Kecopetan (termasuk paspor) di Phnom Penh, Kamboja (ataupun negara lain) - apa yang perlu dilakukan?

Pertengahan Februari yang lalu saya mengalami kemalangan di negara tetangga, Kamboja. Saya ke Phnom Penh untuk wisata. Pesawat Air Asia berangkat dari Jakarta, via Kuala Lumpur, dan tiba di Bandara Internasional Phnom Penh pukul 4 sore. 

Dari Bandara menuju hotel saya naik tuk-tuk, transportasi umum di kota tersebut yang dikenal murah. Bentuknya seperti delman di Indonesia, tetapi tidak ditarik oleh kuda, melainkan oleh motor. 

Kira-kira setengah jam perjalanan dari bandara, tiba-tiba motor mendekati tuk-tuk saya dari sebelah kiri dan penumpang motor mengambil tas di pangkuan saya. Saya kaget sekali dan berusaha memegang tali tas, namun lelaki bercelana jins di bagian belakang motor tersebut lebih sigap menarik tas saya. Dia tidak mengenakan helm dan sempat melemparkan senyuman senang kepada saya. Saya ingin sekali melompat pada saat itu, melompat untuk mengambil kembali tas saya. Motor tersebut mengebut kencang meninggalkan tuk-tuk saya. 

Badan saya langsung lemas... semua barang kritikal ada di dalam tas tersebut. Dompet beserta uang, beberapa kartu bank, dan kartu identitas Indonesia (KTP). Telepon seluler... kunci apartemen... dan yang paling penting, paspor. 

Untuk beberapa jam kemudian, saya merasakan hampa tanpa adanya barang-barang kritikal tersebut. Panik, bingung....

Begitulah kisah kecopetan atau penjambretannya. Berikut adalah hal-hal yang saya pelajari dari mengalami sendiri melakukan langkah demi langkah pasca kejadian malang tersebut dan hasil refleksi untuk bagaimana sebaiknya menyikapi kejadian tersebut di negeri asing. 

1. Baca plat nomor motor pencuri. Saya tidak ingat sama sekali untuk melakukan hal ini. Padahal, mungkin informasi tersebut akan membantu aparat polisi lokal karena pencopetan oleh pengendara motor seperti itu ternyata sedang marak di Phnom Penh. 

2. Segera aktifkan "find my Iphone" jika iPhone ada di dalam tas yang dicopet. Saya tidak melakukan hal ini karena tidak ada akses internet pada saat kejadian. Hal ini bisa membantu melihat arah gerak pencuri, sebelum iPhone dimatikan. 

3. Laporkan ke kantor polisi terdekat. Saya melakukan ini, namun sangat kesulitan menjelaskan rincian kejadian karena tidak bisa berbahasa Khmer (bahasa lokal) dan polisi tidak bisa Bahasa Inggris. Awalnya saya meminta tolong supir tuk-tuk untuk membantu, tetapi dia pun kesulitan. Setelah cukup lama barulah saya teringat untuk pinjam telepon guna menghubungi hotel tempat saya menginap supaya mereka membantu menterjemahkan via telepon. 

4. Telepon bank-bank terkait untuk melakukan pemblokiran kartu kredit dan kartu debit yang turut dicopet. 

5. Segera lapor ke Kedutaan negara asal untuk mengurus dokumen perjalanan pengganti paspor (SPLP = Surat Perjalanan Laksana Paspor). Saya ke Kedutaan Indonesia*. Bentuk dokumen ini seperti buku paspor hijau, tetapi lebih sederhana, lebih tipis, data berupa tulisan tangan, ditempel pas foto, dan ada pengesahan dengan tanda tangan Konselor dari Kedutaan pemberi.  

Keesokan hari setelah kecopetan, pagi-pagi jam 9 saya segera tiba di Kedutaan. Rasanya lega sekali bisa berbicara dalam bahasa Indonesia dan menjelaskan kemalangan saya. Saya mengisi formulir dan harus menempelkan pas foto ukuran 4x6. Akan lebih ringkas jika sebelum melapor ke Kedutaan, buat pas foto terlebih dahulu, daripada bolak-balik. 

*Kedutaan Indonesia di Phnom Penh sangat membantu saya. Pak Iqwan, Pak Nelson (Konselor), dan Pak Chanta, terima kasih banyak. Mereka mendengarkan kisah kemalangan saya, ber-simpati, dan memproses dokumen-dokumen dengan sigap dan efisien. Kala itu saya sangat sedih dan stres karena belum pernah kecopetan sebelumnya, saya minta tolong supaya ditemani ke kantor imigrasi karena takut proses akan diperlambat. Kedutaan membantu mengantarkan untuk menterjemahkan Khmer-Bahasa Indonesia kala diperlukan dan juga menjelaskan kemalangan saya. 

6. Ke kantor imigrasi untuk mendapatkan exit visa** pada dokumen perjalanan pengganti paspor. Prosedur ini mungkin berbeda di tiap negara. Untuk Kamboja, informasi yang saya terima adalah hal ini wajib untuk diperoleh supaya bisa lolos di imigrasi di bandara Phnom Penh. 

**biaya-nya cukup mahal yakni US$ 40. Saya kecopetan seluruh uang dan kartu Bank saya. Untungnya, ada teman yang bisa saya hubungi untuk mendapatkan uang tersebut. Proses exit visa ini antara 1-3 hari. Tampaknya, wajah staf Kedutaan memungkinkan saya mendapatkan dalam 1 x 24 jam, syukurlah. 

7. Jika langkah 3, 4, dan 5 di atas dapat selesai sebelum tanggal kepulangan, maka tidak perlu melakukan penundaan kepulangan ataupun pembelian tiket baru. Saya beruntung karena proses pengurusan paspor hilang dapat dilakukan di hari Kamis dan Jumat saat Kedutaan dan Kantor Imigrasi masih buka.

8. Setibanya di Indonesia/negara asal, segera sempatkan ke kantor polisi setempat untuk membuat berita acara kehilangan dalam bahasa Indonesia. Saya melakukan ini di Polda Metro Jaya. Buka 24 jam. Kala itu hari Minggu jam 5 sore. Tidak ada antrean panjang dan saya dilayani dengan sangat baik dan penuh simpati. Tidak dipungut biaya. 

9. Berikutnya, jika KTP turut hilang, segera datangi kantor kelurahan asal untuk membuat KTP baru. Dalam proses ini diperlukan surat kehilangan dari kantor polisi. 

10. Lalu, sama pentingnya dengan KTP, segera kunjungi kantor Imigrasi terdekat untuk melaporkan kehilangan paspor dan membuat Berita Acara Pemeriksaan (BAP) yang merupakan langkah resmi untuk kasus kehilangan paspor. Siapkan semua dokumen pendukung kehilangan (lihat website kantor imigrasi) dan juga rencana keberangkatan ke luar negeri berikutnya (tiket, booking hotel, surat undangan) jika ada. Tentunya, dokumen perjalanan pengganti paspor yang diberikan di Kedutaan Indonesia di Phnom Penh sangat berguna dalam kasus saya. Surat kehilangan dari kantor polisi juga wajib disampaikan. Penting untuk dipahami bahwa kehilangan paspor termasuk situasi yang melanggar aturan negara dan sebaiknya pelapor bersikap sopan dan menyesal dengan kehilangan tersebut pada saat membuat BAP. 

Puji Tuhan, setelah 3 hari kerja, permohonan pembuatan paspor saya disetujui oleh kepala kantor imigrasi. Karena KTP saya turut hilang dan baru bisa selesai 2 minggu kemudian, saya diizinkan untuk memproses paspor baru dengan menunjukkan resi pembuatan KTP. 

11. Kunjungi kantor cabang bank-bank terkait untuk melaporkan dan memproses pembaruan kartu-kartu debit yang hilang. 

12. Ingat-ingat kartu-kartu apa lagi yang ada di tas yang dicopet. Lalu, urus kehilangannya di kantor-kantor terkait. Memang melelahkan, keluar masuk kantor demi kantor, antri sana sini. Namun, demikianlah konsekuensi kehilangan/kecopetan.

Beberapa tips yang akan saya terapkan untuk perjalanan berikutnya:

A. Pegang kuat-kuat barang bawaan, jauhkan dari kemungkinan dirampas orang ataupun kendaraan yang lewat. 

B. Pisahkan beberapa barang kritikal, jangan ditaruh di dalam satu tas. Saya teringat ada tas pinggang yang bisa direkatkan ke badan, dibalik baju. Mungkin saya akan memasukkan paspor dan dokumen identitas lainnya di dalam tas tersebut untuk meminimalisasi kehilangan. 

C. Saya cukup beruntung saat ke Phnom Penh saya membawa foto kopi paspor di dalam folder naskah-naskah bacaan saya. Foto kopi tersebut membantu proses pengurusan kehilangan saat di Kedutaan. 

D. Simpan nomor-nomor telepon penting di buku catatan ataupun di sent items e-mail. Saya tidak melakukan hal ini dan alhasil saya tidak dapat menelepon atau SMS orang-orang terdekat saya karena handphone saya turut dicopet. Semua nomor-nomor penting itu disimpan di handphone.

Semoga catatan ini bisa bermanfaat untuk orang lain dan semoga perjalanan kita selanjutnya dihindarkan dari kemalangan semacam ini. 

Taksi Perlu Berbenah

Siang ini (Minggu, 28 Feb 2016) saya dengan dua orang teman baik saya berangkat dari lokasi tempat tinggal menuju ke sebuah pusat perbelanjaan di Jakarta Selatan. Awalnya ingin naik angkutan umum berbasis aplikasi, namun tidak banyak mobil tersedia dan estimasi waktu ketibaan cukup lama. Jadi, kami naik taksi reguler dari area tempat tinggal kami. 

Kami termasuk sering naik taksi untuk bepergian di dalam kota Jakarta. 

Begitu taksi mulai bergerak, saya sudah kurang nyaman dengan gerak resah dan komentar-komentar dari Bapak supir. Bapak supir juga menyampaikan bahwa pada hari Senin, 29 Februari 2016, para supir taksi di Jakarta akan melakukan mogok bersama untuk menunjukkan rasa tidak suka mereka pada angkutan umum berbasis aplikasi. Saya sangat ingin mengetahui lebih banyak, tetapi saya merasa tidak nyaman untuk berbicara panjang lebar dengan Bapak supir taksi tersebut.

Tidak lama kemudian, Bapak supir menepi di tempat pengisian bahan bakar (SPBU). Bapak supir hanya mengatakan bahwa dia perlu isi bahan bakar persis saat akan berbelok masuk ke SPBU. Lalu yang mengejutkan saya adalah bukannya dia turun dari taksi untuk melakukan transaksi, tetapi dia mengulurkan tangannya dengan uang 100 ribu rupiah, melewati badan saya yang saat itu duduk di kursi penumpang depan. Dia minta tolong saya bukakan pintu saya, sedikit berteriak memanggil petugas SPBU dan meminta saya untuk menyerahkan 100 ribu rupiah tersebut kepada petugas SPBU. Saya kesal sekali dengan tindakannya, tetapi saya urungkan niat untuk menegur dia karena saya khawatir dia akan berlaku lebih kasar selama perjalanan. 

Saya siapkan Twitter keluhan kepada perusahaan taksi tersebut dengan mengikutkan nomor kode mobilnya. 

Ketika sampai di lokasi pusat perbelanjaan yang dituju, argo menunjukkan Rp 48,500. Saya berikan uang Rp 50,000 dan bergegas turun. Begitu kami bertiga turun dari taksi, Bapak supir menekan pedal gas dengan cukup kencang sehingga deru mobil terdengar jelas, seperti orang yang melaju dengan rasa kesal/marah.

Saya berbincang dengan kedua teman saya -- jelas saja ada pergerakan natural dari pengguna taksi reguler ke angkutan umum berbasi aplikasi. Dari pengalaman saya menggunakan angkutan umum berbasis aplikasi, yakni sekitar 10 kali dalam sebulan, saya belum pernah mendapat perlakukan tidak sopan seperti taksi reguler hari ini. 

Saya lalu mengirimkan Twitter keluhan yang sudah saya draft sejak di dalam taksi.

Saya rasa para taksi reguler perlu bergegas membenahi diri. Angkutan umum berbasis aplikasi lebih murah sekitar 20 - 30% daripada taksi reguler. Supir berperilaku dan bertutur kata lebih sopan. Hanya satu kali saya mengalami supir berbasis aplikasi dengan bau badan tidak sedap, sedangkan di taksi reguler saya seringkali pasrah dengan aroma tidak sedap...

PS: keluhan Twitter saya dibalas oleh pengelola taksi reguler tersebut, tetapi ya balasan standar yang mengatakan bahwa keluhan diterima dan mohon maaf. Saya juga bertanya via Twitter kepada dua perusahaan taksi reguler terkait rencana mogok taksi 29 Februari 2016, keduanya tidak membalas. 

Untitled...

The following sentences are taken from Brida, a novel by Paulo Coelho. I remember that when I read it, I thought about how painful and beautiful the feelings that Brida goes through. I imagined how one's heart could contain such intense and contradictory emotions. I have learned that it can. 

That is what the forest taught me. That you will never be mine, and that is why I will never lose you. You were my hope during my days of loneliness, my anxiety during moments of doubt, my certainty during moments of faith.

I will always remember you, and you will remember me, just as we will remember the evening, the rain on the windows, and all the things we’ll always have because we cannot possess them.

For many days, I wondered if that man really had existed, or if he was an angel sent by God to teach me the secret lessons of life. In the end, I decided that he had been a real man, a man who had loved me, even if only for an afternoon, and during that afternoon, he'd given me everything... his struggles, his joys, his difficulties, and his dreams. That afternoon I gave myself wholly as well--I was his companion, his audience, his lover. In a matter of only a few hours, I experienced the love of a lifetime.

Si puedes recordarme, siempre estare contigo... 

Her new character

She can trigger the hate inside her easily. There are plenty of open wounds. Many of them are drying off, but the tiniest disappointment can immediately tear the skin and exert pain, hatred.

Like when someone replies with the classic sorry-too-busy via whatsaap, when another person never replies to her emails or viber messages, whenever she feels not important. There is a lot of ego and need for affirmation going on inside her. 

She used to be someone whom people look up to, someone sparkling with achievements and initiatives, someone important. 

But now, she is not important.

Someone tells her that live is a theater play. So, she tries to understand live differently. She had this sparkling and important character before and now she is assigned a different character: a common person. Someone doing her daily routines, not famous, not a sparkling star. 

Like this flower... just be a flower, as flowers supposed to be.

She is getting used to her new character. 

In this new character, she meets other people who are "playing" the famous and important character she used to play. Sometimes she feels jealous, in pain, hatred, when interacting with those people. She still craves for compliments and affirmations. 

She wonders.... how can she better perform this layman character? How to be someone with no thirst for affirmation from others? How to be happy simply by doing regular day-in day-out routines?

She starts to identify other people who are assigned with this layman character and start listening to them. Many of them say that they are not lonely even when they are alone. Every now and then, quietly and modestly they celebrate their own achievements, they teach themselves to cherish that simple celebration. Yes, one can teach oneself and get used to it, just like a non vegetarian learns to be a vegetarian. 

She starts to admire this common person character.

Maybe one day she will be assigned to a different character. Or can she choose?

Un Sabado... en mi casita.

Minum jus atau ... ?

Buah segar lebih sehat (dengan asumsi buahnya masih oke, misalnya tidak busuk karena mikroorganisme/kuman). Efek kesehatan dari buah-buahan datangnya bukan dari vitamin dan mineral saja, tetapi juga dari komponen bioaktif lainnya misalnya antioksidan dan juga serat alami.

Apakah perlu tetap dipertahankan konsumsi jus?

Minum jus dalam kemasan itu “handy/praktis” untuk orang-orang yang tidak suka makan buah. Lebih baik ada konsumsi jus dibanding tidak sama sekali.

Bagaimana dengan Claim 100%?

Claim 100%-nya itu extract juice. Mereka pake juice concentrate » Buah asli dimasak sampai jadi pure/pasta, lalu konsentratnya dibekukan & harus disimpan di freezer. Misalnya, produsen salah satu juice dalam kemasan pakai juice concentrate ini sebagai salah satu bahan baku sehingga bisa claim “100%.” Cara produksinya: Juice Concentrate + Air + Gula (jika ada) lalu dimasak + premix vitamin dan mineral, lalu dikemas.

Kalau beli jus dalam kemasan itu beli apa sebenarnya?

Jadi, dari sisi kesadaran konsumen, saat membeli produk jus dalam kemasan penting untuk disadari bahwa uang yang dipakai untuk beli produk jus tersebut tidak membeli kesehatan alami yang sebenarnya bisa diperoleh kalau sejumlah uang tersebut dialihkan ke buah segar. Uang tersebut hanya membeli "Jus konsentrat (ini adalah buah yang dimasak dengan pemanasan) + Air + Gula (umumnya gula buatan) + Vitamin dan Mineral buatan (premix)."

Vitamin dan mineral dari premix (serbuk buatan yang banyak dicampurkan ke jus kemasan), buah atau darimanapun tidak bisa dibedakan oleh tubuh - yang beda adalah kompleksitas saat makanan itu masuk sistem pencernaan. Ada semacam sinergi untuk penyerapan vitamin/mineral dalam tubuh. Misalnya vitamin C bersinergi dengan sejenis bioflavonoid, nah bioflavonoid ini adanya di Jeruk. Jadi vitamin C dari jeruk lebih gampang di-serap oleh tubuh, dibanding kalau vitamin C ini datangnya dari sumber lain yang tidak punya bioflavonoid tersebut.

Selama penyimpanan dan distribusi produk, vitamin dan mineral tersebut juga dapat berkurang kandungannya, misalnya karena kesalahan penanganan seperti di suhu terlalu panas atau dingin atau terlalu terkena ekspos cahaya.

Another trip to the land of dreams

The second trip to the land of dreams took place on January 28th - February 9th, 2013

Good to be back! I love the feeling of coming back to a faraway place.

Something like re-reading a book. I am able to be more relax in absorbing the surrounding, more connected to the people because I don't have to focus that much on getting to the must-see places. Also, this time it is for a structured Learning Week @headquarters and to co-lead three dissemination events.

This time, I managed to strike a professional collaboration with my lovely aunt. Journalists from Voice of America (VoA) came to one of the dissemination event, including my aunt. Here's one of the Radio interviews talking about my trip to DC and one of the output that was disseminated (bantusekolahku web portal).

http://www.voaindonesia.com/audio/audio/256593.html

Until next trip then...

Dear Jakarta,

I love you... I love you not... I love you... I love you not... I love you... I love you not...

My view, Dec 18th, 06:50 am.

Heading East: Sorong Selatan

A solid wish, well said a year ago, "I want to know more of my country, especially East part of Indonesia, eventually Papua/West Papua." I've always been a big believer that dreams do come true, of course with the three must-dos: detailed it, say it, walk toward it.

I reached Ambon, Sorong, Sorong Selatan, Manokwari and Kaimana. I conducted fieldwork in Sorong Selatan and Kaimana for four days each, and a discussion session in Manokwari.

Here's a tiny bit of the trip. Hope to be able to come back here and share more with you.

Approaching Sorong Airport, Oct 28th, 2012

Sorong Selatan used to be a sub-district of Sorong District. Since 2003 it has been a new District. Many parts of the road are surrounded by lush forest/bush on the right and left side of the roads (not with buildings). Each morning there is a long queue in this one gas station in town. From our car, we can see people walking (long distance) from one village to the other.

Roads are not smooth. No regular public transportation, no local newspaper/printed mass media and no phone signal in some parts of the district. Yet, the nature is amazingly green, clear blue sky and such a wide area consisting of valleys, coasts and mountains.

My Brain in the Train (1)

Her long dark hair is tight up in a ponytail style with a pink elastic hair band. The pink color matches the color of her T-shirt.

I like pink. I like it a lot so that the image of that little girl sticks on my mind. If I have to guess, I would say that she’s around 9 years old, hopefully studying in elementary school at daytime. But, who am I to hope for her, on which is best for her? I’m not her. Though it seems like that we fancy the same color. But again, how do I know that she likes pink too. Maybe it was not even her choice.


It is 5.45 pm, the train where I’m in is waiting for departure time. I am sitting with my heavy black backpack on my lap, heavy of carrying a laptop.

She is walking around the aisle of the train, approaching people with a used candy bag as a pouch to ask for money. No, not directly begging, but she is also carrying a heavy black box. It’s a mini-speaker. She sings. Then ask for money.

The train is about to depart. She steps out from the door. As the train doors close, I look down at my heavy backpack. Maybe as heavy as the weight of the black box for the little girl. Maybe it is nothing compares to the heavy weight of having to get some money in the train by singing songs and asking for money.

But again, what do I know about her? Maybe she enjoys it, because she meets friends, laughs, and sees it all like playing a game before sleeping in her family huts.

That late afternoon, what I know is what I saw. Her long dark hair is tight up in a ponytail style with a pink elastic hair band. The pink color matches the color of her T-shirt.


Picture of the Commuter Line train in Indonesia (a non-crowded situation) is taken from here

The Weather Expert

Being in the Thesis phase of my social science study, I am in the mood of advancing and proposing social theories and concepts. Here in the Netherlands, we had a “moody” spring-to-summer transition times. I am proposing: when it comes down to the weather, consult the Dutch!

The Dutch weather is complex. The idea of spring and/or summer is messy between warm-dry in one week and cold-wet in the next week. Sometimes, it is windy and grey in the afternoon and yet, it can still be great barbecue time in the evening.

In order to cope with this complex weather, my Dutch friends consult www.buienradar.nl. This site gives satellite images of the weather and help them to make informed decisions—when is a good time to cycle to the supermarket, when is preferable to stay home and play board games.






















Satellite image of clouds hanging on top of the Netherlands, prediction for a Wednesday afternoon (15:35 hrs) in a summerless summer of August 2011.


One evening, on a birthday celebration, after a second plate of delicious and creamy pasta, we gathered in the kitchen. It was an international group of students. We were thinking about some things to do this weekend in Wageningen.

At once, a Colombian friend asked the only Dutch in the group: “How’s the weather tomorrow afternoon?” And of course, being the weather expert in the group, he appreciated the question and gave a thorough answer: “Well to be precise, we have to check again tomorrow. I remember the forecast says that it would be windy with some chances of shower, but there’s also a chance of sun for several hours in early afternoon if we want to go to the Rhine.”

My Colombian friend did not ask myself (Indonesian), the other friend (Bolivian), the other friend (German), nor himself--obviously... but, our lovely and reliable Dutch Weather Expert!

Cycling-Basketball

We all know that the Netherlands is well known for its overflowing support for cyclists—spacious bicycle paths and traffic priority in roundabout to name a few.

However, I am quite amazed with the fact that the country went so far as to inventing a basketball exercise for cyclists! This invention is called ‘blikvanger.’

Blikvanger is a trash bin for cyclists on the move. With google translate, it literally means ‘eye-catcher’ or ‘tin-can-catcher.’ Indeed, its shape—like a giant bug-net or a big metal cone—would catch the eye of a passerby. Moreover, the wide diameter of its opening make it a comfortable aim for throwing soda-can or other ‘throw-able’ trash while cycling.














A lady on her bicycle throwing an empty bottle to the blikvanger (picture is taken from here)


My Dutch friends told me that blikvanger is a creative approach to prevent littering. For example, Dutch students like to drink something as they cycle to or from school. Approaching the school, they can throw the packaging into the blikvanger. Throwing trash becomes an easy and fun activity. Of course, sometimes they missed, but at least now the trash are concentrated on one area.

As for me, I used it to improve my basketball and cycling skills. Every now and then, I throw things (cans, used bottles, or last part of an apple) into the blikvanger in front of the Pantarijn High School, which is close to my student house in Asserpark. By doing this, I polish my basketball shooting skill and my ability to cycle with one hand--“Two points!”

The 'Queenlessness' of Queen's Day

As published in Resource Magazine (for Wageningen University students and employees), 21 April 2011.

'Participant Observation' is a research strategy of gathering data through participating in the phenomenon to be studied and observing it in its 'natural' environment.
















Last year, I had an assignment to use participant observation on Queen's Day (30 April 2010) in the Netherlands. Interestingly, the main finding was: the 'Queenlessness' of Queen's Day.

Queen's Day is a national holiday to celebrate the birthday of the Queen of the Netherlands.

Before participating in the celebration, my Asiatic background led me to expect to see pictures of the Queen and the Royal Family on the street, on people's T-shirts, or as souvenirs that people sell in the market. For example, it is common to see pictures of the King of Thailand in every corner of the country. One may generalize that in Asian countries there is an overflowing admiration of the king, the royal family, or other leaders.

But as I partied among the orange crowds, I found no pictures of the Queen; I hardly even heard any talk about her. Talking with my Dutch friends over beers and strolling around the market, I found out that the emphasis is not on the Queen herself.

Queen's Day is more about taking a day off with friends and family, checking out the 'free market' (vrijmarkt), and enjoying music performances-both on land and in boats on the canals. The Queen is not present in pictures, but by being thoughtful enough to give the nation a day off on a lovely spring day in April instead of on her real birthday in the horrible winter month of January.

Steisianasari Mileiva (Indonesia), MSc Development and Rural Innovation

Tanzania Volunteer Workcamp 2010: Food for Thoughts

During the workcamp, not only there were lots of “food for thoughts”, but also lots of thoughts were put for (preparing) food.

We organized ourselves by asking all of us, the volunteers, to sign up on which day we would like to be in the daily cooking team. The tasks of the team were preparing breakfast, tea/coffee break, lunch, and dinner, delivering water for people in the construction sites, and cleaning up all the cooking utensils. Every day we had to prepare food for approximately 50 people, except on “Children Day” where we cooked for 300 people. Everyone got his or her turn to be involved in the cooking team, at least two times during the entire workcamp.

Nevertheless, Aunt Teddy and Aunt Kristina (the cooking team from ELU Children Care ‘ECC’ School) were helping us every day, happily and skillfully! Uncle Erasto himself led the shopping for vegetables, fruits, fresh milk, and doughnut (mandazi) in the traditional market. This was mainly because Uncle Erasto knows the sellers who offer the best price. Some of us went with Uncle Erasto to help carry the big amount of vegetables and fruits; and to experience the bustling traditional market in Morogoro. We were always amused with the charming way of Uncle Erasto in bargaining the price!

On normal days, we had bread, mandazi, and fruits (oranges, watermelon, and banana) for breakfast. The cooking team had to wake up earlier to prepare hot water and cut the fruits, at around 7 am or even 6 am when we had excursions in the weekend. Then, between 10-11 am, the sound of “Karibu Chai” called everyone to put down their shovels or to stop their plastering and to come for tea/coffee breaks with mandazi. Chai is a delicious mix of fresh milk, black tea, and sugar. In ECC School, it is a custom for the kids to have chai and mandazi during their break time. “Karibu Chakula” at around 1-2 pm called us to take longer breaks and to enjoy the warm food. Chakula is the Swahili word for food/meal.

The menu for lunch and dinner were traditional Tanzanian: tasty rice (wali); red bean cooked with carrot, tomato, onions, and paprika (maharage); and a variation between eggplants cooked with the same sauce as maharage or “Tanzanian spinach” (to some known as mustard greens). On special evenings, when we had birthdays to celebrate (four birthday celebrations in total), we made special menu such as: Tanzanian pancake (chapati), cooked banana (ndizi), green peas cooked with coconut milk, or pasta.

Of course there were some challenges around the food preparation, things like: salty coffee on the first two days before we decided to buy gallon-water, bread shortage because some mysterious animals decided to crawl on our bread at night time, late dinner time because it took time for us to get used with cooking/warming up with fire, stone, and huge pans; and also some people had stomach problems for a couple of days. But, all in all we managed to go through all those challenges and everyone still remember how much fun they had when they were in the daily cooking team.

We cut buckets of vegetables while sharing stories, learning Kiswahili, and taking pictures. We washed the kitchen utensils and cleaned up the dining area while asking all sorts of questions about different cultures, different life in Tanzania, Kenya, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Brazil, and Indonesia. For example, rituals like: in Europe it is not common to eat rice every day and in Tanzania it is not common to eat warm food only once a day. Aunt Kristina speaks more English than Aunt Teddy, but most of the times, our Swahili speaking friends were there to help with translation.

Most of us agreed that one of the happiest moments while serving in the daily cooking team was when people were sitting on the table; eating the food with their spoon, and saying: Asante for cooking! (Thank you for cooking!)
















A typical 'delicious' lunch time during the construction work

Asante Ianthe for the Picture!


*The workcamp was in August 2010, in ELU Children Care School, Morogoro, Tanzania. It was organized jointly by IDEM and Steinschleuder e.V.

Fast Forward

and finally it arrives ...
feeling like pressing the *fastforward* button
















'dislike'

picture from: here

Sisterhood Space

Dear my dear Sister,

Promise me when we meet again, we'll have our sisterhood space--you, me, the spoken and the unspoken...

Till then... seize the day sis! LIFE has SO much to offer :)
























Big Hugs,
Steisi.

A Speech to Pawan Patil

I delivered this speech one hour ago in Bonn International Toastmasters Club. At the end of the speech, together with the round of applause from the-always-supporting people in Toastmasters, I felt so nostalgic of my FUNtastic time with my previous boss, Pawan Patil, in the World Bank Office Jakarta. I would like to share the speech with you--readers.

Back then in July 2009, we never had the chance to throw Pawan a farewell party. But, I've always wanted to have the honor to convey this speech to him!

In the beginning, I asked the Host of the evening to inform the following to the audience:

"For Steisi's speech, I would like to briefly introduce the context. We are all Steisi's colleagues at work, in World Bank Office Jakarta. This afternoon is a farewell party to Steisi's Boss and our colleague, Pawan Patil, a senior economist and a committed advocate of Youth Issues in the office. Pawan finished his term after 5 fantastic years in Indonesia. He will start a new journey in Doha, Qatar, Middle East Region."

So, here’s the text of my prepared speech (I was delivering the speech without notes):

Wonderful colleagues and friends,

This is not an easy afternoon. I say I prefer one of those busy working days, staying up late in the office, finalizing PowerPoint presentations or policy papers for early meeting with government people//

Why is this not an easy afternoon? Because I have to stand here and address 3 people: My boss, my life mentor, and my good friend. All with the same name: Pawan Patil//

Pawan, when people ask me why I am working in the field of youth development and why I’m so passionate about it, I will tell them it’s your fault!//

It’s because two years ago, there was someone named Pawan Patil, a huge believer in Youth issues, who welcomed me in his team in this office. Back then, I was just finishing my studies in Food Technology, but you spotted that flickering fire in my eyes, that youth energy in me, and my longing to work in the field of development//

You set the bar high in my expectation for future bosses. You are very articulate and your enthusiasm is contagious. I have never remembered leaving your office without feeling excited and motivated to ‘get-going’, to do some action, to get the work done. You brought me to various meetings, even to those high-level meetings, and you introduce me to people. You successfully brought President Martti Ahtisaari on board for our Youth Employment project. You invited me to join meeting wih him! As a young person who is starting my career in the field of development, that means a lot! You welcome critical feedback and you gave me this wonderful advice that I will never forget:

“Steisi, at any time, in those meetings, projects, or events, always think: “How can I do this differently? How can I do this better?”

You are my life mentor. You are a big champion of work-life balance and life-long learning. You put family first! In any stressful situation, I witnessed you picking up those phone calls from your kids, with a cheerful tone. Whenever appropriate, you shared that you are a big fan of your wife and that she is the engine that keep you moving! You were a great supporter of my dream to go to grad school. I still remember that one evening after I got admitted to a grad school, we were sitting in front of the computer screen sending emails to scholarship foundations… and one month later we were talking over the phone literally screaming in joy because they accepted my application! At that time you said:

“Steisi, continue doing that in your future life: do your homework, think strategically, and ask people specifically what they can do to help you. People would love to be part of your endeavor.“

You are a good friend. You are fun to hang out with! We always had fun discussions and creative ideas over lunches or coffee times… One time we submitted this creative idea for an IT competition and we got third prize!! You invited me for a Christmas dinner with your family and we had nice-flowing conversations//

Pawan, all of us here are excited with your new journey in the Middle East region. The region has a huge challenge of Youth Unemployment and you have decided to take that challenge! It is a big loss on our side, but, I would like to see it in the way that the other part of the world needs you… Your energy, enthusiasm, and expertise in the field of youth development//

I can never thank you enough for the most inspiring 2 years of my life. All I can do is paying it forward. In my dictionary the word Goodbye does not exist, only ‘see you later’. So, see you later Pawan, my boss, my life mentor, and my friend//

End of speech

Spot the 'G'

As published in Resource Magazine (for Wageningen University students and employees), 20 October 2010.

Any Indonesian can perfectly pronounce at least three Dutch words—koelkast(refrigerator), kraan (tap), and stopkontakt (electric outlet). Those three words have the same meaning and pronunciation in Dutch and in Indonesian. The real test of our pronunciation of Dutch comes when it involves the mythical 'G' sound.
















After one year of studying in the Netherlands, of course I can say more than those three words. I even can handle short conversations quite smoothly. However, my Dutch friends still spot the imperfection of my 'G' sound!

In Indonesia, we pronounce 'G' like in the English word Game or Great, or like the way the Germans pronounce Guten Morgen. It's not the same in Dutch. We have this theory that our 'G' pronunciation is improving when we have a sore throat. It usually takes us some time to be able to pronounce Wageningen properly. In that case, we consider ourselves more fortunate than our friends who are studying in Groningen!

One evening after basketball training, a Dutch friend came up with a better theory. He said that everyone in the world can pronounce this mythical 'G' sound flawlessly when they are gargling-bubbling liquid in one's mouth, for example after brushing your teeth. Amazingly, people say that one of the hardest Dutch words to pronounce is Gegorgeld! It has three 'G's, one in each syllable. And yes... it literally means gargled!

/Steisianasari Mileiva, MSc Development and Rural Innovation, mileivas@yahoo.com

Vla Love

As published in Resource Magazine (for Wageningen University students and employees), 23 September 2010.

On facebook, there’s a public group named 'You know your Dutch when…' and believe it or not, number one on the list is '… when you love eating Vla.' Well, I have been living in the Netherlands for one year and I have no complaints about the vla culture.
















Vla is my love at first sight. It happened one year ago, at my first dinner in the Netherlands with my Dutch corridor friends in Asserpark student house. After the main course, they told me that it was now time for the most fun part of the dinner... the toetje (dessert). Of course, the toetje was vla.

Back home in Indonesia, there is something called 'fla.' It is a thick sweet sauce made from milk, sugar, egg yolk, and cornstarch. We normally put moderate amount of 'fla' on top of a pudding/jelly, also for dessert. I always like my pudding with lots of 'fla.' So when they said vla, I was expecting a big plate of cold pudding and a bowl of 'fla'. I was surprised to see that what came out from the refrigerator was only something like a milk carton. Yes, that's one litre of vla! Then each of us poured the Vla into small bowls, ate it with spoons, and made the famous 'hmm... hmm' sound just like it's the most delicious thing on earth.

I think having Vla as dessert is smart and strategic... it's sweet, creamy, filling, and most importantly (for the modest student life)... it's cheap! It costs less than two euros per litre and that's enough for 4-5 dessert portions. Moreover, for those people like me who can't make up their mind between chocolate or vanilla flavor, there's the brilliant idea of chocolate-vanilla dubbelvla!

/Steisianasari Mileiva, Indonesia, MSc Development and Rural Innovation

(Some of) MDR Student Life

Yipppeee... the video of pictures compilation is officially in the Study Program's webpage in Wageningen University! Hope you all enjoy it. Feedback/critics are most welcome!

http://www.mdr.wur.nl/UK/Student+life/

*PS. Thanks Abs for the idea of the song and for being on the other side of the monitor during the creative process :)

HUGS,

Sentences

Some of you may know that I've been juggling Thesis Topic(s) in my head for quite some time now. Recently, Conny Almekinders, one of my lectures here in Wageningen shared her tips in relation to Thesis/Proposal writing. Actually, it's nothing new, but it coincided nicely with my state of emotion (entangled with confusions) at that time. Well, 'good timing' does able to turn ordinary into extraordinary and even sometimes disapproval into approval.

She said

"try to make sentences... making sentences will help in documenting those numerous questions and ideas in your head and in connecting or even structuring them."

I second that! Miguel and Leo, my friends in the MDR program were also in agreement. However, it is always easier said than done. Making sentences challenge us to connect ideas and to find words that represent our thinking.

One way to get ideas/inspirations for making sentences is by reading someone else's sentences. I always feel very excited when I encounter sentences that represent my unwritten thoughts. I often find them in Paulo Coelho's novels. Yesterday, I found them in John Mayer's blog! I noticed that the 2 examples are so NOT related to academic Thesis!

Anyhow, John's writing about "Going to Bed" precisely represents my unwritten points about it. I said to some friends, "I don't like going to bed when I'm not totally feeling sleepy, I don't like lying on my bed and trying to fall asleep, I prefer to fall asleep on my desk while working or on a couch while reading." Back home, my Mom was the champion in waking me up from all 'awkward' places to sleep (laptop's keyboard, studying chair, dining table, and even church's chair).

Here I copied John's writing. I ultimately fancy his sentence that I put in bold:

My whole life I've hated going to bed. I like falling asleep instead. Falling asleep is so much better than going to bed because you don't get tangled up in the logistics. Falling asleep happens for you, even if it means waking up at eight to the sun assaulting your eyes while a block of metal videos are playing on VH1 Classic. Then all you have to do is scamper over to your bed where you can capitalize on how fresh the memory of how to sleep is and instantly dip back into slumber. Going to bed invites performance anxiety. Going to bed means you have to confront a final moment of consciousness. I'm not a fan. I hope you all fall asleep well tonight.


Well, I better get some sleep too :)