KKN Are Changing My Life
Hi, all my beloved readers out there! For you who don't know KKN, it stands for "Kuliah Kerja Nyata" or "Community Services" in English. We, students from Indonesia, have a complimentary task to do community service for a minimum of 3 months in the countryside area of our country.
So what's so special about this community service thingy??? It sounds so dull and めんどうくさい to do. YES, that is precisely what I thought when it first came to my ear. I'm terrified that I can't finish this community service with the best outcome.
You can see the picture above, right? that was my team. Yea, we had ten people per team. We were new to each other because the University randomized the group, so nobody knew each other before. YES, you are right. We are a female-dominated team, haha. With seven girls and only three boys, I somehow managed to survive this community service for three straight months.
Before we meet in person, we know each other from a website that provides our name and phone number, so first, we have to meet each other in person. We decided to meet in the cafe to discuss the location survey and, most importantly, get to know each other.
If you were looking for me, I'm on the left side with a black GitHub T-shirt :D
After we met, we went to the location where we would spend the next three months doing community service. We went there to take surveys about the place and the current problem in that place so we could think about what we could do to solve that problem before the actual day we got there.
Unfortunately, three of my friends can't come with us for the location survey. The University places us in a remote area in Wonogiri Regency, called Tubokarto, in Pracimantoro District.
When we get there, we meet Mr Sutarman, the headman of Tubokarto Village, and there we discuss where we will stay and a lot of other stuff.
We got a place to stay, in Mr. Sutarman's mother-in-law's house. The house is quite comfy. I didn't expect that, to be honest. What comes to my mind is that we should live in some shack, haha.
After the survey, we returned home to prepare our belongings and wait until D-Day.
The D-Day
On 15 July 2022, the day came when we finally fielded to Tubokarto for the next three months.
All students gathered in the rectorate for a ceremonial briefing before we went to our designated place.
My friend Fauzy and I went to Tubokarto by motorcycle, and the rest of my group went there using a bus provided by our campus. We stored our belongings on the bus, but some were on a truck.
When we got to Tubokarto, we dropped all our belongings in our Posko. Surprisingly enough, it's a lot of stuff, I mean, really a lot of it.
In the first week, we don't really have anything to do. We chill and discuss all of the programs that we will execute here.
Get to know the locals.
First, Tubokarto Village is divided into 9 small regions called "Dusun," and each Dusun has its own leader. Locals called them "Pak Lurah." We visited Pak Lurah's home and introduced ourselves.
The next day, we went to Sumber Beton, one of the local attractions. We met a lot of children there.
Bersih Dusun
One of the local traditions that are held annually is called "Bersih Dusun." there will be some local shows like Campur Sari, Wayang, and others.
The locals are very enthusiastic about the show, it's very crowded, and many people, even people from nearby Villages, came to see the performance.
Vacation To Sadeng Beach
We like to explore all attractions in this area, so we decided to visit Sadeng Beach, which is not that far from our Posko. We went there at 6 in the morning. I'm still very sleepy :( But we finally arrived there anyway. The beach, umm, it's not that great; I mean, it's just a port where people sell fish and park a boat; I'm pretty disappointed, to be honest. But we take pictures anyway, hahaha.
Yes, it's pretty fun and makes us more close with each other.
Tutoring Elementary Student
One of our programs is to hold a mini tutoring session for elementary students. We had this on 5 Dusun in Tubokarto. It's fun, and the children there are very enthusiastic too, even though sometimes we are very tired of other stuff we need to do, but we keep doing this anyway.
It's fun to share your knowledge with someone who really needs it.
Computer Mini Course for Locals
One of my Individual programs is holding a mini course about computers with the locals. I teach a simple understanding of Computer Programming and give them basic fundamentals about programming. I teach them block code using MIT Scratch.
Happy Independence Day
17 August is Indonesian independence day. The locals celebrate this by holding many events, two of which are Volleyball tournaments and local arts performances. My friend and I became the committee for the volleyball tournament.
After volleyball tournament, we and (the Village government) held Pentas Seni, where all Dusun sent their best performers to come on stage and perform in front of all Villagers. Oh btw, we stayed in Dusun Sladi, so we helped people there prepare for the Pentas Seni. My friend Kia and Dewi trained Sladi's children for a dramatic dance performance. My friends and I are preparing the attributes and decorations for the Performances. Even though the children are very naughty, they perform very well on D-Day.
We closed that day with joy and satisfaction. All of our hard work is paid.
Pasar Minggu
One of the most prominent programs that we have is Pasar Minggu. It's when we gathered all small local businesses to open a booth in Sumber Beton.
We decided to hold this event so we could help local business grow their business. We had a competition, a mini acoustic concert, and many more at this event. There are a lot of people who come, it's very crowded. I love it. Oh Yeah, I'm the master of ceremonies in this event.
It's very exhausting, but I really loved it, so much loved it. I want to come back and start this event again.
It's time to say goodbye.
It's been a very long journey, but finally, we need to say goodbye. For that, we held a farewell party in Sladi and had a ceremonial event in the village chief's office.
Yeahh, that was a long journey. Thank you to my friends and all of Tubokarto's villagers. These three months will always remain in my memory for my entire life. I can't explain it, but these three months are changing my life. I found a new family, learned how to socialize, learned a lot of new things, and I will never forget this moment.
It's not ending btw
For some reason, my friend Dewi needed to stay for ± 1 week after all of my friends went home, so I decided to accompany her. So yeah, we are the last to go home, hehe.
Now on 23 November 2022, I barely even communicate with my KKN friends. It's not that I don't miss them. It's because I'm too busy with my things, and I think they are all the same, but I want to meet them again. It has been a long journey with all kinds of drama and hate.
But in the end, I love them all.
Thank you.
Your friend, Rasyid.
