Get"Never"Away Trip. Part two

Grace had been one candy heart along the trip. So obvious to see how the trip has really pleased her to the utmost.

She sang while shivering cold when we reached the homestay in Cemara Lawang. She talked to horses, she woke up at 2.30 am only by my pats on her foot and complained not a word on the freezing cold water she had to bathe with. 

Bromo trip aftermath wonders

"Ma, How can my bugger so black now?"  Grace asked when bathing after from Bromo

Anton: I tend to fall from the horse, hard to keep self seat balanced. my butt buns must be asymmetrical.

David: Can i buy the edelweiss bouquet?

Furi: Come on David, you climbed the 250 stairs with me seeing the caldera up there!

Where's the SuNrISe???

"so basically with all the freezing waiting to see the Sunrise, none of us got any proof of witnessing Sunrise in Bromo."
November 7, 2014

and when morning was reaching 6 am, we decided to step down a bit for some light breakfast.
Jaya Banana cafe. Pop Mie and Mie Sedap instant noodle all flavors, orange juice, coffee milk.

Get"never"away Trip.Part One

selfie time with Furi's new tongsis

Friday, Nov 7, 2014

9 am Furi reached Juanda. A dear sister to Grace, my girl and a dearly loved dream partner of mine.
Furi (www.furiyaniamalia.com) was the second badge of Pengajar Muda alumni at Indonesia Mengajar (www.indonesiamengajar.org), and now a lead engineer in one of the largest Japanese electrical companies residing in Jakarta. Each time she visited us, her testimonies as Pengajar Muda would always awe me and my family, reviving all cells of mine again and again to see the bright days of my nation. And today she came not just to visit us, but also to bring us to her hometown in Probolinggo, visiting what she called as the great wonders of her childhood life.

Anton was not home yet, while waiting for him, my kids went "possessed to be rich" playing monopoly game with Furi, evil laughters of greed were heard everytime someone got a turn to pay fines, debts or rents.


3.30pm we finally, successfully "took off",heading to Bromo Mount and estimated to enjoy a 3 hour trip to reach our homestay provided in Cemara Lawang.

view from our car window when passing the valleys

3 hours were full of rich and cheap chats. From covering the economic, politics, till best snacks issue. Grace slept and woke up 3 times to find herself still in the middle of nowhere. More than 5 times each of my children alarmed "are we there yet" mode.

Dinner was a satisfying one at Tongas Asri Restaurant, Address: Raya Tongas km 84, Probolinggo.
IDR 154,000 (around USD 15) for 6 starving tummies was really a surprisingly tangy deal.

8 pm we reached the homestay in Cemara Lawang and all were quick to sleep, preparing for tomorrow trip to see the sunrise at Bromo.

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Saturday, November 8, 2014.
2.40 am we woke up in freezing cold of 11celcius
nobody wanted to bath or even touched water.
the red Land Cruiser Hard top had been waiting and by 3.20 am off we went.

cold and tough road to the mountaintop

The 4x4 had to stop in the parking area and from that point we had to go by walking or motorbike.

We reached the first viewpointwith hundreds of people had been there before us, facing the sun spot to pop and hands were raising all kinds of androids and smartphones. By glance look, I think Lenovo reigned (hahaha!!peace to Samsung-ers).

say: "Brooomooo"

With those hundreds of people were all mostly tiptoing to capture either with bare eyes or camera lenses, we all got the slim chance to really enjoy whatsoever called as the magnificent Sunrise. It means, as the Sun elegantly rises among the Bromo skyline, we were enjoying the Sun's soft shine and taking pictures with backs of people as background instead!

To be continued..
(Horse-challenge, Black Bugger and the Caldera)

The Runner's Diary

Reflections on www.kelasinspirasi.org

(sent to all volunteers of Kelas Inspirasi, especially KI Jawa Timur)

It was in October 2012 when I  snatched Evi Trisna out of Galuh (office of Indonesia Mengajar or IM) for a quick lunch in Anomalie,  some resto in Senopati area,Jakarta. Evi was Public Engagement Officer in IM, and a dear friend who initiate Solo Mengajar introduced me to her.
"Jul, we just had Kelas Inspirasi last feb 2012, and maybe when held in Surabaya you could help start"
"What is that?"
"Like a career day in primary schools we used to have in many private schools here, all professional volunteers, took a day off  at work, teaching @ marginal public schools"

I dropped her back to Galuh and the cab took me to Sahid. I kept Kelas Inspirasi in mind, but was still blurred with what I should do, how and with whom I should start. Yet, I promised Evi,I would be in for this.

-------------------------
I am Juli indawati. I came back frm New York to Surabaya in August 5, 2003, believing gigantically that I had this one life to join the big change of my nation, I had my full confidence to start it from educating the youngest children for my better Indonesia. I had all this heart, my each cell, full of the spirit to do, to give my best for generations to come. I started Ivy School, supported by my family and husband.

7 years passed and I could only see myself still fully occupied with what's going on with my school routines, my daily needs and my health. I was pregnant 2 times with heavy bleeding, a baby girl born extreme premature @29weeks and my third son survived only 19 weeks of my pregnancy. I didn't even make any significant move on whatsoever I dreamed of giving best  to "NATIONAL EDUCATION".
Wrap up is: in 2011, I found myself grieving with all if-only scenarios, especially:"if only I did not go back indonesia, I would not go through these ordeals."
And what-if-scenarios, for example:
What if it's just my mooost naïve, stupid vision thinking I could make a change for this nation??? While along the years running the school, I had witnessed some good amount of crippled facts in this nation's education which deeply discouraged me.

I was crashed into pieces of hopelessness and feeling stupid.
-------------------------------------

March 16, 2014. 23.44pm

I'm just done chatting with Vivi, Pengajar Muda badge IV, who's going to initiate Kelas Inspirasi in her hometown, Nganjuk, Jawa Timur.
it has been my 15 months involvement in Kelas Inspirasi.
One movement of many-many hearts believing together in the making of better Indonesia.

I met big hearts, working this crazy dream together. We stripped off any attributes, positions @society, work or institutions, we came from many walks of life, religion and race, walking all the way down meeting the principals of the marginal public schools, preparing the day to teach the children and igniting their confidence to reach dreams, capturing the moments with our cams, singing the spirit out for others to hear and join walking together with us.

The movement has grown so uniquely addictive. We are not ruled by rigid procedures on how to start it, instead we're guided only with general yet rooted principles about what spirit to bear and spread. Each volunteer can take any portion he/she can commit to. We're not bound in any annual membership, not scheduled to annual program-based planning, not sponsorship-funded and not organizational structured.
We "wildly" plunge in any areas, any works we can do together. Even during preparation, the commitee formed are working without someone to be at the higher or lower level of anyone.

A high level manager of over 10 year experience, a teacher like me, an undergraduate student, a catering entrepreneur, a professional photographer, banker, chef, athletes,and pengajarmudas who just got back from their 1 year duty in remote areas, blend together calling people to join, making the one day happen for an elementary student meeting and listening to a role they may never know or dare to know before.

The movement spirit is that humble, yet the spread has been tremendously radiant.
I joined the first Kelas Inspirasi in Surabaya last feb 20, 2013, initiated by pengajar muda and undergrad students. Over 30 schools joined, 212 volunteers involved.
Last November 11, 2013, I was in the middle of Kelas Inspirasi session in one public elementary school in Lidah Wetan, Surabaya, along with more than 1200 volunteers in 100 schools, 14 cities in Jawa Timur.

And now, there has been more and more cities, provinces has geared up the movements.

There was one bb-chat so instilled in my memory, with a friend who just read my broadcasted calling to join KI,and was interested to sponsor the "event".
Me: I need u this time, not ur brand or logo. Join me. Teach the kids, just for one day.
Her: u shouldn't do it this way. Any charity organization needs funding, donations, sponsors.
Me: this is not organization. I just take the plates, the portions, I can eat.
Her: if u want to make it big, u have to make it into a good standardized structure. Set an office as headquarter, hire a secretary for doing all the admin tasks. That's how all big organizations grow established.
Me: this is a movement of hearts to remind that the challenge of a nation is the homework of its citizen.. This movement doesn't even belong to any person or group of persons. We don't even dream it to grow big as an institution. We want big in its impact.

She didn't join at last. But what I wrote to her, I kept it to myself as a reminder, how this all started and how this movement should go on.

During KIjatim prep, a female college student who took commitment to start Kelas Inspirasi in her city, texted me:
"We will have briefing next week. Many professional volunteers and even government officers will join. But those who joined in the committee are all still college students. We don't think we can serve 'descent lunch' for them due to limited budget. Is that okay? Wouldn't they feel offended?"

My reply, with my full faith after "been there done that":
"We all here join this movement is to serve, not being served. On the briefing day, focus NOT on what u need to serve them, but what u need them to serve together with u"

Today I heard, she is preparing  for further education-passionate movement in more cities within her areas,  with 'those important people' she once worried for not being able to serve descent lunches. 
It is 00.37 am next day.
I'm getting droopy, but bubbly happy with how God has dealt with me graciously to let me see these days, these people are for real and I am not alone, and this is surely not a stupid dream to ever live my life building brick by brick of my Indonesia.





(August 24, 2013. gathering of first formed committees to initiate KI in 14 cities of Jawa Timur)

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"What u built for years, people may ruin it in one night. Build it anyway"
Mother Teresa.
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readyforslumber
Juli.

BimaJemberBatik

@Ratu&Galih Wedding(LtoR):Lia&girls,Anne,Manda,me,Weilin,Ficky,P.Ali

 April 2013

4pm, Grand Palace, Grand City, Shiseido counter.

I sat facing Wei, with her both eyes look up and Susi's hand confidently eyelined her. We, both Wei and I had been in our party dresses for the wedding of Galih and Ratu (both are Pengajar Muda, fell in love in their duty days in IM placement in Bima). i wore the Jember batik i bought from one Unair student, Rari Sasoka (i love this name so much) and Wei in her tenun-ikat cloth from Bima with gorgeous horse-silhouette knitted.

Wei has been another Godsent miracle sent to me. Evi linked us and first time we met, we spent six hours talking like there's no tomorrow.

Say if i were a 4 year-old-girl loving bed time stories much, Wei's firm and deep voice sharing me the stories about the series of trainings and interactions with the chosen CPM (PM candidates), her visits to schools with brilliant children even in the most remote places of this nation, would be my most preciously awaited moment every time i meet her. Stories of hope, confidence, passion and love, for this nation.

So there we were at the party, watching Ratu glamorously shine both her inner and outer beauty! hours before, i was honored to attend her "ijab kabul" procession (it's like the wedding vow in church wedding). It was a grand mosque, a solemn atmosphere that Galih had to speak the whole-long-nonrepeated proposal speech in one breath to Ratu (that was the ritual to accomplish)

anyway, picture above got no "wedded couple" along, i had amazingly taken allll the pics with my cam with most Pengajar Muda and Kelas Inspirasi team and none of the pics with the bride n groom!

sleepyhead me

may 2012, universitas sebelas maret
Launching of Solo Mengajar.
Hanny Setiawan invited me to attend the launching of Solo Mengajar he had initiated with his passionate team in education.

Actually i just met him twice before. His apprentice, Elvin, was a dear friend of mine, a young woman who had come at the right time with the right questions to rejuvenate my long-dormant cells about the vision God has put in my heart.

Wait, that vision stuff, will be another one long episode to write, so let me just get back to this may 2012 event.

Hanny just told me to come for the lecture of Anies Baswedan and this name was totally a stranger to me. I did not even pronounce it correctly at the beginning.

yet, why was the drive so strong to go?
1. i needed a getaway, and solo i had never been before.
2. i respected hanny a lot
3. i wanted to expand my view, not just seeing the same spots, same holes, same angles around me all the time about education

i went with Elvin and this also pleased me.

i forgot the date, it was around 10am that you had found me sitting on the front row, jaw-droppedly staring and listening to every word this "Anies Baswedan" guy was talking.

-------------------------

"What do you think is the richest resource this nation has?" he asked. and the murmuring voices sound some agreed objects such as: gold, spices, coals and i myself murmured: cpo?

he said: It is you and me, the richest resource this nation has.
 ---------------------
 a young , fired-up-tone, but bitter (i think) gentleman raised a question:
"Why education has to be expensive, shouldnt it be free or affordable for everyone?"

ABW replied again: 
"Gentleman. Education is expensive. it is a matter of who has covered to make it less expensive."

i sat there among hundreds of those university students, watching the slideshows of "Pengajar Muda" (quality university grads who have devoted their "one primary year" after graduating to the remote areas of Indonesia and taught the elementary students there). 

I watched and i listened and i knew i was at the very moment witnessing the vision is just happening.

For two years (2000-2002)before i finally decided that i have to go back hometown, i kept asking GOD if Indonesia was still a hope, or a hole.

One night, in Vena's room (my friend in sunday school teachers team), i opened her Bible and somehow i was led to read this part, a chapter written by a prophet, Isaiah:

Isaiah 58:10-12

New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁰ If you extend your soul to the hungry
And satisfy the afflicted soul,
Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,
And your darkness shall be as the noonday.
¹¹ The Lord will guide you continually,
And satisfy your soul in drought,
And strengthen your bones;
You shall be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
¹² Those from among you
Shall build the old waste places;
You shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach,
The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.

As i was finally standing to sing together my national anthem "Indonesia Raya" and the song Hanny wrote "Berawal dari hati" with all of us that morning, i whispered to God in tremble and tears:
"Yes my Lord, i have seen it. i am not alone. i am now in one of these chosen people, you called as the repairer of the breach, restorer of the streets to dwell in"