Another Trip to Success (Only in Indonesia)

 I went very early this morning. At 4.30 in the dawn I had woken up. The voices from out loud-speaker of the mosques made the silent morning in chaos. Those voices were hard to understand. One sang shalawat, other recited the Holy Qur’an, and another made unexplainable noise. I dreamt of having solemn and nice dawn. One mosque produces sound or any activity that they call ‘religious’ is okay. Just one at a time, not all at once, if so, I cannot hear anything unless yelling and emotional morning. I can never understand why the man inside the mosque is so that ambitious to share his voice. Is that a calling of religion? Or does it come from his personal ambition?

I tried to find a suitable outfit for the ‘Sidang’. Sidang needs a formal outfit such as suit or blazer. After seeing here and there, I found one that I thought suitable enough. Actually I felt very reluctant to go. My exhaust from my endless working from Thursday-Friday-revising chapter 1 to be shown Monday- is still clear. But, I must not listen to my weak part of my body; I must go whatever it takes. Then I had noodle for my breakfast. It’s been a week I lost my appetite. The Sidang kills my hunger for food. I know that noodle will not help much, yet, at least, there is some food inside my belly.

Wearing a formal outfit caused me to suit my self with the outfit. I was very serious, even maybe I forgot to smile. I went by bus and I got one at 5.45. The bus was a bit crowded. There was no seat left for me.  A man who stood near me said ‘that lady will get off in ‘chunil’ (a factory near ciranjang)’.  I nodded and a bit happy to imagine I stood not too long. Then a beautiful girl in pink got on, she stood in front of me. The driver said to the pink girl to inform that in chunil a lady would get off. I talked to myself, ‘one seat for two people, crazy offer’.  I talked to myself again ‘I have the right to get the seat than that beautiful girl as I get on earlier than her’. It was funny; my head was busy talking ‘the right’ of the seat. I believed that pink girl also thought the same thing. She would talk to herself,’ I would get a seat as soon as that chunil worker get off’.  Then, the lady got off. You know what happened? I got the seat as I stood just behind the seat of that chunil lady. I imagined how annoyed the pink girl to me. But I did not care and I did not want to care.

Not long after I got a seat. The conductor let a group of men to get on. There was no seat left, but the conductor continued adding the passengers. No room to stand. I could not sit well, I should lean my body. There were too many people and pushed me.  A heavy bag lay on my shoulder. The owner did not realize that he had burdened other with his bag. I tried to save my shoulder from it. But I couldn’t, it was too crowded.  Thank God, that man moved; I could feel that life was in my side. I did not know that a worse thing had waited for me.

Just a second after the bag-man leaved, a lady in white stood near me. From her appearance she is above forty, a civil servant. I did not take any notice to any actions she made.  But, I put all my attention to her when I felt my shoulder very hot.  I imagined that she brought a hot water in her bag, she did not know if the water would caused other in suffer from its heat. I could not save my shoulder. I had a short rest from heating when the driver hit the brake and caused all passengers to move forward. The bus run and stopped since the road was heavy with vehicles. Many times people yelled to comment motor-bikers who took over turn carelessly.

The hot-bag lady moved backward unintentionally as the brake hit in a sudden. Secretly, I thanked God that she moved backward, my shoulder rested from heating came from her bag. Suddenly from nowhere, a voice of man heard, ‘ma’am, your bag is leaking’. I bet she shocked to death. I turned my head to the source of voice. I saw the hot-bag lady taking a wallet from her bag. The water dropped from her wallet. She opened her wallet, and gosh…! Her expensive hand phone watered. It flashed its light, it hang. She was confused and screamed for help to turn off her phone’s flash. I did not try to be a heroine that time. I realize, I would not be able to turn it off. The phone is a kind of android, the kind that I am not familiar at all. The hot-bag lady blamed herself by saying ,’ I hold this phone, why I put it inside my bag, huh..the soup must leak’. Aha! I know now, why it was so hot, it was the curry. The hot-bag lady got mad to her self; she worried that her hand phone would not work anymore. I remembered once, my phone rinsed into water, it was unpacked and dried by hair-dry, it still worked. But her phone, I guess it wouldn’t work anymore. She put back the battery and completed it by grumbling. She complained that her money also wet. I did not know whether I felt pity on her or not, as another incident emerged. A thin girl almost fell because she felt dizzy as less fresh air available on the bus. She was asked to sit at the floor as no seat left. She sat amongst legs. I noticed that she was too thin; maybe she stopped eating to make her body thin. Or she was obsessed to be thin and her body cannot sustain her so she almost fell.

I tried to enjoy the trip but I couldn’t. I put my attention to the sit-girl. I was so surprised, she played and busy things with her hand phone. I wondered why she did that. Didn’t the phone cause her to feel dizzier? She sat on the bus floor amongst legs and texting (?). I couldn’t understand this world. Or, she was dizzy because she couldn’t do texting (??). O … please.

Luckily my turn to get off came. One thing I almost forget. I gave the conductor 50.000 rupiah. I used to pay 15.000 rupiah from Cianjur to Padalarang. But this time, he gave the change 45.000 rupiah. I paid 5.000 rupiah!! It was very cheap fare, but very expensive payment for my pain in my shoulder.

TRIP FOR LIFE (ONLY IN INDONESIA)

 As soon as my lecturer said the class is over, I run and leaved my cozy classroom. I said cozy for four reasons. First, my classroom is equipped with air-conditioner (AC).  Whereas, I cannot afford to equip my house with AC as my salary goes to fulfill my basic daily needs (food and drink, no movie, no shopping, and no picnic). Enjoying a room with AC is a luxurious thing for me. I can feel my body shiver as the AC is set to 160C, but I do not complain that the room is too cold. I do not want people to know that I am a villager who cannot adjust herself with AC’s classroom. Besides, I always imagine that the have always equip their house with AC. In other words, AC is symbol of wealthy.

Second, my classroom has a glass board. This glass board is new  classroom equipment for me and I almost do not believe my eye that a board can be made of glass. So far, I always see that the board is black or white, and both are made of wood. On the glass board, the lecturers will write elegantly. They lecture things beyond my reach called knowledge (something that I often cannot understand). But I pretend to understand what they lectured in order to safe my face. I do not want my friends think that I am a villager who does not understand scientific thing and academic matter.

Third, my classmates are cool people. They come from all over Indonesia. They appear like future sophisticated scientists. They come to the class with a bag full of books; they equip themselves with laptop; they spoil their communication with android gadget; they distract their tired eyes from small screen of mobile phone with iPad, Tablet, Nook, Kindle, and many other electronic gadgets that I cannot afford to buy them. They are smart and at the same time financially stable, so it is a perfect mixture of being cool. The classroom suits their cool appearance. Further, my classroom will not let the poor taste its comfort as money regulates the poor to be stepped aside.

And fourth, in my classroom there are many expensive foods that I cannot find in my house. My friends brought foods and drinks to the class for a supply, as we study from 7 in the morning till 6 in the afternoon. I, as the president of the class, get the opportunity to taste those fancy foods as my friends think it is not right not to offer the president of the class to taste that food. Many foods that are new to may tongue. Bu again, I pretend that I am not surprised with that new taste. I do not want my friend think that I am a villager.

I leave my campus and cross the busy road. I said busy as IT IS BUSY, indeed. Cars, trucks, motorcycle, trailer, and many other vehicles bump to bump in the small road but their speed over 60km/hour. A new comer like me, many time spend minutes and minutes to see if there is a chance for me to cross the road and at the same time I can safe my life too from being hit by the vehicles. As soon as I cross the road safely, I take the public transportation head to a place called Pasteur. My reason for taking the public transportation is that I do not have a car, but, my friends do, they often offer me a lift, but I feel too ashamed to accept their offer. I know they can drop me in any place I am headed to. But the traffic in this town will not let me to make my friend escort me. I have no heart to let my friend loose one or two hours of their precious time. The traffic in this town causes short distance becomes long trip.

I stop at Pasteur, and take another car to take me to a place named Padalarang. From this spot, I must take a bus so that I can go home.

This time, I take the bus in a hurry. The rain had already fallen. It becomes a threat for my bag that carries books. I do not care about my body, wet is okay for me, but not for my book. My books hate the rain and also wet. Then, I dream of having a Kindle than books. Kindle will not make my bag heavy and it is easy to protect. I need only a plastic and that’s it.  Yet, to have a Kindle or Nook, I must do fasting (not eat and drink) maybe for three months. Pity me. I do not know the name of the bus, and I do have time to carefully read its name. I usually read the name and the plate. In case unwelcome thing occurs, I can ask for help easily. If any accident happens, I will not call the police of course. It is because I do not have their number, second, they will not come to help ordinary people like me. So, for help, call the family. My family, no matter how distance is, they will come and give their hand to save me.

I get on the bus from the back door. This means that the bus is full and again I must enjoy the trip standing. I do not complain for there are no more seats,  as long as my books are safe, standing is no problem. The bag is quite heavy. A laptop plus books is perfect to make my shoulder painful. Unluckily, the bus does not have a place to store the passengers’ belongings. I stand by the door. My hand tries to grab any strong thing to support my body. The conductor yells, he orders to move to make me have a place to stand on the aisle not on the doorstep of the bus. Sometimes, I thank God created me as woman. In the bus, sometimes, the conductor has a little pity on women. He thinks that women are weak so that they should have at least a descent place to stand in the bus.

Other standing passengers in front of me move. This makes me stand in the aisle, two rows from the back. I stand and stand and stand. I learn the situation inside the bus. There are many children even there is a red-baby. I talk to myself; the children are on their holiday trip as June is school holiday time in Indonesia. Children are children, they sing, talk, eat, and do many unnecessary moves. I just observe them. The rain does not stop, it is getting bigger instead. I change my standing position; my body is supported with my right leg now. As it is raining, the bus runs slowly. I look around; I am the only woman who stands. I thank God for this. In a low voice I said,’ if I sit, I guarantee I will vomit. The ignorant male passengers enjoy their cigarette. The smoke flies and mixes with the thin air inside the bus. It causes me suffocate and hard to breath. Then, the conductor closes the back door. A problem arises. The bus is full with people. No ventilation. The window glass has dew. The children grow happier, they shout ‘flood’. I am surprised why the children consider flood as a happy occurrence.

I look outside the dewy window glass. The water covers the road. I cannot understand where the water from, it suddenly swallow the road. I make a guess, the hill is bald, when the rain falls, and it carries the dirt with it. As the road in lower than the hills so the water flow to the road. The water is brown. When a bus run on it, it makes a wing form, and the children clap their hands when seeing the wings of water. The water rises. The bus runs slower. The water makes me scared.

The road is not equipped with the ditch to make the water make its way. I feel pity on the people whose houses lower than the main road. The water flows to the houses and no one can stop it. Why the government does not build a ditch for the water, I think I cannot find the answer for that. (to be continued)