Nyaba Lembur: Our Live In Experience (MEP #3)

 Hello! So I’m here again to tell my experience when I went on the Live in with my class last May.


So, it was a 2 day experience in a village called Babakan Ranca in Southern Bandung. We had a preparation in class for around a week, where we packed our stuff and sorted out the clothes that would be most appropriate for living in a village, the stuff that was necessary and unnecessary, how to pack lightly and worked on our manners and Sundanese phrases. We left for the village on a Wednesday I think, and came back on a Friday. It was the 19^th of May when we went there. We got there on an  which was payed to drive us all the way to the village so we didn’t have to switch angkots like we use to. I think it was around 2 hours driving, with us stopping twice, once was when Jojo had to pee and when Tia was feeling nausea (Tia and Jojo were on different angkots). I can’t tell you how far was it exactly, but I think it could be around 50 km.

We arrived around noon at 11 AM, and we were brought to a place called Institut Gunung Wayang, which was some kind of headquarter for all the experiments, including hydroponics, rabbit piss fertilizer and goat dropping fertilizer. There was a carpet there which wasn’t that roomy for 17 sweaty children and their backpacks. We stayed there for about half an hour until our hosts (we referred them as our foster parents) started to pick us up and welcome us to their homes.

Arriving at IGW for the first time.

Dyah, Marcel and I got a quite roomy house, along with Kak Listi. Our foster parents were Bu Erni and Pak Asep. I forgot how, but our foster mother was somehow related to Jojo’s foster mother. I think my foster mother was Jojo’s foster mother’s child. So basically, almost everyone in the village was related.

We explored the village for a bit, making a sketch of the area. We played in the fields for a while before going back to our houses for lunch. Some of us took a well needed shower and some helped with lunch.

The water for shower, we had to carry from a source in the middle of the village with a bucket. It was really heavy and it took every single muscle to strain the bucket from spilling inside the house. So, I decided not to take a shower that noon and helped with lunch instead.

At night, there was a pengajian at my foster house, so Marcel and I went to Institut Gunung Wayang where we had a discussion with Kak Priska on the acts of kindness we saw here. It went on until 9 PM, and I was knackered. Bad luck, we still had a session after that, where at some point I think I almost fell asleep (honest confession alert). I forgot to brush my teeth because of the drowsiness and as I said goodnight to Dyah and Marcel I immediately fell asleep. It was immensely cold when I woke up, but luckily my foster mother was very kind and lended us a spotlight which was very hot from being turned on the whole night, and we sat there enjoying the warmth it radiated. When Dyah and Kak Listi went out for dawn prayers, I decided to go on a little sigh-seeing outside. It was very beautiful, as the stars were all still out, but also very cold. I could say it was around 10 degrees. I also was still quite sleepy and accidentally stepped on a puppy and tripped myself on the doorway.

At 6 AM we had breakfast that consisted of fish, rice and some fries which were way more delicious than the ones at McDonald’s. We went to the fields after breakfast, and Dyah went to work on the cabbages I think, with Tia. They used the cow poop fertilizer on the fields, whilst Marcel, Alez and I were fertilizing the fields with the goat dropping which was unexpectedly had a texture like clay. We worked about half the field and molded the droppings into balls because we were tired I guess. So we excused ourselves from the farmer because we weren’t doing good work and carried on to the spring onion fields. We were joined by Kak Priska and Kak Aganis, and we planted the spring onions. It seemed very easy when we first saw the ladies doing it but it turned out to be quite tricky, because we had to plant it facing the sun, we had to choose which ones were good enough to plant and which were a bit dry and small so it had to be joined with other seeds (I don’t know if seeds is the right term). At around 10.30 we excused ourselves because we have planted the whole field.

We went back home for lunch but it wasn’t ready yet so we decided to explore around. Marcel and I went to the Kepala RT and just ran around until we found Ravi, Nathan, Raka and Kak Aganis. Turns out that they were planning to buy some snacks so we tagged along. We went to a warung and bought milk candies, kuaci, and other typical warung stuff. We hung around for a bit and then we went back. Marcel and I came back just to find Najla, Tia and Dyah showering in our houses bathroom screaming. Great way to welcome us back. Alez and Zheva later told us that their screaming were heard until their house. They were screaming stuff like “JANGAN LIAT!” “AIRNYA DINGIN!” and stuff.

Hiking on the way to Situ Cisanti.

Rather than hearing their screams I went to IGW (Institut Gunung Wayang) and found out that no one was there, so I explored the hydroponics and mushroom business things with Marcel (Kakak sent us to do that).

That night, we invited Kak Aganis over for dinner and I didn’t take enough food so I was still quite hungry. I then hopped over to Zheva’s house which was actually to take a shower (there was the pengajian at my house) but resulted in another meal. I ate fried rice and bubur ketan item which was delicious (probably because it was free as well). Kak Priska was quite surprised at my humongous appetite but the foster mother just smiled at my appetite.

We had the late session again, where we talked about what happened today and wrote in our journals. There was a waktu hening session as well, which I almost fell asleep in, again but was saved by Zheva’s loud breathing next to me and Jojo’s snores(?).

That nght, I almost slept over at Zheva’s because Sha slept at my house and my stuff were all at Zheva’s because I took a shower there and there was the pengajian at my house. But when I was very almost asleep Kak Priska woke me up and told me to sleep at my house. Dyah was already asleep at Zheva’s so she didn’t move in again.

I slept almost immediately again, and was woken up by an unfortunate knock to my head. Tia, who slept next door wanted to grab her stuff she left, and because I slept in front of the door, the door knocked me, while Tia said something about Exo to Dyah (who had woken up and moved from next door). I continued to snuggle in my sleeping bag and freezed miserably when I had to fold the sleeping bag back.

It was colder than the night before, and I left my sweater next door, so it wasn’t the most pleasant morning. Luckily, I didn’t slip or step on a puppy again. I forgot what I ate for breakfast, but I remember filling my bottle with hot water and hugging it all the way (It was metal, so it was very warm and comforting) to IGW. When I arrived, not many of my friends were there aside from Fikri, Ravi and Jojo. They all took turns hugging my waterbottle to be warm until when it came back to me it was cold.

I think after that Jordy, Ravi, Fikri, Jojo and I (maybe there was Raka and Marcel as well) went to the fields which was still foggy and dewy (that isn’t even a word) and we actually didn’t do anything. We went back and milked the cows, all of us tried doing it and Kak Priska has a photo of each one of us squirting the milk. I feel so proud that the milk actually did came out when I milked the cow.

After the milking session we all said farewell to the entire village, took photos and handed over a certificate of thanking thm for welcoming us. It was really fun saying goodbye and stuff.

When we were knackered half way to the lake and Kak Priska took a very nice candid shoot.

After that, we headed for the not anticipated very long hike to the lake. It was supposed to be near, as they said but I think we took a detour that made it really far. But the lake was worth it, because it was really nice, although it wasn’t as nice as I saw in pictures. The swim in the lake was really fun, mostly because afterwards Kak Koben treated us who took a dive for bakso on the holidays. The treat was on my birthday as well, so it felt like a birthday party (but it wasn’t).

This is at the lake when we were heading home.

Anyways, at the lake we ate baso tahu and cireng which taste disappoints me and the 7.000 rupiah I spended.  Marcel and I took a shower but I still felt very itchy and dirty afterwards, so it was very very relieving to have a shower at home. The ride home was filled with us sleeping for around half an hour where Kak Priska finally rested from our voices, Fikri making some plesetans and us stopping at Buahbatu and buying drinks  because the other angkot was way behind, Kak Koben teaching us some game including fingers and numbers which is hard to explain, us jamming to the radio station in the car, Zheva and I busting to pee and almost wetting ourselves, especially because the red light in Pasteur takes so long to turn green and finally arriving at school, throwing our bags on the ground and running to the restroom. I went in the boys restroom for the first time in my life because I was very busting it didn’t even matter.

So, that pretty much sums up my experience!

Thank you for reading, because if I were you I wouldn’t bother reading. Adios!