Day 1: A Learning Involvement

Unlike my typical beauty and fashion logs, this post is a little bit diverse. I’m going to talk on the subject of my new found experiences. It’s my participation living in the fishing village at Kalibaru, Cilincing. This program is required as finalists for PPAN selection program of DKI Jakarta, which is what I’m currently signing up for. I, myself have never been to this location. Obviously, it’s expected to be different than the usual glamorized metropolitan horizon.

Through this live-in, I’ve met Ibu Mutijah who I call Ibu (Mother) throughout my stay. She lives with her 4 kids, 2 boys and 2 girls – Robin, David, Dewi, and Anna; and her husband, Bapak Kaman. Her family depend their lives a lot on the sea lives. Seafood is the community and Ibu Mutijah main income, green mussels or kijing (Pilsbryoconcha exilis) as the locals called. Sometimes she helps her husband’s bosses with cooking or other food related.

I’ve tried green mussels and it’s good. But, I don’t know that there is another thing you need to do besides just eating it right of the shell. One of which is peeling those kijing. My first thought is, why do we need to peel this when we could just cook and eat? Turns out, half boiled kijing could turn into many types of snack, such as kijing chips. Ibu Mutijah thought me how to peel kijing with some kind of razor blade – a mini knife and I was thrilled. At first, I was a little rusty, and then I decided to use my bare hand, it’s easier and faster and Ibu Mutijah seems okay with it.

 

I did this from 11.30 AM with bunch of other finalist, but one by one seems to go home and take a break. But, I just keep doing it since I enjoy it a lot. No doubt, she said “Ka, don’t you get tired? Just take a break. You’re very painstaking peeled lots of those kijing.” I’m like, “Nah, it’s okay Ibu, I’m really just starting get the hold of it.” In the end, Dewi and I got 5.5 kg of kijing, which worth 17,000 IDR. I found out, those peeling work only worth 3,000 IDR per kilogram.

Is this for real? The first day really hit me so hard with all those reality facts. I don’t need to work my ass off every day for only 30,000 IDR. It’s teaching me, we need to be grateful every single day. I keep asking myself, why her family want to have me to stay at their place when they do not have enough money for themselves? Why she wants to share her fortune when she doesn’t have any? I look at myself; I have a better income for me but still complaining. Also, if I get chosen to represent Jakarta, I would not afraid of what comes; whether living with stranger family or help doing chores. Because, Live-in teach me and I could apply this method too.