Savanna Island, I am back to you
Saturday, 4 January 2020by adminstube
The dream when I left my place of birth, Lainjanji, Wulla Waijilu, Sumba was be a nurse, by continuing my study at University of Respati Yogyakarta (UNRIYO). But it was just a memory, because now I am working not caring for people, but as an alumnus of Sarjanawiyata Tamansiswa University of Yogyakarta (UST) majoring in English Education, I have a mission to serve in education institution to teach and educate students as the nation's next generation.
Now I am working as an honorary teachers at Wulla Waijelu Junior High School 2, assisting Mrs. Naomi Ndamung, S.Pd as an English teacher, who is also the principal. When I was graduated from my study in Yogya I was asked to join and teach in this school. The decision to return to Sumba became my struggle, moreover relying life on income from teaching is a kind of gambling. Initially I wanted to start a business in Sumba instead of being a teacher. When I arrived in Sumba, I was ill for a week and the situation urged me to make a decision. On March 2, 2019, Saturday afternoon, I brought the application as a teacher to the school and Monday, March 4, 2019 became my first day to be a teacher and responsible for teaching English in grade VII for 3 classes, grade VIII for 3 classes, and grade IX for 3 classes. This school itself is located about 120 kilometres away from Waingapu to the east.
I realized that being a teacher is not easy because a teacher must be physically and mentally well-prepared to face hundreds of students with their characters, patient, confident, competent, and ready to work on the teacher equipment and other administrative data, especially preparing the tests or exams, should be ready with materials grid, correction, grade analysis and students report.
Every morning I travel about 7 kilometres from Lainjanji village to the school in Latena village and I borrow Efrem’s motorcycle, my younger cousin, because I do not have motorcycle yet. Several months passed, I pushed myself to buy motorcycle by borrow bank loan. It was even not a new one, but it is enough to support my mobility. Although the salary is not much, if I calculated my teacher’s salary, it does not meet with the living cost plus the motorcycle maintenance (lubricants, gasoline or other spare parts), still I determined to take part in educating children in my area.
Fortunately, when I was studying in Yogyakarta, I joined lots of training in Stube-HEMAT Yogyakarta, so that I had many life skills to survive and move forward. Beside teaching, I also pay attention to agriculture by helping my parents to manage cashews, growing vegetables, and trading goods. I also have a plan to open English course for children in 2020. So, I will never surrender to survive, rely on God and work diligently, surely my life will be blessed. (Siprianus Ndawa Lu).