Depok: Dekat di mata, jauh di hati  

Pukul 08.00 pagi, tepat saat kantor pos Depok I dibuka, aku sudah berdiri di depan gerbang berniat mengantar sepucuk surat untuk seorang teman di Jerman. Merasa bangga menjadi pelanggan pertama yang datang, tentu kukira sang kasir bagian kilat khusus akan melayaniku lebih dulu. Namun selang beberapa menit, beberapa ibu berdatangan membawa paket/surat mereka masing-masing dan dengan santainya berdiri di sampingku, bukannya di belakangku saat mengantri. Tangan-tangan mereka diulurkan sedekat-dekatnya dengan si Mbak kasir yang sedang menunggu loading komputernya, masing-masing dari mereka manggil-manggil si Mbak itu dulu-duluan minta dilayani, “Nih mbak, saya duluan Mbak..”
Et dah.....aku berteriak dalam hati... GUA NYANG DOLOAN TAUK!
Mbok kalau udah lebih tua, ya bersikap lebih dewasa, mencontohkan yang baik-baik... Ngantri kan nggak sulit..
Dan akhirnya aku menjadi orang ketiga yang dilayani oleh si Mbak kasir, bukan yang pertama, itupun setelah aku akhirnya dengan terpaksa ikutan bilang, “Nih mbak, saya yang duluan Mbak..”

Suatu siang saat pulang sekolah, aku menunggu angkot D110 dan S16 yang trayek keduanya melewati Gang Haji Jumin di Jalan Pramuka, shortcut favorit menuju komplekku kalau mau jalan kaki. Sebenernya aku bisa naik D03 yang angkotnya lebih sering lewat dan trayeknya melewati gerbang komplekku. Tapi jalan ke dalemnya jauh, mending lewat Gang Haji Jumin daripada panas-panasan jalan kaki atau ngeluarin kocek IDR 3000 untuk ojek kalau lewat depan komplek. Yaudah, alhamdulillah dapet deh angkot D110. Aku adalah satu-satunya penumpang di situ. Nggak khawatir sih, soalnya si Bapak supir mobilnya dihiasi dengan poster berbau relijius dan ada tasbih ngegantung di spionnya, dan beliau sendiri juga sudah tua dan pakai peci (lho, so what?). Selain itu, dia adalah satu dari sedikit supir D110 yang nyupirnya nggak ugal-ugalan. Maklum, biasanya supir S16 atau D110 suka ngebut kejar-kejaran setoran dengan sesama angkot bertrayek sama. Kedua angkot trayek ini memang suka untung-untungan, karena nggak selalu banyak orang Depok yang rumahnya atau tujuan perginya ke arah Cinere atau Pondok Labu.
Nah, baru 300 meteran angkot yang kunaiki berlalu, ternyata angkot yang kosong ini harus bersabar ngantri di kemacetan dekat lampu merah perlimaan Nusantara-Ps Lama-Sandra-Sawangan-Dalem. Aku yang sendirian di deket pintu bengong aja ngilangin stress nunggu. Lalu seorang bapak berumur 40 tahunan naik angkot. Dia duduk di tepat di sampingku. Aku yang masih asyik ngelamun nggak geser menjauh. Si bapak kemudian menggerepe ituannya dia dan aku mulai curiga. Jangan-jangan ini seperti yang pernah diceritakan oleh teman-temanku sebelumnya, bahwa mereka pernah melihat orang yang sexually odd di angkot dengan trayek berbeda. Akupun geser ke pojokan dan setelah kupastikan kudengar ia membuka seleting celananya akupun mengeluarkan sebuah buku dari tasku, randomly, dan karena yang terambil adalah buku cetak MTK, aku pura-pura konsen baca buku itu dan membaca rumus trigonometri dengan suara agak keras. Salting! Kecurigaan mulai memuncak dan berubah menjadi kegelisahan. Si bapak mulai menarik-ulur ituannya. What the fuck! Angkot pun berjalan setelah lampu merah berubah hijau. I swear I didn’t see his thing, tapi kupikir sebelum aku melihatnya atau ia mempertontonkannya, lebih baik aku turun dari angkot sial itu. Saat turun, tanpa sengaja kulihat ia menatapku sambil tersenyum dengan senyuman paling menjijikkan sedunia, dan kukatakan pada sang supir saat membayar, “Pak, ada orang aneh di angkot Bapak!” yang dibalas dengan manggut-manggut dan ekspresi datar.

Lelah setelah muter-muter Bogor bersama nenekku, pamanku dan temannya, suatu malam aku dan adikku diantar pulang ke Depok lewat tol Bogor. Nembus di Margonda, kamipun harus ekstra sabar bermacet-macet ria di jalan. Dari dulu tuh Margonda memang terkenal tempatnya sentra pemerintahan Depok sekaligus sentra perbelanjaan, sentra transportasi, sentra warung makan, sentra ngeceng dan karena itu maka jadilah Margonda sentra macet. Anyway, jadi, saat mobil kami sedang menunggu lampu merah depan Ramanda, aku tak sengaja membaca sebuah banner raksasa di antara spanduk-spanduk Caleg yang mewarnai Margonda; ukurannya melebihi banner konser artis papan atas Amrik, Rihanna, yang dipasang di jalan-jalan ibu kota beberapa waktu lalu. Isi banner bermodel Pak Walikota Depok H. Nurmahmudi Ismail itu adalah…. “KEMBALIKAN BUDAYA BANGSA DENGAN MAKAN MENGGUNAKAN TANGAN KANAN”. Di belakang Pak Walikota ada sedikitnya 8 foto pejabat pemerintah sedang makan menggunakan tangan kanan. Dan di bagian bawah banner ada tulisan kecil ‘pesan ini disampaikan dalam rangka memperingati Sumpah Pemuda dan Hari Pahlawan Nasional’. Oke….tapi apa hubungannya antara makan pakai tangan kanan dengan butir-butir Sumpah Pemuda dan para pahlawan nasional? Lagipula, pantes mana sih pesan ini disampaikan oleh Walikota atau oleh guru TK? I mean, masih banyak isu publik sederhana yang bisa diangkat oleh seorang Walikota bermasyarakat plural seperti beliau. Pesan yang ia sampaikan tidak salah, malah sangat benar, namun, apakah itu lebih tepat tempat, waktu dan sasaran dibandingkan jika ia berpesan tentang “Mari kita ciptakan surga di Kota Depok yang bersih dengan membuang sampah pada tempatnya” atau “Kembalikan sopan santun bangsa dengan budayakan mengantri” atau “Hargailah hak orang lain untuk nyaman berkendara dengan mematuhi aturan lalu lintas” apa kek… Jangan seperti ini, bahkan seorang siswi SMA saja sudah bisa menertawakan seorang Walikota Depok. Kalau sampai ada turis asing yang membaca banner ini, mau ditaruh di mana muka kita?

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Indonesia.......I'm home!  

These recent days have been such a challenge for me. The feeling of coming home after one year long staying in United States is an unexpected one. It is….strange. I already got used to with all the customs in United States, their daily talks, high school experience, family life, and their parties—beside all trivial differences such as the changing weather, the less-spicy-foods, the quick Internet connection, the currency, the metrics, and even the smell of the air. I felt like I was part of the system already. I had been living dynamically with all those life problems and I always had good friends to support me in States and now…I have to face this: suddenly being in Indonesia with my natural family and old friends, who somehow anticipate seeing my change after long time no see. Some of them may have high expectations, and the rest may have concerns. And all those curiosities are to be released at the first time they see me home; and everybody may choose to feel happy or disappointed when they see the change on me.

I remembered the first day I arrived in Indonesia which was only last week. My mom was not smiling cheerfully when she saw me, but instead, she complained about my make-up. She said it was too much. My sister, also asking me why I was wearing high heels unlike ever before. Another sister asked me too, why I wore my headscarf on so differently in style. The next few days when I visited my school, my friends said to me I looked so different. Fatter, darker, and this and that… and they complained about the outfits I was wearing too. They said it’s too American. When I called my grandparents, they asked me if I still wear my scarf on or not after being back from America. My neighbors also reacted the same way. And my father, he thought that I turned too liberal, which is not in favor with him (glad he doesn’t think that way anymore).

Sometimes this fact makes me feel funny; it is amazing how different Americans and Indonesians are. Indonesians in common, to me, have a more connected feeling between one and another. That’s why I was ready to tolerate if people who know me in Indonesia would react so much upon my visible change. Some of them may cry, either happily or sadly. Some of them may remain friends with me, or not. It is such a big deal for them to accept my possible changes. On the other hand, Americans take less care of this kind of thing. For example, if someone changes their hairstyle or their outfits everyday, people will just give frank compliments or comments and that’s it—it is considerably easier for Americans to accept a change or difference compared to Indonesians. No wonder, it is because Americans are living in a more diverse community than Indonesians’, which in a good way triggers them to get used to with tolerating differences, while Indonesians are much less still living in a world of conformity, compared to a super plural country like United States.

However, I kind of understand why many people had concerns on me when I got home. I mean, at the first place, it is reasonable for them to worry about me when I was away in States. Could you imagine a 17 years old Indonesian, Muslim girl, being placed in a city of Cleveland in the middle of, say, a number of 100.000 Americans? People must think that I would be surrounded by so many influences, either good or bad, they don’t know. Besides, the whole world knew already what kind of name America has. It is normal for my family and friends in Indonesia to worry about all the propagandas I would face. Another thing is that United States has a Western culture like the European countries in which is different in any way than Eastern culture Indonesia has been holding. And it obviously is not a hope for them to see me significantly westernized when I get home. Moreover, United States is way more secular compared to Indonesia. People here might worry if I would lose my faith in God and what not. Basically, there are just a lot of reasons why people might have concerns on having me staying in USA for a year.

Now that I’ve heard many people said I changed a lot in many ways—either good or bad—I still think that I am still myself one year ago, except not 100% the same. I am now more able to accept differences and I am fond of having friends who are different than me. I felt sorry for people who just see me from the outside and then judge me or think that I’m changed by the Americans. Well, maybe I am. And it’s not because I’m easily influenced, but it is because I learned a lot of good things from Americans. And I really appreciate my old friends here who don’t mind to accept me as the way I am, no matter how different I look or how different the way I think right now. I appreciate my friends who give me a chance to show them what beneficial things I brought home with me, instead of blindly judging at the first place. Overall, I love to be myself as what I am right now and I wish to share what I got from USA with my people here.

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A Once-Upon-A-Time Republic, At Night Time  

In the breezing night wind of twenty-five degrees Celcius
Two hundred twenty millions of people, continue their life,
Or done with life

A countryside girl is chit-chatting in a hut
While packing the fried plaintains for lunch at farm tomorrow
An old lady is sucking and chewing the tobacco
While massaging her husband, keeping him convenient
And fighting against those aggressive, fat mosquitoes
A farmer is enjoying his jasmine tea while resting after-
The whole day she’s worked at rice field to harvest
Her husband has died, left her five children who all now-
Working on their homework between their tiredness-
Of helping their mother to harvest at farm after school
Some male farmers are gathering, talking about-
Profit-sharing of their little shop on the street’s corner
As their other income source
Clearly heard is a sound sequence of people at the mosque reciting Qur’an
Some young couples are dating under the moon
Singing some love songs, promising they will marry each other
Little babies are in serene sleep on the swinging baby bed

Far down the city, colorful lights decorate the streets
Honda, Yamaha, Toyota, KIA,
Opel, Nissan, Ford, Suzuki
, are trapped on slow traffic
Those pavement retailers open their tents and took the space of pedestrians
The appetizing smell of fried rice, hot noodles, hot ginger ale, saucy chicken
Invites people to come by to each tent and pay good price for what they get
Street singers are coming over while they are eating
Beggars are ready to disappear
A loud noise of Bollywood movie playing on a middle class neighborhood
Oh, it is coming from that wedding party
A child is having a hard time concentrating on his Math homework-
Because of that ear-cracking sound
Far away on the city’s corner, not only criminals

But also opportunist people are doing what they wish
Some 3 guys are trying to steal a locked motorcycle
While another group is trying to break out an empty house
Prostitutes, who are partly transsexuals, are looking for their preys
Clubs and pubs are full of young executives
Karaoke, drinking, dancing, or far more than that
Young teenagers are hanging out at cafes after they finished-
Watching movies at cinema
Malls are crowded of glamorous-looking ladies and gents
With flavorful smell of perfumes hijacking every body’s nostril
While on the other hand, a fifty years old man who is standing infirmly-
In a crowded train, has to smell the flavor of sweating people’s armpits
With no other choice
There is only a feeble sound of people reciting Qur’an at mosque
People are too busy even for praying together
Some office hard workers are staying in their office overnight
With a Starbucks cup or Coke bottle on their desks
Housewives are watching TV serials and having some snacks
Or talking on the phone with fellow housewives for hours
A poor kid are focusing hard for their exam tomorrow-
He didn’t have time to study on the day since he had to work-
At the train or bus station, selling candies and cigarettes
In his mind, there is a will to buy a medicine for his mother
Who is now severely ill,
Who is waiting for her last breath to heal her son’s burden

In the breezing night wind of twenty-five degrees Celcius
Two hundred twenty millions of people, continue their life,
Or done with life

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Karena mencintaimu  

Aku meneguk roti dan mengunyah kopi............. karena mencintaimu
Aku tidur di siang hari........ dan terjaga di malam hari.......... karena mencintaimu
Aku bermuka masam kepada orang lain......... dan tersenyum di kala sendiri...........
karena mencintaimu
Aku mengerjakan penjelasan guru........ dan mendengarkan tugas sekolah,
karena mencintaimu
Aku mandi dengan lumpur, dan membasuh air hangat dari tubuhku,
karena mencintaimu
Aku buta di dalam terang............ dan melihat di kala gelap, karena mencintaimu
Aku bahagia di kala cemburu, dan sedih di kala mencinta............ karena mencintaimu
Aku membaca televisi...... menonton koran,
karena mencintaimu
Aku menatap blus.......... mengancingkan bintang malam,
setelah mencintaimu
Aku menjilat kucing............ mengelus es krim.........
karena mencintaimu
Aku melempar sahabatku.......... dan aku memeluk sebongkah batu
karena mencintaimu...............

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Apa kata seorang Atheis Jerman tentangku?  

Peter Krause
Mr. Harley
11 English Honors
2 May 2008 (English Project)

"It has been a very great pleasure to make your acquaintance"


I certainly have met a lot of great people in my life. I have met people that formed me with their wisdom, I met people that taught me tolerance and respect and I met people that go or went through their life with unbelievable energy and power. All those people made an impact on me. But living in a new culture abroad, I met a person that I will never forget in my life and that taught me so much about myself and about prejudices and that with her openness gave me the chance to do so. Kartika Nurhayati was exchange student with me in Shaker Heights, Ohio in 2007/2008. I first met her after we both arrived in August 2007, she from Jakarta, Indonesia and I from provincial Germany. When I first saw her I had an inner conflict, although I certainly would have never admitted it....... On the one hand I came to the United States to meet new people from different cultures and I certainly really wanted to do so. Kartika was also the only exchange student I met at the beginning that had already good English language skills and so the communication was easier to her than to others. She had gotten a full scholarship as I had and all those things should have made me very close to her from the beginning on. But there was something different. She was the first Muslim wearing a headscarf I met. I had seen them before on TV and even some on the streets. But I had never talked to one. And yes, in the back of my head I had prejudices. When we got our schedules we found out that we had 3 classes together and so I would see her every day. And so being exchange students and having lots of similar experiences we talked to each other a lot. She was very open about herself, about her culture and she openly practiced her religion. She got to know so many people from the beginning on and I was stunned how she did that. Obviously she faced prejudices being the only kid with a headscarf in the school and it I was so impressed how quickly she moved people to see her as Kartika instead of “the kid with the headscarf”. Evenly quickly she had moved me. We were talking hours on the phone laughing and chatting, we were hanging out and we shared problems, like the question “How to find a Prom date”, together. She became such a great help in many situations and she changed my point of view in so many things. Thank her I truly and not just in theory understand to respect and tolerate the Muslim faith and her culture. She so openly shared her ideals about life with me and we found so many similarities between us. Her goals for her life like getting to college and get a high level job in a developing are what I understand as future. And it showed me so clearly how modern religion, especially Islam, and followers of that faith can be. I was so impressed by her work ethic and I oftentimes wished more people in my culture would work so straight for their goals and I myself would like to be as focused as she is and still have so much fun in life. All in all she greatly opened my eyes in so many ways and she became a great friend I’m going to miss when I am back in Germany. And I can say, it has been a great pleasure to make her acquaintance.

Oh my God....... This is very touching.... Rasanya terharu sekali hati ini membacanya. Kok bisa-bisanya Peter yang super gokil itu menulis seindah ini? (Biasanya dia kan kalo ngomong ngeledek mulu bawaannya...) Tapi jujur dalam hati, this confession makes me stand more firmly to let the world knows that I am a Muslim. How beautiful it is... that an atheist German like him think about me this way... Now I can say too, that it has been a great pleasure to make his acquaintance.


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Just Because I'm a Muslim.. (Don't Stereotype Me)  

Just because I'm a Muslim
Doesn't mean I'm one of those Arabs
Doesn't mean I'm fanatic, radical, conservative, moderate, liberal
or whatever things you would label on me

Just because I'm a Muslim
Doesn't mean I'm not sociable
Doesn't mean I think I'm always right,
Or you're always wrong
I do not, and I will never think that all non-Muslims are sinners

Just because I'm a Muslim
Doesn't mean I'm a terrorist
Doesn't mean I'm violent or abusive
Doesn't mean I'm not negotiable, or do not want peace on earth

Just because I'm a Muslim woman, wearing a headscarf
Doesn't mean I'm forced to wear this piece of fabric on my head
Doesn't mean I'm physically, socially, or economically abused
Doesn't mean I cannot express myself freely

Just because I'm a Muslim....

Don't stereotype me.

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Temanku dan Omongannya  

This is WHAT MY FRIENDS here SAID about me:

Rebecca says, "Tikanur, Kak Nur, Karutika, Hi Nur! Can I borrow your shirt/sleeves? I looove your closet."

She also says, "Ah, you are such a drama queen."

Fai always says, "Hi KRAtika I miss you, long time no see, we shud go hang out!" ((She always mispronounce my name))

And she says, "I am sorry I am late... you are my best friend."

Peter said, "For English project, I made an essay about you. Why? Don't you realize that people are glad to make an acquaintance with you?"

Peter also said, "You gimme better understanding about Islam."

He sometimes teases me, "Stop making fun of me! Ok, you're soo good in acting. You should be an actress...hahaha..."

He asks, "Do you wanna skip the class with me? Oh NO, we should not skip again...."

He says A LOT, "Hey, stupid......!"

(And I reply, " Just because I am stupid, does not mean you have to be stupid too, hahaha..")

Or, I just said, "Danke. Frohe Ostern. Ruf die Polizei!" (Thanks. Happy Easter. Call the police!)

He said, "Hahaha I can't describe how funny you are...."

Jonathan always says, "Kartika, you are crrrrazy, gurl.."

And he always teases me, "Hey remember, you cannot have sex and drink alcohol until you're 40, hahaha..."

(And I reply him back, "Jonathan, who wants to wait for me to have sex til I'm 40??")

And he also says, "Ooooh You skipped the class.. you are in trouble!"

(He skipped together with Peter and me actually...... to get sandwich at Subway, hahahha....)

He said, "Nurhayati, gimme your Chipotle. Come on, let's go to Chipotle..! I am hungry.."

Surya said, "Do you wanna try my mascara? Oh my God, you look so pretty now...! Can I come over to your house......? I wanna do your hair too!"

Akilah said, "Your nickname should be 'Smilies'..."

Asuka said, "I wanto to gooooo.... shoppinggo."

Amadou said, "Would you go with a junior? Cause I'd love to go.... (to prom with you)"

Su said, "I swear to God, if you're not going with me, you're not my friend anymore."

Abby said, "You are soooooo silly."

Letonia says, "Hahahaha Kartika you're so funny.."

Dani said, "Why you always look so cute and innocent?"

Mme Wright said, "Kartika!! Be quite! You were so studious in first semester, now you are so uncontrollable!"

Zulaikha said, "Why you always willing to try everything... you're in Band, you're in SGORR, you're in Asian Studies, and now you're in Softball.. I wanna be like you."

Meredith said, "Your dresses are pretty everyday..."

Sam said, "I dont wanna make you pay for me....."

Harper & Christine asked, "Are you going to Asian Studies class tonight? Oh c'mooon, we love you."

Max says, "iyfvec bwehfvn gcew;cfjntcpergmpfienfcoomdmxjwoskdjnnfmcx ," (Hahaha I dont know what he's talking about.... he teases me in Yiddish)

Romero said, "No, I'll miss you the most when you're back to Indonesia.."

And he said, "You are my best friend..."

Mayank always says, "Hahahaha... you are hillarious Kartika... how do you type that Hindi really well...?" (In fact, I just did "copy-paste" haha)

I know this is random.. but wow.. writing down their quotes are fun.. =D

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My Lil Hot Man (a letter)  

Mas Ethan tersayang,

Aku kangeen banget sama kamu. Sudah satu minggu kita berpisah. Rasanya berat sekali menanggung beban rindu ini. Ah.. aku jadi merasa menyesal.. karena saat itu, aku pergi meninggalkan rumahmu tanpa kausadari. Aku tahu, pasti kamu merasa kesepian saat kutinggal. Maafkan aku ya sayang.. tapi memang saat itu, aku harus pergi. Kepergianku itu, bukanlah keinginanku. Seandainya aku bisa memilih, aku akan memilih untuk tetap tinggal bersamamu, sehingga aku bisa memeluk dan mengecupmu setiap pagi dan malam. Dan kita akan menghabiskan saat-saat indah bersama..

My lil hot man,
Kamu kangen sama aku nggak? Aku di sini terlalu merindukanmu. Sampai-sampai, tak bisa kupalingkan ...mataku dari menatap foto-fotomu. Foto-foto kita bersama dulu.. yang penuh tawa canda keriangan serta kebahagiaan. Kalau aku boleh meminta pada Tuhan, aku akan berdo'a semoga masa-masa itu bisa terulang kembali. Masa-masa di mana kau ajarkan aku, to be happy for no reason. Betapa memukaunya engkau ketika senyum dan tawa itu terpulas di bibir mungilmu, walaupun masalah di luar kian menghadang...



Mas Ethan Indra sayangku,

Kamu itu ya, selaluuu aja sibuk dengan sesuatu. Pagi-pagi kau bangunkan aku dan memanggilku "Nunuuu..." dengan pelukan penuh cinta. Kita bercanda-tawa sesaat, habis itu kamu berangkat menimba ilmu. Selepas kau pulang, kau akan datang ke kamarku lagi dan menyebut namaku "Nunuuu..." dengan suaramu yang khas. Kau akan mengajakku bernyanyi dan menonton movie bersama. Setiap kali kau sebut, "Nunu, Sita," aku tahu apa yang kau mau. Seperti biasanya, kau akan meraih tanganku dan mengajakku menonton Sendratari Ramayana favoritmu itu, yang tak henti-hentinya kau tonton berulang-ulang. Bosan aku.

Tapi setiap saat aku mulai merasa bosan, kau akan menari layaknya sang Sita dan membuatku tertawa. Kamu juga macho sekali, selalu sibuk mengupil dan sering kentut. Tapi wajah kamu itu lho, tetep aja innocent. Iih kamu memang lucuuu sekali..



My hottie,

Kapan ya aku bisa ke sana lagi? Aku benar-benar merasa bersalah sudah meninggalkanmu. Ibumu bilang, kau masih suka mencari-cariku, menyebut namaku, dan menatap foto kitat bersama. Semakin kutahu betapa merasa kehilangannya kamu, aku merasa semakin kehilangan juga. Aku berharap, bulan Juni ini aku sudah punya cukup penghasilan untuk bisa terbang ke sana lagi. Nanti kita akan jalan-jalan, shopping, ke pantai, naik perahu mengarungi teluk, dan aku akan menyuapimu lagi setiap kali kamu makan.. nyam nyam nyam. Mudah-mudahan ya sayang..... doakan aku ya semoga di sini selalu bisa have fun setiap saat, layaknya dirimu...



Love,

Your big cousin...

Nunu




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The Blacks and The Jewish On My Perspective (part 2)  

(continuing..)
This was really bothering me since I always try not to judge people before I know them well. So then I just tried to take it easy and I tried to chase away every single stigma on my head about the blacks. Gradually, I started to get along well with my black friends, and it was kind of awkward at the first time to adapt with their behavior. For example, I was a bit bothered whenever they talk loudly. And I was feeling awkward when they sing and dance a lot in every party we were involved--it was just too festive for me.

But the more I hang out with my black friends, the more I love them dearly. Nigerians, Kenyans, Senegalese, all of them are like my family. I found out that they are very fun people to go hang out with. Many of them ...whom I know are hard workers, and many black students in my school are very good in sport teams and they are also bright scholars. Last time I visited a black church and a black mosque in Ohio, it was really fun and engaging. The people were so humble and welcoming. They hug and smile a lot. They made sure every thing makes me feel comfortable. They treated me well. And oh….again… They sang a lot, too!

My love upon them makes me love their culture too. Today I love to listen to rap, jazz, blues, and gospel music genres. I start to try some hip-hop dance too. Sometimes, I can speak in black accent. Some people think I am already “blackenized”, but I do not really care. It is fun, you know, and I enjoy it. And I love the blacks as they are my family. Whenever there is a person who looks down upon them, or talks about them badly with prejudice, I will fight back and defend the blacks. I will not let any body judges all black people by only witnessing a few samples of the blacks. I am so different now compare to the time before I met the blacks. Now I know that I have already changed.

The same thing also happened with my perspective towards my host father, who is a Jewish. I used to think that all Jewish are the same. I thought they all hate the Muslims. But what I thought was not matching with what I saw. I found out that my host father is a veeery nice man. Since the first day I live with him, I have never seen any time he did an unkind thing to people. In fact, I think he is a very loving man. I was so amazed, when he told me that he decided to become a vegetarian when he was 12 years old, because he does not believe in killing any thing, including any animals. He likes to help out the homeless people by volunteering, and he donates money through some organizations. He is very religious too. He goes to the synagogue every twice in a week, and sometimes I go with him there too. From there, I met a lot more Jewish too. I have to tell you, that they are all nice and welcoming individuals.

And even in my school and my neighborhood, I met a lot of Jewish friends. Compare to when I was in Indonesia, I had NONE. Here, I have to tell you, that my Jewish friends are very nice people. Seriously. I get along with them well, even with those who are really religious. When it comes to Jewish holidays, it is always a common thing to say happy holiday to each other in my school. And I know I have to be careful whenever I talk about Holocaust, because they are very sensitive with that. But sometimes, it is hard actually to position myself when they start talking about Israel—that they love Israel, that they want to visit it, that they want to go to the college there, that they want to learn the Hebrew language there, etc. I mean, I could not hide my face that I know there is a huge conflict in Israel between their religion and mine. I do not want to blame them that they are rude to talk about Israel with a Muslim like me. I understand it is a common thing for them to talk about it to people, since they have been living and grew up in a huge Jewish community. But to me…? I was so sensitive and overwhelmed, as I was not used to with Jewish people, and all this stuff was totally new for me.

But later on, as time passed through, I get used to with this kind of talk. The cooler I respond to them, the more opinions and perspective they shared to me. And it is just amazing the way all of it combined and makes me realize what caused the conflict in Israel-Palestine. The oldest Jewish temple in the world, and the Al-Aqsa mosque which is the second biggest Islamic center after Ka’bah, are located in Jerussalem. Also, Jesus Christ was born there. How would you prevent any conflict if there only be one place for three strict groups of people? Well, the Christians seem are not having a problem as big as what the Muslims and the Jewish have. But on the other hand, many Muslims and Jewish people all around the world start to condemn each other of what is happening in Israel-Palestine. More people tend to condemn Israel for starting killing the Muslims in chasing the Muslims away, and for taking over the Muslims’ territory. But then, when the Muslims got real angry, some of them started to scream..."Kill the Jewish! Kill the Jewish!" and threatened people with bombs. Many people turned not to support Muslims since they are considered very violent.
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However, I still found out here in United States that some Jewish people do not support the killing of Muslims for the sake of Israelis. They just support a fair division of territory as long as the Jewish and the Muslims can live peacefully in the same place. In analogical way, this "anti-war" kind of people is just like myself. I mean, they believe in what Jew taught them, but they do not believe in killing the Muslims in order to own their so-called “Holy Land” in Jerussalem. I am also a Muslim. But I hate those people who claimed that they are Muslims too, while they are bombing and terrorizing people and committing murder upon the Jewish people. Why would they say that they are Muslim and obedient to God, while they are not even respecting and loving God’s creatures? And why would people say that they are Jewish and dedicative to God, if they kill the Muslims and take over the land in a rude way? And also, WHY did Mr. Bush once use the name of God to excuse his invasion in Irak?

Religions are supposed to be a mean of turning the world into peace. But these bad and irresponsible people, made the reputation of religions filthy. That is why nowadays, there are more and more liberal people who turn to not believing in any religion, because they think religions are the main cause of all chaos in the world. While in fact, I strongly believe that it is not a matter of the religions’ taught, but the people who misuse the religions instead.

All in all, right now I believe in peaceful diversity, because I have been experiencing it within these recent 8 months. I have been living with a practicing Jewish father, and a practicing Catholic mother, while I myself is a covered Muslim.... and all of us have proven that 3 religions can live together peacefully even in a family. And I believe, diversity will not be a problem if we can face it wisely. God has created a diverse world so that we can learn to understand and respect each other. Being religious means fondly praying to God, and dearly doing good deeds upon God’s creatures. Being religious is totally not rude, as long as we can position ourselves not to offend other religions. In contrast, being stereotypical and offensive to other groups or religions is considered very rude and dirty. It is all your choice to be what you want to be. But at least now you know which one is good, and which one is bad to choose. Which one might change the world, and which one will remain the world in the never-ending wars and everlasting sufferings…

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The Blacks and The Jewish On My Perspective (part ONE)  

Nobody would deny that their exchange year has meant a lot upon their life. Neither would I. This is not a hyperbole, nor a lie. I would even say that my exchange year has “brain-washed” me in a good way. This is my story…


I was born and raised in a conservative Javanese Muslim family. If I track down my family tree up to my great, great grandparents, I can tell there is not much diversity in it. People were all bonded as Javanese. Well, there is a far-related-grandmother who was from Sulawesi Island. And my step grandmother was also a Catholic American who then moved to Indonesia once she got married to my grandfather. Other than that, believe me, there is none from somewhere else.

Apparently, most of my family members live in Java. And ...that could be one of the reasons why I have never had a chance to fly out of Java Island, beside due to the expensive fare of the travel and other nontrivial reasons. However, there was a call inside this heart, to break this locked-up life, and meet the rest of the people who live on earth so that I can tell how they live their life. That was why I chose to go to United States, instead of choosing another country. I wanted to experience their so-called melting pot—where everybody from all parts of the world come, mix together, and make a possible highly diverse society. So my thought was, if I go to United States, I would not have to go to many countries to meet their people, because many ‘samples’ of the world’s people are living in United States. My parents, especially my father, was anxious at the first time he heard me start talking about leaving for United States, most probably due to my status as a covered-young-muslimah. But after I tried to assure them as reasonably as I could, they started agreeing my dream.

I ended up leaving Java Island, Indonesia, for Ohio, United States. I was so happy at the time I flew away. I started to imagine building the puzzle of my new life, and I just could not wait to begin the adventure. With the support from my teachers and friends back home there, I became even more popped out for this upcoming new life.

Suddenly, the situation changed significantly at the time I learnt that my host father, is a person who I did not expect to become my host father, by the fact that he is a Jewish. I actually had not known a lot already about Judaism and its believers, but what I saw from medias was the fact that there is a chronic current issue between Jewish and Muslims which is centralized in Israel-Palestine. In the other hand, I felt just comfortable with my host mother who is a Catholic, because at school in Indonesia, I have got some Catholic friends. Despite the lack of my knowledge in Catholicism, I know that my Catholic friends are nice, and we have been living peacefully since the first time we knew each other.

As you might think, I was a stereotypical individual. My head was full of prejudices, and it was even worse because not only religion that matters to me, but also….. race.

So the place where I live in Ohio, is a suburb of Cleveland called as Shaker Heights, where there is a huge size of not only Jewish, but also black community living there. Yes, there are a looooot of African-Americans. Even in my school, the blacks occupy almost two third of total number of the students. To be honest, I was not feeling comfortable with the stigmas inside my head that was all derived from the media I saw before. They stated, “Black people tend to be criminals.” Or “black people in United States committed hate crime upon other races.” Or “most of the prisoners in United States’ jails are the blacks,” and so on and so forth.

(to be continued to part TWO...)

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Feminisme & Maskulinisme yang terbolak  

Ngelanjutin postinganku sebelumnya berjudul "White Woman vs Black Man", kali ini aku mau beranekdot lagi tentang Hillary Clinton & Barack Obama. Hehehe, abis seru dan geli sih terkadang melihat keduanya gembor-gemboran berkampanye akhir-akhir ini. Serunya ngelihat mereka beradu mulut menggunakan bahasa politik yang terlihat sopan, tapi terdengar saling menyinggung satu sama lain. Dan yang bikin geli, adalah berdasarkan hasil 'analisa'ku, ternyata ada yang--one could say it is--janggal, di antara keduanya. Apakah gerangan yang kumaksud?


So, pembaca semua pada tahu kan kalo usianya Clinton itu sekitar 60 tahunan? Dan biasanya di usia seperti itu, orang-orang cenderung ....merasa dirinya sudah banyak berpengalaman dan lebih matang serta profesional dibandingkan para generasi muda dalam memecahkan segala persoalan. Buat yang tinggal lama dengan nenek atau kakeknya, pasti mengerti apa yang kumaksud. That's probably why banyak presiden di seluruh dunia, usianya sekitar 50 tahunan ke atas, karena orang-orang menganggap mereka jauh lebih bijaksana, ketimbang kandidat yang muda-muda yang kemungkinan besar akan grasa-grusu kalo menghadapi masalah.

Nah, fakta usia Clinton inilah yang membuat Clinton kalo berkampanye, inti pernyataannya adalah, "Saya sudah sangat berpengalaman dan profesional," "Saya sudah melihat segala permasalahan yang dihadapi negara ini dan juga sudah melihat segala cara pemecahan masalah yang dilakukan pemimpin negara sebelumnya," "Saya tahu apa yang terbaik untuk Amerika," dll dsb dst dah. Atitud si Clinton ini masih ditambah pula dengan kesadarannya sebagai seseorang yang ber-gender wanita. Merespon masyarakat yang skeptis akan pemimpin wanita, Clinton berkata lantang yang intinya, "walaupun saya wanita, saya itu tough," (kutipan dari koran The Plain Dealer edisi minggu lalu, sori lupa nomor berapa). Dan akumulasi dari sikap-sikap Clinton inilah yang membuat Clinton, at least berdasarkan opini sebagian Americans, terlihat maskulin.

Di satu sisi, Obama yang usianya masih kepala empat, tentu belum punya pengalaman sebanyak Clinton. Sehingga dari pidatonya, beliau mungkin nggak mau terlampau "sok bisa" terlebih karena lawan politiknya adalah Clinton. Instead, Obama menggunakan kata-kata seperti "Yes, we can, yes we can" "Vote for Change," "Americans are one," segala rupa. Dari kata-kata yg beliau gunakan, kedengarannya beliau nggak mau nunjukin kalau beliau sudah berpengalaman memecahkan persoalan AS, tapi beliau terdengar berkompeten dan optimis mewujudkan mimpi-mimpi AS. Kampanyenya yang cenderung nggak seagresif dan seofensif Clinton, membuat dirinya disebut lebih "feminin" ketimbang Clinton oleh beberapa Americans.

Konklusinya, Clinton, bisa dibilang "outwomaned" by Obama itu sendiri yang secara alamiah laki-laki.

Begitulah Amerika. Masih banyak sekali orang-orang konservatif yang mempermasalahkan gender. Banyak orang yang either capek dengan kampanye kontroversialnya Clinton-Obama, or emang nggak percaya sama mereka, ujung-ujungnya memutuskan mau milih McCain aja meskipun mereka tahu capres dari Partai Republican tahun ini nggak dapet caucuses sebanyak cepres dari Partai Demokrat.

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Krisis Prom  

Bingung aku..
Di Prom nanti, aku mesti pergi sama siapa?
Andai saja aku bisa pergi sama temen-temen cewek. Tapi ini masalahnya bukan homecoming atau pesta dansa biasa... yang biasanya aku perginya sama temen-temen cewek.

Ini adalah PROM. Ini adalah upacara kelulusan siswa-siswi versi Amerika. Kalau Smansa punya acara perpisahan kelas 3 di Hotel Bumi Wiyata, Prom hakikatnya sama aja kayak perpi kelas 3 itu. Semua orang harus berpakaian resmi dan rapi serta anggun. Kalau di Indonesia kita-kita yang cewek pakai kebaya, di sini siswi-siswinya pakai gaun. Ya pada intinya sama saja.

However, tetep aja ada bedanya. Di Prom, normalnya para siswa dan siswi datang ke sana dengan berpasang-pasangan. Tentu saja pasangannya mesti cewek-cowok, bukan cowok-cowok atau cewek-cewek. Jadi otomatis aku mesti nyari cowok untuk jadi pasanganku nanti di Prom. Nah itu dia masalahnya. Siapa yang mesti kujadikan 'pangeranku' nanti?

Okay. That's not a big deal. Aku masih bisa bemuka tembok untuk menyelesaikan masalah itu. Yang lebih aku bingungin adalah gaun apa yang nanti akan kupakai? Waktu Thanksgiving lalu, aku jalan-jalan sama Host Mom ku ke mall dan di sana lagi ada obral gaun-gaun Prom. Hampir semuanya open shoulder gitu. So I have no idea what to wear on my Prom. Mungkin aku akan pakai baju adat Bali aja kali ya. Atau kebaya. Ya kalau nggak, aku mungkin akan jahit-jahit sendiri baju Promku. Yang penting, aku mau gaunku tetep sopan dan mencerminkan seorang muslimah.

Prom memang masih Juni nanti. Tapi badai krisisnya udah terasa saat ini.


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Soeharto & Human Nature  

As we've already known..
Soeharto has just passed away..

I'm just wondering..
many people used to dislike him a lot because of his wrongdoings to this nation..

But now, today, in this time, many people are grieving for him..

I believe, that's how human nature works. Whoever dies, except he/she is the worst & destructive person in the world, people will find the best side of him/her.
And they will grieve for the death..

Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi rojiun

Let's pray for Soeharto. May God forgive his mistakes and weaknesses,
and place him in the best place beside Him.

Amin.

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City Buddha  

Siapa sangka di Cleveland, Ohio, USA, ada toko kerajinan tangan dari INDONESIA ??
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Its name is "City Buddha". I just learnt that by accident. I was walking down the street last month, looking for Christmas presents for the family, when I first came to this Indonesian store. I was totally surprised!! I feel like home here.. Everything is from Indonesia. Furnitures, statues, clothes, scarfs, jewelries, and other cool stuffs are soooooo Indonesian-looking. That's why last week, I told Mom to take me there again, because I was missing my home in Indonesia. And I didnt forget to take my friends there too, to prove them how beautiful Indonesia is!!
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Mau ikutan window shopping ke City Buddha? Ayuuk...^^
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Ada syal..
Ada patung Buddha dan Ganesha..

Ada lukisan Buddha..

Ada patung kepala Buddha..


Ada selendang cantik..

Ada tas-tas lucu..

kebaya, kolintang, wayang golek, dan masih banyak lagi...!
City Buddha is really Indonesian! So whenever I feel homesick again, I'll be here for sure... ^^

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White Woman vs Black Man  


Tadi, di kelasnya Mr. Cuda alias American History, anak-anak berdebat menyangkut Primary Election di Amerika Serikat. I was there, and... it's pretty fun. The topic was sort of trivial but interesting to me, about Hillary Clinton vs. Barack Obama (dua-duanya kandidat presiden AS dari Partai Demokrat). Yang menarik adalah, keduanya sama -sama minoritas. Yang satu karena beliau wanita. Yang satu lagi karena beliau orang kulit hitam.
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Tentu saja, untuk memilih satu dari keduanya, adalah pilihan yang nggak gampang. Belum pernah ada sejarah AS dipresideni oleh selain Anglo-Saxon berjenis kelamin laki-laki. That's why, topik ini banyak menarik perhatian warga AS yang masih HOT. Duh, maksud saya topik yang hot ini banyak menarik perhatian warga AS.
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Since the very beginning, sebagian besar murid yang berpendapat, banyak mempermasalahkan "kewanitaan" Clinton sebagai presiden. Pertama, seorang murid cowok bilang bahwa dengan berpresiden seorang wanita, Amerika nggak akan dianggep oleh negara-negara muslim Timur Tengah dalam segala diplomasinya, karena Timur Tengah atau Al Qaeda, Taliban dan sejenisnya mendiskriminasi dan menganggap rendah para wanita. Lihat aja contohnya, Benazir Bhutto ditembak sama teroris gara-gara nekat nyalonin diri jadi presiden Pakistan.
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D'oh.. ?
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Setelah itu, ada murid cewek yang bilang begini....: Tanpa ada maksud mau mendiskriminasi kemampuan wanita sebagai presiden, menurut saya laki-laki lebih patut dijadikan presiden karena secara lahiriah, wanita dilahirkan lebih emosional dibandingkan laki-laki. Dengan sekian banyak perang, hubungan diplomasi, serta perekonomian AS yang jadi standar dunia, saya rasa Clinton akan sangat kesulitan menanggung beban sebagai pemimpin negara AS.
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Well, kedua pendapat itulah yang paling make sense dibandingkan pendapat-pendapat lain, jadi masih terekam di otakku sampai sekarang. Kalau ditanya setuju nggak aku dengan kedua pendapat teman-temanku tadi, I'll say.... yes and no.
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Let's see. Menanggapi komentar temen cowokku yang tadi nyangkut-nyangkutin negara muslim Middle East, aku jadi teringat sesuatu. Indonesia kan negara dengan jumlah populasi Muslim tertinggi di dunia. Total penduduknya >220 juta jiwa, dan >80% nya adalah Muslim. Despite the huge number of Muslim population, gitu-gitu, Indonesia masih banyak yang milih Bu Megawati pada Pemilu 2001 lalu. Itu artinya, nggak bener dong stereotipe yang nyebutin bahwa Islam atau negara-negara Timur Tengah merendahkan kemampuan wanita. Contoh lainnya, almarhumah Benazir Bhutto yang pada akhirnya tertembak juga, kan udah hebat tuh jadi PM Pakistan dan didukung sama banyak rakyatnya yang Muslim. Emang ada sebagian orang Muslim yang berpendapat bahwa wanita nggak pantes jadi presiden. Orang-orang itu sama saja dengan teman cewekku tadi yang bilang bahwa wanita secara lahiriah nggak diberi kemampuan sebanyak laki-laki untuk jadi presiden. In the other words, nggak cuma Muslim aja yang nggak setuju kalo wanita jadi presiden. Sebagian non Muslim juga berpikir begitu.
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Di satu sisi, aku percaya kalau seorang wanita bisa jadi Presiden. Kayak Bu Mega. Yah, walaupun beliau bukanlah presiden favoritku, tapi seenggaknya beliau bisa survive dan bisa ngejalanin pemerintahan Indonesia sampai tahun 2004. At least, she didn't create any harm to Indonesia. Itu juga udah lumayan bisa dibilang prestasi kok, untuk ukuran seseorang yang ngga pernah kesampaian ngelulusin kuliahnya kayak beliau.
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Di sisi lain, Clinton sendiri adalah orang yang amat sangat diharapkan bisa mempertanggungjawabkan resolusi-resolusi AS selanjutnya, bahkan dalam soal perang Irak. Hal ini dikarenakan, beliaulah yang paling gembor kampanye, bahkan melebihi Obama. Mengingat beliaulah orang yang ada di samping Bill Clinton selama Bill menjabat sebagai presiden, sehingga menurutnya "I know what I'm gonna do", ketimbang kandidat-kandidat lainnya saat ini. Beliau sangat emosional dan agresif dalam berkampanye. And I still remember her words, ketika ada seseorang yang bertanya padanya, "Bagaimana kalau rakyat AS lebih memilih Obama ketimbang anda, karena anda seorang wanita?"
Dan beliau pun menjawab, sambil menangis, bahwa beliau heran mengapa rakyat AS memilih selain dirinya, padahal rakyat AS butuh beliau. Tangis ini terulang ketika beliau memenangkan Primary Election awal minggu ini di salah satu state. Sorry I forgot where it was. But yeah... gara-gara metode kampanyenya inilah, banyak warga AS yang bersimpati padanya. I believe.
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So basically aku nggak mempermasalahkan gender. And I don't care who will become the president, male, female, black, white, whatsoever, as long as this one is the best of all candidates. Andai saja kita bisa menciptakan dunia lain untuk tempat uji coba para kandidat sebagai presiden. Sayangnya, satu-satunya tempat uji coba mereka adalah di dunia nyata. Penuh resiko.
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So, seandainya aku harus memilih antara Clinton & Obama, who am I gonna choose?
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Well.. well. First, after all I've been telling things about Clinton, I don't want to underestimate her as a woman or something else, but I still prefer Obama to her. Why?
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To me, USA is a very big, and powerful country, both in military and diplomatic influence. I think it needs somebody who can show its "tiger teeth" to other countries. I'm not saying that Clinton can't do this, but we have to see the reality that so many people in the world, no matter they are muslim or not, have different perspective of woman as a president, than what we expect them to have. Ini bukan masalah Clinton bisa atau nggak jadi presiden, tapi masalah bagaimana nanti dunia luar merespons Amerika Serikat dan presidennya. Clinton dan rakyat AS kan nggak bisa mengubah hati para penduduk planet ini untuk seluruhnya berpikiran sama terhadap presiden wanita.
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The other reason is, I don't like the thought of a dynasty (Clintons or Bushes in the White House for decades lately). Belajar dari kampanyenya Bu Mega, yang juga ngga jauh beda dengan kampanyenya Clinton. Pada waktu itu, Bu Mega juga bilang, beliau tahu apa yang harus ia lakukan, karena beliau melihat secara langsung ayahandanya, Ir. Soekarno. Nah, kalau Hillary Clinton juga merasa pede karena beliau melihat Bill Clinton secara langsung, aku nggak mau terlalu berharap banyak dengan hasil nyata dari omongannya ini. Selain itu, masih ingat kan Bill Clinton pernah punya affair dengan wanita lain pas beliau lagi jadi presiden? Yes, i know, in principle it's their private business, but there's little for me to worry about her character, because she already had messy affair even in her own small family.
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My view on whether Obama would make the best candidate is subject to change. Tentu saja aku nggak mau dibilang udah jadi korban kampanyenya Obama, yang berulang-ulang menyebutkan kata "CHANGE" dalam pidato kampanyenya. But I think, his background is great, the time of his early childhood in Indonesia, the time with his white and Muslim grandparents, the time with the black church in the US, all that should help him in promoting world understanding and peace. It's time that the Muslim world (whatever they call it is real or imagined failings) has somebody to talk to that can understand their anxieties.
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That's just my thought though. No matter what happen, happens. I pray for USA to have a better reputation and no more wars. That's all.

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