Nature's Reading With Me on Mount Lembu

by Aisyah Nurcholish (Indonesia)

A leap into the unknown Indonesia

I keep looking at nearly 200 photos of Tegalwaru children, smiling while holding books. In 2017, I was on a literature event trip called “Literasi Kampung Ilmu” held by Pertamina Patraniaga and, of course, the team of the company I was working with. We went to the Tegalwaru district at Purwakarta, Indonesia. The 3-weeks event was for raising children’s interest in reading. However, it turns out that the situation was worse. I immediately knew that some children are illiterate. Some didn’t even wear shoes every time they went to school. My mentor and my boss, Mr. Bambang Trim, taught me to notice every little detail. “That’s what writers do to craft beautiful stories,” he said. The children’s families’ financial condition, however, didn’t stop them from learning. They were very happy when our team gave them 6 boxes of books worth of IDR 2.000.000. They were enthusiastic, engaged, and didn’t even express any sign of boredom. That’s the upside of working in villages or suburban. Not all the people there got privileges of buying gadgets, using the internet, and accessing information. They will be excited at new knowledge or experience they acquired. Tegalwaru sky was one of a kind; the sky was so blue with little clouds here and there, and the wind breezing it almost took all my thoughts away. When I was walking with the children on a track towards Jatiluhur Lake, I paused in disbelief. The views were so perfect that you wouldn’t need Photoshop to make them compelling. The children giggling, pointed at me like I’m some strange alien, then said, “is it your first time walking on a mountain track?” They were raised here and live in the mountains their whole life. Some of their houses technically built at the top of Mount Bongkok. They see a mountain every time they open their eyes and every time they’re going to sleep. Walking and hiking on up-and-down mountain roads with amazing panorama is a piece of cake for them. The reason why the children and our team went to Jatiluhur Lake is for reading in nature. It was part of the agenda. It proved in the research that reading in nature subconsciously makes you absorb the information easier. Yet again, it was the teaching from Mr. Bambang. He is the true writer, isn’t he? The children that attending Tegalsari Elementary School was also looking at Mr. Bambang like he’s some literature saviour. They respect and admire the way he’s explaining why it’s important to have decent reading and writing skills. Mr. Bambang’s words turned out to be true. I was sitting, reading a biography in a serene place with the breezy wind, a huge lake in sight, and near fields of flowers. I had my head in the clouds as if I was in a completely different place. As if Mother Nature had tranced me into keep looking around with amazement, I can’t answer the children’s questions about the book our team was telling them; Indonesian folklore book for children. Stories that infusing moral values in children at the early ages are our priorities, said Mr. Bambang, when we were purchasing the books. This hidden gem of travelling and tourism sadly didn’t get enough visitors it deserves. Both the people and the nature of Tegalwaru should have to get more attention to the media, CSRs, and non-profit organizations. Back in 2014, this part of Purwakarta didn’t even have access to electricity. They were walking, living, and breathing in darkness, with oil lamps when the night comes. Until a non-profit team of Kampung Alam and Pertamina Patraniaga contributed a huge deal of resources and facilities, they wouldn’t have the tools necessary to improve their reading and writing skills. Before I left after the agenda is done, I taught them a little about chatting on Facebook so they can tell me about improvements in their study, or anything. Last time I asked how they are doing in the other days, they said they were writing about Lake Jatiluhur.