Portocal Journey

Ahh.. First day of 365 days in one year ahead. I think it is a must for me to force my self to be more 'discipline' in blogging. Like what I will tell in this post. It's one of the most important events in my life throughout last year, 2014. Or, uhmm.. yesterday. It was my first Teacher's Day celebration as a teacher. When I was a school student, I used to celebrate it. It's a must. But I did it as a student. It means I greeted my teacher and this time, I got it from my students.

Sadly I had a class in Medistra on that day. I can't follow the ceremony. After my class in Medistra, I was in rush to SMK and the ceremony was over. The teachers and students were shaking hand alternately when I reached there. I was the only one who wore the different uniform so I was kinda shy to join them. Then one of my students approached me. A boy in sophomore. He gave me something wrapped in pink or purple paper. I was surprised and almost feeling shy because I'm not a homeroom. Fortunately I still remembered to thank him for the gift. It's a blue food carrier inside. My friends nagged me since they got nothing. Lol.

Every teachers and staffs; include the cleaning services got a jersey-like T-shirt on that Teacher's day. After the ceremony, we had breakfast in the School Hall and the Headmaster greeted the whole teachers Happy Teacher's Day. Because it was the birthday for the whole teachers in Indonesia, our headmaster gave gifts for the teachers who were born on that date. We had Nasi Urap and Nasi Tumpeng. For the Nasi Tumpeng, our headmaster advised the single teachers to eat. Who know we will meet out mate soon. I was one of the teachers who follow his advise. Lol.

Think about Balam have realized me about what a perfect place I've been living in. Our current home is situated in a really quiet neighborhood. It's away from the highway so we never be bothered by the noises from the passing vehicles. There are also very nice mutual respect neighbors. We get the traditional market just on foot.

It only takes 15 minutes to the beach (Pantai Cermin) and more or less 4 hours to the mountain (Mt. Sinabung). That means we do not need to worry about the fulfillment of seafoods,  fruits and veggies needs. Now, it only takes 30 minutes to the airport (Kuala Namu International Airport). And only needs no later than 1,5 hours to Medan (to college, malls or shopping center).

Actually 'far' in Balam is just a distance matter. The company provides good facilities, though. About the electricity, it's not something which will happen permanently. Like people say, everything needs process and the powerhouse construction includes that story. I hear the children of labors and employees there are exempted from school fees but the schools are still under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, so do not have to worry about the certificate status. There are also shuttle buses which fulfill the transportation needs for everyone, related to school or work.

Being a teacher, regardless of its responsibility to educate, is the happiest profession among others. Good paying (please don't compare with the crazy amount of money a director makes!), long holidays as the students get, no under pressure work and with very short working hours. Moreover, I hear an issue that company held annual company trip to some places which if I have to use my own money to go to, I will not think anything and decide to just stay at home. haha.

***

I've downloaded some hidden object games like Cruel Games - Red Riding Hood, Les Miserables - Cosette's Fate, Otherworld: Spring of Shadows, Chronicles of Albian 2: The Wizbury School of Magic, Campfire Legends - The Last Act, Phantasmat, Shadow Wolf Mysteries 3- Cursed Wedding, The Fog, The Tiny Bang Story, Stray Souls - Dollhouse Story, Snark Busters 2 - All Revved Up. I save them savely in my Games folder happily to bring to accompany me in Balam. I smiled every each of the beautiful yet creepy games' installment was success. I will also bring so many DVDs to play in my laptop.

I'm so ready!!

I told my parents I will try to begin a brand new life in Balam. They told me not to worry about the water and food-needs problems. There must be some people whom can be paid to bring us that water. About the food-needs, it's impossible if there is no veggies seller selling around the housing. So I don't need to go to the market which opens only several days a week. The family there looked like buying their food-needs for a week suplies since the market is.. so far. Ugh! 

Moreover my parents added they will give me a visit regularly for sure.To give me more spirits, daddy came to his office where he used to work (he is a pensioner of one of a state-owned enterprises which run the cacao plantation) to get his monthly salary slip, in order to give me an explanation how lucky I am, do not need to start from the lowest level like most people did.

There, I don't need to rent a house since it is provided by the company. Electricity is a luxury but it's free. There's no cost for public transportation because the school where I will teach is near my designate house. It means I can save more money. 

***

My mother has prepared everything she knows I will need. Kitchen equipments, eating utensils, bathroom fixtures to my clothing needs; for washing and ironing. Everything! Even she has prepared the cleaning tools for the house, inside and yard.

It has been more than one year I bear this jobless status. I took the test to be a civil servant in three ministries this year, but none I could pass. Classic reason: too many participants, too few formations, too high passing grade. Duh! But it's like I triplicated three years exams within one year. I mean, so many people could only participate into one exam in one year. And I think this first entrance exam to be PNS of mine is the best compared to the ones of previous several years. I can check the people's scores who passed the test via online, so although there is still any possibility of bribery activity, at least I could see with my own eyes that those peoples' scores could prove me they deserved the passing.

Just flashback to the first exam I took in Foreign Ministry which took place in Jakarta. That's the first time for me to go there. As a suburban girl, I was amazed how that city surrounded by so many very tall buildings beautifully, the malls which I never see before, Jakarta's well known traffic jam, and of course the socialites' life style which kinda lowered my self-esteem. hee. I imagined how if I passed the test and moved to stay there. Undergoing the 7 months training at the education center of Foreign Ministry, before being inducted into legitimate civil servant. But maybe I have no any destiny to work in there. hahhh.

Continued to the second and the last exam which I took in The Ministry of Fishery and Marine and The Transportation Ministry. I changed my imagination from working in Jakarta to working in Belawan, in a port area where I will see the activities of the massive good transporting ships from domestic and foreign. Will play in the beach in the afternoon and it means no worry about crabs and prawns starving. And watching the fishermen go to and return from the sea, separating the fish from the net, are something I always experience happily.

But one week before the official announcement of the exam result, Noni texted me that there was an offer to work as a teacher in a school which is under the auspices of the biggest company of food products producer in this country, which has its branch in Balam, a sub-district (maybe) in Riau. (I don't know if there is other food products producer which is bigger than that one). Very seductive! The salary is higher than being civil servant in basic level for a strata one. 

So Noni asked me to go to Balam to give a visit back to her friend who ever visited her with his family, and ushered my files at once. We took the night bus, left at 10 pm and arrived there at 6 in the morning. Got off the bus, I still felt 'normal'. But when Noni's friend and his brother came to picked us up, I started to know what a place I would stay in. 

It's an oil palm plantation, a huge one I mean, where it took 20 minutes to reach their home. (And if it has been fixed, I will live in there too). 20 minutes from the highway by riding a motorbike with high speed, according to me is far! And when I saw the environment, a place where it looked like there's no life! Too quiet! I'm shocked. Immediately I thought, for what sake I earn much money if I had to live in this place? But I tried my best to control my feeling because we were being guest in a house where there are 9 family members, so I had to give my best smile. 

In the first night, I felt worry about the possibility I will move into there. But in the second night, when I watched a movie which some of its conversations told: we will not know if something is good for us or not, before we go through it. I start to think do not be only because of the momentary feeling, I lost a big chance which so many people do not need to think even once to grab.

We stayed there for 2 nights and when went home, I told my parents that there was a big possibility I would be accepted. But I cried and explained how the place was. No network coverage for hi-tech cell phones. Water came once in 2 days and the electricity was only active between 6 am to 11 pm. I also said that I saw people brought big jerrycan contained water with their motorbikes which I was sure for drink. I nagged how can I do that? I also did not see any market so how will I buy my food needs?

My father calmed me down and told me to make a decision which I myself was being the main reason; it's not a decision which I took parents as the reason. Then I said that I will try first before shouting I give up. But you need to know what I feel, I said. My mother started to cry and told me that before I expressed my feeling, as a couple with my father who started their life from zero in a plantation too, she had known how the place I will live in was like, and was worry whether I could live in a place like that. 

So I ensured my parents, I will try!!

Hmmmm.. I don't know how to convey my thought about the topic for this Day-14 of 30 days blogging challenge by Emotional Flutter. I'm not a successor of Nostradamus since I never believe in any prophecy. I always avoid praying in any social media, no matter what its occasion. So, let me use this post as another words assembling exercise. haha.

There is no any big change I can make in the period of this 2 years. The most substantial of course I could finish my S1 belonging timely. But it is less able to be recognized as a success because until now, I have not found a place that would accept my service in commensurate exchange called a salary.

Maybe I'm too picky. S1 turns out to be an unwritten rule, which I claim myself to be able to get a job that most people called "decent job" for S1. Though there is still no provision for what categories to show a decent profession for S1 too for sure, right? There are, anyway. The dogma from our community! And I've already swallowed it, so be patient with the opportunity to get what is called a proper job is the only thing I can do. Do not want to be a hypocrite as well. I did very little effort.

In this two years, I also began to understand as the name: the treatments that we give to other people, have a major influence on any outcome that we receive from any intention we want to do. So I started to learn to control the nature of my  easily angry. Yes, despite good intentions certainly be an easy target for the devil to ruin. haha. Every time it came for me to do some good intentions, there's always temptation that made me really hard for restrain anger.

Patient.. Patient..

It's my biggest target.

Yesterday I took another CPNS test and it's a test in Ministry of Fisheries and Marine in Belawan. I got the last session in that day and must back home at night. The test itself started on 4 in the afternoon. Because I had taken my first CPNS test in Foreign Ministry before, I could go through it quite calmly. There was no nervous at all.

Bang Abet accompanied us to see the test location and then treated us diner in Senayan City. In the last day, we had to check out from the hotel. I who got the first session test, packed our stuffs and Hanum who got the second one, picked up by her YM Forum friends who then drove us to airport. Having lunch in Central Park before heading to airport.

Went to the employment service in Rampah last Sunday with Chang to make the yellow card. Yes, we are the job seekers; especially me. The yellow card often be used as one of the requirements when applying some jobs. It didn't take long to finish it but we even couldn't submit our files as we didn't know the copy of our certificate degree was a must 

Luckily it's not a waste because we continued to Sulaiman Hospital to take the certificate of able-bodied and another luckiness, there was Au who took care everything for us. We just sit down waiting for her to finish what we needed . Chang suggested we went back home to take the certificate and came again to the employment service in order to finish the whole stuffs in one day but hey, that's impossible 

There was a traditional cuisines stall across the hospital which sells something Chang missed for so long to eat. The stall was too far to reach if the reason was only for this. Lontong Pecel. Lontong means rice cake while pecel is Javanese typical culinary which is made from boiled vegetables like bean sprouts, long beans, cabbages, water spinach, cassava and papaya leaves, served with peanut flavor having a blend of savory, sour, sweet and spicy. Fried tofu and traditional 'red and white' cracker as the complement