MERAPI

Merapi is a name of a mountain located in Yogyakarta, Java Island, Indonesia, 30 kms away from where I live. I was never much aware of destruction can be made by its eruption before I experienced by myself. How good theory about destruction made by a volcano eruption I had, without real experience it's just theory! Fear and sadness have completed my knowledge about eruption and destruction. The first eruption was on October 26, 2010 and took 19 lives and injured some people. I was still able to laugh when a friend of mine called me to make sure that I was fine.
October 31, 2010 the volcanic ashes had reached my house, but I still felt okay as the ashes were just very slight and it was followed by rain that washed away the dust in the evening. Life run as usual.
November 5, 2010, Merapi erupted wildly and sent soupy ashes to my house. I was rather panic. I tried to managed my self and called my work team and managed first aids for evacuees. In the evening I sent my kids to Bandung, West Java as prevention effort for worse condition. They stayed there for 5 days.
At the critical time the only thing that I thought was safety! But then.. I muse, who can achieve safety? Where the poor can run away on such condition especially old people, women and kids? They are the weak group and have no ability to choose alternatives for their life. They just take for granted what the fate said and follow the system provided for them whatever it is. How awful! Perhaps they are also people who lose nothing. Or..on the other hand..that I am actually the miserable one who is disturbed by worldly affairs so I become scared and worried!! O..my beloved short life.

Endurance

Endurance is strength to endure something. Have you ever tried to endure something very hard until the end? or....easily saying " I give up and quit from this situation!" Problems are friends of life, aren't they? Although your life is so smooth as if there were no single problems come to say hello in your life, but suddenly you find your son has made quarrel with his friend, your dog chased your neighbour's kids that make them cry,your data in PC lost or some other trivial things that make us dealing with unexpected thing. They are also problem and we often mumble or be furious because of such situation.
Today I get three pieces of cake from an old lady that has been suffered from cancer for 5 years. We pray together for her further cancer treatment. She is very happy and she said that God is so good to her that He has allowed her to still alive for the last 5 years. Now, she pursues more God mercy for other coming years. Honestly, I try hard to understand how she is able to change her paradigm from bad situation into merciful one! Curse into blessing!
I stare the cakes on the table and reconstruct our meeting, remember whatever she said to me, her eyes full of bravery and spirit to life and her faith to God as her life source. The last sentence before leaving that I still remember is, " I can endure it because God has endured much more that I do." Stil, I take a cake and hope that I will get for more other from her next time.

Being the only man!

A young married couple, I mean under 10 years marriage, has often problems to care children while they should go working. In the world of man dominancy, child caring is due to woman's responsibility. Although I am good enough in understanding Gender, I cannot avoid my social culture burden to have responsibility in domestic work. However, I am lucky that my husband has also learned little by little about job distribution not based on sex but based on the competency.
As social worker, sometimes I have to go to other towns, islands even abroad to visit other organizations, to have workshop or to do some programs. So, it is not surprising that my husband comes to our kid kindergarten more often than I do. It's no problem for us, but not for community. It's still strange! They always ask where I am, as kid's mother.
It happens again. I am very very busy that no time left to accompany my kid for school farewell party held in one of fancy parks in my town. I feel that my husband is reluctant to go since he has to spend a whole day with other kids' parents that he predics will be almost mothers! Nothing can be done, I have to lead a meeting! No other one can accompany the kid, except my husband. Thanks God, that he is finally willing to accompany. All kids depart to the location from the school together by bus and will be picked up home with the same bus.
During my meeting, I get a message in my mobile phone. It turns out from my husband. It says, "Hello Mam, we are in the way to the park. You know that all kids are with their mothers. I am the only man in the bus! Actually, it is your job to accompany."
I can imagine that he begins to grumble in such condition and I have no idea to reply. For several minutes later I write, "You are lucky among many beautiful women but don't forget that the bus driver is also a man!"
Well, anyway I am proud of him to spend a whole day with kids and women. As my appreciation I pick them up in the park. How beautiful when a man and woman can help each other and distribute job not because of sex but competency instead.

Lobby

Lobby? What I mean is not a room actually but a strength to approach others in our purpose instead. I did learned "lobby" in Schipool Airport in Amsterdam. I was under stress to know that my passport was not recognized by self-check in machine while I had to board in 45 minutes. The woman in charge asked me to stand in a long queue with about 30 standing people to consult the trouble. O my goodness! What I should do?! Should I be left and never arrived in Bonn?....LOBBY...it was the only answer in my mind. I tried to tell a woman in front of me about my problem by asking her flight time schedule. Yes! I was earlier! So I asked her permition to stand in front. Well, I was successfull. It encouraged me to do the same thing with other people until I reached the front line. Thanks GOD! In 15 minutes everything was over and I was safe to board in 30 minutes. Finally I ran to search the gate to take me to Bonn.
It's a great experience for me going to Germany alone. LOBBY is ability to share our need with others in logic and polite ways.

Thinking Differently

Are you brave enough to think differently? Or do you tend to follow the majority opinion of your community? Of course it often invites risk to come! But what the differences are based on? It requires life values, human right, fair play and it must generate new wisdom for next generation.
A friend of mine invites me on Munich Phil harmony Orchestra. I accept the invitation as I have no experience being in such famous orchestra abroad before. In the crowd that everyone must buy the ticket in long queue, an old lady offers her ticket freely since she cannot attend it because of a certain reason that makes her to go. I observe that it's not easy to offer such free thing here. No one wants to take the lady's ticket! And neither does my friend. How come?!
My friend tells that everyone coming to the orchestra has prepared well with money ticket. They are quite proud of their ability to afford the ticket by themselves. Although the lady's ticket will no use finally, it is not their business. What a pity!
I learn different way of thinking in such case.