Bakti Desa

Bakti Desa is a kind of annual program for 11 grader students which exists in my school, 3 Bandung Senior High School. Bakti Desa is an activity which lead us to know how the villager do their daily activities by living at their home for 3 Days 2 Night.

Thursday, 23 October 2014.

Preparation before going to the location

The day came, at 06.00 a.m. we had already in school’s front park. When I arrived, many of my friends had been there. I talked a little with my friends, then I went to the toilet before entering the Angkot (a kind of Indonesian public transportation) which had been booked by 3 Bandung Senior High School.  We were separated, because the angkot which has to take my classmates and I, was so full. Some of my friends move to the other angkot, cause there were no space left in our angkot.

Along the road

We left 3 Bandung Senior High School at 07.00 a.m. Angkot which took us were angkot with Jurusan Lembang. Many people looked at us because maybe they were a little bit confused, angkot jurusan Lembang should not go to the direction that our angkot went to. We went to Resmi Tingal District, Kecamatan Kertasari, Bandung City. I was in the front side of the angkot with my friend, Quin. We were talking about many things and enjoyed the trip. But on the road we found roads that had been repairing, so we had to pass the traffic jump cause of the road repairing, the road is only could be passed with one direction. Along the road, we passed the (rusak) road, it was a little bit annoying but yeah I tried to enjoy the trip.

Arrival

At 10.00 a.m. we arrived at Balai Desa Resmi Tingal (Resmi Tingal Village Hall). We started to carry our stuffs and bags, then we walked to the seats which had been prepared.  The headmasters, teachers, and some of students were inside the room, but some of us couldn’t enter the room because it was too full, so we just sat outside the Balai Desa. After a very long welcoming speech, we finally could take the food. We stood in line then one by one took the foods that had been served by the villager.

Looking for our home

Maybe at 02.00 p.m. we started to go, looking for the villager’s home which had been managed to be our home for days. It took a long time, because the villager who guided us was confused, too many person with similar names and we had to go down stair and up stair to find their home, we were very tired.

Found the home

Finally, after a very tired journey for searching the home, my friends and I could be took a rest in Mr. Toni’s home. Student who lived in Mr. Toni’s home were Adin, Quin, and I. When we came home, neither Mr. Toni or Mrs. Toni was not there, Mr. Toni was gardening while Mrs. Toni was still in Village Hall. So, there were only one of their family with her child. She was very nice for welcoming us, she served tea and some meals, then let us took a rest.

Mr. Toni’s family

Maybe at 3.00 p.m. Mrs. Toni was coming, we were talking about little things, and not long after that Mr. Toni and his son come. We had a little talk. Mr. Toni’s family home didn’t have any bathroom, so we went to their family’s home to take a bath. We met our friends, who lived in one of Mr. Toni’s family’s home, there were Pet, Putri, and Nahla. We talked a little then, when I went outside from their home, I met Bela, Aldza, and Eka. Because I really interested to play in the village, so, Quin and I went to their house, while Adin came back to Pet’s house.

Outdoor Activity

In their home, there lived Mrs. Tati (BK Teacher in 3 Bandung Senior High School). Mrs. Tati wanted us to help her for making parcel, as the gifts for the villagers whom their home was lived by us. We made the parcels then we took a photo, the photo was saved by Mrs. Wiwin, I don’t have the file. The sun slowly went down, we ate the foods cooked by Mrs. Tati, then we went to the nearest mosque to pray ashar, we had a discussion, and planned to have an interaction with the villager, but Quin went home, because she was tired.

First night in Resmi Tingal Village

I still at Bela’s home, I helped them to send the parcels, then Mrs. Tati asked me to fill the absence, so, I filled the absence. I was not sleeping yet, so I decided to bring the absence list and go to all of my friend’s home, so they can easily filled it. When I came to one of my friends home, I met my boy classmates, and they took the absence list, so that I could go home, because it was already 11.00 p.m. because it was a very cold night, we tried to warm our body, at 11.30 p.m. my classmates and I made ‘api unggun’ to warm us, we took a photo than we went back to the home at 00.00 a.m.

Friday, 24 October, 2014

Preparation before gardening

I woke up at 04.30 a.m. then I tried to wake my friends up, but maybe they were so sleepy so I let them asleep, I went to the mosque alone, then I took a wudhu there, but I chose to pray at home. After I finished praying shubuh, my friends woke up. We took a bath then prepared for gardening.

Gardening!

We went to the garden at 08.00 a.m. it was not too far, but yeah we had to pass so many dangerous road,  we went down, again and again, it was very hard to keep the balance, cause sometimes we had to jump up, passed the rocks, and we were afraid for getting slipped. We took off our shoes because it was so hard to pass the wet soil, and also to keep our shoes clean.

Finally we arrived on the hut. We washed our hands than had a breakfast, it was a very delicious breakfast. Mrs. Toni cooked potato with her own recipe, I had never tasted the delicious potato like that. Then, we started gardening! We looked for caterpillar inside the ‘Bawang Daun’. We were confused, how to find a caterpillar inside the bawang daun, without cutting the bawang daun, but Mrs. Toni taught us how to find it, so we can easily found the caterpillars.

It was a very sunny noon, we were tired. We decided to go home, but we washed our feet and hands first, then we took a rest for a moment, we took some pictures, yeah it was a very beautiful scenery, we could see the mountains, forests, rivers, gardens, so wonderful! Then we climbed up soon.

Interraction with the kids

We took a bath then I decided to play outside, I introduced myself to the kids there, but they were very shy, so they run away when I tried to ask their name.  Quin, Yaritsa, and I decided to go to the mosque, we wanted to know the activity there. We were reading the holy qur’an with the kids there and with an ustadz. Then, we had a little discussions with the teens there, they were junior high school graders, they were nice, but yeah the villagers there were very shy, sometimes they just smiling, laughing or just keeping their silence, when we asked something.

The second night in Resmi Tingal Village

I was so tired, so that night Iwas just stayed at home, talked to Mrs. Toni and Mr.Toni, watched TV, then I felt asleep.

Saturday, 25 October 2014

Interraction with the teens

Same as the days before, we took a bath, had a breakfast, and prepared for everything. My classmates and I met the teens there, we looked their performance of playing rebana (a kind of arabic music instrumentals), we also tried to play it, but yeah it was a little bit hard, but it was a fun activity I think.

Interraction with the villagers

In the noon, Quin and I informed the villagers to come to the mosque. We wanted to give them a little bit information about healthy lifestyle and so on, Kang Dito helped us to make that forum. The villagers who come there mostly were the women and their kids. We shared about true way for washing hands, smoking, and some of them were asking for their pain to Kang Dito. Yeah it was a great interraction I think.

Farewell

The time was coming, it was a little bit sad, because we had to leave Resmi Tingal Village. Mrs. Toni and Mr. Toni prepared 3 boxes full of vegetables for Adin, Quin, and I. Mr. Toni brought the boxes  to the Village Hall, so that we can easily walked to the Village Hall without brought the boxes.

After the farewell event, we prayed dzuhur then entered the Angkot soon. We went back to 3 Bandung Senior High School. It was a tired activity, some of my friends and I felt aslept in the angkot. We arrived in 3 Bandung Senior High School 3 hours later. My parents took me home, they were shocked cause I brought a box full of vegetable.

Mrs. Toni still sending me SMS, so that we are not loose contact.

I hope I can come back to Resmi Tingal Village one day..

Matswapati

Matswapati was a very special event held by 3 Bandung Senior High School, Indonesia. Matswapati is a culture festival or usually called “Pensi” (Art Show) but it’s very different because it’s not a modern event, but it is very cultural. Matswapati is not an annual event, the last was held in 2007. Because it is very special, so all of 3 Bandung SHS students and teachers are very interested and we had already waiting so long for this event.

Matswapati used ‘West Java Culture’ as the theme of the event. We could see it clearly from the design, decoration, shows, everything shows Sunda’s Culture. It was held on Saturday, 27 September 2014 in Bali Field, on Bali Street, Bandung, West Java. The ticket was only 25000 IDR. From the information above, do you think it is unique? Yeah, it’s very rare and memorable. So amazing, that I can join Matswapati, an amazing Culture Show.

D – 1 Matswapati

I went to Bali Field, my boys classmates had already arrived there. Most of my girl classmates were so busy with their job for Matswapati, they were the main crew for the event. So, I join with them while they were talking about the decoration for the stand of our class. It took so long time, because we actually don’t know what the description of good looking decoration is. Yeah we we browsed on google, we were searching for the ideas, then we could have some inspiring decorations. Some of my friend and also I, were giving suggestions, we fulfilled the design then some of my friends quickly went to BalTos (Balubur Town Square) to buy all the materials, utensils, and other stuffs. My friends who bought the needs didn’t come back for a long time, when we tried to contact them, they said that they were in traffic jam, yeah it was the busiest hour of the day, the time when the employees  go home. My friends and I just waiting for the stuffs to come, yeah we didn’t have any idea what we had to do, because we couldn’t do anything if the materials and utensils were not arrived yet.

Finally the materials came, we quickly did what we had designed before. I was a little bit tired, because I was not eating yet, and it was near Maghrib time. We didn’t know if decorate a place took a very long time. My friends and I want to the mosque as soon as possible, because we would to continue decorate the stand after pray Maghrib.

I didn’t realize, it was already night, but the decoration was not complete yet. Until 9.00 p.m. we decided to end to decorate, but I was so confused because I got scared to go home by Public Transportation, and I didn’t live with my parents. Randomly, I met one of my friend, she is Bela. She prepared for her performance from LSS (Lingkung Seni Sunda) on the next day. I was asking to her if she would go home by public transportation I wanted to go home with her, because my home is close with her home. But Bela answered that she would go home by her friend’s car, Harits. I had no idea what I had to do, it was a dark scary night for me. Bela offered me to go home with her, by her friend’s car, Bela helped me to asked her friend if I could join his car. He is very nice, I might join his car although I didn’t know who is he before. I waited till 11.30 p.m.  finally their exercise was over. We went home as soon as possible. Harits’s elder brother drove the car, Bela and I arrived in front of my apartment maybe in 00.00 p.m. We were very hungry, so we ate Fried Rice in front of my apartment, I was very tired and sleepy, in 00.30 p.m. I entered my room and Bela went to her home by walking, because her home is near from mine. Because I felt so tired and sleepy, so I fell asleep when I just entered my room.

The Day

I woke up very early, I took a bath then dressed up for coming to Matswapati. I came to the Bali Field and helped the 10^th grader students which had the same stand with us, yeah the stand was for two class each, XI IPA 5 and X IPA 5. I didn’t  know where my friends were. Maybe because I entered the Bali Field too early, so my ticket was not checked. My friend whom her ticket was brought by Bela asked me to accompany her outside the Bali Field, because Bela didn’t come yet. I had a breakfast with her, we ate Kupat Tahu (Tofu with Indonesian Special Rice) in front of 5 Bandung Senior High School, we stood on Taman Musik (Music Park) still waiting for Bela’s coming. We ran to the 3 Bandung Senior High School and looking for her in the 12 Grade building, because her friends in LSS were there, but they said that Bela was not coming yet. I entered the Bali Field to help my friends looked for Bela, Bela was already there, oh God thank you. Bela gave the ticket to Karen, then Karen could enter the Bali Field.

In there, I enjoyed so many performances from my friends and some of performer were not the 3 Senior High School students. I looked LSS Performance, Benjang Performance, the kids traditional costumes carnaval, FTTM ITB performance, Wayang Golek Giri Harja, and of course when Ridwan Kamil did the opening speech and gave some of us Trans Studio ticket, he gave us some questions and also challenges. Bela got the ticket, when Ridwan Kamil asked her to sing Pupuh Sunda. In the afternoon, I bought kebab and ate it in the rest area. But, maybe in 3.00 p.m. I felt so bad, I got sick, so I had to go home soon. I went home and took a rest, I was so sad because I couldn’t join the event until it finished, and also I couldn’t see Glenn Fredly performance. Yeah it was a little bit sad, but it’s okay at least I had so many memories in Matswapati, from the preparation till the event. I wish Matswapati 2014 is not the last Matswapati which held by 3 Bandung Senior High School.

Promote Something Special from Hometown

Seblak

Seblak is a kind of creation food from Bandung, West Java. It is an innovation meal, discovered by someone from Bandung. Usually seblak tasted hot and spicy, of course with strong Indonesian seasoning. It is very tasty and it has many variants, there are many tastes of seblak. Seblak is very unique because it has a special recipe, but some seblak tasted a little bit different with the ordinary one, for example seblak near the Gramedia Bookstore on Purnawarman Street, Bandung, which is very famous.

 

Seblak near the Gramedia Bookstore

Seblak has two kinds, there are wet Seblak and dry Seblak. Seblak is not a food which is eaten with rice, seblak is a meal. The taste which very hot it is the strongest characteristic of seblak. The difference between the two kinds of seblak is, wet Seblak is elastic, while the dry Seblak is crispy. Both of them are delicious and spicy, of course. We also can put everything that we want in our seblak, we can add siomay, sausage, meatball, kwetiaw, bone, fungi, macaroni, and so many else, depend on what we want. Do you want to know how to make seblak? Check it out!

Ingredients :

1.500 gr tapioca starch crackers
2. Hot water for soaking the crackers
3. 1 egg
4. 2 pcs garlic
5. 2 pcs shallots
6. 1/2 finger adult of kaempferia galanga
7. 1 tea spoon chicken/beef broth powder
8. 5 pcs cayenne pepper
9. 8 table spoon cooking oil
10. 1/4 glass of water
11. salt
12. white sugar

Instruction :

1. Put the crackers into hot water and soak them until soft
2. Mash the garlic, shallots, kaempferia galanga, cayenne pepper (optional) and put some salt to make easier to mash those items
3. Heat the oil on the pan and put the mashed ingredients into the pan. Stir-fry the ingredient until dark-brown color
4. Put the egg into the pan and stir-fry until the egg becoming wad
5. The soft crackers put into the pan
6. Pour the water into the pan and make sure the crackers and the ingredient well combined
7. Add salt and sugar as you like (according to your taste) and add the chicken/beef broth powder
8. When all ingredients well combined, that means your Seblak is ready to served

 FYI, there is also instant seblak. If you want to eat seblak easily, without going to the seller or make it buy yourself, you can buy the instant seblak and you only have to pour hot water into the cup, same as making cup noodle.

 

Instant Seblak

Bullying

Bullying

Bullying behavior is prevalent throughout the world and it cuts across socio-economic, racial/ethnic, and cultural lines. Researchers estimate that 20 to 30 percent of school-age children are involved in bullying incidents, as either perpetrators or victims. Bullying can begin as early as preschool and intensify during transitional stages, such as starting school in 1st grade or going into middle school.

Victims of bullying are often shy and tend to be physically weaker than their peers. They may also have low self-esteem and poor social skills, which makes it hard for them to stand up for themselves. Bullies consider these children safe targets because they usually don't retaliate.

The victim of bullying may suffer physically and emotionally, and his schoolwork will likely show it. Grades drop because, instead of listening to the teacher, kids are wondering what they did wrong and whether anyone will sit with them at lunch. If bullying persists, they may be afraid to go to school. Problems with low self-esteem and depression can last into adulthood and interfere with personal and professional lives.

Bullies are affected too, even into adulthood; they may have difficulty forming positive relationships. They are more apt to use tobacco and alcohol, and to be abusive spouses. Some studies have even found a correlation with later criminal activities.

Warning Signs :

Increased passivity or withdrawal
Frequent crying
Recurrent complaints of physical symptoms such as stomach-aches or headaches with no apparent cause
Unexplained bruises
Sudden drop in grades or other learning problems
Not wanting to go to school
Significant changes in social life — suddenly no one is calling or extending invitations
Sudden change in the way your child talks — calling herself a loser, or a former friend a jerk

What Makes Me Inspired by Helen Keller

Helen Keller - My Inspiring Person

I'm very inspired by Helen Keller because she was very wonderful, she could do many things although she had many disabilities. She is educated, charming and great. She is one of the most impressing woman in the world.

Helen Keller was born in United State in the state of Alabama on 27 June 1880 and although she was born healthy. When she was 19 months old she got sick, contracted a very horrible fever and as a result of that she ended up deaf and blind.

“Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.” Helen Keller

As a deaf and blind child, she communicated using specific signs that were given a specific value. As she grew older she realized that those around her can communicate by using words and because of that she started suffering and her pain got more intense as years would go by. At the age of almost seven, her family got herself a tutor, Anne Sullivan who would have a great influence on her life. Anne taught Helen words by signing them in her hands so she could be able to feel them.

Helen learned how to speak verbally, she learned how to read and write Braille, a language where letters are made from raised dots, she also learned Tacoma, reading people’s lips by touching them as they moved and felt the vibrations.

In 1896, they both returned to Massachusetts and Keller entered The Cambridge School for Young Ladiesbefore gaining admittance, in 1900, to Radcliffe College. Mark Twain admired her very much and that was one of the reason he introduced her to the Standard Oil magnate Henry Huttletson Rogers who paid for her education.

While in college, Helen wrote her own autobiography that was titled The Story of My Life, and in 1904, at the age of 24, Helen Keller graduated from Radcliffe, becoming the first blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree.

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” Helen Keller

She also maintained a correspondence with the Austrian philosopher and pedagogue, Wilhelm Jerusalem. In 1932 she was elected vice president of the United Kingdom’s Royal Nation Institute for the Blind.

Helen went to become a world- famous speaker and author and until this day she is remembered as an advocate for people with disabilities among many others. In 1915 she and George Kessler founded the Helen Keller Institute(HKI) organization, an organizations devoted to research in vision, health and nutrition and in 1920 she helped to found the American Civil Liberties Union(ACLU).This amazing woman met every U.S. President from Grover to Johnsonand was friends with many famous figures, including Alexander Graham Bell, Mark Twain and Charlie Chaplin.

She died in her sleep on June 1, 1968.

“Death is no more than passing from one room into another. But there’s a difference for me, you know. Because in that other room I shall be able to see.” Helen Keller

Helen Keller is one of the many great examples to prove us all that there are no limits, no boundaries, only those we choose to impose on ourselves. If you think you can do something you will do it, and if you think you can’t, you won’t!

“I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.” Helen Keller

My Last Holiday

I went to my family’s home at Cirebon.

I played games, and talk about many things with my brother, sisters, and cousins. We watched many movies from DVD, like The Smurfs, Monster University, Nanny McPhee, Hunger Games, Wreck it Ralph, Flushed Away, Alice in Wonderland, Transylvania and other cool movies. The most I love was Monster University because the movie was so funny and the moral value meant deep. I watched TV everyday, watched World Cup and noticed the President Election news.

In that holiday I prepared myself for school, because I should be more focus in this semester.

My mother cooks for broke our fasting were so yummy, I like her Rica-rica chicken, Balado chicken, Balado shrimp, Rendang, etc. Sometimes my family and I broke fasting outside home, the most I like for broke fasting menu outside home is the Betutu Chicken from Bali. I also went to some places which sold takjil. I bought some everyday, like susmsum porridge, candil porridge, banana kolak, fruit soup, donuts, lumpia, juice, etc. I tasted a very delicious traditional food from Cirebon, named Ciko. Ciko is Aci Koko, it was so tasty, I like it!

Every night, I went to mosque to Sholat tarawih. Sometimes I went to the nearest mosque from my home, but more even I want to the biggest mosque in Cirebon, named Masjid At-Taqwa. Because the mosque was so full, I always Sholat Tarawih in the hind row. In that mosque the tarawih was 2o rakaat + 3 rakaat for witir. And every tarawih we finished 1 juz, so in the Idul Fitri Day we finished the Qur’an completely.

In the last day, my parents took my siblings and I to a Stationary Store, we bought school needs. Then, we went to Bakery Shop and bought some breads for me, because in the evening I went back to Bandung. It was a happy holiday!! ^_^