The Proverb August 22, 2007

Subject: The Proverb (Ambition and Achievement in Studying English)

By: Indah SR

 

“By learning you will teach, by teaching you will learn.” (Latin Proverb)

 

I found that proverb one day when I was tidying up my room. It was included in an old calendar standing on my desk. It had directly attracted my eyes at the first time I read it, although at that time I didn’t really care about the meaning. However, I kept it in my mind still, and began to think about that.

 

Actually, in fact, I have been both, as a teacher and a student. From Monday to Friday, I was a teacher because that’s my work. And on Saturday, when I was learning English at PPB UI, it made me as a student.

 

I started working as a private teacher when I was in college. After graduating, I started working in an institution and I chose Science as a subject I would teach because it’s the most related with my background, I supposed. However then, through my experience, I found out; there were two most favorite subjects which many people always asked for (to teach them). Mathematic and English. Without reducing the other subjects, if you are expert in one or both these subjects, there will be many opportunities coming toward you. You don’t need to worry about the lack of job anymore, and it’s also possible for you to get a success (in career) soon.

 

Therefore, I decided to enlarge my subject in teaching. I chose Math first because it’s easier, and I realized I was never good in English, too :p. Actually, it didn’t satisfy me yet. I still desired to teach English :p. So, I told my boss that I had been taking an English Course at PPB UI. Then she said she would let me teach English when I had already been in advance level.

 

Finally, I was in advance level now. I started teaching English, and so far I enjoyed it. Although I had absolutely no experience in teaching English or any other social subjects before, luckily, I had some friends who were already English teachers, so I can ask advise and learn a lot from them. And of course, I have learned so much from my English teachers at PPB UI, too. I observed their methods in teaching English and often time I adopted it to teach my students :p. By learning you will teach. Yep, it’s worked for me ;-D.

 

What’s about ‘by teaching you will learn’? Well, children now are very, very clever, outspoken, and having big enthusiasm. As their teacher, they expect you so much, trust you are the cleverest one, who always knows the answers about everything. So, by teaching them, I have learned to be patient and kind. I have learned to speak always the truth as they expect me to do. The most important of all, I have learned to equip myself all the time, be ready for their ‘unsuspected’ questions by improving my skill and knowledge as the best as I can.

 

Well, it seems that I’ve just become to realize what the proverb means, now ;-D.

 

 

***

Reading Perfume July 21, 2007

 

Title: Reading Perfume The Story of A Murderer; Synopsis and Review

By: Indah SR

I always love reading. And I am glad I am free now (because it’s school holiday ;-D) so, I have many times to do that such favorite activities. One of recent books I have read titled: Perfume the Story of a Murderer. It was an International best seller, thriller novel written by Patrick Suskind, a Famous French Author. In Indonesian edition, it’s published by Penerbit Dastan Az zahra. I find this novel is very interesting. Have you read it?

The main character in the story was Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, an unusual man who was born with no body’s scent but had an amazingly incredible sense of smell. The setting took place in Paris, century 18^th. Born as an unwanted child, he was handed over to the church to be taken care. But no one wanted to carry him. They all though he was a strange, wicked baby. That’s why the church threw the poor baby Grenouille to an orphanage¹⁾ led by Madame Gaillard, a zombie woman with no heart.

The Grenouille’s childhood was really unpleasant, if we could say. For the reason he didn’t know, the other children in the house didn’t want to make friends with him. Even Madame Gaillard also felt the same. She often felt a ‘strange’ atmosphere with his presence and that situation had annoyed her. As the result, when he was eight, she had got a nerve enough to sell him to a tanner²⁾. Grenouille worked for him for years, and his boss threatened him badly likely he was a slave.

In the ages fourteen, he finally got a ‘better’ job. He worked for a famous perfume maker in Paris. For the first time in his life, he realized his gift; sense of smell. Not only able to mark all kind of aromas on the earth precisely, his nose could even sort them specifically into the substances. From his boss, he learned a lot about all methods of making a finest perfume, and he was a genius and quick learner. No need a long time for him to be an expert. Deep inside in his heart, he had an ambition; to be a greatest specialist in perfume.

After his boss let him go, he decided to left Paris, starting his journey. During his wandering, he finally found out the reason why he had never been liked by all people. Before it, he just assumed those people hated him because of his appearance (in fact, he wasn’t really a good looking person). Actually, people always kept themselves away from him because they weren’t aware with him. He didn’t have body’s scent as a normal human. That’s why people couldn’t recognize his presence easily.

So, he started making experiment to create his own perfume. Not just an usual perfume, but a special perfume which could make him would be liked by people (this is the part of the story which I interest most; when the writer tells about the process of making perfume, he describes it with so many details). And he did it. People liked him so much now. By the moment, he had already hated people because of his unpleasant childhood. Therefore, he didn’t want just to be liked by people. He wanted more.

Going back to Paris as a rich man, Grenouille started his plan. By the time, the murders happened. 25 young women died mysteriously, all murders were identical. What’s connection between our man and this case? Just be patient, because the climax ending had been set in the last page.

Usually I choose the books which I read for two reasons. The story itself and the style writing that writers use in the story. In my opinion, the second one is the most important. A usual story is possible to be much more interesting if it’s written well. In spite of that, a good story can be boring and disappointing if it’s written badly.

And this book, Perfume, has both. The story is unique, unusual, and it’s written brilliantly, too. Using the main character as a point of view, the writer tells the story by making a dialog with his readers that I rarely find in the other books, and I like it. In some parts of the story, the writer even seems to talk directly to the readers, for example, like this below:

…because we would leave Madame Gaillard and never see her again in this story, would you mind let me put several sentences to show her rest of life… (p. 57-58)³⁾

Furthermore, the writer also not forgets to put some humors in the story that can make us laugh, or at least, smile, by reading it. As the result, this thriller novel becomes not ‘frightening’ as it does. It’s also even possible if finally we’ll be emphatic with the main character, that in fact; just a normal human who was very, very alone…

Well, at last, as a reader, I think I just agree with Le Figaro, that’s said, “it’s never the same any others books you ever read.”

*** 

———————————————————————-

1)meaning ‘panti asuhan’ in English, is it correct or not…^-^

2) person who makes animal skins into leather

3) Indonesian edition

Talking About… June 23, 2007

Subject: Traveling Experience
Posted by: Indah SR

Talking about traveling experience, I had once experience of the study tour that I did when I was in my last grade in college long years ago. I took part in a group consisted of five students altogether, each from different faculties, so we had never known each other before. We had been placed at Tapen Village, Wanadadi District, Banjarnegara, Central Java. During the study tour, we were all staying at the village head’s house, and we had to stay in the village for three weeks.

Tapen was a nice, small traditional village which had only a very little area. Most the villagers worked as traditional farmers. Long time ago, Tapen used to be a big village, but since the government commanded to build an enormous dam that had taken more than 80% area of the village, so only less 20% area had been left. Nevertheless, believed it or not, the village had already got a stadium! How amazing… you could imagine; a very small village with only a few villagers, enclosed a large sports ground in it?

Staying in a traditional village for a long time was really a new experience for me. I felt surprised when I first knew that villagers were all relatives (?!) Furthermore, I found out that people had specific customs and behavior. They were more sensitive and too much curious about everything. It was really different with people in big cities, who were less care and more apathetic. The situation made me was rather unconfident at the beginning, because I was supposed to speak carefully (and also behave well ;-D) every time I needed to interact with the villagers. Luckily, I had overcome with that soon.

In the other hand, they were the most cooperative and sociable people I ever knew. They respected us so much, and they also liked to greet us all the time. One of my friends had got a funny experience with that. One day while he was riding motorcycle along the street, he saw some people came out from their house just to greet him, so he must nod his head quickly over and over again, every time he passed the people. ;-D

Obviously, we had a lot of agendas we had to do for the village. For all you knew, it was very tiring, for the reason I was not excited to talk more about that. Well, of course, we did the study tour not just for working at all, more than that; we looked forward something fun and more fascinating to do.

By the way, we had a favorite activity we always did in the morning, and we had never missed it. For the purpose, we were willing to wake up early, when the sky was still dark. Then together we walked to the dam. After we reached the dam, we were just sitting in silence for a while, waiting for the sun rising. At the beginning, we could only see the dark water. Then the color of the water changed slowly, and finally we could see the sun started rising at the horizon… It looked like a great fire ball floated from the water surface and slowly moved to the sky. According to us, it was really beautiful.

Two days before the last day, companied with several youngster from the village (we had asked them to be our guides ;-D), we traveled to Dieng Plateau, where was located in Wonosobo. It just took about an hour by bus from Banjarnegara. We stayed at a villager’s house for one night, whose family had served us very well. In the second day, we continued the trip to the mountain by walking, because there was no public transportation at all. However, it was not really a problem, and we enjoyed it so far. The scenery of mountain range along the journey was amazingly beautiful, it made all of us were so satisfied at the time.

In the last day, the villagers made a farewell party for us. At the night before our leaving, almost the villagers filled in the village head’s house. The village head’s wife also served us so many delicious food and drinks. We all sat together in group, had a long talk and shared each other. The atmosphere was so close and friendly. I felt both happy and sad at same time, because I realized that I had never met such kind people like them again.

It had been happened for long years ago, but I still remembered it well. Before the students came to the village, the lectures had told us what we had to do for the villagers; we were supposed to teach them many things and counsel them well, but I considered it was not really true. The villagers had probably learned a few things from us, but in fact, we had exactly learned more from them.

***