The Arc Mathematics

 NGANGET, IN MY LIFE I LOVE THEM ALL

  From left : Me (Fitri), Mbah Wariman, Arum

As the beginning of this story, the best that I should share to the whole world is my grateful feeling to The Lord for giving me this amazing chance to join The 5th International Work camp in Nganget. Thanks God for sending me the wonderful opportunity to gather and have a great joy with the people of Nganget. Thanks God for arranging my schedule to meet and learn together with all beautiful and handsome campers of Indonesia and Japan.

Let me say, before I joined The 5th International Work camp in real (still in registration process, after having interview) I ever thought that it would be better if I was not accepted for this. I just thought that I might be not good enough in joining the work camp.  Time went by, it was the announcement day. And it was a little bit shocked when I found my name in the list. But all my bad thinking gone when the campers of Surabaya held a gathering and sharing all about the work camp. Knowing the great experience shared by JWC campers, it was an enormous support and motivation so I was sure that this was the best chance given by the God.

 Well, I didn’t know about Nganget at all before. I just knew that I would go and do my best there. After arriving at the place, I started to understand a bit. Nganget is a village in Tuban that is surrounded by hill and woods. It takes about an hour from Bojonegoro railway station, by passing the road that makes the feeling up and down. Nganget is place for the people who ever suffered of leprosy. And those all makes Nganget as a special place for everyone who ever goes there.

At first I arriving there I was startled a bit about the condition of the people and their life. I never expected it before. I meet the people with incomplete part of body. And I found also some of the people’s home are not proper for living. I started asking to myself what exactly happened here. And eventually all of my curious feeling got the answer when I started to stay close with the people. They tried to give me all the explanation about their life. And I was feeling really great when they treat me well as a part of their family. I enjoyed it all.

The first one that taught me the life lesson was Pak Amir. I intentionally don’t write Mr. or Mrs. or anything else. I write Pak or Bu or others since I feel our heart close each other because of that initial.

Pak Amir suffered of leprosy when he was still child. He told on that time, even he didn’t want to go to school because of his embarrassing feeling. His friends used to mock him up because of his sick. This is one of the real forms of discrimination to leprosy people, I think. Actually his life was getting worse that his sister blamed him for his sick. She thought that Pak Amir was a useless one who spent much of their parent’s money just for his recovery. She also thought that Pak Amir was the reason of their mom’s dead. Of course, it hurt him a lot. At the critical point, he even didn’t want to spend a long time going back to his former village since the villagers avoided and did the discrimination to him.

I’m sure that God will never leave us behind. He will just stay by our side and bless us His mercies, likewise to Pak Amir’s life. Although the people blamed and avoided him, there must be some person who still love, care and treat him well. His parents must love him so much so they tried their best to recover Pak Amir. Yeah, the love of parents for their children will never end. There’s another special one for Pak Amir’s life. He is his young brother. His brother since his young used to take care of him and support Pak Amir well till right now. And he feels it’s better to live in Nganget because everyone can live peacefully there.

When I heard the life story of Pak Amir, I cried. I might be confused it was right or not but I just kept crying. Then I asked the opinion of Kak Feby and Kak Baiti to what I did. They gave an amazing explanation about it. It should be better if I didn’t cry in front of the people when listen to their story. Because we as the new comer in their life, how we can give them support and motivation if we’re crying in front of them. We should be a big and comfortable shoulder for them to shelter. Since that I tried to stop crying in front of them to make the best point for them, supporting and giving motivation.

Another one who treated me well as the part of family is Bu Hamidah, Wawan’s mom. At the first time we met and started talking, she told me about her family and her live. She didn’t talk too much about the discrimination that might she got. I didn’t know exactly why but she told me about her family’s problem. Since it’s a secret story, it’s better if I don’t share it here. Wawan’s father, how fool I am so I don’t know his name. In spite of that, we’re close each other like we ever met before. May be it was because of the feeling of unity that we came from the same regency. His former home is so close of mine so it felt like we knew well each other before. Wawan’s father told me that his sick of leprosy made him feel low. At first he got sick, he lost his self confidence. He ever thought that he would not get married in his life. No woman would marry him, he thought. But time went by; he met the community of leprosy people. And knowing that some of them were having a family, he believed that everyone in this world has the same right, although he or she is a patient of leprosy or not. Everyone in this world has the right to get married and have the family. Since he got the belief, he married Bu Hamidah. And right now his family is being completed by Wawan and Lia. Wawan and his father are unique. They have the same great ability. They can dance well and I really like it.

Then I found my grandfather in Nganget, Mbah Wariman. My lovely grandpa is so funny, always made everyone around him smiling and laughing. The thing that I always remember is that Mbah Man ever had five wives. It made me a thought that Mbah Man must be a cool man as he was young. As I met him I never knew him regretting, feeling sad or being upset of his condition. He is a strong man in real.

Nganget, there are a lot of story I had here. I found a new family here. I found mom, dad, brothers, sisters and also grandparents. I was feeling great when everyone including the people of Nganget and also the campers really accepted me as the part of their life. I found many taste of life there, sweet, sour and also bitter. There I learned many life lessons that I would not get in another place. The main point here is everyone in this world should understand that there must be problems and obstacle in their life. The only thing we can do is just face it, not hiding or even running away from the truth. It’s a wrong way when we blame the God for this. We must believe that all the problems and obstacles in front of us is the way of God to teach and change us to be a better and stronger one. It’s a good chance to make ourselves stronger than other and more ready to face the world. We just need to be sure that everything happened in our life is on His scenario and one day everything will be right at the time.

Eventually, at last I feel so happy to gather the 5th IWC. Good bye my bad thinking. Welcome amazing moments. I may not be anyone but I’m proud of being a part of these amazing people and stand in line together with them. I may be not good at writing but the most important I think is that I save all those memorable moments in my life and I will recall them from my mind whenever and wherever I miss them.