasa asing entah dari bumi bagian mana yang mungkin bahkan orang tuanya sendiri pun tidak tahu menahu, apakah sebuah pilihan yang bijaksana jika saya memaksa mereka untuk menguasai subjek asing tersebut melalui serangkaian proses pembelajaran yang menegangkan dan membosankan?

Setiap orang punya pandangan masing-masing tentang dunia pendidikan anak dan saya menghargai setiap pandangan tersebut. Saya pun mempunyai idealisme tentang hal ini, yaitu anak didik saya yang paling penting harus merasa gembira berada di kelas, aktif mengikuti kegiatan yang saya rancang, namun tetap disiplin dalam bersikap. Itulah sebabnya saya lebih menyukai teknik pembelajaran yang terkesan ringan dan menyenangkan. Namun bukan berarti saya tidak mengajarkan apa yang seharusnya saya ajarkan atau tidak mendidik mereka tentang apa yang seharusnya mereka lakukan. Salah besar kalau anda bilang saya cuma "bermain" dengan mereka. Kalau saja anda membuka mata, anda akan tahu bahwa apa yang saya lakukan bukanlah hal yang berbeda dari guru kebanyakan, hanya saja saya melakukannya dengan cara yang mungkin sedikit tidak sama.

Terlepas dari kenyataan bahwa tidak semua anak didik saya akan bisa menyerap materi dengan sempurna, bukankah kemampuan setiap anak itu memang tidak sama? Persis seperti yang dikatakan oleh dosen mata kuliah Perkembangan Peserta Didik di semester-semester awal perkuliahan dulu. Lagipula, apakah ada jaminan bila saya mengikuti teknik pembelajaran yang 'menurut' anda benar itu, semua anak didik saya akan menguasai materi dengan sempurna? Kalau benar ada, saya tidak akan segan untuk menerapkan teknik tersebut secepatnya. Dan sebelum bukti itu muncul di depan mata, biarlah untuk saat ini saya "bermain" di dalam kelas karena sejauh yang saya amati anak-anak menyukainya.

The English Ladies Part 2

I just got home and I feel a bit rubbish! We've been doing some very exciting things during the weekend. We went around the villa on Saturday night which was quite good, but I didn't really enjoy it as I was a bit feverish. I was struggling with the cold so badly. We managed to have some cold drink though ( well Vicky and Anne did, I had a glass of hot lemon which was not very nice) at a cafe near the villa.

On Sunday morning we went to the waterfall. It was a pity that we didn't see any monkeys there. The last time Vicky and I came, there were loads of them. Now they seemed to be hiding somewhere, all of them! I was a bit sorry for Anne, she did expect to see them.

Next we headed the second waterfall which was not very far, yet it required some energy as it is very hilly up there. It has been always easy to go down, but it feels so much difficult when we go up! The waterfall is rather the same, it's not worth the walk- just my personal account! When we got at the villa, it was like 1 o'clock. Everybody wass hungry. So Riris and I cooked. I can't believe I did it quite well. Both Anne and Vicky love 'dadar jagung'. They said it was the best Javanese food they had had so far.

Here are some pictures we managed to take. Happy Sunday, fellas!

The English Ladies

So it was a quarter past ten in the evening when the car which would take me to the airport came. Off I went, all by myself, well I did have the driver but he is not actually a friend of mine, isn't he? We got to the airport at about eleven which means I had to wait for an hour as the flight was supposed to land at five minutes after midnight. Lucky me it landed twenty five minutes earlier!

I looked at every person who came out of the a arrival door and I got worried as it had been almost an hour but I hadn't seen either Vicky or Anne. I kept wondering whether they would show up at all. And thank God they popped finally!

It was so good to see Vicky again! She was lovely, as always, and I could see Anne right behind her. Then we did a quick hug and headed the parking lot. Off we left the airport at a half past twelve at midnight.

First day at school was good. Anne had two classes while Vicky had only one. We went to the orphanage in the afternoon, joining the first and the second graders breaking the fast. Second day was today. We had one class which was in the fifth grade. We talked about weather which was exciting. Then we went to Surabaya. Anne bought herself a cute ring, it has Bali thing on it.

In the afternoon we went swimming. Well I did not swim, Vicky and Anne did. Then we had dinner at this food terrace next to our school. We had 'nasi bebek'! Vicky did order for us. She said "nasi bebek tiga" and it sounded really funny. I bet you see the picture already! I didn't manage to take many pictures, but promise I will have more and more! We are going to the waterfall up in the mountain this Sunday. It should be fun! xx

everything's READY!

Good news, guys! I have finally got my UK visa in hand! It came yesterday while I was teaching at the second grade. Yes, I had asked the clearance officer to post it as there was no way I was going back to Jakarta just to collect it. It reads UNITED KINGDOM, valid for 19/07/11 until 19/01/12.

So I have everything ready for the journey now I suppose. Really can't wait for October! All I have got to do now is to start collecting sweater, jacket and sort of things. It would be autumn by that time and Vicky said it was going to be chilly. That means it's SHOPPING time! :) xx

Jakarta-July

So, in order to get my UK visa I had to follow several procedures. First, I started with the online application- I did this on 3rd July. I did a little mistake, hopefully it won't matter. Second, I had to prepare the completed signed visa form and all the supporting documents- managed to do this in a couple of days. Third, I had to submit them to the visa application cetre which is in Jakarta in person! So this is when I started my journey...

13 July 2011

I headed the train station at exactly 5 in the afternoon. Both my parents came, along with both my sisters-in-law, my second brother, and my two nephews and niece. We got to the station at 7 o'clock and my train departed at 8. I was kind of a bit excited and worried at the same time. This was exciting as this would be my very first journey to Jakarta. However I was worried about being alone during the trip. Here is some photos I managed to take,

14 July 2011

The train reached Gambir station at 7 in the morning. A friend of mine was already there to pick me up. Then it took us about an hour to reach the boarding house- the place where I was going to stay. I already hate Jakarta! It was hot, crowded, dirty, noisy. I just don't like it.

At 12 o'clock, I went to the UK visa application centre which is on the 22nd floor of Plaza Abda. It was quick! It took me not more than 45 minutes to finish the whole stuff. The officers were very polite. I like them. Then I went back to the boarding house.

At night, I went to the nearest mall as I saw it had a bookstore there. I managed to treat myself three good books- two of them were the ones I had been searching for which I just couldn't find in Malang. I was so glad I bought them!

15 July 2011

I did nothing but watched VCD. I didn't feel like going anywhere as I started feeling so homesick. All I could think about was getting on a train and getting home. Thank GOD Friday went so quickly that it was finally time to get to the station!

It was 5 in the afternoon when I reached Gambir. I managed to go to Tugu Monas and had some pictures taken. Here they are,

Goodbye, Jakarta! It was lovely to be actually there for once, don't feel like coming back again though. No offense! LOL

Aku Jatuh Cinta

indeed ....

first you get in, you'll scream inside your head!

but .....

the more you understand their tiny little worlds

the more you're gonna love them

seriously, KIDS are the most amazing creature on earth!

Those 'Little Monsters'!

A colleague of mine at school managed to take some class pictures the other day. We didn't have the sixth grade's as they were off at that time. So here are those adorable 'little monsters' I deal with from Monday to Friday, from 7 -12. They're cute, aren't they?

I love you, Little Monsters!

Hiya I've just finished doing the last editting on our school bulletin, the second edition. Thank God! Now I can start constructing this English test for the final examination. Gonna be a very busy May! So I guess I'm not gonna be blogging for a while. Gonna miss you a lot my online diary!!! xxx

Being Productive All the Time

I just had a meeting with all the teachers yesterday afternoon talking about the graduation plan. Since this would be our very first graduation, everybody was thinking to make it extraordinarily fabulous. Many different ideas came, some of them incredible, some too ordinary and the rest just so so.

Apparently I had to work together with the other English teacher on one English performance. Lucky me I have always liked this Glee series that I came up with this idea to make a kind of musical drama. So as soon as I reached my computer that afternoon, I started typing down all the ideas just in case I would forget. So some kind of draft. I reread the draft a couple of times and made some changes. Then it's done. It took me not more than two hours. Pretty quick for a drama script! This is a lesson I always remember, never keep your brilliant idea on your mind, because somehow you can just forget about it. It happened to me quite a lot.

The drama tells about true friendship. I so like the idea of the whole story: no matter how far away you may be, real friends stay friends forever. Why I picked the topic is simply because I think this is what we should talk about on the graduation. Everyone will go their own way. You would never know if you could see them again. However, they're still your friends whatsoever.

And so we started the reading this afternoon. Thank God I have these three bright kids at school-Ifa, Farah and Valent. They are not only good at English but also have the ability to act and dance. I can't believe third graders have such talents! Proud of them all. One task done. Just need to do the practices.

Now the other thing to do is getting ready for the second edition of our school bulletin which is due in May. I have already had some ideas in my mind. Now just need to start working on it. What actually makes it hard to do is my being perfectionist. If only I could be a bit tolerant with my brain then I didn't need to push it too hard. Sometimes I keep changing the design just because I want the perfect one which sometimes ends up being ordinary. What a character! This is the way I am. I won't complain about it.

I guess I must start working on the bulletin now. Happy weekend, fellas! Have a fabulous one! xxx

My Very First Project

It is now ready to print, finally! After some weird technical problems with the printing I can proudly present our very first bulletin-A Brighter Companion. I am the one who gave the name. I was thinking that this bulletin should be more than just a good friend for the community, it should be one that could encourage you to be someone bright. A Brighter Companion sounded perfect at that time. So I talked about it with the head teacher and guess what? She agreed. Lovely!

Technically I did not write all the articles there. I worked along with a friend, a best friend of mine in fact, Nurul Afidah. She is definitely one of the brightest people around. It was great to work together with her. Hopefully we will manage to keep a good relationship in the future. But I did most of the design, well may be more than just most. I thought I was good enough, but then realized that there are still many things I need to learn. I am totally a beginner on this thing.

Anyway, I am so proud of my first writing project. Something official I mean. Keep up the good work, girl!

The Outbound

So, it felt like ages since the last time I wrote a diary here. I just woke up from a very good nap. I still feel a bit feverish and this uncomfortable sore on my throat from yesterday's illness.

I went to this so called English camp last Monday with the fourth and the fifth graders. We left for the camp, well it's not actually a camp as we didn't have the camp there but hotel, on Monday morning. It is located somewhere in Trawas. We arrived at about 8 o'clock. There was the welcoming from the management and right after that the kids played these ice-breaking games with the instructors. Then we had our lunch together at the hotel hall.

Soon after that the rain started to fall down. I had this odd feeling as the wind blew very strongly. I just knew there was something wrong with me. Then I started sneezing, then came the fever. Gosh I couldn't believe I was ill. WTF! This outbound was supposed to be fun, but not anymore when fever unexpectedly made you lay down on the bed helplessly. So I spent the rest of the day in the hotel room. I took a pill given by a friend and then tried to sleep. The worst bit was that my roommate couldn't manage to keep me company as for some weird reasons she was asked to sleep with some of the girls in another room. So I was dreaming about home that night. It was kind of a dream that usually comes to those ill little children. Really uncomfortable!

When I woke up the next day I felt a lot better. It was 4:30 in the morning. I was performing Salah Subuh when my supposed-to-be-a-roommate entered the room. She was checking if I was better and I said yes. So off we went for a walk with all the kids. It was chilly! Lucky me I was feeling better that morning. the view was gorgeous!

Back to hotel! We had breakfast which was not really nice as it was already cold. I hate eating cold food. I managed to finish it though as I didn't want to worsen my condition. Then along with the kids we went to the outbound area. It was so much fun! I tried two of the stuff they had there which were great. I was so freaked out however that I almost cried. Seriously, it looked a lot easier to see other people doing it, but totally creepy when you had to do it yourself. I was being such a coward when I screamed: "no, I'm not going. I want to go down." But this guy who helped me put the safety things for the flying fox pushed me without me noticing and yes, I made it at the end! And I was so proud of myself. You should go if you've never been to such thing, even if you had this height-phobia you would find it fun! xxx

A Busy Morning

I had promised the kids the other day that we're going to make burgers together. So off I went to school this morning getting ready for our "cooking class". I got there at 7:15, some of the kids managed to come earlier though I told them we'd start at 7:30.

Then we collected all the stuff we needed for the cooking and put them on the table. We had everything but the lettuce. Not a big deal as we don't really into such veggie anyway. Then I had two of the kids did a presentation on how to make burgers before we ate all the things. We also managed to make mango juice, well technically it wasn't that juice where you had the real mango and blender. We just bought this instant mango juice at the supermarket. However it still tasted nice!

Everybody was so full that we couldn't finish the fries and mushroom crisps. There were 3 boxes of fries and 1 box of mushroom crisps left. I asked the kids to bring them back home. We were all excited and really enjoyed our breakfast. Indeed, it was a busy morning at school!

Happy Saturday, Guys!

Oh my gosh! It's weekend, again! Sometimes I just can't believe how quick time goes by. I remember when I used to be a school girl, a day could be like a week. And now the older I'm getting, the quicker it seems. Do you also sometimes feel that, guys?

Well I went to this immigration last Thursday trying to get my passport. I was late as it is open only from 8-12, and I got there at 2. I guess I should go earlier then. I was also trying to find out how to get UK visa. An unfriendly guy behind the counter said I should go to UK Embassy which is in Jakarta to get one. Oh my goodness! Could I just do it online? Can anybody tell me how?

It just so happened that my head teacher took me to a bookstore. So off we went. As usual, it has always been the import book section I would search in the first place as I am totally into English literature. There were loads! I managed to read the review of almost 20 books and decided to buy myself 4 classics and 2 fiction. Now my bookcase looks a lot better with those 6 additional books.

I am expecting my bestie today at my house. Hopefully she'd manage to come. We badly need to finish this school bulletin by the end of this month. What a busy February!

Another big deal is this master degree I'm taking. I just found the registration detail last night on the web. Gosh, this master program really costs me such a fortune. Mum and dad, your daughter needs your help here! Fingers crossed!

Gotta go have my breakfast now, chicken! Love it! xxx

The Last Day

these guys are desperately trying to go native!

sorry, you can only see me from the back!

So, yesterday (Monday) was my last day with these European and American guys. It was quite a busy morning at school since we celebrated the birth of Muhammad earlier. But it only lasted about one and a half hours. At 8.30 the guys are ready for their good byes. I managed to have them part with all the kids one by one which was really heartbreaking as we like them a lot. They had been super lovely!

At 9.45 we went to Karang Jati Swimming Pool along with probably 45 kids. We had this special conversation class with five different stations-swimming pool, parking lot, park, restaurant and body spa. The kids also managed to make drawings, a kind of caricature for the guys.

Next we had lunch. Alex and Art crossed their legs so awkwardly as this's not their custom to do such things. Well normally they have this dinning table and chairs but not that afternoon. Michal, Alison and Janka seemed to do it better, I'm not sure if they felt comfortable though.

As soon as we finished our lunch, we went for swimming. This was the worst part out of all my time with them. I have always felt insecure about swimming. It was like my second biggest nightmare (I'm not telling what is the first). However I joined them, though I didn't swim at all (well, technically I swam a little bit as I did this sliding in the water a couple of time).

Art splashed water on me like many times and I was so proud of my self that I managed to fight back. I was so not going to let him go with that. HAHAHA. Alison taught the boys this Canadian thing called Lumber Jack. I didn't really get how it worked but it seemed fun.

Then it's time for the spa house. The boys were having their body massage when I got there, while Janka was having this hair treatment. Alison got the last turn so that by the time the other guys finished, she started hers. All of us had to wait for the girl. Then Art started this joke when he saw one of the beauticians wearing this mask, he asked me this tricky question: "why is she wearing that thing? Do we bule stink?" I was like oh my goodness, how could he come up with that crazy idea? I answered, "No. of course not." Then it just crossed my mind to have a go, so I said, "Do you think you stink, Art?" I felt so good to see his reaction on the question. He took this deodorant out of this plastic bag and sprayed it over his body. Right after that he came to me and made me smell it. Gosh, Art! I am so going to miss you. HAHA

I drove the guys back home at 5 in the afternoon. So we parted. It was hard as they have been part of me now. I asked the girls if I could have a hug. And Art made his last go that day by saying, "is it inappropriate if I have a hug too?" Oh he's hilarious. Thank you very much, guys! It's been such a pleasure! xxx

Absolutely the Highlight of February

10 February 2011

The Radio Show

I had an hour radio show with these guys, started at 9 am. There were five of them-Michal (Czech Rep), Art (Netherlands), Alex (America), Alison (Canada) and Janwa (Slovakia). We started the show with a short introduction and how they found Indonesia and ABC School.

Then we talked about their hometowns which was very interesting as I could learn a bit about those countries. Apparently both Slovakia and Czech Rep used to be parts of Czechoslovakia and they split into Czech Republic and Slovakia. Therefore though they speak different kind of languages they could still understand each other. Michal and Janwa managed to have a short conversation which sounds great though I didn't know the meaning.

Art also managed to speak Dutch. I had no idea what he was talking about but I said thank you as he said something about Me and the radio, it must be good I supposed.

We spent the rest of the show talking about the things they had been and will be doing in Indonesia. Even though it was a bit awkward at the beginning, so glad I finally could break the ice and made the conversation way less formal. It was so much fun. They were all very lovely, especially Art, he was kind of really funny. I couldn't help laughing all the time. And I guess I was right since when I asked they other guys one quick question: "who is the craziest out of all of you?" They answered in unison: "Art". Now that explains everything.

We managed to have some photos taken at the end of the show which was fun. Thank you, guys! You were very lovely during the show!

11 February 2011

It was one bright Friday morning when the six of us started our unexpectedly never-ending journey in Batu. We left for this Museum Satwa at about 8.15. The moment these guys got into the car I felt like in a totally different place-America or somewhere as they are all white and speak English but the driver of course. Somehow the fantasy was really cool.

Museum Satwa

Once we reached the place the guys were mesmerized by the view and the beauty of the building. They said it was beyond their expectation which was good as it was meant to be a surprise. One good sign!

We had to wait for 15 minutes or so as the museum hadn't opened yet. So we managed to use the time to go into this hotel where we're going to spend the night which is right beside the museum to have them keep our bags and belongings.

We were all excited , including me though I've been there like four times. But this one was obviously special. So we saw the bugs, the insects, the dinosaurs, etc. The journey didn't last long or it might be just my feeling as normally something good goes by pretty quick. Then we had our lunch somewhere outside the museum. I wasn't really hungry at that time hence I didn't really enjoy it. I hope the guys enjoyed theirs though.

Secret Zoo

Afterward we continued our very journey to this Secret Zoo. I was so excited as I've never been to the place before. Art kept doing this crazy thing along the way. He asked like almost every animal questions like: "Hi, cantik/tampan! what have you been doing? what's your name? what, no name? well okay and bla bla bla". I felt like oh my gosh, he's totally crazy! I asked Alex who was walking beside me at that time: "How can he manage to be always like that?" Alex just pulled a face and shrugged his shoulders. What an extraordinary Dutch man!

We saw many beautiful creatures in the zoo, ones we knew how to call with and ones we had no idea about. It was like a never-ending journey as it looked pretty small but turned out to be very long. Everybody was getting tired and tired yet still excited to explore the place.

Pohon Inn

So we finished our journey in that labyrinth-look alike zoo at 2 pm or so and went to check in this very hotel called Pohon Inn. It was gorgeous! I like the way they have managed to have this tree-look alike on the building. Such a good work! Our rooms were on the fifth floor. Michal, Art and Alex were in 502 while Alison, Janwa and me were in 504.

The girls were so delighted about the shower as they hadn't had a real shower since they came to Indonesia. I really must admit that the bathroom they have in the hotel is awesome with those mirrors and stuffs. I am not sure about the boys but they seemed to enjoy the shower too.

We spent the whole afternoon in our rooms. Janwa looked so tired that she decided to have a nap. Alison preferred watching one of the films which she borrowed from Art. I was about to sleep when I heard the door bell which was so loud that I couldn't be able to sleep anymore. So I decided to text one of my buddies back home. What a day!

Batu Night Spectaculer-Food Court

I forget what time exactly we left the hotel for BNS, obviously sometime after 7. As soon as we arrived, we headed the food court. Oh God I felt like a terrible guide-the worst ever here as I had no idea about the place.

Luckily these guys I was keeping company were very kind. They managed to order their own meal. I had noodle and a bottle of tea. I didn't remember what the other guys had but Janwa and Alex. They had spaghetti and sate. My noodle was not really nice, kind of too salty. I just couldn't finish it which I found out rude as I saw the other guys were all trying to finish theirs though I guess it was not that yummy. Well at least I learnt another lesson.

Mam Wiwid's joining us made the dinner a lot more special as she is the one who made all the things happened. Art did something really silly when he took the glass with a candle in it to another table and a sate stick to light a fire with. It was like all the people in food court was looking at him and he didn't even bother. This guy is totally unbelievable!

Batu Night Spectaculer-Rides

One thing which was so exciting about BNS is the night rides. The guys were all excited to go for all the rides they could go. They tried this ride first-I can't remember what it's called, where everybody sits on a flying chair, the one that looks like a swing but there are loads of them. Then it moves round and round, faster and faster. I could see they had so much fun up there, Michal, Alex and Art didn't look frighten at all. They made it look so easy! I didn't go though, I was way such a coward.

The next ride looked even scarier. Somehow like driven by some weird courage I decided to come along. I kept telling myself I was so going to regret it and I did regret that 60 seconds up there. It was like the worst 60 seconds in my entire life, for God's sake-totally not gonna go for another one in the future. I can even still feel this horrible feeling in my stomach and head every time I think of it.

I remember I shouted the whole time on the ride; "Janwa please stop it. Oh my gosh! I feel like dying Janwa. Just stop it. I can't go for more. Please Janwa, stop it." Now I realize there was no point in shouting anyway.

Afterward Alex asked me if I was OK, and I said: "Well Alex, at least if somebody asked me: "Dini, have you ever tried that ride?"

I would say: "Yeah"

"How was it?"

"Oh it was goood. You should try it."

Then as soon as he jumps off the ride, he would come and kill me."

Alex laughed at my joke which meant it was a good one.

12 February 2011

I was awaken at 5. It was so quiet in the room since Alison and Janwa were still sleeping. It took me like 60 minutes to decide either to continue my sleep or to have an early shower. I finally chose to do the latter. Oh I love the warm water that came from the shower so much. I felt like I didn't want to get out. So I stayed there for about 30 minutes-totally enjoying the shower.

I was told the night before that breakfast would start at 9 but apparently the breakfast started earlier. I had fried rice, chicken, and a cup of tea. I managed to have a muffin too. I don't know what the other guys had as I sat on a different table. Hopefully they enjoyed whatever it was they were having.

Next Michal, Art, Alex, Alison and Janwa played games together with all the sixth graders (have I told you that all the sixth graders, some of the teachers and parents were also coming? If not, well I guess I just did) I love this apple game-I don't know what it's called. But it was so fun. Art and Alison were very good at modelling! It felt like I was watching a slow motion film when they did that. We spent like 75 minutes on the hotel hall.

Jatim Park 1

We checked out at 9.30 and then headed Jatim Park 1. Pak Sibly, our driver, had been really kind during the journey. I am not sure who started, either Alex or Art, they pronounced it "Possibly" instead of "Pak Sibly" which was so cool. I kind of like that too.

Alex kept teasing me by saying stuff like we're going to find the biggest roller coaster for Dini or Dini, look, Flying Tornado. And I said, Oh Alex, I hate you. Then he laughed. While Art kept embarrassing me about me texting. This is one of his jokes:

"who are you texting, Dini?"

"I'm not texting Art. I'm just checking the time."

"No, I saw you texting. Come on tell me." Art went on.

"No, really. I was just checking the time." I said.

"Oh well that's okay if you don't want to tell me."

After a couple of seconds he went on:

"So, who was it?"

Then everybody burst into laughter. Art!

We tried several rides at JP1 but the most exciting was the flying tornado. I loved it a lot, like a lot! There we were, screaming for excitement together with the other people. So much fun!

A heavy rain came unexpectedly. We gotta find a place to hide and the food court sounded perfect as all of us were starving. Michal told me that he needed a big portion. So I asked the man behind the counter if we could get extra for him and he said okay. What a nice Chinese man he was! Janwa and me had fries and chicken nugget. Alison had fried rice with shrimp. While all the boys had fried noodle. I guess we all enjoyed our lunch there. It was yummy.

Finally even a never-ending journey had an end. I walked together with Michal heading for the parking lot in which Possibly (Pak Sibli, the driver) and his car were waiting. I told him how I felt like a terrible guide for them but he said I was totally not. I was great instead and they had so much fun with me. Somehow I kept thinking those guys were just being kind to me.

We all fell asleep during our back home to Pandaan. Though I'm not really sure about Michal and Alex who were sitting at the back. But one thing for sure, I would never ever forget this moment. We came from six different countries but we were just like friends. These guys also treated me so nicely. Apart from the fact that I was the only Asian amongst the group, they made me feel like I was just one of them. What a beautiful universe!