A Field Guide to Getting Lost in Jakarta

While not being known for its natural exploration activities most people expect from Indonesia, Jakarta is—at least for me—packed with just the right dose of culture, galleries, museums, and delicacies we might as well try. Always pretending to be a tourist in my own city, Jakarta never ceases to surprise me. When you first land your feet in here, the unstable heartbeat of the city, the never-ending honks, the hustle and bustle; they probably turn you off. But just slow your pace, and afoot and lighthearted, follow the rhythm. You can find peace too among its crowdedness.

I am disoriented. That means I have low spatial intelligence: I hardly remember faces, shapes, and streets. It takes me one week in general to memorize my route back home from a fixed location. I can’t read maps either. But here’s the deal: I love solo traveling. I love getting lost and discovering something new and something old hidden from plain view. As much as I love trace back history and the same effective road, it doesn’t bother me that I have to search a way to crawl out from the maze of disorientation.  When you solo travel, you’re utterly alone in a space full of people, and it automatically forces you to save a room for interaction with strangers. But it’s okay, I promise you. You can be on your own pace, you don’t have to compromise to your travel buddy’s needs since there is none, you’re completely free. You embrace the sense of being your own man. Solo travel is my way to heal and regenerate.

Anyway….

Truth is a virtue, so I am going to be upfront about it: road sign is a galore to find in Jakarta, especially when you travel in less-known area framed in smaller streets. Getting lost in Jakarta is normal. The key is to ask locals along the way. Indonesian people are known for their easy going and sociable nature, so take a deep breath and just ask.

Getting lost in Jakarta can be fun, too. There are some places you can wander, places in road less traveled by, places so good to get lost. Since some places are close to one another, I put them into routes and make some categorization.

P. S. The places mentioned below are based on my personal rating, so please browse further since I can’t guarantee my taste suits yours.

ROUTE #01

For the old-fashioned

Just because you’re old fashioned doesn’t mean these places are obsolete on your Instagram feeds. In fact, for me these places are among the most massive, historic, and beautiful landmarks in the city. Welcome to Kota Tua or Old Quarter of Jakarta!

Let’s begin this route!

Bicycle rent on the square

Museum Bank Indonesia

You can start from these four of either one of them: Museum Bank Indonesia (recaps Indonesian economy through ages, the building is white and has colonial feels, rooms inside have AC and full of pretty lamplights—highly Instagrammable), Museum Fatahillah (it has random and not-well-managed-collections but it’s spacey and pretty with nice garden and statuettes; if you’re photograph nerd, you’ll find a safe haven within its plant fences, marble streets, and wide-opened windows), Museum Wayang (will give you much more cheer because here you can meet hundreds of traditional Indonesian dolls), or Museum Seni Rupa dan Keramik (if you’re into arts and want to know how arts developed in Indonesia). The latest three are part of this one big square where people gather, ride bicycle, or feed stray doves. You can also get some tattoos (permanent or temporary) or pose with vintage cars. But beware to bring cap since the heat can cause demotivation in you to explore more!

Pelabuhan Sunda Kelapa
Source: pegipegi.com

After you explore and sweat, don’t forget to buy Indonesian traditional drink such as selendang mayang or es goyang to freshen you up a bit. When you’re ready, come and get the sunset at Pelabuhan Sunda Kelapa. It’s an old harbor located around 20 minutes walk from the Old Quarter, and the scene where gigantic ships park is somehow so magical it awakes the awe in you. You will pass a bridge namely Jembatan Intan, which is, supposedly, another historical landmark, but I’m pretty sure the stinky smell won’t draw you in much longer than necessary. After you’re done with your aesthetic (or narcissistic) session around the harbor, and if you’re really into museum, you can also visit Museum Bahari, which, in a nutshell, contains the history of Indonesian maritime quests.

And, that’s the first route!

GENERAL INFORMATION

How to get there: the location of this route is really strategic since there are both TransJakarta Kota shelter and Jakarta-Kota train station. Good news: both of them are final stop so you won’t miss it or be busy checking the name of previous stops.

Estimated time you will spend: three hours at minimum.

Estimated cost: for transportation and museum tickets only, I recommend you to bring Rp40.000 at the very least.

Life hacks:

• Take care of your belongings and watch out for pickpockets
• Decide exactly the time you want to arrive, since Jakarta traffic is horrendous
• TransJakarta ticket can be used as CommuterLine (train) ticket, but not other way around. But, keep in mind, you can only commute using the CommuterLine if the balance in your ticket is Rp12.000 at the minimum
• Always, always bring cap and wear sunblock!
• Sneakers will be comfortable. Highly recommended not to wear heels

ROUTE #02

For the landmark-seeker

The top observation deck of Monas

Outside the gate of Monas

You will find all the skyscraping monuments on postcards your Indonesian friend sent you, here along this route.  I usually begin this route at Galeri Nasional for efficiency matters. GalNas is art gallery, it has this main building for seasonal display and two other buildings for monthly display (usually for competition) and themed display (usually it shows works of one artist).  I visit this site at least once every two months and it never bores me.  After pampering your eyes with this pretty gallery, wander aimlessly to Monumen Nasional, around fifteen minutes walk from GalNas. Here’s the dilemma: Monas is so pretty at night, with its light pollution and its shades, but you can only visit it in afternoon if you want to see Jakarta landscape from the top of Monas (because the elevator that serves this business only operates until 5 pm, if I’m not mistaken), or if you want to do the famous jump shoot. There’s an underground museum in Monas, and to get there you will have to find the main gate (which is a lil bit tricky) that connects to this underground tunnel. If you want to reach the top deck, prepare yourself for the long queue because there’s only one elevator.

View from the observation deck
of Monas

The art piece of Galnas

Galnas is exactly this cool!

Now, you’re tired from walking. Time to calm yourself at either or both: the Istiqlal Mosque and Katedral Church (it was named that way, don’t ask me). These two are so big people with different religions and nonbelievers come anyway. They are located facing one another, which is very amusing and stressing how Indonesian live in peace with its diversity.

Ragusa foods and ice creams!

After you recharge, stop a bajaj (Google it!) or ojek to transport you to Ragusa, a vintage ice cream parlor famous for its traditional Italian recipe. Walking there from Istiqlal/Katedral can be exhausting. Anyway, if you prefer coffee than ice cream, I suggest you to enter Newseum Café in the same neighborhood. Finding this place can be problematic since you won’t find a website on Google. Newseum is small and with dim light, from the outside it’s glowing bright red with stacks of books that welcome you. When I visited, this place was about to close, so I can’t taste the coffee, but one customer service took pity on me and explained that Newseum was neither a bookstore (which was my first thought I sounded to her) or museum. She let me wander around for some minutes, explained more as we went, “Sometimes we also held a small forum, discussing politics or other topics, or small live music concert, or book launch, or art exhibition. It depends on your luck, really.” I gathered the information and made small note: this place was meant for the intellectuals, just like cafes-philo in Paris. What amazed me that night, however, was when she told me, “Newseum used to be Le Chat Noir, a club where you can meet Westerling the butcherer, or Mata Hari the secret agent.” I never, ever, felt so lucky to find a place and never, ever, felt so unlucky for my disability exploring more. If you’re determined to visit, this place closes at 8 pm. Good luck!

GENERAL INFORMATION

How to get there: depends on your first stop, really. If you mean to visit Ragusa or Newseum, you can stop at Juanda train station (it’s on the Jakarta-Kota line, not Tanah Abang-Duri or Jatinegara). If Monas is the first place that comes to your mind, stop at Monumen Nasional TransJakarta shelter. If you stick to this route, stop at Harmoni Central shelter, then move to another line which includes Gambir shelter in it (I forget which line, sorry).

Estimated time you will spend: prepare at least one free day if you want to satisfy yourself!

Estimated cost: bring at least Rp60.000 if you want to taste the coffee or ice cream.

Life hacks: it’s advised to wear appropriate clothes (long trousers, sleeved top) if you want to visit the holy places like Katedral and Istiqlal. The rest, you can cheat from the first route.

ROUTE #03

For the morbid

“Two roads diverged in a yellow road… and I—I took the one less traveled by…”

… and that makes you a morbid! And that makes this route perfect for you! 

Source: nyunyu.com

Just one hop from the Cikini train station, and you arrive at Pasar Surabaya. The name was given because the streets where antiques merchants sell their products is located on Jalan Surabaya. I always passed this market for one week straight last summer, en route from the train station to SDN Menteng 03 where I taught. On the fourth day, I visited this market but couldn’t make it to the end of street due to the hot weather. Their collections vary, from compass to wooden lamp to rocking chair and everything stainless steel. Not many people visit this site, which is a pity, but one seller told me the majority of visitors came from foreign nationalities, thanks to its location near elite neighborhood and international offices.

From this street, you can either walk (because you just have to walk straight) or grab an ojek (recommended) to move to Taman Suropati. This park is a beauty in the morning, and often used as a site for some photography communities to practice. In the afternoon, though, the heat can stroke you literally. There are some arts installations whose name I forget, but they are not very special. If the god of time blesses you, there will be a concert or exhibition in this park, so better check the time! But if this park doesn’t spark an interest in you, feel free to skip this to Galeri Seni Kunstkring. It only has one floor, located above a restaurant, and the collections are limited, but worth visiting if you call yourself a morbid. I was lucky to visit this gallery once because when I was about to visit for the second time, Google informed me this gallery only opens for one hour everyday, from 11 am-12 pm. (My plan was ruined but well, that was quiet an information.) I never checked the reliability of this information, though. Anyway, when I visited this place, there was a sign to not take photographs, so get ready to hide your camera.

Source: Tribunnews.com

Now, you’re curious. What is the next place suitable for your abnormality? It’s Planetarium, for I know how much you care about otherworldly happenings. Again, if you’re lucky, you can watch planetary transition every once in a while, or a birth or death of a star, on some kind of observatory rooftop with telescope that will make you feel cool. The time to do this kind of thing, however, is usually around 6-7 pm. And if you’re luckier than ever, you can also visit Taman Ismail Marzuki for there’s often artistic events.

GENERAL INFORMATION

How to get there: train (stop at Cikini station—on the Jakarta-Kota line) is really advisable.

Estimated time you will spend: around four hours, because, believe me, these places are so interesting!

Estimated cost: it really depends on the events you want to see, or antiques you want to buy. But for the transportation and tickets, bring Rp50.000 is recommended.

Life hacks: wear clothes from light garments that will make it easier for you to move, and please wear trouser, since skirts and dresses are uncomfortable to wear on ojek.

ROUTE #04

For the want-it-all

Pasar Seni Ancol
Source: panduanjakarta.co.id

Nothing ever comes in complete package, once somebody told me. But I guess that’s not true, considering this one route. Taman Impian Jaya Ancol or better internationally known as Ancol 

Dreamworld perhaps has it all: local beach, Dufan (Indonesian version of Disneyland and Universal Studio—now you get an idea), Pasar Seni Ancol (arts market where people sell sculpture and make a cool, framed silhouette for you), Atlantis (swimming park with many attractions), and SeaWorld (aquarium). To commute from one place to another, you can easily use the shuttle bus that operates as long as these places open. But it comes in such a long time and is always full.

Dufan!
Source: infojalanjalan.com

GENERAL INFORMATION

How to get there: train (stop at Jakarta-Kota station) is ultimately recommended, since it can take you three hours using TransJakarta. From the station, you can continue your journey using Uber, GrabCar, or GoCar, the fare is usually Rp10.000 only. You’re welcome.

Estimated time you will spend: better prepare all day long! Dufan, especially, will make you do fun.

Estimated cost: Dufan is expensive, it costed me Rp270.000 the last time I went there. Atlantis and SeaWorld are not cheap either. If you want to visit all the sites in the block, I recommend you to bring no less than Rp500.000. if you’re determined to buy art products from Pasar Seni, then it’s Rp700.000.

Life hacks: wear shorts, tees, sneakers, and cap, bring small towel and substitute clothes since some attractions can get you wet. Also, bring mineral water! Eat at McDonnald’s since local restaurants are stupidly pricey (at least for me and compared to other restaurants). Finally, bring your whole squad! The more, the merrier! Woo hoo!

All in all….

Before mapping your itinerary, it’s important for you to know these pro-tips!

• Some Indonesian people are opportunistic and take advantage of you if you’re foreigner. Therefore, learn to bargain hard and try to Google normal prices before getting everything
• Getting around using taxi or bus can be painful if you’re not used to traffic. Therefore, download Gojek, Grab, or Uber, so you can use motorcycle that will help you to move faster.
• Indonesian foods can be spicy for your taste bud if you’re not used to it, so perhaps you can avoid any food that contains “sambal”.
• If you wear a duffel bag, move it to the front side of your body so it will reduce of possibility of you being pickpocketed.
• Some transportation service (train, TransJakarta), big restaurants, toll, and minimarket such as Alfamart and Indomaret receives payment with Mandiri e-money or BCA Flash card. It will be helpful if you have either. Google further to know their full services.

Of course, interesting places in Jakarta are not limited to the ones mentioned above. I was just listing places that are closely located, and places I have ever been before. So if you’re asking me, “Do you think Museum Proklamasi or Lubang Buaya is worth visited?” I can’t give you the answer since I’ve never been there before! For me it’s important to keep both my honesty and subjectivity.

Happy sailing, happy exploring! Let’s get lost!

Second Term: Salty Saccharine

(Mengintip dari jendela.)

(Hm, berdebu.)

(Brb cari kemoceng.)

Hi there, Captain! Selamat kepada kamu, orang gabut kesekian yang nyemplung ke dalam kenangan genangan blog ini. Setelah mengisi blog ini dengan dua post yang moga-moga bermanfaat (baca: paper berdasarkan passion yang sayang dianggurin di folder tugas, sok atuh scroll sedikit), biarkan Echa kembali menjadi awkward ninja she has always been.

Well, so... after carefully considering what would I do with this blog, I came up with this idea. Agar menjaga blog ini dari sarang laba-laba (ditambah banyaknya pertanyaan seputar kehidupan kampus tu ngapain aja sih) Echa memutuskan untuk selalu menulis rewind tiap semesternya. Oho, tenang aja, saya nggak akan copas semua tugas gue di sini kok karena kalian bisa mati bosan kalau baca review-slash-biografi Aquinas saya but rather I would focus more on some fun (or boring) activities I followed last term.

(Asik.)

(Akhirnya Echa punya proker.)

(Echa untuk hidup yang lebih teratur.)

Semester kedua saya di HI, FISIP, UI nggak se-hectic semester pertama. Hal ini punya sisi alhamdulillah dan astaghfirullah-nya sendiri-sendiri. Alhamdulillah, karena saya nggak tahu apa saya bisa survive empat tahun kalau sibuknya kayak semester satu. Astaghfirullah, karena saya jadi merasa jetlag menggabut setelah satu semester pulang paling cepat pukul 9 malam.

Gimana dengan kehidupan akademis saya? Astaghfirullah atau alhamdulillah? Biarkan saya review satu-satu. Karena matkul saya masih dipaketkan, maka saya mengambil 20 SKS semester ini. Matkul pertama saya adalah MPK Bahasa Inggris. Menurut saya ini kayak semacam lanjutan matpel bahasa Inggris kalian di SMA sih, tapi banyak topik SMA yang nggak diulas ulang, so you have to review it yourself. Kalau di SMA kita lebih diajarkan pada struktur kalimat yang benar dengan segala tenses dan grammar, di MPK Inggris dituntut bisa merangkai paragraf padu akademis tanpa cela. And I'm going to be upfront about it: susah, men. Karena selama ini kita di-expose pada tulisan bahasa Inggris yang sifatnya populer, jadi agak kagok juga waktu disuruh nulis sesuatu yang ilmiah dan terstruktur. (I don't work well with structure, mind you.) Anyway, MPK Bahasa Inggris ini disebut sebagai matkul 3 SKS rasa 6 SKS, karena kita mempelajarinya selama lima jam seminggu (satu jam matkul: 50 menit). Dua jam buat reading, tiga jam buat writing. Me, I loafff the reading session more, karena selain lebih singkat (hehe, saya kan mahasiswa biasa), metode mengajar dosen saya, Miss Arshinta, itu seru, dan materinya juga nggak hoam.

Matkul kedua saya adalah... MMI. Manusia dan Masyarakat Indonesia. HAHAHA ini nggak usah dibahas ya, nanti kalian yang di FISIP nggak surprise lagi :-) Tapi percayalah ketika saya mengatakan, setiap hari Senin usai MMI, profile picture grup Line kelas selalu berubah dan dosa kami bertambah karena gibah. Friendly reminder: buruan research apa itu air panas dingin di Yutob. Bye. (Anyway, I'm not being fair, MMI itu sebenernya superseru, 11/12 lah sama Pengantar Antrop, tapi buat saya terlalu ngawang.)

Geng Air Panas Dingin/AC Satu Sisi/Janda Yutob

Lanjut. Matkul ketiga saya, yang juga ada pada hari Senin, adalah Penulisan Populer. LOL ini perjuangan banget sih saya bisa dapet kelas iniii, but that's a long (and scary) story. Saya bukan kucing yang nyawanya sembilan, jadi harus ekstra hati-hati. Oke, sekian Preambule-nya. Actually, mostly teman saya mengambil matkul Aceng (Academic English), tapi konon itu 11/12 sama MPK Bahasa Inggris dan disebut "matkul rekreasi" karena easy A. Gara-gara tekad saya nggak mau menjadi diri yang lama di SD-SMP-SMA (saya datang-saya makan dan pulang-saya mengucapkan assamu'alaikum), saya ngambil Penpol, deh.  Penpol itu matkul eksternal yang saya belanjakan dari FIB, dan menurut saya ini matkul ringan yang lumayan beban kalau Anda deadliner. Why? Karena setiap minggu bakal diberikan satu plot prompt oleh dosen untuk ditulis dan diserahkan minggu berikutnya. Saya agak keteteran di sini karena paling nggak bisa nulis bebas dengan tema dan deadline. Tapi ini melatih kreativitas (dan daya nge-deadline) banget sih. Nah, setelah tugas diserahkan, dosen bakal membentuk FGD (focus group discussion) untuk mengulas output tugas yang dikumpulkan. You may be lucky or you may be unlucky HAHA, karena selera orang beda-beda, dan kalau ada yang nggak suka sama cerita kamu, siap-siap dapat nilai 6. Minggu depannya lagi, dosen bakal mengembalikan tugas, disertai komentar teman-teman dan komentar beliau sendiri. Kadang diomongin juga di depan kelas. So, beware, beware, siapkan mental ahahaha.

And now comes the mighty MPKT B. Jujur, sampai sekarang saya masih nggak nangkep faedah matkul ini tuh apa, karena basically kalian yang anak Soshum akan dihadapkan lagi pada statistika dan ulasan-ulasan IPA yang sifatnya teknik banget. Enam SKS, dan setiap kelas, pasti ada tugas. Lupakan kalau mau obob-obob cantik di kelas ini. Kamu bakal dibagi jadi FG dan HG, lalu membuat tugas berupa peta konsep (semua tugas MPKT B bentuknya either presentasi atau peta konsep, mancay kan) dengan deadline sedadakan tahu bulat. Peta konsep itu dibuat di aplikasi bernama Cmap Tools. Kalau udah, di-upload ke Scele. DAN INI TRICKY BANGETTT karena kamu harus well-aware dengan waktu batas pengumpulan (kalau lewat nilai otomatis kepotong), folder pengumpulan, dan kelompok. Apakah semua selesai setelah dikumpulkan? HAHA YOU WISH. Kamu masih harus melakukan group discussion di Scelemelekete itu, hasil diskusinya dibikin presentasi deh. Cuma itu nih? HAHA YOU WISH (2). Semua orang bakal kebagian presentasi individu dengan topik teknikal ituuu, dan semua orang harus kebagian nanya dan mengkritisi. Lalu dinilai dan nilainya itu upload ke Scele lagi. Apalagi yang harus di-upload ke Scele? Revisi presentasi setelah kamu dibantai habis sama kelompok lain. 

#HG3Bangga mempersembahkan:
Berta, Echa, Vania, Rakha, Amel, Ocha

Yha, tapi enaknya MPKT B, waktu ujian kamu boleh bawa cheatsheet, jadi sangat membantu sih. Karena MPKT B juga, saya disatukan (cih, padahal paling sering perang di grup) dengan lima orang ini: R. Vania Sapphira (R itu bukan singkatan Raden, fyi), Amalia Rufaida (closing speech-nya akan dikenang sepanjang masa), Alberta Prabarini (she writes decent blogposts, to be honest), Rakha Andinayaka Indra (Van gue masih inget dia tepuk-tepuk di jalan astaga), dan Emia Krisna Pepayosa (nggak tau kenapa saya sama ni anak melulu kalau kelompok diacak). HG kami, HG 3, punya nama RARE dan trademark #HG3BANGGA. EMPAT BULAN COY setiap Rabu dan Jumat duduk menggerombol dengan mereka. Mulai dari berantem over smallest things, nge-Google nama satu sama lain, nyemal-nyemil di depan Mbak Arleni (Ocha suhu danus Kelas O selain Hanim), ngelarin presentasi sembari nunggu kelompok 1 selesai (kami super multitasking emang), ngisi Icon Pop Quiz nama kota, sampai tiba-tiba dibantai Rakha waktu lagi presentasi. Jadi, ya, mereka kelompok paling longlasting dan so pasti paling saya rindukan. (Brb buang ingus.) Anyway, for me personally, MPKT B itu salah satu media sosialisasi isu-isu lingkungan hahaha, dan kudos Greenpeace, kudos Kak Andre, saya survive dan bisa menjalankan semua project matkul ini dengan antusias. Saya juga suka banget sama dosennya, Mbak Arleni. Beliau asalnya dari FK dan saya pikir awalnya beliau super-strict dan nggak paham sama keadaan FISIP, but she turned out to be one of my fav lecturer this term.

(Ok, kalau kalian yang baca ini baru kelar MPKT B juga, maaf ya kubuka album biru luka lama.)

Now prepare yourself for Pengantar Metode Penelitian Sosial a.k.a. PMPS. Satu-satunya yang saya ingat dari matkul ini adalah saya dibantai saat presentasi setelah begadang semalaman, dan setengah waktu saya dihabiskan jalan-jalan ke Bogor saking seringnya ni kelas di-cancel dadakan. The rest you have to find out yourself.

Nah, matkul saya yang terakhir sekaligus yang paling sakral adalah Pengantar Ilmu Hubungan Internasional alias PIHI. Alhamdulillah, trauma saya tidak terulang. Saya tidak harus mengikuti kuis peta buta dan ditanyakan kapan Kongo ganti nama jadi Zaire, tq. Saya lumayan suka matkul ini (tbh, menurut saya ini matkul paling jelas sepanjang semester dua) karena dosen saya superenak ngajarnya hehe. Ada dua review yang harus dituntaskan sebagai tugas di kelas ini: review pemikiran tokoh dan review konsep. Saya kebagian Thomas Aquinas (pencetus teori Just War) dan International System (menurut saya ini konsep paling luas dan indefinite di antara semua konsep, jadi agak susah nyari sumber literasinya.) Matkul ini juga menuntut analisis dan bukan hafalan, dan waktu UAS, saya disuruh bikin analisis dari berita internasional yang lagi yahud yang tidak ada di Line Today. Tq. Tq. Tq.

I seriously loved second term karena... menurut saya kehidupan perkuliahan yang paling dekat dengan cerita-cerita FTV ya adanya di semester ini aja. Hari Selasa, saya libur. Pulang kuliah, saya biasanya wisata kantin fakultas atau memonopoli hotspot Perpusat buat nulis, latihan desain, download lagu beralbum-album di Joox, nunggu Gojek selesai rush hour, nunggu hujan, nunggu kegiatan kepanitiaan yang biasanya dimulai pukul tujuh, dan bikin review PIHI lain sebagainya. Setelah jadi laler toko buku, saya juga jadi laler Perpusat karena tahu spot-spot rahasia yang pewe untuk tidur, gosip, ngemil, mengamati manusia, atau sekadar membaca dalam damai.

Kalau weekdays saya lumayan senggang, gimana dengan weekend-nya? HOHOHO. Usually fully booked. I plunged into two volunteering activities: jadi pengajar di Rumah Belajar BEM UI, dan volunteer in charge di Greenpeace Youth Jakarta. Bukannya tanpa perjuangan juga LOL bisa jadi pengajar Rumbel :( Awalnya, aplikasi saya nggak masuk karena dengan begonya saya lupa klik "SUBMIT" di G-From. But I got help from my friend Novi, lalu saya diwawancara khusus dengan Kak Alifah, and then I was in a team consisted of four people (Farah, Kak Ratih, Nova) to teach the second graders!

"Mana burungnya?"

Saya mendaftar jadi volunteer Greenpeace murni out of curiosity, karena selama ini belum pernah nemu organisasi internasional pejuang lingkungan yang membuka kesempatan relawan dari anak muda. (Later I found out about WWF Voluntary Program, but well...) Kegiatan GP bermacam-macam, mulai dari kunjungan sekolah untuk edukasi, update campaign, sampai aksi di daerah-daerah tertentu. Saya juga sampai dua kali diundang jadi juri bareng Kak Andre (which is Leader Greenpeace Youth Jakarta) di acara Greensomething PNJ dan PADUKA FEB UI.

Bagi rapor. EA.

The tricky part: kegiatan GP biasanya ada di hari Sabtu, sama kayak jadwal mengajar saya. So I usually spent my Saturday commuting Fatmawati-Tebet/Kuningan-Depok. JANGAN DITIRU! Mengajar anak kelas 2 SD butuh energi dan asupan nutrisi. Mengingat-ingat materi SD, pura-pura ceria, teriak-teriak di saat mereka bandel dan teralihkan perhatiannya, dan ngikutin mereka main buaya-buayaan di saat istirahat itu butuh banyak tenaga, soalnya. Serius. Hari Sabtu saya terasa lebih melelahkan daripada empat hari kuliah. But it was worthy and I felt content and happy. The fluttery feeling you get when you know you do the right thing.

Jagoan Neon kelas 2

Selain ngajar mingguan, Rumbel BEM UI juga punya dua kegiatan lain: study tour dan Pagelaran Bocah (Pagecah). Kami jalan-jalan ke Museum Keprajuritan di TMII, dan kelas 2 digabung dengan kelas 1. Sebelum berangkat, nyokap mewanti-wanti saya, "Jagain itu anak orang, kalau hilang kamu tanggung jawab." HAKJLEB. Untungnya, justru mereka yang selalu mau dekat-dekat saya sampai kedua tangan selalu penuh. Hamdallah nggak berasa jomblo. (Tapi pusingnya di dalam bus sih.) (Serius, mereka gelantungan di holder bus dan ngeluarin kepala dari jendela.)

Pagelaran Bocah dijadikan proker sendiri dan menarik keikutsertaan panitia di luar Rumbel, jadi saya harus ikut oprec lagi. Ini juga perjuangan, men. Saya sempat galau berat di hari wawancara--I was thinking to myself, repeatedly, "Terusin nggak ya?"--karena sudah menjadi PJ suatu divisi di event Greenpeace. Takut keteteran aja, sih. But some unexpected things happened on the day of my interview and prevented me from going home. Satu, ada diskusi dengan Kak Andre di Perpusat. Dua, saya keterusan ngobrol dengan Fachri dan Amel, dua teman HI, sampai-sampai saya kedahuluan hujan. Masalahnya, orang yang mewawancara saya juga nggak membalas SMS, sampai saya menghubunginya via WhatsApp. Begitu flow informasi sudah lumayan lancar, HP saya mati.

Damn.

Luckily, Fachri stayed with me until the very end :") Dia yang meminjamkan saya ponsel untuk menelepon dan baru meninggalkan Perpusat setelah saya ketemu Kak Hilya sang pewawancara (perjuangannya juga nggak banget karena banyak orang yang pakai baju warna sama kayak beliau). Fachri juga yang sangat meng-encourage saya untuk melanjutkan wawancara dengan mantra berikut, "Kalo kata emak gue, buat ngilangin penasaran." In three words I can sum up everything I know about him: Fachri memang luvli.

Dan rezeki anak solehah, hujan reda setelah saya wawancara, dan Kak Hilya juga menawari saya tebengan sampai ke stasiun. In the next two months, saya yang keterima di kepanitiaan itu juga sering nebeng triceng motor Kak Hilya. She also introduced me to some cool places I'd never been before. Booth kami di Pagelaran Bocah, Kampung Main, juga laris manis dan membuahkan keringat. Better late than never: kudos to Kak Hilya, Kak Kavita, Gio, Gen, Retno, Dadam, Intan. Big <3

It looks nice on photo but you will never know the struggle

Para Mafia
(Behind the scene ed. before)

"Lempar saja dadunya biar ramai!"

Tim Terkalahkan
(Behind the scene ed. after)

I made a crucial change on my lifestyle, starting from year-end holiday sih. I decided to satisfy my wanderlust, my thirst for travel. Last year, I had a painstaking mental breakdown and somebody who knows me by heart advised me to travel more to heal myself. And it works! Setelah buku dan ongkos, pengeluaran terbesar saya dalam sebulan ya, buat jalan-jalan. Setiap ada matkul yang di-cancel, setiap jenuh di suatu kelas padahal jatah absen belum dipakai, setiap malas pulang, saya akan jalan-jalan. I will definitely make a special post for that.

So, how was my second term in the end? It's a familiar misfit: sweet and salty and sour and bitter and those get along well in my memories. Now, after I took my baby steps, I am not so ready for the real jungle of my college life namely second-year. (Sori mengharu-biru, baru kalah SIAK-War soalnya.) But, hey, change and challenge are two inevitable things, right?

Pasung: Pelanggaran HAM Tak Kasatmata di Indonesia

“Setiap orang dengan penyakit jiwa, atau mereka yang diperlakukan demikian, harus diperlakukan dengan manusiawi dan hormat sesuai dengan harkat-martabat yang melekat pada diri manusia.”

Resolusi Majelis Umum PBB 46/119, Pasal 1, Ayat 2.[1]

Untuk ukuran sebuah negara bercorak budaya ketimuran yang identik dengan nilai kesopanan, hak asasi manusia di Indonesia menjadi urusan kesekian yang mendapat perhatian dan prioritas dari pemerintah maupun masyarakat segala lapisan. Kebanyakan pelanggaran HAM di Indonesia baru mendapat bidik setelah disorot tajam oleh media asing. Ironi tidak berhenti di situ saja; mayoritas tindakan pelanggaran HAM di Indonesia yang mendapat perhatian publik “hanyalah” pelanggaran yang sudah memakan korban jiwa. Sisanya? Tidak diusut hingga tuntas, atau bahkan tidak disadari sebagai bentuk pelanggaran HAM sehingga tidak dilaporkan.

Salah satu pelanggaran HAM paling diremehkan di Indonesia eksistensinya adalah praktik pasung yang dilakukan pada mereka yang terganggu kejiwaannya. Praktik pasung baru mendapat tanggapan dari pemerintah setelah menjadi topik kajian lembaga Human Rights Watch Indonesia pada 2015. Jika disesuaikan pada pengkategorian Komnas HAM Indonesia, maka pasung termasuk pelanggaran hak “bebas dari penyiksaan, penghukuman, atau perlakuan lain yang kejam, tidak manusiawi, atau merendahkan derajat dan martabat kemanusiaan” yang merupakan bagian kelompok hak atas rasa aman.[2] Dari total 8.249 kasus pengaduan yang diterima Komnas HAM pada 2015, pelanggaran hak tersebut berjumlah 127 kasus, atau sekitar 1,53 persen saja dari keseluruhan.[3] Pengaduan atas pelanggaran hak tersebut bahkan lebih sedikit dari pengaduan pelanggaran hak kepemilikan tanah (1.225 kasus). Padahal, menurut kajian yang dilansir Human Rights Watch, sekitar 57.000 individu dengan keterbatasan mental di Indonesia pernah menghabiskan waktu mereka dalam pasung, dan sekitar 18.800 orang masih terkungkung di pasung hingga saat ini.[4]

Praktik pasung sudah mendapat larangan keras dari pemerintah pada tahun 1977. Program Indonesia Bebas Pasung sudah dicanangkan oleh Kementerian Kesehatan dalam dua kabinet berturut-turut, di bawah pimpinan Endang Rahayu dan Nafsiah Mboi, masing-masing ditargetkan rampung pada 2014[5] dan 2019[6]. Pada 2016, Menteri Sosial Khofifah Indar Parawansa ikut mencanangkan program yang sama di lembaga yang dipimpinnya, dengan target rampung pada 2017. Akan tetapi, dengan waktu yang tersisa satu tahun, sosialisasi yang belum merata di tingkat pemerintah daerah, dan fakta bahwa tradisi pasung tetap saja dijalankan oleh keluarga penderita keterbatasan mental di rumah, pemuka agama, dan bahkan tenaga medis di yayasan rehabilitasi kejiwaan atau rumah sakit jiwa,[7] banyak orang menyangsikan keberhasilan program ini.

Tingkat kesadaran masyarakat Indonesia akan kesehatan mental masih sangat rendah. Pasung menjadi jalan alternatif tercepat ketika penderita keterbatasan mental bertindak agresif; hal itu dilakukan sebagai tindakan preventif, supaya penderita keterbatasan mental tidak mengganggu atau melukai orang-orang di sekitar mereka. Padahal, praktik pasung menyebabkan penderita keterbatasan mental semakin parah kondisinya. Mereka kian merasa tertekan dan depresi karena terkurung, dan banyak yang mengalami malnutrisi dan menderita berbagai penyakit diakibatkan buruknya sanitasi di tempat mereka dipasung.

Di kebanyakan daerah di Indonesia, ada kepercayaan kultural bahwa kondisi kesehatan mental merupakan indikasi bahwa mereka kerasukan roh jahat, diteluh, pernah berdosa, pernah melakukan perbuatan tak bermoral, atau kurang beriman.[8] Relativisme budaya, di mana tiap-tiap kebudayaan memiliki perspeksi sendiri tentang keterbatasan mental dan penyebabnya, bertabrakan dengan prinsip psikiatri yang memandang keterbatasan mental sebagai penyakit universal.[9]

Implikasi dari kepercayaan kultural ini: keluarga dari penderita keterbatasan mental biasanya akan berkonsultasi ke tabib, guru spiritual, atau penyedia jasa pengobatan tradisional. Opsi ini dipilih—selain karena adanya kepercayaan campur tangan makhluk gaib dalam penyakit tersebut—sebab fasilitas untuk keterbatasan mental dengan tenaga medis terdidik sulit dicapai. Bagaimana tidak, Indonesia hanya memiliki 48 rumah sakit jiwa, lebih dari setengahnya berada di empat provinsi di Indonesia. Delapan provinsi tidak memiliki rumah sakit jiwa sama sekali, dan tiga provinsi tidak memiliki psikiater. Indonesia sendiri hanya memiliki enam ratus hingga delapan ratus psikiater, atau dengan perbandingan satu psikiater untuk 300.000 sampai 400.000 individu.[10]

Fasilitas dan pelayanan yang ada di rumah sakit jiwa maupun yayasan rehabilitasi kejiwaan juga tidak mendukung terlaksananya hak-hak dasar manusia dengan keterbatasan psikososial dan mendorong terjadinya kekerasan terhadap mereka. Tidak jarang, justru pekerja profesional di bidang kesehatan mental yang melaksanakan pelanggaran HAM terhadap penderita keterbatasan mental.[11] Di berbagai RSJ dan yayasan rehabilitasi kejiwaan, pasien-pasien ditempatkan di ruangan tertutup atau bahkan berjeruji, dan diisolasi sendiri jika menolak meminum obat yang disediakan. Sama seperti yang dilakukan oleh keluarga-keluarga pasien di rumah, pihak RSJ dan yayasan rehabilitasi kemudian memasung atau merantai mereka jika melakukan tindakan agresif atau destruktif. Rata-rata pasien tidak bisa melaporkan perlakuan yang mereka terima, sebab banyak keluarga mereka yang tidak lagi datang membesuk di yayasan atau rumah sakit, bahkan meninggalkan alamat dan nomor telepon palsu di data rumah sakit.[12] Keluarga merasa tersudut oleh stigma masyarakat yang melabel penyakit mental sebagai bentuk karma atas perbuatan tak bermoral atau penyimpangan yang pernah pasien lakukan. Selain itu, ketiadaan produktivitas pasien menimbulkan beban berat bagi keluarga untuk menanggung biaya pengobatan,[13] sehingga keluarga menelantarkan mereka begitu saja di institusi-institusi kejiwaan tersebut, sebagai langkah yang mereka pandang lebih baik ketimbang pemasungan di rumah.

Begitu umumnya praktik pasung yang bahkan dijustifikasi institusi-institusi kejiwaan, menyebabkan banyak orang tidak awas terhadap pelanggaran HAM yang sesungguhnya mereka perbuat. Untung menanggulangi perkara ini, Human Rights Watch mengajukan beberapa rekomendasi, mulai dari membuat Rancangan Undang-Undang Kesehatan Mental, memperketat pengawasan dan implementasi kebijakan pemerintah seperti larangan pasung, sosialisasi di tingkat RT terkait penyakit mental dan ragamnya, sampai pemberian pelatihan kepada pekerja profesional di institusi-institusi kejiwaan. Kementerian Kesehatan dan Kementerian Sosial juga perlu bekerja sama menciptakan suatu program yang terintegrasi alih-alih menciptakan program yang serupa namun menjalankannya sendiri-sendiri.

Sudah terlalu lama negeri ini pincang dalam menegakkan hak-hak warga negaranya, terutama mereka yang seharusnya mendapat perhatian khusus. Biarpun program Indonesia Bebas Pasung 2017 terlalu utopis diwujudkan, bila semua kalangan ikut berpartisipasi meningkatkan kesadaran mereka tentang kesehatan mental dan juga HAM, maka sedikit demi sedikit ada satu lagi hak asasi yang diakui kekuatannya dan dijamin tegaknya di Indonesia.

BIBLIOGRAFI

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[1] “Resolution 46/119: The protection of persons with mental illness and the improvement of mental health care,” UN General Assembly, diakses pada 26 Mei 2016, http://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/46/a46r119.htm

[2] Subbagian Penerimaan dan Pengolahan Pengaduan Komisi Nasional Hak Asasi Manusia, Laporan Data Pengaduan Tahun 2015 (2016), hlm. 4, diakses pada 26 Mei 2016, http://www.komnasham.go.id/sites/default/files/Laporan/Laporan%20penerimaan%20pengaduan%202015.pdf

[3] Ibid.

[4] Human Rights Watch, Living in Hell: Abuses against People with Psychological Disabilities in Indonesia (2016), hlm. 3, diakses pada 26 Mei 2016, https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/indonesia0316web.pdf

[5] “Menuju Indonesia Bebas Pasung,” Kementerian Kesehatan Republik Indonesia, diakses pada 27 Mei 2016, http://www.depkes.go.id/pdf.php?id=1242

[6] Herman, “Menkes Ajak Pemda Wujudkan Indonesia Bebas Pasung,” Berita Satu, 10 Mei 2014, diakses pada 27 Mei 2016, http://www.beritasatu.com/kesra/183215-menkes-ajak-pemda-wujudkan-indonesia-bebas-pasung.html

[7] Human Rights Watch, Living in Hell, hlm. 3

[8] Ibid., hlm. 4 241

[9] Michael Winkelman, “Transcultural Psychiatry and Indigenous Psychology,” dalam Culture and Health: Applying Medical Anthropology (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2009), hlm. 208

[10] Human Rights Watch, Living in Hell, hlm. 5

[11] Dharmono dalam I. Irmansyah dkk., “Human rights of persons with mental illness in Indonesia: more than

legislation is needed,” International Journal of Mental Health Systems, Vol. 3, No. 14 (Juni 2009), hlm. 8, diakses pada 26 Mei 2016, http://ijmhs.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/1752-4458-3-14?site=ijmhs.biomedcentral.com

[12] Ibid., hlm. 6 163

[13] Sri Indaiani, dkk., “Kesehatan Jiwa,” dalam Riset Kesehatan Dasar 2013 (Jakarta: Badan Pengembangan dan Penelitian Kementerian Kesehatan RI, 2013), hlm. 125, diakses pada 25 April 2016, http://www.depkes.go.id/resources/download/general/Hasil%20Riskesdas%202013.pdf

Feminism in Indonesia: How We Still Misplace the Spotlight of Kartini Day

One of the most memorable reminiscences of our childhood is the festivities of Kartini Day. Perhaps until elementary school, we celebrated it by wearing traditional clothes, participating in various competitions such as fashion show, and marching down the streets around our neighborhood that we caused heavy traffic. Today, as time rolls by and society claims everybody in every social stratification needs to commemorate Kartini’s struggle, many institutions obligate their members to wear traditional clothes, too, on 21^st April. In most places in Java, this means kebaya for women and batik or koko shirt for men. They also celebrate it by conducting fashion show or cooking competitions. Of course, that’s a nice thing to do. As young generation, we should conserve our culture and be proud of it. The question: is it what Kartini’s struggle all about? Wearing a nice kebaya to appear pretty, supple, and graceful? With the fact that Kartini devoted her short years of life trying to break through the cage of Javanese patriarchal culture that degraded women as delicate figures created to serve men, it is safe for me to say that we still misinterpret the meaning of her struggle.

Google was being Google: it doodled
Kartini to celebrate her birthday, too!

Kartini is an important figure in Indonesia’s long list of heroes and pioneers. What did she fight for? Education for girls, regardless of their ancestry status and age. This makes her a feminist. As we have already known, in Kartini’s era, only local royalties could go to school and got basic education with children of Dutch elites. This privilege stopped as soon as they hit the age of maturity, for they had to stay at home until a royal man came proposing. In Javanese culture, this act of keeping a girl at home until being proposed is called pingitan. Kartini expressed her feelings: refusal, anger, sadness, through letters she sent to her Dutch friends. She sounded her first idea of emancipation to Estella Zeehandelaar; her desire for freedom of walls of her house that had trapped her for years, how she thought that “law and education belong to men only”, and that she wasn’t impressed by the practice of polygamies and arranged marriages.[1] Her other friend, Rosa Abendanon, collected all the letters she sent, and her husband, Jacques Henrij Abendanon, published it under the title of Door Duistemis Tor Licht (in Bahasa Indonesia: Habis Gelap Terbitlah Terang). It was Kartini who gave J. H. Abendanon inspiration to build schools for the royals as well as the commoners, when he was appointed as Dutch East Indies’s Minister of Culture, Religion, and Craft in early 1900’s.[2]

With Rosie the Riveter on it, this
poster appeared during World War II
and became a symbol for patriotic
womanhood.

In her letters, it was even implied that Kartini was somewhat angry at Javanese feudal culture that forced her to become a wife and a mother, when she was a student whose thirst for knowledge wasn’t fulfilled. So how could we commemorate her by wearing kebaya to symbolize her as a Javanese feudal, domestic mother? The fact is, W. R. Supratman originally created a song titled Raden Ajeng Kartini, but then it was changed into Ibu Kita Kartini in Soekarno’s reign.[3] However, it was during New Order, a doctrine that defined women as wives and mothers, appeared. The doctrine was coined as “state ibuism” by Indonesian feminist Julia Suryakusuma.[4]

As an emancipator and Indonesia’s first feminist, have Kartini’s ideas of gender equality been well received among Indonesian society? To some extends, the answer can be yes and no. As modernization and globalization wave from one place to another, our knowledge about the idea of gender equality has increased. Many women have gathered, being a voice instead of an echo. Feminist movements roar louder. Yet, our awareness and understanding is still shockingly hazy, and some people still see the world through patriarchal spectacles.

The most notable cases that have gone on for years are child marriage cases. Indonesia is one of ten countries with the highest numbers of child brides every year, with an estimated one in every five girls is married before the age of 18.[5] One of the key drivers is rigid gender norms, where there is a statement that “girls don’t need higher education—they will end up in their kitchen anyway”. Other drivers include poverty, economic dependency, financial incentives, dowry practices, lack of access to education and health service. Most marriages don’t end well; poverty keeps catching up while the young couple bears children, resulting in domestic violence, stolen dreams and childhood.

Perhaps we don’t realize, there have been many thoughts from Indonesian youth that have tendency to commodify women. You may have familiarized yourself with the analogy “women in modest clothes are like wrapped candies, they are more valuable because they are still pure and untouched”. This saying has analogical fallacy, because candies don’t have any reasoning capabilities, and they are only possessions, subjects to people’s satisfaction. Therefore, if you say that women are like candies, you practically agree that women are subjects to people’s satisfaction.

Another thing that indicates our awareness towards gender equality is still poor is the growth of rape culture in Indonesia. In a nutshell, rape culture is “a complex of beliefs that encourage male sexual aggression and supports violence against women”. This complex of beliefs includes, “Only ‘bad’ women get raped,” or, “Women incite men to rape.” This culture can be caused by the lack of sex education, patriarchal culture, and weak law enforcement.[6] What’s the evidence? In 2013, UN conducted a study about sexual violence in Asia and the Pacific, which found that 19,5% men in rural Indonesia, 26,5% men in urban Indonesia, and 40,6% men in Indonesia-Papua had committed rape at some time in their lives.[7]

It must be still fresh on your mind: the case of YY, a ninth-grader in Bengkulu, who was raped by fourteen men on her way home from school. This horrible case has summoned national outrage. Sadly, some people still blamed it on the victim; that she should have not walked home alone. Parents in YY’s village also feel the terror, and as result, they become more protective of their daughters. They make sure their daughters use water taxis, always have companies to walk home with, and dress more moderately.[8] This is a pattern that’s common in patriarchal society. When a woman gets raped by a man, other women get told how to dress and behave, meanwhile other men don’t get told not to rape.

Those are the evidences of how the battle that Kartini fought for then, is still raging on now. Instead of focusing on what kebaya to wear and win a fashion show competition with, it would be better if everyone takes their role and works together to solve every problem regarding gender equality issue.

REFERENCE

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[1]Rahman Indra, “Apa Sebenarnya Isi Surat-Surat Kartini?’, National Geographic Indonesia, last accessed on 8 May 2016, http://nationalgeographic.co.id/berita/2014/04/apa-sebenarnya-isi-surat-surat-kartini

[2] “J. H. Abendanon,” Wikipedia, last accessed on 8 May 2016, http://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/J.H._Abendanon

[3] Petra Mahy, “Being Kartini: Ceremony and Print Media in the Commemoration of Indonesia’s First Feminist,” Intersections: Gender and Sexuality in Asia and the Pacific, Issue 28 (March 2012), last accessed on 8 May 2016, http://intersections.anu.edu.au/issue28/mahy.htm

[4] Jewel Topsfield, “Feminism in the spotlight as Indonesia celebrates Kartini Day,” The Sydney Morning Herald, last accessed on 21 April 2016, http://smh.com.au/world/feminism-in-the-spotlight-as-indonesia-celebrates-kartini-day-20160420-goalp2.html

[5] “Child Marriage Around the World: Indonesia,” Girls Not Brides, last accessed on 9 May 2016, http://girlsnotbrides.org/child-marriage/indonesia/

[6] Boby Andika Ruitang, “Indonesia, You Have a Rape Culture Problem. Stop Pretending that You Don’t,” Medium, last accessed on 8 May 2016, http://medium.com/life-tips/indonesia-you-have -a-rape-culture-problem-stop-pretending-that-you-dont-63d301bb021#.owr264e1a

[7] “The UN Multi-Country Study on Men and Violence in Asia and the Pacific,” Partners for Prevention, last accessed on 8 May 2016, http://partners4prevention.org/about-prevention/research/men-and-violence-study

[8] Christine Franciska, “How a rape that was ignored angered Indonesia’s women,” BBC, last accessed on 8 May 2016, http://bbc.com/news/world-asia-36200441

**originally written for an essay assignment in one of my class.