In #Weekend-Engagement in the WEEKEND EXPERIENCES community, Mr. Galenkp created six topics challenges to write about, and here I tried to write while recalling what happened in my #childhood.
Well, my parents sent me to a modern boarding school in 1993. My school was in Banda Aceh, which was far away from my birthplace in Central Aceh. With poor road conditions at the time, it took around 12 hours to get from Aceh Tengah to Banda Aceh. Nowadays, it probably takes about seven to eight hours. Being the only kid in my family to go overseas at a young age, my parents sent me overseas at a young age. I obediently followed my parents' wishes at that time, so I didn't have a lot of resistance. Despite my young age, I was determined to make the most of the experience and worked hard to adapt to the challenging environment.
This me when I was 13 years old in Boarding School at Banda Aceh. Could you guess which one I am ?
Even though I was still in the same province, I was born into the Gayo tribe that's mainly in Central Aceh. The place I was going to in Banda Aceh was mostly Acehnese. The striking difference between Gayo and Aceh is in the different customs and languages that are far from similar and not similar at all. Gayo people have their own language and dialect which is distinct from the Acehnese language. They also have their own customs and traditions which are different from those of the Acehnese. This was one of the main reasons why it was such a culture shock for me to visit Banda Aceh. At the time, I didn't understand a word of Acehnese customs and language. Again, this didn't occur to me when I was 12 years old and I just followed along with what my parents wanted.
Having spent three years in this boarding school, there are certainly many things I remember, enjoy, and appreciate even now, even passing the tradition on to my son (I will tell you at the end of this article). I missed out on memories of when I was in elementary school. This is because I was just like all the other children who got a good education, had plenty of playtimes, and became coffee farmers early on. Of course, everyone must have a memento from the past. This time I want to talk about the time when I was a junior high school student or at boarding school. My story may be simple, but it has made an impression on my attitude and heart and I miss that time.
My father and mother are teachers with educational backgrounds and my achievements in elementary school were quite decent compared to my siblings. It was these two things that made my parents send me to a boarding school like the one I told you about in the first paragraph. As a result, my academic achievements were ranked 1st and 2nd at this boarding school while I completed my education there. I still remember so many memories and lessons from that time, just as I remember my teachers and friends from that time and I am grateful I can still speak with them today.
One story and one glory
Among the many memories, there is one that I remember and treasure the most, and that is adaptation and language. The meaning of adaptation is that I am grateful for my God-given ability to adapt. As I told you above, my language and customs from Gayo are much different from Acehnese customs and language. Honestly, when I first arrived at this boarding school, I found other students from the Acehnese tribe. However, slowly I began to understand their language until in the second year of being at the boarding school I was able to communicate and understand their language.
I can't forget one interesting story about when I first tried to speak Acehnese. This is because I had no idea what it meant when I heard it when my Acehnese friends were angry. My first interpretation of the word spoken was that it was an ordinary expression of anger. Then, at the beginning of the month when we were shopping for our own needs and my friend made fun of me, I said/imitated the words he used to say. I said "Kayak Pap Ma Kah" (Aceh language) because I was annoyed with my friend. I was surprised because all the adult eyes around me were on me. I was suddenly pulled from the crowd by an old man who advised me and told me what it meant. It turned out that the meaning was "you are like your mother's pussy". It was very rude and I had mixed feelings at the time and I felt very embarrassed.
My conclusion here is how important it is to learn the language and local policies of the place we are in. It is important to understand the cultural customs and language of a country so that you can apply politeness and ethics when communicating. You must be able to distinguish where the language should be used and where it should not be used. When it comes to jokes, you can be a little bit joking or a little bit rude by swearing. However, you should never joke in a rude way with older people who value politeness. Fortunately, that was the first and last time I said those words.
The second story that I will never forget and cherish is the courage to migrate. It was difficult when I first began to experience the courage to migrate, as it was a practice taught to me by my parents. Far from my parents, far from my classmates, and far from my birthplace. But as time passed on, I got love from my teachers there, I got new friends, a new environment, and a new mindset. At the age of 13, having to be away from all the things I was used to, it was very difficult. I cried because I missed my parents and siblings. The first year was the toughest period of my migration. This is where I actually practiced maturity and began to learn to consider everything.
With a monthly allowance of only five thousand rupiahs at that time, I was required to be able to manage my finances. I once bought a bar of soap and divided it into four parts. I had to spend a part of it every week so I would still have enough for the next monthly allowance. The same thing for 4 bars of laundry soap and small toothpaste. Truly, wandering has made me learn the meaning of simplicity and consider all things carefully. This taught me how to budget and be smart with my spending. I had to be mindful of how much I was spending and find ways to stretch my money. This allowed me to make the most of the limited resources I had and become more resourceful.
Do you know who is in these pictures? That's my son and now he's in boarding school too. My goal is not to separate him from me at a point in his life where he still needs affection from me. I do not try to imitate my past with his present. But this is purely his choice. He heard my story and made the choice to follow in my footsteps. And he saw the real results of my achievements. My son was inspired by my story and was able to see the tangible results of my success. He chose to attend boarding school to be able to experience the same opportunities I did and to potentially have the same level of success. He knows that I will always be there for him with love and support, despite being apart.
My son was born from the union of two different people as I mentioned above, I married an Acehnese woman. Ultimately, my son can speak two regional languages, Gayonese and Acehnese. As a result, I don't worry if the language will be a barrier for him as it was for me as a child. Furthermore, I want to teach him about being brave in a new environment, where he has to be away from me and not see me every day.
Teaching him to be responsible, mature in his actions and thinking, loving those closest to him, a good education, and a good job have sustained our lives so far. I feel what my parents felt when they sent him off to boarding school. I miss him, but I hope my longing now will be equal to his success in the future. By teaching him these values and giving him the resources to succeed, I'm hoping to give him the best chance in life to succeed and be happy. His success will be our success, and I'm willing to make that sacrifice now so that he can reap the rewards later.
The stories from my early childhood are pieces of the bitterness, sadness, and loneliness I experienced is the achievement of my victory. It is this that inspires me to give my full attention to my children. I hope to God that I can see it all happen. I want to be able to provide them with the support and encouragement they need to feel loved and accepted. I also want to make sure that whatever difficulties they face, they know that I am there for them and will help them through it.
Jump high my son, strengthen your footing and achieve your own victory.
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| My warmest regard | :  |
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| Camera Resource | : Canon 800D |
| Location | : Lhok Nga, Aceh Besar, Indonesia |