Bayangkan apabila Anda hidup ratusan tahun yang lalu, dan Anda terdampar di sebuah pulau di Samudera Pasifik. Di sekeliling Anda hanyalah hamparan samudera biru nan luas yang tampak tiada bertepi. Kota terdekat dari pulau ini berjarak 3800 km (sebagai perbandingan panjang Pulau Jawa sekitar 1000 km), artinya Anda mesti berlayar setara jarak dari Pulau Jawa hingga Papua untuk mencapai daratan benua terdekat. Pulau tempat Anda terdampar juga adalah pulau gunung berapi yang masih aktif, yang sekali waktu mungkin akan menyemburkan lahar membara. Begitulah sekilas gambaran kondisi geologi Hawaii.

Tanggal 17-22 Desember yang lalu, penulis berkesempatan mengunjungi Hawaii dalam rangka menghadiri GCOE International Forum on Multidisciplinary Education & Research for Energy Sciences, yang diadakan di Marriot Waikiki Beach Resort, Honolulu. Satu kamar di Hotel Marriot Waikiki untuk twin bed + 1 extra bed saja per malam sekitar Rp. 2 jutaan, luar biasa mahal, untungnya semua biaya ditanggung oleh Tokyo Tech, termasuk juga tiket pesawat pp Narita – Honolulu.

Sayangnya tiket pesawat yang dipesan adalah Delta Airline, yang menurut gosip rekan-rekan penulis kualitasnya agak kurang. Tiket pp Delta ini harganya juga ga murah-murah amat, sekitar Rp. 13 jutaan, padahal tiket pp Japan Airline promo Eco-wari juga lebih kurang segitu harganya. Tapi karena Tokyo Tech pengen group booking (untuk memudahkan mereka meng-handle acara), lagipula sudah dibayar semua oleh mereka, no complaint lah, he..he. Benar saja, dari proses check-in saja sudah terlihat konter Delta ini agak semrawut, lebih parah lagi di dalam pesawat ga ada video di tiap kursi! Bayangkan saja, 7 jam perjalanan ke Hawaii dan 9 jam perjalanan balik ke Jepang, Anda ga bisa memilih entertainment yang Anda inginkan! (Heyyy, ini penerbangan rute Internasional, Bung! Masa Delta belum mau mengganti armada tuanya yang masih memakai sistem TV analog gantung disiarkan ke semua penumpangnya?). Anyway, kekecewaan penulis sedikit terobati ketika mengetahui bahwa mileage Delta tidak akan kadaluarsa, dan juga untungnya bisa minum “sepuasnya” (terutama penulis disogok dengan Mineral Water Evian 1.5 liter ketika minta tambahan air minum  =D).

Tapi tidak saja mengenai Delta Airline, ada beberapa hal yang rasanya gatal dan harus dikritik (memang penulis tukang kritik  =p), yaitu sistem security Amerika yang benar-benar terkesan paranoid. Baru kali ini penulis diberitahu bahwa bagasi tidak boleh digembok, kemudian ketika hampir boarding ke pesawat Delta di Narita, ada random security check yang penulis rasa cukup konyol dan diragukan efektivitasnya. Ketika berada di bandara Honolulu pas mau balik ke Jepang, barulah penulis ngerti kenapa ada random security check khusus buat penerbangan ke Amerika, karena di bandara-bandara di Amerika ada security check yang bahkan lebih parah dan vulgar, yaitu Anda memasuki satu mesin scan, yang bisa men-scan tembus pakaian Anda, jadi naked-image Anda akan terlihat oleh si petugas bandara. Sistem ini cuma ada di bandara-bandara di negara Amerika Serikat! Dan sistem ini dikritik habis-habisan oleh warga negara AS sendiri karena sudah terlalu berlebihan melanggar wilayah privasi individu. Tapi tetap saja imigrasi dan bandara AS tidak bergeming. Nah, karena mereka tidak bisa menerapkan mesin scan ini di Jepang, akhirnya mereka memberlakukan random check buat penumpang-penumpang yang akan berangkat menuju AS. Memang penulis dapat mengerti sistem keamanan sangat penting untuk mencegah aksi-aksi teroris di pesawat, tapi apakah mereka tidak bisa memikirkan cara yang lebih etis dan elegan, namun tetap efektif?

Anyway, ketika tiba di Hawaii, keluh kesah pun sedikit banyak menjadi sirna walaupun raga masih lelah karena jetlag dan kurang tidur di pesawat. Hawaii terdiri dari 8 pulau utama dan ratusan pulau-pulau kecil dan atoll. Kami mendarat di Honolulu yang terletak di Pulau Oahu yang luasnya kurang dari sepertiga luas Pulau Bali. Hari pertama, walaupun lelah penulis bersama beberapa teman berkeliling Waikiki Beach hingga ke Diamond Head. Agak sorenya penulis sendirian snorkeling di sebuah tepi arah tenggara Pulau Oahu, sebab tidak ada peserta lainnya yang membawa peralatan snorkeling kecuali penulis (wah ini ke Hawaii niatnya untuk menghadiri Research Forum apa snorkeling ya?  ;p he..he). Bisa dibilang hampir di berbagai sudut Pulau Oahu adalah tempat yang cukup layak untuk snorkeling, karena banyak sekali ikan yang berenang di sana-sini terutama di sela-sela terumbu karang. Ini pertama kalinya penulis melakukan snorkeling! Bayangkan saja, dari yang tidak tahu bagaimana cara memasang klep penyangga pipa snorkeling, tidak tahu bagaimana cara mengatur nafas, pada hari itu juga penulis sendirian, tidak ditemani siapapun, snorkeling di tepi Samudera Pasifik. Mulut pegal-pegal juga, tapi kecantikan ikan-ikan berstrip kuning, jingga maupun biru, juga ikan buntal dan ikan pipih, ikan yang mirip belut dan bawal, sedikit banyak mengobati kepegalan fisik.

Hari kedua diisi full mendengarkan presentasi riset orang lain, rasanya tidak perlu diceritakan disini. Hari ketiga, Tokyo Tech mengadakan tur keliling Pulau Oahu. Kami mampir sebentar di Dole Pineapple Plantation, Hawaii Univ. Undersea Research Lab, ranch (mirip area peternakan kuda dan ladang) buat makan siang, beberapa pantai seperti Sandy atau Sunset? Beach dan Hanauma Bay. Walaupun luas Pulau Oahu kurang dari sepertiga Bali, tapi di bagian tengah pulau, tampak gugus pegunungan yang menjulang cukup tinggi. Bila dipikir-pikir, memang menarik juga di tengah Samudera Pasifik bisa menjulang gunung-gunung tinggi yang akhirnya membentuk kepulauan Hawaii. Cuaca di Hawaii menurut penulis juga cukup aneh, sering gerimis kemudian berhenti, lalu gerimis lagi, berhenti, gerimis, kadang tiba-tiba hujan deras, dan seringkali di bagian gunung hujan deras namun di bagian pantai cerah (Anda bisa melihat hujan turun di pegunungan dari kejauhan). Penulis pun basah kuyup ketika tiba-tiba hujan deras selagi berada di ranch setelah makan siang.

Hari keempat penulis pakai lagi waktu kosong untuk snorkeling di sekitar Waikiki Beach, dan sorenya jalan kaki keliling Honolulu hingga dini hari, sekalian membeli beberapa suvenir. Di Honolulu, hampir dimana-mana Anda bisa menjumpai yang namanya ABC Shops (semacam Indomaret atau Alfamart gitu, tapi menjual juga banyak oleh-oleh khas Hawaii). Setelah berjalan hingga Ala Moana Boulevard, ternyata ada juga Wal-Mart (semacam Carrefour nya Amerika) dan 7-11 (convenience store yang populer di Jepang). Hari kelima diisi dengan presentasi riset dan juga group presentation, sorenya berenang di laut dan jari kaki berdarah akibat terinjak karang. Hari keenam pagi-pagi buta kami sudah bertolak ke bandara untuk kembali ke Tokyo.

Ada beberapa hal menarik sejauh pengamatan penulis selama berada di Honolulu (dan secara umum di Pulau Oahu). Dari segi alam, kombinasi bentang gunung dan laut Pulau Oahu sangatlah indah. Di bagian tengah pulau terdapat perkebunan nenas yang sangat luas dan juga bukit gunung hijau nan asri. Burung-burung yang hidup di pulau ini juga cukup khas, seperti burung jambul merah, bahkan burung gereja nya saja beda dengan burung gereja yang lazim ada di Indonesia maupun Jepang. Banyak juga pohon-pohon tua yang berakar rimbun nan angker. Dari segi laut, tidak perlu diceritakan lagi.. air laut yang jernih bening apabila dilihat dari ketinggian (seperti dari balkon hotel) akan terlihat biru kehijau-hijauan, dengan bayang-bayang gelap yang menandakan di bawah permukaan air tersebut ada koloni karang tempat para ikan bermain.

Dari aspek sosio-kultural, Hawaii adalah bagaikan mixing pot, yang penduduknya bercampur baur, yang cukup dominan adalah orang keturunan Filipino, Jepang, China, juga orang bule dan Polinesia. Menariknya, arsitektur rumah khas Polinesia (terutama bagian atap/genteng) mirip bangett dengan atap rumah khas Jawa. Makanan yang cukup lazim adalah burger dan sandwich yang porsinya porsi Amerika uy, namun juga cukup mahal berkisar 5-10 USD. Penulis sempat ingin juga mencoba surfing (berselancar) dan rental sepeda (masing-masing 20 USD dan 10 USD rental per hari) akan tetapi sayang tidak banyak waktu kosong.

Menyelusuri jalan utama sepanjang pantai (Kalakaua Avenue), kadang terlihat juga beberapa pengemis, ada yang memasang kertas karton bertuliskan, “Trying to go back to Mainland, please spare some coins”. Ada juga seorang veteran perang yang duduk di kursi roda, mencoba mengetuk hati pelalu lalang yang melintas. (Aneh juga, masa negara super-power macam AS ga bisa menyokong para veteran perangnya?). Ada juga seorang anak ingusan belasan tahun yang ngamen dengan plakat “Please support youth music”, padahal metik gitarnya juga asal-asalan. Ketika penulis membeli makanan di 7-11, tampak seorang bule yang keluar cuma membeli 1 buah cup-noodle, lalu duduk di trotoar dan menyantapnya ditemani oleh gerimis malam dan angin yang cukup kencang (menurut penulis, cup noodle termasuk opsi makanan paling murah di Hawaii, cuma seharga 1 USD). Agak mengherankan juga, padahal Honolulu adalah daerah wisata yang sepengetahuan penulis dikunjungi lebih dari 5 juta wisatawan per tahun. Ternyata distribusi kekayaan sepertinya agak timpang, dimana orang Asia kayanya lebih berhasil lolos dari jurang kemiskinan?? (soalnya empat sosok yang disebutkan di atas adalah orang bule). Kadang agak kasihan juga ketika penulis melihat seorang bule yang menjajakan rental sepeda “cuma bisa mengusir lalat” dengan karton bertuliskan “Please Rent Me” digantungkan di setumpuk sepeda yang dirantai di suatu sudut jalan.. Yach, memang begitulah hidup, ada pasang surut, kadang penuh ketidakberuntungan, sudah selayaknya kita saling berbagi, membantu, dan peduli kepada sesama..

Begitulah “sekilas” catatan perjalanan penulis di Hawaii. Masih ada banyak hal yang belum sempat dikerjakan seperti hiking di Diamond Head, snorkeling di Hanauma Bay yang luar biasa indah (daerah yang katanya paling banyak ikan se-Oahu), surfing di North Coast, mengunjungi Pearl Harbor, mencoba maze di Dole Plantation, dan tentunya menjelajah ke pulau-pulau lainnya di Hawaii selain Oahu, khususnya ke Hawaii Big Island, lokasi keberadaan gunung Mauna Kea (4205 m), gunung tertinggi se-Hawaii, gunung laut yang apabila ketinggiannya diukur dari dasar laut tingginya lebih dari 10 ribu meter (lebih tinggi dari Everest), juga Mauna Loa, gunung dengan volume terbesar (tergendut) di seluruh dunia (75 ribu km³) yang masih aktif menyemburkan lahar membara. Sekitar Mauna Loa ini juga katanya ada perkebunan kacang Macadamia yang kemudian diolah menjadi berbagai rasa dan sekarang menjadi salah satu oleh-oleh khas Hawaii.

Aloha Hawaii !!

(Catatan: Dalam bahasa Hawaii, “Aloha” bisa berarti “Selamat Pagi”, “Selamat Siang”, “Selamat Malam”, “Halo”, “Sampai Jumpa”, maupun “I Love You” – akan tetapi anehnya “Terima kasih” = “Mahalo”)

(This article was written 5 years ago (2006), re-published in this blog on 20-11-2011)

Hearing the word “disaster” always reminds me of my country, Indonesia. It is still clear in my memory how terrible the tsunami in Aceh was (more than 200,000 people died); how frequently natural disasters happen such as earthquakes, volcano eruptions, land slides, and many others. Quite similarly, Japan also experiences many disasters. For instance, the most significant one in these decades is the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. It hits Kobe City as well as the Hanshin and Awaji regions directly, causing the loss of about 6394 lives and the damage of 240,000 buildings. (More recently, the earthquake and tsunami in Tohoku region claims more than 20,000 lives and immeasurable damages on March 11, 2011)

Reflecting upon those facts, it is realized that the life safety learning for people is very important. Probably, this is also the reason why we had our first FST to a Bosai-kan (Life Safety Learning Centre).

Our destination was Honjo Bosai-kan, located at Yokokawa, Sumida-ku in Tokyo. First, we got explanations from the officer about features of the Bosai-kan. Then, we started our exciting experiences.

First was the 3-D Theater. In this theater, we could watch and feel as if we were involved in a disaster. The movie showed us how the condition of life changed after the disaster; how the panic escapes were conducted randomly.

After that, we continued to the Fire Fighting Training Section. We were told how to extinguish fire properly. It seemed trivial; but apparently we could fail if we used inappropriate techniques.

We also experienced the Rainstorm Simulation Section which gave us sense how to face the hard rain and wind. Surely, we got wet but that was very exciting.

The other section was Smoke Maze Section which challenged us to escape from a maze filled with smoke. Certainly, in real cases, some kinds of smoke might be so poisonous that we should be careful while conducting evacuation. Some of us tried this simulation twice and in those two simulations; it happened that some were killed in the maze unless it was merely a simulation.

The last section was Earthquake Simulation Section. We got a “stage” that was specially designed like a room in a house. The officer told us that there were several magnitudes of earthquakes that we could experience. So, we just chose which magnitude we’d like to try. It was incredibly shaking hard!

After all, we gathered back to Oookayama Campus. As a matter of fact, I just wondered why we didn’t get other sections like especially the First Aid Training Section. Perhaps, it’s because of the limitation of time we had. Anyway, I learned so many things through this study tour and experienced exciting experiences that may be useful one day.

Penulis:

Willy Yanto Wijaya

Hendry Filcozwei Jan

Lani

Cici Metta

Linda Tiratana

Selfy Parkit

Sasanasena Seng Hansen

Huiono (Hart Ye)

Willy Yandi Wijaya

Vimalavati Vita Felicia

Buku ini berisikan kumpulan cerpen yang sarat makna, yang setiap kisahnya memberikan inspirasi dan nilai-nilai pembelajaran.

Berikut ini adalah kisah-kisah yang terangkum dalam buku ini:

1. Asal Usul Pohon Salak
2. Percayakah Anda?
3. Senyum Bidadari
4. Selamat Jalan Koko
5. Guru Kecil
6. Melodi Kehidupan
7. Buku Tahunan
8. Mengapa Air Laut Terasa Asin?
9. Bhikkhu
10. Bahagia di Ujung Pelangi
11. Nasi Basi
12. Puding Kasih
13. Hidup Bukanlah Matematika
14. Letak Surga dan Neraka
15. Dewasa Dalam Perubahan

*****

Versi bunik (buku elektronik – ebook) buku ini dapat diunduh melalui link berikut :

Asal Usul Pohon Salak — dan cerita cerita bermakna lainnya.pdf

Untuk mendapatkan buku versi cetak, Anda dapat menghubungi Insight Vidyasena Production, yang alamat email dan juga teleponnya/ sms tertera di halaman 137 dalam bunik yang dapat diunduh melalui link di atas.

Selamat membaca.   =)  Semoga kita semua berbahagia..

Tokyo, 20-10-2011

Tepian Laut Marmara, kawasan sekitar hotel tempat penulis menginap.

Bila Anda masih mengingat pelajaran sejarah sewaktu di sekolah, mungkin kota bernama Bizantium ataupun Konstantinopel tidaklah terdengar asing di telinga Anda. Ya, kedua kota itu sebenarnya adalah kota yang sama, dan sekarang bernama Istanbul. Dengan lokasinya yang strategis, persis di tepi Selat Bosphorus yang memisahkan Benua Asia dan Eropa, tidak heran kota ini menjadi ajang perebutan kekuatan besar dunia kala itu. Istanbul, yang dulunya bernama Bizantium lalu menjadi Konstantinopel, pernah menjadi pusat Kekaisaran Romawi, Kekaisaran Byzantium, Kekaisaran Latin, dan Kekaisaran Ottoman (Kesultanan Utsmaniyah). Istanbul juga pernah menjadi lokasi beberapa pertempuran Perang Salib. Dengan sejarahnya yang panjang, tidak heran terdapat banyak sekali peninggalan sejarah dari berbagai kekaisaran masa lampau.

Tulisan kali ini tidak bertujuan untuk mengulas sejarah Istanbul panjang lebar yang tentunya bisa dibaca di Wikipedia. Tulisan kali ini lebih sebagai catatan perjalanan penulis selama beberapa hari berada di kota metropolitan terbesar di Turki (Türkiye) ini, yang luasnya hampir setara Jabotabek dengan penduduk hingga 13 juta jiwa.

Tujuan utama penulis ke Istanbul kali ini adalah untuk menghadiri konferensi energi yang disebut “The 10^th International Conference on Sustainable Energy Technologies (SET 2011)” tanggal 4-7 September 2011. Perjalanan dari Tokyo menuju Istanbul memakan waktu sekitar 11 jam 30 menit, perjalanan panjang yang cukup melelahkan.. Untunglah imigrasi Turki tidak serese imigrasi Jepang maupun imigrasi Indonesia, cukup membayar 25 USD, mendapatkan visa on arrival (tanpa ditanyai ini itu), tidak ada pengambilan sidik jari maupun foto, dan tidak ada pemeriksaan bagasi/ karantina.

Yang kemudian menjadi kendala adalah lokasi hotel tempat penulis nginap sekaligus lokasi diadakannya conference ternyata letaknya cukup jauh dari pusat kota maupun bandara, butuh 1 jam lebih menggunakan bus. Saran dari panitia conference adalah naik taksi yang biayanya paling tidak 30 Euro. Wow, karena cukup mahal, akhirnya penulis memberanikan diri mencoba naik angkutan umum, dari bandara naik Metro (kereta) ke stasiun Yenibosna, kemudian naik bus umum sampai ke daerah Kumburgaz, total hanya 5.5 Lira (2 Lira + 3.5 Lira) (1 Lira sekitar Rp. 5000,-). Beruntung sekali penulis bertemu dengan penduduk lokal yang mau membantu menunjukkan bus yang mana yang menuju Kumburgaz, juga harus turun di pemberhentian yang mana (soalnya tidak semua halte bus ada tulisannya!), walaupun agak megap-megap ketika mereka menjawab pakai bahasa Turki.

Bus umum di Turki tidak jauh berbeda dengan di Indonesia. Untuk bus ke pinggiran kota, biasanya ada kenek yang akan menagih ongkos naik bus setelah kita naik dan duduk. Sejauh pengalaman penulis, mereka cukup jujur dan tidak menipu soal berapa ongkos yang harus dibayar, padahal melihat kita adalah turis. Akan tetapi, mirip dengan di Indonesia, tempat duduk bus yang sudah penuh, tetap aja diisi, akhirnya para penumpang banyak yang berdiri di dalam bus. Juga sesekali ada pedagang asongan yang berjualan air mineral ke dalam bus, meskipun untungnya tidak ada pengamen yang naik ke bus.

Seorang gadis belia yang sedang berenang di kolam renang air asin

Wow, lokasi tempat penulis menginap adalah Artemis Marin Princess Hotel, sudah tergolong hotel bintang lima di Istanbul. Ada 2 kolam renang outdoor dan 1 indoor, sayangnya semua kolam renang air asin; dan kamar yang penulis dapat bertipe Sea View menghadap ke arah Laut Marmara.

Hari pertama karena hanya dipakai untuk registrasi, waktu kosong tersebut penulis manfaatkan untuk berjalan-jalan ke pusat kota ke Taksim Square, lapangan peringatan revolusi Turki yang dipimpin oleh Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Dari Taksim Square, penulis berjalan kaki menyelusuri jalan setapak hingga Teluk Golden Horn (yang penulis salah sangka sebagai Selat Bosphorus) dan ketemu Yeni Camii (yang penulis salah kira sebagai Sultanahmet Camii aka. Masjid Biru). Mengalami disorientasi dan habis batere kamera di perjalanan hari pertama, penulis pun kembali ke hotel karena keesokan harinya mesti membawakan presentasi.

Hari berikutnya hampir seharian dipakai untuk mendengarkan presentasi riset-riset tentang energi. Sore hari penulis pakai untuk berenang di kolam renang, dan malamnya conference dinner (banquet di tepi laut, yang makanannya datang tiada habis-habisnya).

Makan jagung bakar di sekitar Masjid Sultanahmet.

Nah, hari selanjutnya mulainya penulis mengalami sakit tenggorokan. Masalah memang selalu datang silih berganti, setelah kecerobohan penulis kelupaan membawa colokan Turki (yang padahal sama seperti colokan Indonesia – soalnya colokan laptop pipih tipe Jepang), berhasil penulis akali dengan mendeformasi lempeng soket colokan yang penulis beli di Supermarket Migros. Walaupun merasa kurang sehat, setelah di pagi hari menyimak beberapa presentasi riset, tetap saja setengah harinya penulis gunakan untuk mengunjungi Masjid Sultanahmet aka. Masjid Biru (meskipun warna biru kubah masjid ini sudah mulai agak pudar ditelan waktu). Akan tetapi desain dan keindahan masjid ini sungguh masih mempesona. Masjid Sultanahmet ini adalah satu-satunya masjid di dunia yang memiliki enam minaret (menara). Dan menurut penulis, masjid-masjid (camii) di Turki memiliki desain yang khas, dengan kubah masjid yang berlapis-lapis (bertingkat majemuk) plus selalu ada minaret (menara masjid) biasanya satu atau dua minaret. Minaret ini mungkin juga sebagai penanda lokasi masjid karena ukurannya yang tinggi mencolok, jadi tetap gampang terlihat adanya masjid walaupun atap kubah masjid mungkin sudah terhalang oleh bangunan-bangunan lainnya. Dan bisa juga jumlah minaret juga mengindikasikan seberapa besar ukuran masjid (camii) tersebut, semakin banyak minaret maka semakin besar masjid tersebut (mirip seperti perbandingan hotel bintang lima dengan bintang satu – seloroh rekan penulis).

Sebuah toko keramik di kompleks Grand Bazaar, Istanbul

Hari berikutnya sakit tenggorokan semakin parah, ditambah batuk pilek. Akan tetapi karena sudah kepalang tanggung berada di Istanbul, maka bersama seorang rekan (yang juga dari Indonesia), kami pun melanjutkan penjelajahan, kali ini ke Grand Bazaar, yang menjual berbagai macam barang, mulai dari karpet, keramik, perlengkapan untuk sholat/ sajadah, pernak-pernik, makanan, berbagai suvenir, dlsb. Gilee saja ketika rekan penulis masuk ke sebuah toko mencari alas sajadah, ditawari satu yang harganya 280 USD (katanya itu ditenun tangan, bukan mesin.. jadinya mahal). Justru banyak toko-toko di pinggir jalan di luar Grand Bazaar yang menjual barang yang sama dengan harga yang lebih murah, jadi Anda memang harus jeli dan jago tawar-menawar ketika main di sekitaran Grand Bazaar ini. Dari Grand Bazaar, kami pun melanjutkan perjalanan ke Aya Sofya (Hagia Sophia), yang dulunya adalah sebuah gereja, kemudian menjadi masjid, dan sekarang menjadi museum. Tiket masuk ke Aya Sofya cukup mahal buat turis asing, seharga 20 Lira, untuk penduduk Turki bisa jauh lebih murah.

Penulis di dalam Aya Sofya (perhatikan lukisan dinding khas gereja Basilica bertandem dengan kaligrafi Arab)

Dari Aya Sofya, kami pun menuju ke Topkapi Palace, istana para sultan selama zaman Kesultanan Ottoman. Wow, di gerbang masuk istana ini saja sudah dijaga oleh tentara bersenjata, karena istana ini juga menyimpan peninggalan Islam yang paling berharga yaitu jubah dan pedang yang pernah digunakan oleh Nabi Muhammad. Topkapi Palace ini juga sangat luas dan memiliki taman yang begitu indah dan asri. Di dalam istana tersebut juga ada bagian yang disebut Harem, daerah terlarang/ pribadi – biasanya tempat tinggal anggota keluarga perempuan dari sang sultan. Kalau dipikir-pikir, sungguh beruntung sekali hidup para sultan era Ottoman ini (mirip seperti kemewahan para kaisar di Cina), bisa bersenang-senang dengan istri-istri, selir-selir, para pembantu wanita dan dayang-dayang… melebihi kemewahan yang bisa dimiliki bahkan oleh Bill Gates sebagai orang terkaya di dunia saat ini). Berbicara soal wanita, cewe-cewe Turki memiliki kecantikan yang khas dan eksotik, dengan hidung yang mancung, sempit dan tajam; mata yang lebar dan alis yang hitam lentik, percampuran antara genetik Asia dan Eropa. Berbicara tentang beruntungnya para sultan Ottoman, tidak hanya wanita dari Turki, karena Kesultanan Ottoman memiliki wilayah taklukan yang sangat luas, banyak sekali wanita cantik pilihan yang dipersembahkan oleh gubernur wilayah kepada sultan untuk mempererat hubungan, seperti gadis-gadis Caucasians, Georgians, and Abkhazians yang terkenal akan kecantikannya.

Masjid Ortaköy (sedang direnovasi) dengan latar Jembatan Bosphorus (penghubung Benua Eropa – Asia)

Karena waktu yang mepet, kami hanya mampir sejenak di Istana Topkapi. Kami pun melanjutkan perjalanan ke Selat Bosphorus, yang katanya ada sebuah masjid di tepi laut yang begitu indah (Ortaköy Camii). Sayangnya Masjid Ortaköy ini sedang dipugar ketika kami tiba di sana.

Senja berakhir dan malam pun tiba. Lagi-lagi malam ini menyantap kebab, setelah siangnya lunch kebab. Apa boleh buat, walaupun tenggorokan sedang sakit, makan kebab jalan terus (efeknya baru kerasa ketika berada di pesawat pulang ke Tokyo).

Pak Abdul Waris dengan 2 porsi kebab jumbo.  ;P

Perjalanan naik bus umum ke Selat Bosphorus (yang memisahkan Benua Asia dan Eropa) luar biasa macet. Kalau dipikir wajar juga, populasi Istanbul saja sudah 13 juta, ditambah lagi turis yang hampir mencapai 7 juta jiwa per tahun. Dengan populasi sebesar itu, angka kriminalitas di Istanbul dapat dikatakan cukup rendah, mungkin karena penduduk Turki sadar pentingnya industri pariwisata yang menyumbangkan sekitar 20 Milyar USD (dari sekitar 30 juta wisatawan mancanegara) setiap tahunnya. Walaupun harus diakui di beberapa tempat masih sering terlihat adanya pemulung, pengemis, dan pengamen jalanan (meskipun tidak sebanyak di Indonesia), tapi kondisi sosial seperti ini juga cukup jamak sekalipun di negara maju. Dan menurut penulis, rakyat Turki cukup beruntung saat ini memiliki sistem pemerintahan yang demokratis, dan memiliki cukup kebebasan politik dan sosio-kultular.

Sebenarnya masih ada banyak objek yang belum sempat penulis kunjungi di Istanbul ini, seperti Masjid Süleymaniye, Basilica Cistern (terowongan peninggalan Romawi), Spice Bazaar, Istana Atatürk, Galata Tower, juga belum sempat menyeberang Jembatan Bosphorus menuju ke Istanbul bagian Benua Asia.

Istanbul, kota seribu minaret yang mengesankan..

What is heat pump?

A device that transfers heat from one location (lower temperature) to another location (higher temperature) by using input work.

Since heat naturally flows from higher temperature to lower temperature, input work is required to have a reverse flow of heat.

Description of heat pump

Heat pump generally consists of a condenser, evaporator, compressor, expansion valve, and refrigerant.

A condenser is a part of heat pump where condensation (vapour -> liquid) occurs, and therefore heat is released (located inside the room to be heated). Evaporator is located outside, where evaporation (liquid -> vapour) process is expected to extract the heat from the cold environment. Compressor and expansion valve are parts of a heat pump to adjust the pressure and temperature of the circulating fluid (refrigerant). In fact, it is by exploiting the properties of the refrigerant that we can enable the process of heat transfer from colder environment to the warmer environment.

Types of heat pumps

Basically heat pump can be classified into 2 types:

1. Compression Heat Pump
2. Absorption Heat Pump

Compression heat pump relies on mechanical work (electricity) to power the compressor to adjust the refrigerant properties. Meanwhile, in absorption heat pump, a compressor is replaced by a set of more complex absorption system. The energy input for the absorption heat pump is usually in the form of heat.

Absorption heat pump is much more complex and expensive compared to compression heat pump, however if there are abundant sources of cheap thermal energy, absorption heat pump can be an attractive option despite its initial high cost investment.

Development of heat pump technologies

Technologies for the compression heat pumps have been commercially established, with a wide range of applications, in particular for the purpose of residential heating. After the discovery of CFC (Freon) in 1930 by Thomas Midgley, this refrigerant soon became a popular choice for applications in heat pumps and refrigerators due to its favourable thermodynamic properties. However, since its adverse effect on the ozone layer was discovered in the 1980s, it has been mostly replaced with natural refrigerants such as ammonia, carbon dioxide, or non-halogenated hydrocarbons.

In fact, in a heat pump system, many aspects are kept being researched for improvements. This includes researches upon the heat exchange and transfer phenomena, properties of refrigerants, compression and expansion processes, phase changes, and flow dynamics. For the case of absorption heat pump, a wider range of issues is even needed to be addressed. For example, if the source of the heat input energy is geothermal energy, understanding of the characteristics of this energy source is certainly required.

Besides these two most common types of heat pump, some new types of refrigeration systems have also been developed, such as: magnetic refrigeration, thermoelectric, and thermo acoustic refrigeration systems.

Fig. Typical Schematic of Absorption Heat Pump

(source: WY Wijaya, S Kawasaki, H Watanabe, K Okazaki, “Evaluation of combined absorption heat pump – methanol steam reforming system: Feasibility criterion as a measure of system performance”, Energy Convers Manage. 52 (4), 1974-1982 (2011))

(Oleh: Willy Yanto Wijaya)

Apabila Anda membaca artikel di media massa mengenai gaya hidup orang Jepang (terutama anak mudanya), mungkin yang sering diulas adalah tendensi gaya hidup yang hedonis, glamor, atau gambaran mengenai generasi yang kehilangan semangat/ daya juang. Akan tetapi, hal ini tidaklah sepenuhnya benar. Walaupun “gelembung ekonomi” di era 1980-an sempat menciptakan kemakmuran dan gaya hidup yang mewah di Jepang, akan tetapi semangat dasar kepedulian sosial orang Jepang, menurut pendapat penulis, belumlah habis terkikis.

Beberapa waktu yang lalu, penulis sempat ikut bergabung bersama sukarelawan yang membantu menjual mentimun dan beberapa produk pertanian dari Provinsi Fukushima. Seperti yang kita ketahui, insiden reaktor nuklir di Fukushima yang disebabkan oleh terjangan tsunami dan gempa, menyebabkan kekhawatiran publik mengenai keamanan produk pangan yang dihasilkan di daerah tersebut. Pemerintah Jepang sendiri, beberapa saat setelah insiden nuklir, telah mengambil langkah cepat melakukan pengecekan radiasi, dan melarang penjualan beberapa produk seperti bayam dan susu sapi yang mengandung level kontaminasi melebihi ambang batas yang ditetapkan. Karena Provinsi Fukushima sendiri cukup luas, tentu saja tidak semua produk pertanian yang dihasilkan dari daerah tersebut pastilah berbahaya.

Anyway, walaupun mentimun mini yang kami jual (menurut penulis) harganya cukup mahal dan berasal dari Fukushima, akan tetapi ternyata masih banyak pembeli yang bersimpati untuk membeli. Mungkin mereka bersimpati melihat kami anak-anak muda tanpa mengenal lelah terus menerus menawarkan mentimun tersebut, padahal kami tidak digaji untuk hal itu, dan dengan membeli mentimun tersebut mereka merasa sudah ikut membantu meringankan beban hidup petani di Fukushima yang sedikit banyak terkena imbas dari image bahaya radiasi nuklir.

Selain aktivitas volunteer (sukarelawan), di Jepang sendiri, di berbagai tempat, secara berkala sering ada yang namanya Flea Market. Flea Market ini biasanya diadakan oleh komunitas lokal, dan mereka menjual barang-barang mereka yang tidak dibutuhkan lagi (tetapi masih berkualitas bagus/ layak), misalkan pakaian, boneka, mainan anak, piring, dlsb. Seringkali kita bisa mendapatkan barang bagus dengan harga yang sangat murah. Aktivitas Flea Market ini tentunya bukan untuk mencari laba (untung), tetapi lebih kepada pemikiran bahwa daripada dibuang dan menambah beban ke ekosistem bumi, kalau masih bisa bermanfaat untuk orang lain, tentunya akan menjadi nilai tambah baik bagi kelestarian lingkungan dan juga aspek ekonomis kedua belah pihak (pembeli dan penjual).

Aspek menarik dari nilai-nilai berbasis komunitas orang Jepang juga adalah mengenai keadilan sosial bagi seluruh rakyat Jepang (wah mirip Pancasila sila ke-5 nih) dan pemerataan kekayaan. Penulis sempat heran ketika membaca daftar milyuner dunia majalah Forbes, sangat sedikit sekali orang Jepang yang nongol. Padahal menurut logika, secara Jepang adalah negara dengan PDB kedua terbesar di dunia (sebelum disalip oleh Cina), dan populasi hanya setengah dari Indonesia, tentunya banyak milyuner kaya di Jepang. Akan tetapi, ternyata total kekayaan 10 orang terkaya di Jepang lebih kurang hampir setara dengan total kekayaan 10 orang terkaya di Indonesia!

Prinsip keadilan sosial ini ternyata tidak hanya buat orang Jepang saja, tetapi juga bagi warga negara asing yang tinggal di Jepang. Beberapa teman penulis orang Indonesia yang tinggal di Jepang dan memiliki keluarga, mereka juga mendapatkan tunjangan anak dan juga ada subsidi ketika persalinan (melahirkan), sehingga biaya melahirkan menjadi gratis dan malah ada surplus uang (padahal teman penulis ada yang statusnya masih mahasiswa – sehingga tidak membayar pajak – tapi tetap dapat tunjangan sosial tersebut). Bagaimana kalau di Indonesia? Tidak menjadi “sapi perah” saja sudah merupakan hal yang patut disyukuri oleh warga negara asing yang ada di Indonesia.

Mengapa Jepang bisa seperti itu, kita tidak? Salah satu faktor penting adalah sistem. Sistem yang dilandasi oleh pertimbangan dan kebijaksanaan, dan tentunya juga moralitas dan landasan etika. Sistem yang menghargai nilai-nilai universal, dan tidak diskriminatif (terhadap kelompok, agama, atau suku bangsa tertentu – bandingkan dengan beberapa negara yang menerapkan pajak yang lebih tinggi kepada pemeluk agama minoritas dengan dalih sebagai bentuk perlindungan (dalih yang cukup konyol menurut penulis, karena bukankah pemeluk agama minoritas juga adalah warga negara sah dan resmi negara tersebut), ataupun negara yang memberikan kesempatan yang timpang berdasarkan etnis/ suku). Dengan sistem yang baik, dan moralitas yang baik, tentunya seluruh elemen dari sebuah negara akan merasa menjadi bagian yang sama, merasa dihargai dan diperlakukan sama, dan sebagai kelanjutannya akan memiliki rasa cinta, sense of belonging, dan semangat untuk berkontribusi memajukan negara. Landasan dan nilai-nilai kebijaksanaan seperti itulah yang masih harus banyak kita pelajari dan terapkan di Indonesia.

(artikel ini dimuat di majalah BVD Juli 2011)

(written by: Willy Yanto Wijaya)

In a drizzling day, sometimes we can see a colourful arch decorating the sky. We call it rainbow, an arch consisting of colours: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and purple. For a long time, rainbow has been highly praised and admired for its beauty. It has also been the source of inspiration for the human arts, cultures, even old mythologies.

As a matter of fact, many aspects of rainbow can be discussed to give us more understanding of this beautiful phenomenon. In this writing, we shall explore about what actually a rainbow is; how it happens according to scientific explanations; as well as various kinds of rainbow.

Simple general view considers a rainbow as a colourful arch in the horizon. Actually in many ancient beliefs, a rainbow is often associated with a bridge connecting the earth and the sky. Several others believed rainbow as a home for gods, gods’ arrow, cessation of chaos or even as a symbol of love eternity. These beliefs lasted for centuries till the coming of scientific explanations that give us new paradigm of understanding about the rainbow.

Donald Ahrens in Meteorology Today describes a rainbow as a light show caused by the spreading out of sunlight into its spectrums of colours and then diverted to the eye of the observer by water droplets. In other words, science currently explains a rainbow as an optical and meteorological phenomenon that causes a nearly continuous spectrum of light to appear in the sky when the Sun shines onto droplets of moisture in the Earth’s atmosphere. The rainbow takes the form of a multi-coloured arc, with red on the outside and violet on the inside. Traditionally, the full sequence of colours is most commonly cited as red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. It is interesting then to know how this optical phenomenon happens and why it can be so colourful.

The formation of rainbow is an exciting problem in optics that was first clearly discussed by Rene Descartes in 1637. He examined the size of water drops, angle of the ray path and several physical parameters. After that, he constructed empirical laws that were very helpful as basics of contemporary explanations. We now understand that the rainbow’s appearance is caused by dispersion of sunlight as it is refracted by (approximately spherical) raindrops. The light is first refracted as it enters the surface of the raindrop, reflected off the back of the drop, and again refracted as it leaves the drop. The overall effect is that the incoming light is reflected back over a wide range of angles, with the most intense light at an angle of about 40°–42°, regardless of the size of the drop.

The traditional diagram to illustrate this is shown here as adapted from Humphreys, Physics of the Air.

The diagram represents the path of one light ray incident on a water droplet from the direction SA. As the light beam enters the surface of the drop at A, it is bent (refracted) a little and strikes the inside wall of the drop at B, where it is reflected back to C. As it emerges from the drop it is refracted (bent) again into the direction CE. The angle D represents a measure of the deviation of the emergent ray from its original direction. Rene Descartes calculated this deviation for a ray of red light to be about 180 – 42 or 138 degrees. That’s why the form of a rainbow is an arch and why the position of the rainbow in the sky is always in the opposite direction of the Sun with respect to the observer.

Next to wonder is why a rainbow is so colourful. The traditional description of the rainbow is that it is made up of seven colours – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Actually, the rainbow is a whole continuum of colours from red to violet and even beyond the colours that the eye can see. The colours of the rainbow arise from two basic facts.

First, sunlight is made up of the whole range of colours that the eye can detect. The range of sunlight colours, when combined, looks white to the eye. This property of sunlight was first demonstrated by Sir Isaac Newton in 1666. Second, light of different colours is refracted by different amounts when it passes from one medium (air, for example) into another (water or glass, for example). Descartes and Willebrord Snell had determined how a ray of light is bent, or refracted, as it traverses regions of different densities, such as air and water. When the light paths through a raindrop are traced for red and blue light, one finds that the angle of deviation is different for the two colours because blue light is bent or refracted more than the red light.

This implies that when we see a rainbow and its band of colours we are looking at light refracted and reflected from different raindrops, some viewed at an angle of 42 degrees; some, at an angle of 40 degrees, and some in between. This is illustrated in this drawing, adapted from Johnson’s Physical Meteorology.

This rainbow of two colours would have a width of almost 2 degrees. Even though blue light is refracted more than red light in a single drop, we see the blue light on the inner part of the arc because we are looking along a different line of sight that has a smaller angle (40 degrees) for the blue.

Observations conducted until now has revealed many kinds and variants of rainbows. There are reflection rainbows, lunar rainbows, secondary or double rainbows, triple and even supernumerary rainbows.

A reflection rainbow is defined as one produced by the reflection of the source of incident light (usually the sun). The reflected rainbow may be considered as a combination of two rainbows produced by sunlight coming from two different directions-one directly from the sun, the other from the reflected image of the sun. The angles are quite different and therefore the elevation of the rainbow arcs will be correspondingly different.

Besides by the sunlight, rainbow can also be produced by the moonlight. A full moon is bright enough to have its light refracted by raindrops just as is the case for the Sun. Moonlight is much fainter, of course, so the lunar rainbow is not nearly as bright as one produced by sunlight. Lunar rainbows are very rare and have infrequently been observed even since the time of Aristotle or before.

Occasionally, outside a primary rainbow, there happens a second, dimmer rainbow. This is called secondary or double rainbow. Secondary rainbows are caused by a double reflection of sunlight inside the raindrops, and appear at an angle of 50°–53°. As a result of the second reflection, the colours of a secondary rainbow are inverted compared to the primary bow, with blue on the outside and red on the inside.

A triple, or third, rainbow can be seen on rare occasions. In some cases, even a few observers have reported seeing quadruple rainbows in which a dim outermost arc had a rippling and pulsating appearance. These rainbows would appear on the same side of the sky as the Sun, making them hard to spot.

Another beautiful and striking rainbow phenomenon can be observed, consisting of several faint rainbows on the inner side of the primary rainbow, and very rarely also outside the secondary rainbow. They are slightly detached and have pastel colour bands that do not fit the usual pattern. They are known as supernumerary rainbows.

In conclusion, a rainbow is an optical and meteorological phenomenon that causes a nearly continuous spectrum of light to appear in the sky that happens when the Sun shines onto droplets of moisture in the Earth’s atmosphere and that has many kinds and variants of appearance.

初めて日本に来た時感じたことは、日本が安全な国ということである。カメラやノートパソコンをどこへも安心して持って行ける。シンガポールからの友達が電車にノートパソコンを忘れてしまっても、そのノートパソコンはなくならなかった。確かに、こういう良い状態で警察官の仕事も少なくなった。それで、日本の警察はなくなった自転車も犬も探してくれる。インドネシアの場合は、自動車もしくはオートバイクしか探してくれない。特に自転車のみなくなっても、あまり警官を呼ばない。

さらに、日本の警官は自転車を止めることが大好きだ。私も、もう何回も止められてしまった。研究生活が大変な時はよく夜１時ぐらいに家に帰っていた。途中で、のみ川の近くにいつも警官がいた。もう疲れていたのに、様々な質問に答えなければならない。時間もかかる。大体十分十五分だった。すごくめんどくさいと感じていた。運よく、自転車防犯登録カードを持っていた。なければ、きっと時間がもっとかかった。

こういう経験から、私はよくほかのルートを通った。そのルートは交番を通過しなければならなかった。思ったより、この交番の警官はあまり自転車を止めなかった。ひとつの理由は泥棒が理論的に交番を避けるからかもしれない。

以上のことから、インドネシアと日本では自転車の生活はぜんぜん違うと思う。インドネシアの場合は自転車に対してルールがあまりない。めんどくさいけど、日本のシステムにも利点があると思う。自転車がなくなった時、こういう防犯登録システムと自転車を止めるという警察官独特の「趣味」は役に立つと思う。

Summary

My internship was conducted in the UK POST (Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology) on Feb 4-14, 2011. This report will describe about my initial objectives in conducting the internship, where in particular I hoped to learn the actual implementation of science communication in the UK Parliament. Then, the results and learning-curve I obtained from this internship will be described and compared to my initial objectives. Further, how the obtained results will be useful for my future career will also be considered. The detailed schedule of activities during the internship will also be provided. Finally, some suggestions and ideas for improvement will be taken into account, in the hope that the future intern dispatch will become better and better.

■    Objective

British Parliament had been known as the Mother of Parliaments due to its role in serving as a model for many parliamentary systems in other parts of the world. Personally, I hoped that by doing this internship, I could learn how the Parliament runs its activities, and how the members of the parliament (MPs) manage one of the oldest parliamentary systems in the world. Besides, in particular, I was also interested in the way the UK Parliament handled the social issues correlated with scientific aspects by forming an independent body they called Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST). Having read the POSTNOTEs which were written in a very concise and easy-to-understand manner (to serve the busy MPs), I realized that the term “Science Communication” must have been considered intensively by the UK POST, and through this internship, I did hope that I could see and learn the actual implementation of the scientific communication within the parliament body.

■    Detailed schedule

Friday, 4 Feb 2011

Introduction of Westminster House and POST

Guided tour to explore inside of the Westminster Palace

Saturday, 5 Feb 2011

British Museum

Tower Bridge, River Thames cruising

Greenwich:  Painted Chapel, Royal Observatory

Sunday, 6 Feb 2011

National Gallery

Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, London Chinatown

St.  Paul Cathedral

Monday, 7 Feb 2011

Background Research (Heat Pump)

Tuesday, 8 Feb 2011

Oral Evidence Session: Investors and NGOs on Electricity Market Reform at Committee Room 19: Renewable Energy (10.15~    )

Meeting with Parliament members of Costa Rica (15.00~    )

All-party Parliamentary Group on Heart Disease “British Heart Foundation” (16.30~    )

Seminar and discussion on Shale Gas (18.30~    )

Wednesday, 9 Feb 2011

Foresight Project Global Food and Farming Futures (10.30~    )

Thursday, 10 Feb 2011

Accompany Navvab-san to a clinic

Continue background research

Friday, 11 Feb 2011

Finish background research about heat pump, and summary of one week activities

Saturday, 12 Feb 2011

Visit Cambridge and Cambridge University

Met Dr. Swami and Minamoto-san, got introductions about their research facilities

Sunday, 13 Feb 2011

Visit Oxford and Oxford University

Drop by to see Oxford Museum of Natural History and Pitt Rivers Museum

Monday, 14 Feb 2011

Return the Parliament security pass and finish the administrative procedures

Met Kamo-san at Science Museum, had a walk in Imperial College London

■     Results

From the various activities during my internship in UK POST around one week, I have learned many things, either concerning the “science communication” itself, as well as other knowledge such as: the UK Parliamentary system, and socio-economic of life in Britain, especially in London.

To pick up a couple of specific examples concerning science communication:

1. Became an observer in the Oral Evidence Session: Electricity Market Reform.

It was an interesting experience for me to see how the investors and NGOs (Non-governmental organizations, such as: Greenpeace, WWF) tried to convince the MPs about the renewable energy investments in the UK.. From this session, I saw that it is important to convey appropriately a scientific/ technical issue (concerning renewable energies) to a group of audiences (MPs) which have different depth of understanding about the issue. It is necessary to understand the background of our intended audiences, as well as possible opponents/ proponents that might counter-attack/ support our arguments. In this session, it seemed that most of the NGOs supported the idea of this renewable energy investment (with certain differing opinions), but the MPs might later invite a group of opponents in their next hearing of evidence session.

2. An attendee of a party by British Heart Foundation (BHF).

Even though just in the form of a party, it could serve as an effective lobby to the targeted stakeholders (MPs). The MPs are the lawmakers, which have strong influence in the deregulation and science policy. BHF had been very smart in conveying the message of how important it is to support the research upon heart diseases, and stem cell as one possible approach to cure the broken heart cells. When I talked with one professor of the BHF, he explained about the research funding, and the further perspectives of their research progress in the terms understandable by non-medical people. The BHF also invited patients/ people suffered heart disease to give witness about their actual experiences.

From these experiences, I understood that science communication could be done in many ways, not necessarily in the form of rigid lecture/ seminars. I also realized that it’s important to have a clear map of whom we are dealing with, and who other possible stakeholders that might be involved.

From Prof. David Cope’s presentation and talk with MPs from Costa Rica, I also got deeper insights about the UK Parliament: the history, activities, and other relevant aspects.

■     Future prospects

I’m sure that my experiences during the internship in UK POST, and in more general, the “Science Communication” course I took in Tokyo Tech, will be fruitful for my future career, either if I decide to be involved in the energy industries or in the academic world later. When working in the energy sector, for example, it is crucial to convince the public opinion to support the intended energy project, such as by employing the methods of effective science communication. In the academic world, for sure, it is vital to convey complicated scientific concepts in a way that such scientific issues become easily grasped, and thus the joy of learning can be kept growing.

It is also interesting to note that in Indonesian Parliament, the awareness of scientific issues of the MPs are still very low, even though recently some issues such as: avian influenza, genetically-modified crops, deforestation, IT regulations, are becoming hot issues. It will be troublesome if most of the lawmakers in Indonesian Parliament do not even have a mere idea of those scientific subjects. POST and POSTNOTE are good ideas to promote the scientific awareness among the Indonesian MPs.

■     Suggestion

Some suggestions and idea for future improvement:

1. More wide-spread announcements/ advertisements about this Science Communication – Overseas Internships could be done, for example by making use of the ISC mailing list, GCOE, and Department mailing lists. Electronic Bulletin Board in the library, cafeteria, Honkan, and other places can also be used to promote this internship opportunities. To reach wider audiences, information can be provided in both Japanese and English.
2. It is a good idea to inform earlier the selected candidates about the webpage: http://sec-titech.jp/report/cate04/ so that they can get some ideas of what they are going to do before being dispatched.
3. It might be good to adjust the period of dispatch and number of students with the seat availability in the UK POST.

For future interns:

Apply for the UK visa as earliest as possible since the visa application of people from certain countries will take longer time than usual (seemed that UK Embassy did a careful check on certain applications), and be sure to attach sufficient supporting documents for the visa application.

Additional Scratches..

Shale Gas Seminar

Tuesday, 8 Feb 2011, 18.30~

Speaker:

• Nigel Smith, Geologist, British Geological Survey
• Prof. Richard Selley, Petroleum Geologist, Imperial College London

This seminar covered the introduction about shale gas to the general public, with the main topics of the presentation and discussions were as follow:

v       The prospects for shale gas in the UK, and the risks of rapid depletion of shale gas resources.

v       The implications of large discoveries of shale gas around the world for UK energy and climate change policy, including investment in renewable energy.

v       The risks and hazards associated with drilling for shale gas.

v       Carbon footprint of shale gas compared to other fossil fuels.

From this talk, it’s interesting to know that in Europe, the natural resources/ minerals are the properties of the state (nation) meanwhile in US; they are the properties of the backyard owner where the minerals were found.

(This writing was written in April 2007, re-published in this blog in March 2011)

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It was Saturday morning, April 14^th 2007. That day, we would go to Tochigi to have home stay. I was very enthusiastic, yes, visiting another prefecture I had never been before.

The bus trip took about three hours to reach the lakeside near Utsunomiya Forest Park. It was a very nice trip while along side of the journey; we could enjoy the beautiful countryside of Japan with its small roads of cedar trees.

Arriving at the lakeside, we walked several minutes to the location of the barbeque party. The calm water of the small lake, emphasized by cool breeze amidst cedar trees really relieved all my tiredness of the bus trip. I saw some people fishing; some were walking nearby the lakeside.

Then, the time for barbeque came. We prepared several stuffs for cooking: lit the fire, pour the cooking oil, put the various ingredients altogether. Fragrant smell arouse within our appetite for the lunch. It was really enjoyable. We talked one another about many things. I met with Mrs. Yasuko Oono, my host mother who was very kind and energetic. She came along with several companions: Mr. and Mrs. Ikeda as well as Miyajima Yu, a guy with almost the same age as me. It was surprising for me to know that Mr. Ikeda apparently could speak some Indonesian words. He had ever lived in Indonesia for some months and told us many stories of his life in Indonesia.

After the barbeque lunch, we, the YSEP students as well as the participants of this home stay received the certificates of friendship from Utsunomiya City. They also gave us some souvenirs such as pens, key hangers, even geta (Japanese traditional footwear) and wooden basket to some lucky participants.

We, YSEP students, then got apart one another, following our own respective host families. My host mother, Ikeda family, Yu and me went to a museum where many beautifully decorated big carts were displayed. These carts (or were called ‘floats’) were usually used for Matsuri (festival). Some steps behind the entrance gate, we could see a very beautiful pillar carved from a single cedar tree into a dragon, lion and phoenix. There were also some old manuscripts and we could watch video about the crafting history of the big carts as well as the wooden pillar. It’s very lucky that since my host mother was a good friend of the museum keeper, we were allowed to enter the glass room where two massively big, more than a hundred-year-old, beautifully decorated carts were stored. We even could have our pictures taken with that precious cart.

After finished the museum visit, we then walked into a nearby Japanese traditional park; and stopped in a teashop to have some break. My host mother bought me a Daruma doll and told me that when I have a wish, I paint one eye of the Daruma; and when I accomplish that wish, I paint the other eye. Wow, it was so inspiring a charm. Indeed I had already known a little bit about Daruma before: that Daruma was made inspired by Bodhidharma, a monk who brought Buddhism from India to China and founded the famous Shaolin Temple. Bodhidharma was also usually associated with the green tea leaves since there was a legend saying that Bodhidharma felt asleep while doing meditation. Since then he cut his eyelids and these eyelids fell onto the ground and grew into the plant of tea. Therefore, tea became very popular to prevent the sleepy eyes and often associated with the mindfulness practices of Zen Buddhism.

However, I still didn’t know this very touching charm, painting one eye of Daruma when you have a wish. I suppose this is a very nice idea for writing a novel or inspiring/ love stories.

We went to the house of my host family for a while where I met my host father, a very calm and friendly person. He was working in a car repair/workshop. It was only for several moments before we headed for the tea ceremony.

That was the third tea ceremony I saw and the second I experienced. Nevertheless, every time you experience tea ceremony, always every new thing you’ll get and feel. This time, I was very lucky to be able to try to wear Japanese formal kimono. Elsa and Karlisa (YSEP friends) were also there. Since tea ceremony always adapts to the changes of the seasons, this time the tea bowls were mostly decorated in sakura blossoms. We were also served very delicious Japanese cakes and sweets according to the season. When we were about to going home, the tea master gave us a present of Japanese traditional sweets again.

A little bit tired, we went home to have dinner. Wow! It was a very appetizing dinner with three big sets of various fresh sushi, fragrant fried chickens, soup, as well as ice cream and fruits as the closing deserts. We talked many things from family related matters, overseas travels of my host family, etc. Before going to bed, I took a bath to refresh the whole-day tired body. One thing I really love from Japanese family and life is the cleanliness and comfort of a Japanese house and lifestyle; stretching body within the fresh and comfortable futon, hmm…so nice, oyasumi nasai…

Waking up early in the morning, the breakfast had been prepared for me. We ate some slices of toasted bread with jam. Umm, this morning I had planned to give some Indonesian omiyage (souvenirs) to my host family and Ikeda family i.e. a big straw rat and Jogjakarta crafts. Although rat was usually associated with bad things, but of course this straw rat was an exception. It symbolized the wealth and prosperity since you would hardly find a fat and big rat in slums.

Then we left for Nikko Toshogu Shrine and passed the famous Nikko Cedar Roads, the world’s longest line of cedar trees. This shrine was dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu and full of unique decorations. The famous features of this shrine were such as nemuri neko (the sleeping cat craft), echo hall of some metal instruments, tumulus of the Tokugawa, and so on. Mr. Ikeda explained a lot of things to me from the historical background of the shrine until recent status and condition of the shrine. I also got some post cards as souvenir from Mrs. Ikeda. Near the Toshogu Shrine, there was also a Buddhist temple (but I forgot the name).

Finishing the walk within the site, my host father brought us to an old European-style restaurant. He treated us some nice seafood rice with curry.

Before going back to the appointment place at Tochigi Youth Center, we made use the time to visit Ooya Kannon statue, a very tall statue of Avalokitesvara (the Sanskrit word for ‘Kannon’ (Japanese) or ‘Guan Yin’ (Chinese) or ‘Kuan Im’ (Hokkianese) made by carving the volcanic stone wall. This was another big statue of Kannon I found in Japan after the Ofuna Kannon in Kanagawa Prefecture. I didn’t know why I really loved Kannon, probably because she represented the compassion for the sufferings of the world.

Completed the travel, we then headed to the rendezvous. Sato Sensei apparently had waited for us to go back to Yokohama. It was really pleasant and exciting home stay as well as unforgettable memories…

Hereby, I would like to express my deep gratitude to my host family, Oono family, for the kindness and hearty warmth; Ikeda family for many helps and sincerity; Yu Miyajima for the friendship weaved; the Tea Ceremony Master and her families, for the inspiring moments of the tea mindfulness; UKII, Utsunomiya City, and all other host families as well as YSEP friends for the togetherness; and last but not least to Sato Sensei for all the “invisible” supports and coordination that had enabled this meaningful and exciting home stay to happen.

I painted the Daruma eye, wishing you all the everlasting happiness…

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Deep condolence to all families stricken by Tohoku earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011.

空はつながっている、心もきっと同じ。                                                               (Just like the skies that are connected, our hearts must be the same).

I painted one eye of Daruma, wishing you all to be strong, and always be blessed in the kindness and compassion..

Tokyo, 22 March 2011

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