Indonesia
Nadia’s First Day To School
The two girls were wearing cotton skirts decorated with laces. Dinda even put on red ballet shoes that she only wears when her Dad was taking them downtown to see the carnival.
“Where are you going?” Nadia asked.
“Me and Dewi are going to school,” Dinda revealed
Nadia was stunned with the answer. School was not some words that she didn’t recognize. Nadia used to think that school was not for her or her friends. In her mind, school was for kids who like to sing and march because she always saw kids practicing on the field. Everytime she passed by the school, she always heard them sing together loud. Nadia didn’t understand what they were singing.
“Are you going to school because you want to learn to sing?” Nadia asked her two friends.
“Yes, I want to sing like my cousin who’s been going to school since last year. He knows so many good songs,” Dinda replied.
Then Dinda told that it was her cousin’s dad who talked her to school. Actually, Dinda’s uncle was supposed to take Dinda enrolling at school. But because of the flood since the previous week, he had to stay home to look after things. Luckily, when visiting Dinda last month, the uncle made her an introduction letter to take to school. Apparently her uncle wrote the letter in case he couldn’t make it to take Dinda.
“What’s a letter? Can it talk like human?” Nadia asked with eyebrows wrinkled.
“Uncle said if we want to talk with letter, we must go to school,” Dinda went on.
Upon hearing the explanation, Nadia want to go to school too. What do they have there? What do they teach to make kids can speak with letter? Therefore that morning, Nadia, smiling and singing, following her two friends to school.
When they entered the school yard, Nadia didn’t hesitate to join them. When her friends entered the school building, Nadia waited outside. One minute, two, three minutes until a half hour they didn’t come out. Nadia was curious. She approached the door and slowly took a peek to see what’s in building through the open door.
She saw a room full of kids. Among them, Dinda and Dewi sat on the front row. The kids folded their hand on the table orderly, listening to a young woman telling a story.
Silently Nadia stepped into the room and stood there at the door listening to the young woman’s story. A half hour went by when the woman finished her story. Suddenly she turned to Nadia. Nadia was surprised with the woman staring at her. But then she smiled and nod, a gesture of respect to older people-like her mom taught her. The woman approached Nadia and started asking questions.
“Well Nadia, from today on you can start school. Come here every day. School starts at 7 in the morning and finished at 10. Every kid will get one book and one pencil. Every Friday, there will be milk, donated by Unicef. We also have magazine from abroad you can borrow. At school, you will learn to read and count and become a smart kid.” Said the teacher. “Will you teach me to speak with letter, teacher?” Nadia asked her.
“Yes, by learning to read and write, you can speak with letter,” teacher replied.
Nadia laugh happy, she pictured herself speaking with letter soon. Now she is already at school and she was so happy to have many new friends.
NURUL L. IRFAN
FOTO: THINKSTOCKS PHOTOS
