Friday, February 20, 2009

Too Much Different!!!

Posting pertama setelah kembali ke Indonesia jadi pengennya nulis pake bahasa Indonesia aja. Hahahaha....

Waktu mau pulang rasanya masih setengah-setengah. Setengah seneng soale pulang, ga usah bingung dengan bahasa lagi, ga merasa kedinginan lagi setiap saat. Tapi, setengah ga rela juga klo harus pulang soalnya masih pengen main-main sama temen dari berbagai belahan dunia, merasa nanggung sekali belajarnya, masih banyak tempat yang pengen diliat disana. Nah, tapi mau ga mau tetep harus pulang soalnya masih banyak urusan yang belum beres disini termasuk kuliah.

Sebelumnya disana sudah sempat stress karena selalu terganjal masalah dengan yang namanya bahasa. Di Jepang tentunya orang lebih menguasai bahasa Jepang, itu sudah pasti. Sekarang permasalahannya aku disana dengan kondisi kemampuan bahasa Jepang yang amat sangat cekak. Nah lo! Jadi rasanya pengen pulang aja. Tapi, setelah pulang...kok rasanya beda drastis. Langsung kaget dan kagok melihat kondisi bangsa dan negara sendiri. Kagetnya sudah ga kaget lagi tapi sampe kuaget pol. Kok!? Ya, masalah pertama adalah suhu yang sangat jauh berbeda. Ya sudah jelas lah, waktu pulang dari sana suhu menunjukkan 3 derajat dan tiba di Ngurah Rai dengan laporan suhu di darat 31 derajat. Rasanya langsung lemes ga bisa apa-apa. Terus, sampe di Ngurah Rai pun masih dipalak pula oleh petugas keamanan bandara. Aku tanya arah buat transfer pesawat dan dijawab bahkan dengan ramah sekali diantarkan. Tapi apa yang terjadi setelah itu? "Ya tadi kan sudah dibantu...sekedar uang rokok lah." Dan aku langsung bereaksi *Ha!? WTF!*, ternyata niatnya minta uang toh. Yah salah satu cermin bangsa juga ini rasanya. Kalo dulu aku merasa ya biasalah. Tapi karena tinggal di negara orang yang punya budaya beda jadi langsung shock. Sewaktu di Jepang sebagai orang asing aku selalu dibantu oleh orang sana dengan sangat ramah dan tidak pernah meminta apa-apa. Sesuai dengan apa yang aku pernah tulis sebelumnya kalau mental orang Jepang bukanlah orang yang suka meminta-minta walaupun tidak punya (sesuai dengan tulisan homeless disana).

Hal lain adalah ketika melewati pemeriksaan bea dan cukai. Dibandingkan waktu aku melewati pemeriksaan yang sama di Jepang, petugas di Bali ini sungguh tidak memiliki tata krama dalam melakukan pemeriksaan dan ketika melayangkan pertanyaan-pertanyaan. Dan aku langsung berpikir bahwa hal ini sangat dan sungguh gila. Katanya, bangsa ini adalah bangsa yang sangat sopan. Tapi ketika itu aku langsung bingung, sopan apanya? Bali sebagai ikon dan pintu gerbang Indonesia di dunia pariwisata ternyata tidak memiliki keramahan yang lebih baik. Dengan mengalami hal yang berbeda dalam waktu 6 bulan saja bisa membuat aku mendapat cultural shock di negara sendiri.

Cerita pengalaman buruk di hari kedatangan di tanah air masih belum berakhir. Sesampainya di Bandara Djuanda, Surabaya aku pulang ke kos dengan naik taksi. Tiket sudah dibeli dan dibayar sesuai harga. Seperti biasa, seharusnya diantarkan ke tempat tujuan tanpa ada protes dari sang sopir. Eh, tapi si sopir ini ga tau gimana susah amat dibilangin. Naik taksi sudah jengkel dengan si sopir, sampe tujuan masih dimintai uang lagi. Langsung lah hari pertama dateng ke tanah air bad mood seharian. Apa memang begini bangsa Indonesia?

Pulang ke negara sendiri yang seharusnya senang malah jadi merasa jengkel.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Little bit…Dream!?

It's been ages not updating my blog. OK! Let's start!

This week until next week will be my final examination week. That's mean I'll go back to my country in no time. Feel happy because I go back to my country and will meet with my friends in my home university but I also will miss my friends in Japan. I've been here almost 5 months, met with lots of people overseas, it's great isn't it? Yeah it's great; I learn how to deal with people with different culture. Sometime it's difficult for me to deal with them because we have a different culture and sometime language also become barrier for us. But, I really can't believe I have been here for 5 months long. For me, it's like I came to Japan yesterday and tomorrow I have to say goodbye to my friends. We just start to know each other, it looks like we start understand our friend a little and getting closer but we have to leave soon. But yet, I feel happy because I met them. I'm happy have this opportunities, I'm happy because I can come here to Japan after 5 years waiting and hoping every day. This was my high school dream and I promised that I'll go to Japan before I graduated from university. I thought it was impossible until I tried it in my second year in university. Yeah, I think it was impossible for me. I have tried my best to go here but I always felt it's impossible or I didn't have enough qualification. There were some ways I have tried. First, I try to focus on my study. But, not long enough I felt it's impossible because I didn't have a good grade. Then, I start to study music and hope I have some competency in music, go to music festival and if I can make it, I will be send to Japan as a representative. But, my music skill stuck in intermediate level because I don't have a good hearing in musical notes. Once again, gave up. I started to give it up completely in my last year in high school. But, I don't know why I can't forget it even a little. My hope and dream was still as clear as before I thought to give up.

After that, I change my mind. I start to focus in my study again. This time, I did that not to get the best grade. I saw myself always try to catch up with everybody without knowing what I really have. I always want to learn what the others can do. But, it's too much, isn't it? It's not easy though. When I thought that I asked myself am I running away? And I never get any answer for my question. But now I relieved that I stop being a human who always want to skilled everything. If I do that, I really running away from myself.

What I want to tell is we must honest to ourselves. We really have something different than others. We have something that nobody has. Even a little it'll be our precious treasure. After said this all, don't think my path will be straight and smooth because I still not find my treasure yet. There's still a long way for me to find it and I want to say "Let's we do the best for it!"

Friday, January 2, 2009

火垂るの墓-Hotaru no Haka

I was impressed by the story of this film. First time, I want to watch it because the film has an attractive title. I didn't know what this film talk about. Ok, now let me give a brief for this film.

火垂るの墓,/Hotaru no Haka literary means Grave of the Fireflies. Usually the word 'Hotaru' write in single kanji (蛍) but they choose to use that two kanji. Anyway, this film was an adaption from a novel of the same title written by Akiyuki Nosaka. It told us about war, yes, World War II.

Make it short, this film want to show us what is war and how much the war cost our life. Grave of the Fireflies is a poignant story between Seita and Setsuko. They are unfortunate siblings who have to survive in the war between Japan and America. Their mother was died in Kobe firebombing, Seita which is the oldest brother and the only man left in the family (his father was ordered to fight as Japanese Imperial Navy) has to protect his mother and sister to fulfill his father only wish. Unfortunately, their mother was suffering from a serious burnt that the bomb caused. After that, he must protect his only sister. War became very serious; they met with lots of trouble in order to survive. They start lacking food; Setsuko was suffered from serious diarrhea because she didn't get any good food to eat. And she died because of her illness, her brother was really sorry for her because he can't protect her sister. In short, Seita also died, he died at San-nomiya station in Kobe. And before that there were a big news, Japan was completely lost from US. And it means Seita's father died in battlefield.

If we reflect upon this story, there's nothing in war. The only one left in a war is an enormous devastation both material and people itself. We also can still remember clearly what kind of war that we witness right now. We are one of the world history witnesses. The questions are appeal; what do we aim for war? Is it a solution? Do we really need it?

In my opinion, wars only bring devastation. We can't use it as a tool to take revenge because right after we start, we'll never know when it will end. Revenge always followed by revenge, isn't it? It's our duty as a human being and as a part of the world to take a responsible action for this matter. What do you think?

p.s. I really recommend all of you to watch this movie, feel the story, think and re-think the story, and share your mind

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Christmas Eve Dinner-The Memories

Christmas dinner

Top (Left to right)   : Cecylia Staniszewska, Marta Kornelia Śniegocka, Piotr Jan

                              Koza

Above (Left to right): Rishi Chakravarti, Martina Staroňová, Me, and Marta’s

                              mother

Christmas Eve Dinner-What a Christmas!

Ok! Let’s continuing the story!

I came to Cecylia’s room (the dinner took place here), the dinner still not finished yet. I help her and Martina the girl from Slovak to prepare the dinner. It was fun.

After the cook was ready and all the guest came we start the dinner. This dinner was in Poland way so there’s something different. First before we eat, we should take a piece of Hostia (in Polish, and in English it called Host, in Indonesian we said Hosti). After that, we came to each other and took a little piece of our friend’s host and said some wishes for our friend after finish to wishing each other we ate the host. We did that to all of people who had dinner with us. After everybody finished, we start the dinner. We talk to each other while eating. After having a great meal, it’ll be….. Hmmmmm… CAKE time! O_O Yay!!! ^_^v

The cake was delicious. It’s from Martha’s mother. And the last one after we finished the cake. It’s time to give present and… Woops! I didn’t prepare anything. I didn’t know they have a tradition like this (and so did Rishi, an Indian man). But, they said it’s ok if i didn’t prepare it because we are in a different culture. I was very happy that day. I really could feel Christmas in that room.

After having that dinner, I felt I got lots of presents with me, got lots of love from everybody. Beside the chocolate that I received from my friends, I also thought that I had a big present from my parents. They gave me life in Japan so I could met with lots of great people. I also still received sms from Indonesia and it means I still have friends that remember me even I’m not with them.

Every simple little thing really worth very much for me right now.

Christmas Eve Dinner-The Invitation

It was a great Christmas dinner. I thought I will have a crappy X’mas eve because I can’t go anywhere and don’t have friend to celebrate with. But, God said something different to my Christmas.

Let’s start the story!

It was a cold and windy day on December 24th. I went shopping, bought some clothes and food to celebrate Christmas alone (it was my last option that I had). After that, I went to convenience store called Lawson to pay my electricity bill. There, I met my friends from Poland. I asked him, “what will you do tonight, dude?” And he replied, “I’ll make a Christmas dinner tonight with my friend from Poland. And you?” I just said the reality, “I don’t have such a particular things to do tonight”. After that he invites me to come. He said, “Why you don’t join us?” And I asked him, “I would love to. Could I?” He said, “Why not? It’s a good time to celebrate. There’s no door closed for anybody on Christmas. If you don’t have anything to do, just come on our dinner at 8.00 ok? Don’t forget! At 8.00”. I just simply replied, “Sure!”

The story still not finish yet…

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

What day was yesterday?

image

Yesterday was the birthday of Japan’s Emperor, Akihito-sama. He’s celebrate his 75th birthday. He also greet the public of Japan on his birthday yesterday.

In the same time, there was a car accident which I didn’t know exactly where it took place because the news was in Japanese. Based on the video I saw on TV, the JR Train hit a white car and there was a victim on that crash. The head of the car was hit the head of the train straightly. I think the car driver can’t be saved because the bleeding was very serious.

OK, still in train accident. An elementary school teacher was hit by train in the train platform at JR Jinnoharu Station, Kitakyushu. She was hit by freight train that pass through this station. The news said that the woman was sick and want to vomit. Unfortunately, a train came and hit her head directly when she vomit. The train driver has did his best, he sounded the horn and applied the brakes. But, it still not help very much. Because of the hit, the woman got a serious head injuries and suffered a lot. She was taken to hospital but died an hour later.

So, I can call yesterday was a day with full of train accident in Japan which is very rare to happen in this country.