Breakfasting, Sharing and Donating with KHI

 On Saturday afternoon, September 4^th 2010 I went to Bank Mandiri museum in Kota Tua for breakfasting with  Indonesia Historian Community, KHI. I went there with my son Rio, along with my twin students Panji and Pandu. After arriving soon we were in meeting room located in the museum. We watched movies about old Jakarta or Jakarta Tempo dulu of the year of 19 17, 1937 and 1941. In that year Jakarta was a good city under the Dutch colonialism. The roads were clean, not as crowdie as nowadays. Now Jakarta is a thickly populated and packed urban city . A metropolitan city the people can best say. There were trams for the public transportation in those days.  The Japanese colonialism ruined all those. They were two types of trams, one is for the Dutch people and the other for the Pribumi or irlander. It is normal that the Pribumi was the second citizen that time though they own the country. Its colonialism!! In the movie I can see the Lapangan Banteng or Lapangan Singa, old church, and the parks with beautiful statues, standing nicely in old Jakarta. All those buildings and statues were also destroyed by the Japanese during World War II.

     After watching movies we had a good discussions about histories and other matters, which are actually  hot issues in this country. While we had the discussions some needy and street children entered the room. We stopped our discussions for a while to allow them to come in and sit nicely on the front chairs   in the room.  They were invited as the purpose of this meeting is to give donation to those children in order to celebrate the coming Idul Fitri festival.

The person who led the discussion is Asep Kambali, use to be called Kang Asep. He is the founder of KHI, Indonesia Historian Community. It is nice to listen and talk  with him. I know him  personally. Now the time for breakfasting came. So we stopped our discussions and started to break our fasting. First we start having fruits cocktails, dates and water. Panji and Pandu helped to distribute the drinks to the children. After that Kang Asep announced that we will give them donation. The donations were received from the different donators and the KHI members.  After making brief speech, he distributed the donations to those dhuafas. Rio, Panji and Pandu also helped him in distributing donations.

We continued with our dinner, next we were having rice. The menu was a Japanese food; rice, salad, and special fried chicken. All food were tasted delicious and yummy when we were too much hungry. So everybody enjoyed with the meals.

After breakfasting we went for shalat magrib (evening prayer). I went to mushalla, the place for praying, it is at the back part and on the ground floor of the museum. Upon my enquiry, the security guided me to the mushalla .  The   museum is rather spooky to me.  Frankly speaking I was too much scared, so that I went back to the meeting room, and asked for anyone to accompany me to mushalla.   Luckily some other members of KHI were going to pray too, so I joined  them, and the elevator took us down the place where I  prayed. Alhamdulillah I can cope with the fasting. Little more days it will be Idul Fitri, the festival which the Muslims all over the world celebrate with fervor.

The kids already back to the meeting room and I hurried too. I went back to the meeting room alone. In the elevator I pressed the wrong button and the door opened to an empty and dark room.  I was in horror, hurried back into the lift and tried to press the right button and finally I did, and thank God I   was in the meeting room without any harm.   I write this story so that I can remember… that being too much scary of things is not good but I can’t help it. To tell the truth I’m scared for being alone...hiyyyy

Back to the meeting room I saw many people coming in. Those people came to join Kota Tua Night Trail. First, They will go around  and explore the Bank Mandiri museum.  After that they will go around Kota Tua, Jakarta old town.  How nice! They will have a good time for that. Too bad I can’t join them tonight coz Panji and Pandu will have a family gathering that night . Well it’s ok. I can do it some other time...maybe next year...I hope Allah will   give me another chance. Knowing that I will not join the night trails I better ask permission to Kang Asep and other KHI members. I have to tell my reason why I’m not joining the next activities after breakfasting. The night trails will start at 7:30 till 10 pm or more, so I decided better to go home.

 It was a lovely evening. Discussing about history and sharing with the needy on the holy month of Ramadan …. I love those all….I hope I can do it next year…Insha Allah…

Jakarta, 6 September 2010

By: Sita Rahmah and Son

Serunya Napak Tilas Bareng KHI

 Serunya Napak Tilas Bareng KHI

Puasa tidak menyurutkan keinginanku untuk mengikuti Napak Tilas dalam rangka memperingati hari kemerdekaan RI yang ke 65. Memang berat tetapi tekadku sudah bulat. Maju terus pantang mundur, rawe rawe rantas malang-malang tuntas. Walau loyo, ngantuk dan lapar setengah terpaksa akhirnya Julius, anakku ikut. Jam 1 siang, jalanan macet dan harus melalui putaran yang cukup jauh akhirnya sopir menurunkanku di depan Museum Joang'45 Jl. Menteng Raya No.31 Menteng, Jakarta Pusat Dki Jakarta, Indonesia. Supir kusuruh pergi kembali ke kantor, aku masuk ke arena gedung dan mendaftar ke panitia. Aku dapat kaos bernuansa merah putih dan topi berwarna merah untuk Julius. Tetapi Julius sedang tidak mood dan setengah ngantuk maka kaos dan topi kupakai semuanya. Jadilah kami peserta Napak Tilas dibawah naungan Komunitas Historia. 

 
Napak tilas ini di konsep dalam bentuk parade atau karnaval dengan menyusuri rute sebagai berikut : Gedung Juang ’45, Jl. Cut Meutia, Jl. Teuku Umar, Taman Suropati, Jl. Imam Bonjol, Museum Perumusan Naskah Proklamasi, Gd. Bapenas, Jl. Diponegoro, Megaria, Jl. Proklamasi (melawan arus lalu lintas), dan berakhir di Tugu Proklamasi dengan disugui berbagai acara seperti orasi, pagelaran kesenian dan senam irama yang aduhai. Hujan mengguyur kota Jakarta membuat acara ini tertunda tetapi begituhujan reda acara Napak Tilas segera dimulai. 

Sekitar jam 2:30 rombongan KHI yang diikuti oleh kurang lebih 100 orang berangkat menyusuri rute-rute yang telah ditetapkan. Hatiku senang dan bangga mengikuti acara ini. Rasa lapar dan haus tertepiskan dengan sisa-sisa semangat 45 milik para pejuang kemerdekaan. Apalagi dengan mendengarkan orasi-orasi yang menggugah semangat perjuangan di musium Perumusan Proklamasi, rasanya merinding bulu kuduk ini dan terharu yang mendalam. Pekik MERDEKA..!!!! dengan kompak dikumandangkan peserta secara berulang-ulang. Tak terbayangkan bagaimana situasi pada saat sehari sebelum hari kemerdekaan, pada saat para pemuda memaksa Sukarno (proklamator kita) untuk segera memproklamirkan kemerdekaan Indonesia. Sungguh peristiwa heroik yang patut diteladani dan dimaknai secara mendalam. Kita adalah bangsa yang besar, jangan hanya ada pada slogan tetapi mari kita wujudkan dengan kerja nyata. Para pemimpin berjuanglah seperti para pemuda yang memaksa untuk sebuah kemerdekaan ini. Berhentilah para koruptor untuk korupsi, milikilah sedikit nurani untuk memikirkan nasib rakyat kecil yang di dera kemiskinan yang bertubi-tubi. Bangsa yang besar adalah bangsa yang mengingat dan menghargai sejarahnya. Sungguh harapan yang sia-sia??

Walaupun pada ahirnya kami, KHI tidak memenangkan piala dan hadiah apapun pada kegiatan ini tetapi aku merasa menang dan bahagia karena bisa melaksanakan kegiatan ini sampai selesai, sampai tujuan akhir yaitu Tugu Proklamasi dan sampai pula tugas puasaku. Horee... aku menang... perasaan gembira di hati dan mengucap syukur tak henti-henti, Alhamdulliah karena waktu berbuka telah tiba. Bukber dengan menu yang disediakan panitia...yahhh enak juga. Bukan makanannya yang enak tetapi karena lapar dan rasa syukur ke hadirat ilahi yang maha pemurah lagi maha pengasih. Trima kasih Ya Allah masih kau berikan nikmat yang indah ini. Salam historia dan Dirgahayu Indonesiaku….

Jakarta, 16 Agustus 2010


by. Sita Rahmah

Tanah Sumba nan Exotic

Waingapu, Ngadulanggi, Pulu Panjang, Goa, Waikabubak, Kodi, Tarung, Roteng Garo, Pero and, Tambolaka are the name of those beautiful places, I visited last July. The people, nature and cultures are unique and beautiful there. We rented a truck and rode for the destinations. The access road to reach Ngadulanggi village is not yet properly built. It is just a simple bumpy road, and too much uncomfortable, I must say. During the travel, we were jolting throughout in the truck, like being surrounded in the middle of Tsunami wave. The view to reach Ngadulanggi is awesome and beautiful like paradise. We went from one hill to another hill just like heading from one to another heaven of the world. To be in this hidden heaven in one corner of this universe is just like a dream. I went there to carry out some volunteer works, as a participant in 1N3B activities. We organized fun games for about 400 children. We donated some stuff to them, like school uniforms, food, school bags, stationeries, and also distributed medicines to around 700 people of Ngadulanggi and Pulu Panjang village. 

We reached at Ngadulanggi village at around 7 pm. Our truck had to cross the small river to reach the place, where we planned to spend the night, and to begin the activities on the next day. It’s an elementary school name SDN Ngadulanggi. It was too bad, the truck was stuck in the river, and we had only option left to walk across it. When we reach there, people greeted us with the traditional music and dances. It was as dark as no electricity was there, when we entered through the gate made by coconut leaves. My eyes were watery, water drops were rolling down one, two, and three. I was lucky as nobody saw me due to darkness. We worked hard, to arrange the things needed for the next morning. The goody bags for 400 students and gifts were prepared ready before we went to sleep. Then I was thinking about my bad habit,” I can’t sleep without taking bath”, so that I had taken bathe with crude water. Any ways I was so happy comfortable despite this limitations.

We spent two hectic days in different activities, started with the opening ceremony by Bapak Camat, Kades, leader of 1N3B etc. Our expedition started with breaking ice activity when we sang Ram Tam Tam (its Ram zam zam) and Potong Bebek Angsa. All people applauded us when we started our next activities. The children, most of them barefooted, were so much happy and excited to participate. Grade 1 and 2 did colouring activities, grade 3-7 played scientific games. The old people were watching us with great enthusiasm. Some of them received free medical treatments by the two senior doctors who accompanied us in this trip.

The first day ended with joy on very much satisfactory note. At night we arranged some movies for them to watch, i.e Denias and Tanah Air Beta. We set up a big screen for the movies and rented a generator set along with the operator for the provision of electricity. While they were watching movies, we packed goody bags and school uniforms to be distributed the next day. The weather was so cold but we had sound sleep that night.

The next morning we were fresh and ready for another games and activities. It was busy, hectic but fun day. The Educational team remained busy with finding the Treasure games. These are fun games. The children had to fix the puzzles and name it. It was all dinosaurs’ puzzles. It’s something new for them to learn about Dinosaurs. Again the doctors were busy with the patients. To communicate with the children it’s not really easy, but we enjoyed this hard work and succeeded. Some of them do not really understand Bahasa Indonesia. So we need the help of the Kades, the head of the community and teachers as our interpreter. The children were smart but looked shy to speak out to the person who does not belong to their community. This is something ironic, in this modern era there is a place like Ngadulanggi village that have no essentialities of life like electricity, TV, clean water, and foods of proper nutrition values. I hope the government will take notice about this serious matter. I heard a voice deep inside me, I thank God about what I have this far.

At night the people watched another movie. In the middle of watching the generator-set stopped due to its diesels finished. We have to go 10 km to get it. It was dark, no light but the people were waiting patiently till the diesel reached, and generator set restarted. Finally when the movie was re-continued. I saw their faces again shinning with happiness with just a simple thing, watching a movie on big screen on the front yard of the school.

The next day we prepared for going back to Jakarta. Our flight was cancelled from Waingapu so we went other way, Tambolaka West Sumba. Its blessing in disguise, we can see more beautiful places and cultures of Sumba people. We had chances to visit some traditional villages’ like Kampung Tarung, Roteng Garo and as a bonus we can see an amazing beach called Pero. It was a short trip, just we got a glimpse of those places then we rushed to the Tambolaga airport and flying to Denpasar, Bali. After having transit there we flied back to Jakarta and here I am again back to a modern civilization. But the journey will remain be unforgettable with its wonderful memories

Glossary:

Ngadulanggi language:      Bahasa Indonesia:                 English:

Ngara natamu mu            = siapa namamu             = what is your name?

Nggara ulam                   = apa kabar                    = how are you?

Lundu tapa hambur         = sampai jumpa              = see you later

Baru                              = pagi                            = morning

Tidu lodu                       = siang                           = noon time

Laku                              = jalan                           = walking

Nahun da rambu              = permisi                       = excusme

Rambu                           = panggilan tuk wanita     = woman

Umbu                            = panggilan tuk pria         = man

Ngangu                          = makan                         = to eat

Unu                               = minum                         = to drink

Nggara pa unu                 = kamu mau minum apa?  = what do you want to drink?

Mbeli harumu                  = pulang                        = going home

Mbeli mayaka nyuma rambu = kami mau pulang       = we want to go home

Lima                               = tangan                        = hand

Uru                                 = hidung                        = nose

Kahilu                             = telinga                        = ear

Kambaku                         = lutut                           = knee

Malangu                          = maaf                           = sorry

Uhuk                              = duduk                          = sit down

Ngadulanggi, East Sumba

July 28-30, 2010