"As they keeping their promise to be good in their journey’s”.
Written by Randi Eka Sanjaya
“We enter the school in 16th mister” says Dika in the middle of his holiday.
That day, Dika and Wira is in the middle of their busy time, they helping Siti Harifah (their aunt) to peddle the food. Dika and Wira, who still studying as elementary students at grade five and grade two at Government Elementars School of Diponggo, in their holiday had to helping their mother with this kind of activity. Located in the edge of Diponggo Village, Bawean Island, they had to succumb with the situation when it actually also their moment to play with friends from the same age. In October 2018, they have to embrace the reality for not seeing their father in this past two years, it’s because as the head of the family, their father had to do hard work abroad, but nonetheless it doesn’t keep Wira and Dika to stay silent.
Theit mother, Anita, come to them after finished her market shopping in Sangkapura that approximately 26 kilometers away from their workplace. After her way back, she gives a lot of story about her life. In the middle of her work, Anita says “for operating this small food stall, two people just doesn’t enough as me and their aunt only, so in this kind of situation, my children like to become helper for its mom”. The absence of father figure as the head of family is not a problem anymore, as now their father also has big responsibility in ship crew position, he had to take turns with his crewmate without any schedule to follow. It’s also the same for Anita, her youthful day had to move asideas she already take her opportunity to wander off to Malaysia. It’s not because there is no reason, back then her parents give her encouragement to working abroad and it has been realized from 2002 to 2006. So then she says “it’s decent, because my work before at a restaurant in Malaysia gave me a chance to exist in culinary work here, look at the menu, it seems odd right? It’s because the menu here is majority come from Malaysia food”
Her culinary shop is placed in seashore edge which adjacent with Java Ocean. Her house is contructed by wood which sometimes become fragile for termite cause, this thing caused Anita to sometimes changes the wood for her house, then she said “it’s not a problem if the board become food for termite, the important one is there is no animal made their way inside”. This problem occurs because their house is also in the border of forest, and often times got visited by animal such as pigs, dogs, snakes, or even worse.
Anita got married in 2006. In 2007, she gave birth to Wira which also push her to starting her business in meetballs culinary with only 120 thousand rupiah (estimated $16 in 2020) at her brother-in-law house. Then in 2013, she began to establish her own culinary shop which also become one with her house. “my children like to help their mom if they’re not busy playing in the rear, and they also only play near the house”, Anita says. She taught her children to be autonomous since they were kids, she also said “my children are educated to be autonomous from the beginning like make their own breakfast, and at a times when I got back from the market, they have to be ready to go to school on their own”.
Even so, Wira and Dika is the same as their friends from the same age in Diponggo Village, they sought after studying outside the island. In general, education in Diponggo just finished in elementary level only. After finishing their elementary, this village children continuing their learning process outside the village, often refers to Java Island. It has become this village image lately because there is not enough good responses from local people there.”Wira want to continuing study in Java” says Wira who in upcoming years will finish his study. In the contrary, in 2017, this village developing middle high school named Madrasah Tsanawiyah, but there is still a problem because it doesn’t make anyone interested to continuing study there, then Anita said “I will just follow my children wants where they wanted to be, they said if they excited to go outside Bawean Island, but I have determined it is up to my child, as they keeping their promise to be good in their journey’s”.
Wira (green shirt) and Dika (red shirt) photographed in their home as their working place also
Photo Work: The Age Hackers
Created by: Randi Eka Sanjaya
Media: Photo Paper
Size: 20 cm x 30 cm
Years: 2018
Wira in the middle of his works for helping his mother and aunt
Photo Work: The Age Hackers
Created by: Randi Eka Sanjaya
Media: Photo Paper
Size: 20 cm x 30 cm
Years: 2018
Dika when also helping his mother and aunt. It happen in the middle of his holiday for second years elementary student.
Photo Work: The Age Hackers
Created by: Randi Eka Sanjaya
Media: Photo Paper
Size: 20 cm x 30 cm
Years: 2018
Anita in her working place. Mother for Wira and Dika that also spending her youthful days to working abroad in Malaysia.
Photo Work: The Age Hackers
Created by: Randi Eka Sanjaya
Media: Photo Paper
Size: 20 cm x 30 cm
Years: 2018
Photo of Wira and Dika which show us how modest they are, Be in frame with their school equipment symbolize what they sought after.
Photo Work: The Age Hackers
Created by: Randi Eka Sanjaya
Media: Photo Paper
Size: 20 cm x 30 cm
Years: 2018
Comments