Linguistic Field Trip; Study Tour Program (taken by Rasyid Aziz Nugroho)
Linguistic Field Trip is one of the first contacts between SDU and HKU. This program is intended to be a crucial part of SDU’s future in increasing the quality of the university and the relationships between other universities abroad. “A way to become an international university,” Dalan, one of the advisors of this program, said.
Felix Lew, Linguistic Field Trip participant (taken by Sultan Mahesadewa)
Felix Lew, one of the Linguistic Field Trip participants, said that Indonesia, specifically Yogyakarta, was chosen due to its diverse range of languages. He said that the program has succeeded in fulfilling their main goal on their recent study subject.
“The program gives us a better understanding of language varieties,” Felix said. Not only did the program focus on the linguistic aspect of Indonesia, but it also explored the cultural aspect, which the participants have welcomed with enthusiasm. That said, they find it quite difficult for them to face the cultural differences between their country of origin and Indonesia. “It’s a bit hard for some of us to get used to the culture shock,” Felix said. However, the program has succeeded in its main goal, making it a big achievement for SDU.
Dalan Mehuli Perangin Angin S.S., Ph.D., Linguistic Field Trip partner and advisor (taken by Sultan Mahesadewa)
Dalan Mehuli Perangin Angin S.S., PhD., as the leading director of this event, chose HKU due to his recent study there. Therefore, he saw this as an opportunity to maintain the relationship between both universities. By leading this program, he hopes that SDU will be able to achieve relationships with international universities around the globe, and he hopes that this program will improve the quality of education for SDU’s students as well.
The program was going as planned although there were several hurdles while it was held, such as the tight scheduling and the unpredictable nature of events. However, Dalan was amazed by the SDU students’ dedication to this program by assisting the HKU students’ needs. One of those instances is the eruption of Mt. Merapi. This was problematic, they thought, but it brought another reaction that surprised Dalan. HKU’s students were amazed by the scene of the eruption. They did not leave scared, and they left the place with unforgettable memories.
Dalan wishes that this program will improve the relations between both universities and improve the quality of the investment that the university made since he believes that there will be more exchange student programs in the future.
Journalist: Sultan Mahesadewa, Putu Beryl Putra Widyadhana
ELMO Frijam Band’s performance (taken by Agnes Seraphine)
Yogyakarta (27/03/2023) – The first Friday jamming (Frijam) of 2023 was held by the English Letters Music Organization (ELMO) on the 24th of March. It took place at Sunset Coffee & Eatery with “Nostalgia” as their main theme. Being the first ever event of the year, ELMO Frijam has greatly improved compared to the previous one.
Each band performing has prepared four songs and trained for a month before the jamming session. The band performing are Xtasy, Sixieme Pop, Sixsins, and Glasswuple. The show was closed with a surprise performance from Sammy and his friends, the alumni band. Around 100 people attended the show.
A lot of obstacles were experienced while preparing the show. Katharina Bayusekar, the Chairperson of ELMO, noted that aside from the venue’s location, each band also faced a conflict in choosing what song to perform and how to arrange them.
ELMO Frijam’s Audience (taken by Agnes Seraphine)
Maria Divacaeli Kurniarti, the vocal coach of ELMO, gave a supporting statement on the obstacle faced during the practice. She mentioned that the feedback had to be given to the members repeatedly to ensure they gave the best outcome while performing.
Regardless of ELMO’s struggle, this month’s Frijam was a great success compared to the previous Frijam. With the performers being more prepared, the huge increase in the audience, and the venue being in an outdoor area, it fitted more with the theme which was “Nostalgia”.
Being the audience of ELMO Frijam, Bernadetha Olivia Puspitasari also felt the difference between this Frijam and the previous one. The difference is that it was livelier than before. She said, “Because of the clear sound system, we can focus more on the performance, and the vibe supports the performance.”
She further stated, however, that there was still room for improvement for the next ELMO Frijam.
“I hope they will be more prepared, not too focused (on the song), and interact more with the audience for the euphoria,” Oliv said. With the next Frijam in approximately two months from now, the audience hopes to see more improvements.
Overall, the improvement being made was clear. The vibe, venue, and performance were all done well to fit the theme “Nostalgia”. This month’s Frijam made the audience thrilled about the next Frijam.
"Eruption! Eruption! Come down quickly!" the souvenir vendors who stared at Mount Merapi, which was spewing hot clouds and black dust out, shouted.
The noon on March 11, 2023 was clear, and the day went well from early morning. There was not a single notification of bad weather or other potential natural disasters. Hence, the group of linguistic students from Sanata Dharma University and Hong Kong University and I headed to Mount Merapi to close our week with a Lava Tour.
The tour trip planned to cover four destinations started after we got into our jeeps. Everyone was still smiling excitedly at the thought of our trip, including me because it was my first time being near Mount Merapi. Athena and Aurora, two friends from Hong Kong University, and I enjoyed our first destination trip accompanied by our jeep driver who often joked with us.
Our first destination was the Kaliadem Bunker, the highest point ordinary tourists can visit. We closed the visit with taking a group photo. We finally got back into our jeeps after being urged to save time, and something strange happened at this point. The souvenir sellers and tourists who were below suddenly looked up and stared at Mount Merapi while pointing at it.
“Eruption!” a person next to me said abruptly. Athena, Aurora, and I immediately turned toward the mountain. Sure enough, from the left side of the mountain, thick black smoke could be seen rising into the sky.
The trip down the mountain was thrilling, especially after seeing many people flocking down the mountain. However, our jeep driver reassured us by saying that this eruption was a normal thing that happened at Mount Merapi. Even so, it was difficult for us to calm down because this was our first time going to a volcano, and we were immediately greeted with an eruption.
Even though there had been an eruption, our tour continued. However, we could not enjoy the second and third tour destinations properly since the hot clouds were getting higher and wider in reach. My two friends and I started to calm down after continuing our journey to the fourth destination, which was farther than the previous destinations.
Nevertheless, the eruption that we thought had stopped after a few minutes continued. The hot clouds continued to reappear several times more, even after we had completed all of the Lava Tour destinations. We then heard from our jeep driver that Magelang and its surroundings had been experiencing the hot ash rain, while Yogyakarta was hit by a scorching atmosphere during the midday.
When telling this, I wondered whether this incident was a fortune or misfortune to me. Yet on second thought, enjoying the view of Mount Merapi up close and still being able to go home safely even though we were constantly being chased by wary was a fortune. Not everyone could be that lucky to see the eruption of Mount Merapi up close on their first visit, right?
Today is a beautiful day. Nice weather, but I questioned, is it beautiful because of the weather or the event that happened in my life lately that makes my day wonderful?
As a hardworking man, my efforts are finally paid off. I get the chance to leave the countryside because my job promotion takes me and my fiancée moving to town. I imagine a nice urban area where a life of dreams and success usually resides. It’s nice and also sad to leave this place. I will miss the fresh air once I get in town.
Thanks to the promotion, my family and I are making a celebration of my success. We’re having dinner tonight. I let them choose the menu. They chose my favorite: beefsteak. I volunteered to buy the meat. I choose to buy it from the farm ‘cause I think it will be fresher.
Once I get there, I meet a very nice old man who happens to be a farmer. He warmly greets me and shows me a bunch of cattle grazing in the field. He tells me to choose which one would be my dinner. I choose a big ox which I think will be sufficient for my family members. I point at my pick, and the farmer tells me to wait for the butcher to slaughter the ox.
The farmer leaves me alone with the ox I picked and calls the butcher. While waiting, I take a look carefully at the ox. I look him in the eyes. I wonder if he senses anything, any sign of death, slaughter, beheading, or what will happen to him later.
A part of me pities him a little bit, and the rest is “I can’t wait for what a lovely dinner he can be”. I feel guilty. I do feel bad for him. I really do. I will save him if there is anything I can do, but I suppose my will isn’t big enough to cancel the dinner that I’ve been planning.
The butcher takes the machete and walks closer to the ox. The butcher stretches his arm to enable him swinging his hand strongly without spraining his arm. The ox sees the butcher but has no idea if he will be slaughtered after this.
I wonder if he knows that he is going to die, will he choose to run? Or he does know but won’t run because he’s prepared for this time? The butcher gets ready to swing the machete to his head, yet he still has no clue.
One big swing tears his skin. Blood runs from his neck slowly at first, but the butcher keeps swinging the machete to his head, and the stream of blood runs faster as time goes by. I supposed the faster the blood runs, the lesser the pain. I can see his consciousness slowly disappear.
Here he is, lying on the ground, dead. His head is no longer being a part of his body. I recall that a moment ago, he still had grass for his meal. I feel relieved that at least he isn’t murdered with an empty stomach. Now he is ready to be chopped into smaller pieces so it will be easy to carry home or to cook.
For a moment I feel sad and numb. Maybe it’s because I look at him in the eye right before his death.
I find myself staring at his lifeless flesh. It tells me enough of his life that since he was born, the majority of his days were spent grazing a lot; just eating, eating, and eating. When he is old enough, he will be slaughtered. What a mundane life, I think. What if he knows the purpose of his life is just like this? Would he choose not to be born in the first place? But who am I to think it is meaningless?
At least he doesn’t seem to regret any.
I guess I have got to see mine. In some ways, my life is no different than his. I have spent my life arranging the plan to achieve the future I wish I would have, in the hope that I will finally have excitement in this life, but I forget to live in the present. I work and work and work harder, but to get what actually?
I used to think that the cattle’s life was really dull, but I realize that I just don’t understand the meaning of the beauty of life that we, humans, think is without any purpose. Maybe it’s better if I can just live my life.
—I fall too deep into my thoughts and lose track of time. I didn’t realize how fast time has passed. As if it isjust like a minute ago, I see full-grown cattle grazing. Now I see an old farmer carrying a bunch of small sacks of a disfigured cattle body, walking towards my direction.
“What’s the occasion, mate?” the farmer asks.
“Nothing special. We just want a nice dinner, that’s all.” A moment ago, I was prepared to answer this question to brag a little bit about the promotion. Now, I’m not so sure whether it is special anymore.
I then gesture to where I park my truck to hint to the farmer where to put my order. He nods and then carries the sack one by one into it. Once it’s all set, I’m ready to go.
I drive my truck all the way back from the farm, smoking a cigarette with a window open. The wind blows to my face as I playfully hum a song. I, once again, immerse myself in thoughts.
The participants of LCYA Book Sharing and Theresia Enny Anggraini (taken by Valentina Pascalia)
Yogyakarta (18/03/2023) The first-ever Book Sharing discussion was held by Literature for Children and Young Adults (LYCA) Reading Club on March 17, 2023. Seventeen (17) people participated in the conversation which took place in S. 304. The theme of the book sharing was “Book Treasure“.
Participants were requested to bring their preferred books to share. The discussion flowed well since the participants were genuinely excited to discuss the books they had read.
Andrea Cindy, the Head of LYCA’s Committee, stated that the theme “Book Treasure” meant a collection of the books we shared, and if we compiled with all of them, there would be a lot of books, just like a treasure chest filled with books.
Simon Arsa Manggala, the Vice Chairperson of the English Letters Department, noted that this event marked the first get-together since LCYA joined UKPS. He added that this event was a great chance to develop and share literary knowledge without feeling compelled to do so, and it may help us to support our interest.
“During this event, we can share something we love without any pressure or assignment to do, unlike in the class. So, I hope we can maintain our consistency and interest in sharing books,” Manggala said.
One of the groups, including Anggraini, was discussing a book together (taken by Erica Rafaella)
The participants were split up into smaller groups for a more comfortable discussion. While enjoying some snacks, the participants could share one at a time and exchange opinions. The participants appeared to be active, and the discussion went well. The committee also conducted a game where participants had to guess the titles of books when the discussion was about to come to a conclusion.
As the Head of LYCA Club, Anggraini hoped that the discussion would continue and inspire others to read more and enjoy reading since it was the first book sharing.
“I hope the students or people enjoy reading more and sharing books that others might react about so that we can share and broaden our knowledge because we usually do not have a lot of time to read; reading for enjoyment, not for assignment,” Anggraini said.
The story I am about to tell you is a tale of tragedy.
A wise man once said that there is a thin line between loving and obsessing over someone. To this day, we still can’t figure out the difference between the two. I have seen too many people become insane because of love. A pure white-as-milk love became tainted with an obscure purple-as-Hyacinthus obsession.
How do you know if your love is pure or not? Unfortunately, I don’t have an accurate answer to that question. But, I think we could learn one or two things from Sungu’s story as he tried to prove how strong and deep his love was by doing tasks given by two mighty deities.
⸺⸺⸺○⸺⸺⸺
Once upon a time, in a faraway land called Batu Atos, lived a farmer named Sungu. Sungu lived alone in his poorly-made shack. He remained celibate even though he was about to hit 30. He might not be as handsome as a raden, but he knew his rugged looks wooed a few women a handful of times. He never spared a glance at those women because he wasn’t interested in any of them. The only thing they wanted was a quick fling. He wanted the real deal; true and everlasting love with a woman he truly adores.
Sungu stood barefoot in the muddy paddy field in the middle of the night, carrying a small bucket alongside him. The cold night air didn’t stop his courage to collect eels for tomorrow’s breakfast. Beneath his wet feet, he could feel the silver coins that were thrown by people who still believed in the tradition of throwing coins into the rice field to make their wishes come true.
Batu Atos was an old, small, and remote land. Traditions and myths were still going strong even if the land was already a thousand years old. The people who lived there believed in gods—deities who ruled over the earth, gods and goddesses who resided in the vast skies, spirits living in bodies of water, and many other powerful supernatural beings residing in the expanse of nature. A source told me that the land used to sink eons ago. But because of the goddess of the sea’s powerful rage that wrecked the ocean worldwide, the land resurfaced again. Another one was about a man who got abducted, never to be seen again, by the God of Boar because he tried to marry one of the sacred seven female boars.
Sungu was not a religious man, but he still attended a weekly prayer at the Nyi Ketan Ireng’s temple near the volcanic mount of Jengger once in a while. After all, he didn’t want the other neighbors to think poorly of him. It didn’t mean that he started to believe in deities and myths. That was about to change when a beautiful woman came into his life. Her name was Mangga Ranum.
One day, while working with the other farmers, he heard the news about a beautiful great-granddaughter of a high-caste family from another land. She was to accompany her raden brother for a diplomatic matter at Batu Atos. What Sungu did not expect was how he fell in love with Mangga Ranum in such a religious place, which was ironic since he was not a religious person.
He met her during the weekly prayer at Nyi Ketan Ireng’s temple. Her hair, darker than the midnight sky, was styled in a tight bun framed with a hair net made of jasmine flowers. She wore a traditional kemben, revealing her tan-as-longkong skin. Mangga Ranum’s beauty was otherworldly. Sungu even believed the volcano lava would never be as warm as Mangga Ranum’s smile. He knew every man in the temple also had the same thought as him. It was disrespectful of him to think of a woman that way in a sacred place, but he couldn’t help but admire her. He was only a man, after all.
The thought of Mangga Ranum’s beauty occupied his mind and dreams all the time after that day.
Sungu threw the last of the eels into the bucket. Inside, the eels were squirming around. He had to kill and clean the eels tonight, but his mind was distracted. The full moon above reminds him of Mangga Ranum’s round cheeks as she smiled the other day. He was sure his meeting with Mangga Ranum in a sacred place must had meant something. This was the time when Sungu started to have faith in deities. He might be a peasant, but he knew he could win the heart of Mangga Ranum to get the perfect love he always dreamed of.
Sungu carried his legs through the muddy rice field. He started to run, but his slippery legs couldn’t support him. The bucket, full of eels that he tried to catch all night, scattered on the ground, squirming away as he fell. Sungu didn’t care. He stood and got back on running towards his shack.
He scrubbed the mud off of his body with clean water. He wore his best white clothes, even fancier than the ones he usually used for the weekly prayer. His kitchen didn’t have many foods, but he had a bunch of bananas and ripe mangos. Then, he went to his small shed to get a sack full of the best rice he had harvested. Plates, bowls, and four remaining candles he had left were placed inside his satchel.
In the small temple near his shack, he began to place the offerings on the plates and bowls. With the rice, Sungu started to draw a circle while chanting one or two traditional prayer songs he remembered. He set down the candles near the bananas and mangos as the final preparations.
As he knelt, he lifted his arms and said, “Hear me out, O mighty Mother Earth and thunderous Father of the Sky! One day the girl I love will love me back and we will live happily ever after!”
The earth grumbled and began to crack. Sungu winced as the temple’s roof began to fall upon his head. The Mountain spat out little bits of its molten lava. The trees seemed to move their roots. Up in the sky, the sky darkened. The clouds gathered around the temple, casting an enormous shadow over the temple. The rumbling of thunder shook the place. The strong winds flicked off the candles and knocked them down. Sungu screamed out loud as lightning struck down, almost blinding him.
When he opened his eyes, there stood in front of him were Mother Earth and the Father of the Sky themselves. His mouth gaped in reverence at the sight of the two deities. Around him, things that were flung across because of the winds were magically put back in place. Even the rice circle looked as if it was untouched.
Sungu hurriedly stood up and corrected himself. He knelt immediately before them, “
Please forgive your humble servant for this act of treason, O ruler of the sky, earth, and everything between,” he said.
The sky became thunderous when the Father of Sky began to talk,“Fear not, dear child. We are here because of your prayer.”
“We are interested in your tonight’s prayer.” The voice of Mother Earth reminded Sungu of a bird’s melodious chirp at the peak of dawn. “Love is an interesting thing, is it not?” she winked.
Sungu could only nod his head. His head was still working on the fact the most powerful deities had heard his prayer and stood before him. The Mother of Earth’s long-winded dark hair swept the floor and was frazzled like a tree’s roots. Right beside her, the night sky seemed to paint the Father of Sky. His grey beard seemed to move like clouds, swaying in a hypnotizing manner.
“I apologize for my inappropriateness again, but why are you here, O Mother Earth and Father of the Skies?” Sungu asked.
“We are here to grant your wish, dear child!” the Father of Sky boomed.
“Only if you’re willing to do the tasks we will give to you,” Mother Earth added, “Everyone deserves a chance to fall in love, don’t you agree?”
That caught Sungu’s attention, of course. Maybe there were reasons why Mother Earth and the Father of the Skies heard his prayer. Why would they listen to a poor low-caste farmer like him anyway, if they didn’t think of him as someone worthy of love? He nodded his head enthusiastically, “Without a doubt, I will do anything you ask of me. For my love, I shall do whatever it takes.”
Sungu’s fate was sealed that night. What a poor unfortunate soul.
Sastra Gives Back volunteers with the students of Sanggar Anak Alam (taken by Erica Rafaella)
Yogyakarta (11/03/2023) – The annual activity “Sastra Gives Back” strikes back this semester from February 25th to March 18th. Held in Sanggar Anak Alam, Kasihan District, Bantul Regency, DI Yogyakarta, 40 volunteers took turn each week to teach elementary school students English language from first to sixth grade.
Students show engagement during the learning process (taken by Erica Rafaella)
Sastra Gives Back is a program intended to give community feedback. This program is important because it attempts to educate children on the importance of English language. “In the learning process, the idea of English being fun is introduced in a game-like learning process,” said Naswa as the head of Sastra Gives Back committee.
As explained by the secretary of Sastra Gives Back, Tevin, the learning activity lasted for three hours, from 9 AM to 12 PM. Despite the duration, students appeared to be enthusiastic in the process of learning English. The kids actively answered the questions and showed engagement during the learning process. Interestingly, the students of Sanggar Anak Alam and volunteers of Sastra Gives Back exhibited chemistry in their interaction.
Moreover, the volunteers of Sastra Gives Back also expressed a lot of excitement in teaching the kids. The volunteers’ intensive three days of training have finally paid off. The success of the program cannot be separated from the volunteers’ passion for serving the community.
One of the volunteers, Liza, stated that this program has a lot of benefits for both the volunteers and the community. Hopefully, in the future, this program will continue to contribute to the community more often. As for the kids, they are expected to always remember the lesson and share it with others. Also, future volunteers are expected to be more enthusiastic in sharing their knowledge.
One of the groups, including Anggraini, was discussing a book together (taken by Erica Rafaella)
Students show engagement during the learning process (taken by Erica Rafaella)