Singgah ke Rumah Tjong A Fie

Di tengah keramaian kota Medan yang punya banyak bangunan klasik, ada satu tempat yang menarik untuk disinggahi, Rumah Tjong A Fie. Rumah tua Gaya Tionghoa ini adalah rumah seorang pedagang dari China yang kini dijadikan museum. Arsitektur peranakan klasik dengan paduan warna yang khas sangat menarik bagi pengunjung untuk menjelalah ke rumah ini. Terlebih, lokasinya yang berada di tengah kota Medan membuat tempat ini mudah dijangkau. Bagi pengunjung yang hanya punya sedikit waktu singgah di Kota Medan, berkunjung ke Rumah Tjong A Fie bisa jadi pilihan destinasi yang menarik selain berkuliner.

Di pinggir jalan kecil di kawasan Kesawan, Rumah Tjong A Fie ini diapit oleh bangunan-bangunan tua lain yang padat. Rumah Tjong Afie ditandai dengan gerbang kayu tua dengan atap genteng dan lampion merah khas Tionghoa. Setelah memasuki pintu gerbang, akan terlihat halaman rumah dengan rumput dan tanaman hijau yang terawat dengan baik. Di ujung halaman, akan tampak rumah dua lantai dengan banyak jendela kayu berwarna hijau menghadap ke depan. Berpadu dengan dinding berwarna orange muda, rumah ini tampak klasik dan cantik.

Untuk menjelajahi seisi rumah, pengunjung harus membayar tiket masuk dan akan ditemani seorang guide yang akan memandu mengelilingi rumah. Layaknya rumah pada umumnya, bagian depan rumah terdapat ruang tamu yang luas dengan beberapa kursi rotan dan meja bulat. Keramik dan guci besar menghiasi sudut-sudut ruangan yang menjadi ciri khas interior berkelas ala Tionghoa. Di sekeliling dinding terdapat beberapa foto dan lukisan keluarga Tjong A Fie.

Rumah yang dibangun Tahun 1895 ini punya tiga puluh lima kamar. Dulu, Tjong A Fie menghuni rumah itu bersama isteri dan ketujuh anaknya. Karena Tjong Afie sering bertemu dengan tamu-tamu kerajaan dan tokoh-tokoh penting pada masanya, dia pun menyiapkan kamar-kamar untuk singgah para tamu di rumahnya.

Lalu, siapakah Tjong Afie ini sehingga rumahnya sampai dijadikan museum? Lelaki yang lahir pada tahun 1860 ini adalah orang Tionghoa yang masa kecilnya hidup dengan kondisi ekonomi yang sulit di kampung halamannya. Pada usia 17 tahun, dia memutuskan untuk mengikuti jejak kakaknya yang merantau ke tanah Deli. Dia pun mengadu nasib di sana dengan berdagang untuk mendapat kehidupan yang lebih baik.

Sebagai pedagang, kiprah Tjong A Fie dalam memajukan peradaban Medan sangat besar. Selama berdagang, Tjong A Fie mampu menjalin hubungan baik dengan banyak pihak baik orang-orang Tionghoa, Belanda, dan orang-orang pribumi di Medan, sehingga dirinya selalu mendapat citra yang baik di mata masyarakat. Dia pun dipercaya menjadi pemimpin kelompok pendatang tionghoa di Medan. Selain piawai dalam berdagang, Tjong A Fie juga sosok yang dermawan. Setiap keuntungan dari bisnisnya selalui disisihkan untuk membantu orang lain dan membangun tempat-tempat ibadah di lingkungannya.

Rumah Tjong A Fie diabadikan menjadi museum sebagai bagian dari perjalanan sejarah peradaban di Tanah Air, dimana perkembangan kehidupan masyarakatnya tidak lepas dari peran para pendatang dari negeri seberang. Selain itu, melalui rumah bersejarah milik Tjong A Fie, masyarakat dapat mengenal nilai-nilai kegigihan dan kedermawanan orang-orang yang sukses pada masa lampau yang bisa menjadi inspirasi bagi generasi masa kini.

@kusdwilestarin

Angels in Twins

Novi

Sabtu pagi Novi lebih sibuk dari hari biasanya. Dia melakukan pekerjaan rumahnya sebagai seorang isteri dengan lebih cepat karena harus segera bergegas ke kota. Novi tinggal di Kabupaten Sukabumi, namun rumahnya berada di Kecamatan Cicurug yang masih membutuhkan waktu tiga jam untuk sampai ke Kota Sukabumi.

Untuk bepergian jarak jauh, Novi selalu mengandalkan angkutan umum. Dia sudah hafal dengan jalur angkutan warna-warni yang banyak beredar di kotanya. Dia pun hafal kapan jalanan macet.

Pukul sepuluh pagi Novi berangkat. Dia tahu akan menempuh perjalanan jauh yang penuh kemacetan. Benar saja, di sepanjang jalan macet dan hujan lebat. Sambil duduk di bangku angkutan umum, Novi sibuk melihat ponselnya. Dia beberapa kali mengetik pesan di Whatsapp. 

Setelah tiga jam perjalanan dan tiga kali berganti angkutan umum, Novi akhirnya sampai di tempat tujuannya.

"Assalamualaikum. Maaf ya, Kak, nunggu lama," ucap Novi saat menyapa seorang perempuan yang ia temui.

Novi bertemu dengan teman lamanya di sebuah Panti Asuhan di sudut Kota Sukabumi. Panti Asuhan itu adalah tempat Novi mengabdikan diri selama satu tahun setelah dia lulus sekolah dari yayasan yang sama di Jakarta. 

Dulu, saat Novi masih sekolah dan tinggal di asrama Panti Asuhan di Jakarta, perempuan itu sering datang untuk membantu dia dan teman-temannya belajar. Namun setelah lulus sekolah lima tahun yang lalu, Novi kembali ke tempat asalnya di Garut dan mereka tidak lagi bertemu.

"Aman kan, Han? Makasih ya." ucap Novi kepada Raihan, juniornya yang menjadi salah satu pegawai di yayasan. Selama Novi masih dalam perjalanan, Novi telah berkomunikasi dengan Raihan dan memberitahukan kalau akan ada tamu seorang perempuan yang datang sebelum dia. Novi meminta Raihan untuk mempersilakannya di ruangan yayasan sembari menunggunya datang.

"Iya kak, aku tinggal ke Kebun dulu ya." Ucap raihan seraya meninggalkan Novi dengan teman perempuannya.

Setelah beberapa obrolan kecil, Novi dan teman perempuannya bergegas menuju asrama putri untuk sholat sekaligus menjenguk anak-anak yang tinggal disana. Asrama putri terdiri dari dua lantai dengan kamar yang cukup banyak. Satu kamar dihuni oleh dua anak.

Novi menyapa salah satu penghuni kamar sembari meminta izin untuk sholat di kamarnya. Namanya Rizkiya, kelas 3 SMP yang sekolah di yayasan yang sama dengan panti asuhan yang ia tempati. Siang itu Rizkiya sedang tiduran sambil membaca buku, sementara teman sekamarnya sedang menikmati tidur siangnya.

Berkenalan dengan anak-anak di asrama menjadi hal yang menyenangkan bagi Novi, ia teringat hari-hari dimana dia juga pernah berada dalam asrama dan berbagi kamar dan tempat tidur dengan teman-teman lain. Kini, dia sudah tinggal bersama suami dan menjalani perannya sebagai seorang isteri.

 

Selesai sholat dan berbincang dengan anak-anak di asrama, Novi mengajak temannya berkeliling panti asuhan. Novi beranjak ke dapur dan menemui seorang perempuan disana. Namanya Teh Iis, dia adalah satu-satunya orang yang bertugas memasak untuk semua anak di asrama. 

"Teteh sehat?" sapa Novi sambil melihat-lihat kembali dapur yang ia kenal semasa pengabdiannya di yayasan.

"Ibu masak sendirian buat semua anak setiap hari? nggak capek bu?" tanya teman Novi yang salut dengan pekerjaan Teh Iis

"Enggak, saya mah seneng bisa masakin anak-anak disini, kadang juga anak-anak suka bantuin saya kalau saya lagi masak," jawab Teh Iis. "Ini pada mau ketemu Pak Haji ya?" lanjutnya. 

Pak Haji adalah sapaan untuk pemilik yayasan panti asuhan. Ia tinggal di lingkungan asrama dengan rumah yang sederhana. Di usianya yang sudah sangat lanjut, ia masih menekuni hobinya berladang.

"Oh enggak sih, Teh. Kita cuma main aja kesini. Nggak harus ketemu Pak Haji, takut ganggu."

"Pak Haji ada kok, lagi siap-siap mau ke ladang, temui saja. Pasti dia senang kalau ada tamu." saran Teh Iis.

Novi pun mengajak temannya menuju rumah Pak Haji. Di halaman rumah, Pak Haji sudah bersiap dengan sepatu boot dan peralatan untuk berladang. Novi pun menyapa Pak Haji dan mengenalkannya dengan temannya. 

Di usia yang sudah sangat senja, tubuh Pak Haji sudah tidak tegak lagi, wajahnya keriput, matanya menyipit, dan giginya sudah tidak utuh lagi. Namun dari wajahnya seperti terpancar semangat berbuat kebaikan.

Obrolan Novi dan temannya dengan Pak haji tidak banyak. Mereka tak ingin mengganggu Pak Haji yang akan ke ladang. Namun tak disangka Pak Haji justru mengajak mereka untuk ikut ke ladang dan melihat hasil-hasil kebun milik yayasannya.

Yayasan milik Pak Haji di Sukabumi memang mengelola ladang yang ditanami banyak sayur dan buah seperti jeruk, alpukat, durian, terong belanda, rempah-rempah, singkong, dan banyak lagi. Menariknya, semua tanaman di kebunnya, diberikan pupuk yang diproduksi sendiri. Jika sudah panen pun, hasil kebunnya sebagian dikonsumsi sendiri untuk kebutuhan anak-anak asrama.

Selesai berkeliling kebun, Novi dan temannya berpamitan kepada Pak Haji dan anak-anak di asrama untuk pulang. Pak Haji pun mempersilakan dan dia tetap bekerja di ladang. 

Saat sudah berpamitan kepada anak-anak di asrama, Novi dan temannya dikagetkan dengan kehadiran Raihan yang membawa setandan pisang.

"Ini buat kakak berdua dari Pak Haji. Baru saja dipetik dari ladang." ucap Raihan.

"Lho nggak usah repot-repot, kami nggak bisa bawanya."

"Tolong jangan ditolak ya, Kak. Ini dari Pak Haji. Dia nggak punya apa-apa buat dibawain ke kakak, jadi kita disuruh metik pisang ini." ucap Raihan.

Seketik Novi dan temannya paham niat tulus Pak Haji yang ingin memuliakan tamunya. Novi pun meminta Raihan memotong setandan pisang itu menjadi tiga bagian supaya lebih mudah dibawa.

Nova

Minggu pagi, selesai sholat subuh Nova bergegas mengambil ponselnya dan membuka aplikasi ojek online. Hari Minggu kali ini aktivitas Nova sedikit berbeda dari hari minggu biasanya. Pakaian kotor yang biasanya ia cuci di hari minggu sudah ia selesaikan tadi malam. 

Pagi masih gelap, dan Nova sudah membonceng ojek online menuju Kota Sukabumi yang membutuhkan waktu empat puluh menit. Pukul enam kurang lima menit, Nova sampai di sebuah hotel dan langsung menuju salah satu kamar.

"Assalamualaikum. Bener kan, sebelum jam enam aku udah sampai," ucap Nova saat pintu kamar terbuka. "Maaf ya, Kak, gara-gara aku lembur jadi nggak bisa ikut ke asrama." lanjutnya.

Hari itu adalah pertemuan Nova dengan Novi, saudara kembarnya, setelah cukup lama berpisah semenjak Novi menikah. Bersama teman perempuan mereka yang kemarin bersama Novi berkunjung ke Panti Asuhan, Nova dan Novi akan menghabiskan hari minggu mereka berlibur di Situ Gunung yang dikenal dengan jembatan gantungnya.

Reuni kecil ini bermula dari Nova yang menyapa teman lamanya di social media. Bertanya kabar kerabat untuk menjaga tali silaturrahmi mungkin sudah tertanam pada Nova sejak dia sekolah. Berawal dari menceritakan kesibukan masing-masing, kemudian muncul rencana untuk bertemu kembali di Sukabumi sambil bersilaturrahmi ke Panti Asuhan disana. 

@kusdwilestarin

Post Office

It was his office, located in the very center of the town called Nol Kilometer of Jogja. It's a heritage building near other landmarks of Jogja like Bank Indonesia, BNI, and Beteng Verdeburg. Heading to the south, there will be Alun - Alun Utara and Keraton, the house of The King of Yogyakarta. It's my father's office.

Meanwhile, I lives in the north of Jogja, eleven kilometers away from my father's office. When I  was a kid, my school was just near my house, so I rarely went to the downtown. The moment I went to the downtown was when I had to see the doctor or the dentist in my father's office clinic. 

Travel to the town

Visiting my father's office was a lovely thing to do. In the afternoon, usually at 4pm, me and my mother went to Post Office by public transportation, so we could back home together with my father. 

I still remember my mother and I took a minibus called Kopades from the main road of my housing and got off in Mirota Kampus. It was our halfway to destination. After that, we took another bus that brought us to my father's office.

Although it seemed like a long complicated trip, I loved it. It felt like I went for some kind of traveling. I enjoyed the sight of the road, traffic, buildings, and anything that I rarely see it in my daily. And the most favorite part of my trip to my father's office was the Malioboro street. It's a tourism spot where I could see a lot of people walked in a crowd, and a lot of street tenants sold various clothes and souvenirs.

City Attractions

Working in the downtown made my father always keep updated if there was attractions in Alun-Alun. The Sultan often held some traditional attractions called Gunungan, Sekaten, or special carnival for the royal wedding.

It was the Sultan's first daughter royal wedding when I was in elementary school. There was a royal carnival where the brides rode on a horse-drawn carriage, traveled through the  town to see the people. It was Sunday, and my father asked me to see the royal carnival from his office's roof top. I was so excited.

We rode a motorbike to my father's office. But we were late. The street was already crowded by people. We could not pass through the street and reached my father's office. 

But instead of turned back home, he brought me to some small restaurant called Sate Ayam Podomoro in Mataram street. We ordered some satay and my father said it would be a delicious sate ayam ever. While we were eating, there was a television in the restaurant that showed the Sultan's daughter Royal Wedding Carnival. We watched it together with other people there. Finally, we only see the carnival on tv while eating satay. It was like a romantic-failed-date with my father.

Today, whenever I passed Mataram Street and see Sate Ayam Podomoro, it brought my memory to the moment I visited there with my father watched the royal wedding carnival. Moreover, the beauty of the downtown is a also special memory for my self. It's not only a tourism spot that adorable for common people, it's a part of my page that remain me to my childhood with my father.

@kusdwilestarin

Tidak Sia-Sia

Singkat cerita, Nabi Yusuf AS kemudian diangkat menjadi pemimpin di Kerajaan Mesir. Padahal awalnya dia dibuang ke sumur sama saudara-saudaranya dan jadi budak. Kenapa Allah SWT izinkan Nabi Yusuf AS menjadi seorang pemimpin?

Jawabannya ada di Quran Surah Yusuf ayat 56: Dan demikianlah Kami memberi kedudukan kepada Yusuf di negeri Mesir, dia berkuasa penuh pergi menuju kemana saja ia kehendaki di bumi mesir itu. Kami melimpahkan rahmat Kami kepada siapa yang kami kehendaki dan Kami tidak menyia-nyiakan pahala orang-orang yang berbuat baik.

Jadi kenapa Nabi Yusuf AS diberi Allah SWT kedudukan yang tinggi di Mesir? Karena Nabi Yusuf berbuat baik. Sewaktu dibuang ke sumur dia sabar, sewaktu menjadi budak dia bekerja dengan baik dan menjaga diri dari segala keburukan.

Itu adalah sepenggal cerita tentang Nabi Yusuf AS yang diceritakan oleh Zahra, salah satu anak di salah satu yayasan di Yogyakarta. Dia dengan percaya diri mengangkat tangan saat dia dan teman-temannya diberi tantangan untuk menceritakan kisah Nabi Yusuf AS pada saat berkumpul menunggu waktu magrib. 

Kisah Nabi Yusuf AS adalah satu-satunya kisah nabi yang diceritakan secara lengkap dalam satu surah secara urut sejak dia kecil hingga dewasa dengan segala perjalanan hidupnya.

Dari serangkaian kisah Nabi Yusuf AS yang cukup panjang untuk diceritakan secara lengkap, Zahra sangat cerdas dalam meringkas cerita dan mengutip satu ayat dari Surah Yusuf sebagai garis besar pelajaran, ayat 56. Dengan mengutip satu ayat itu, Zahra tidak hanya sedang bercerita, namun juga menyampaikan pesan kepada teman-teman yang mendengar ceritanya bahwa cerita ini bukan sekedar tentang kisah sejarah nabi. Tapi dari kisah itu Allah SWT memberi petunjuk supaya manusia terus berbuat baik. Kenapa? Karena pahalanya tidak akan sia-sia.

@kusdwilestarin 

Better

A third grade Junior High School girl came home from school enthusiastically. She brought a pretest score for her final national exam. She got top five score among all of the students. She was so satisfied. It was her highest rank ever from several pretest exam.

At home, she showed her score to her father and showed the list of rank score in her school. "Look! I got fifth rank! I never achieve this before," the girl said to her father. She felt like she just achieved something remarkable.

"Then who are the top four?" her father asked. The girl then pointed to the score list and mentioned her schoolmates. "It means there are still four students better than you," said the father without any little smile.

Wait, what? It was not what the girl wanted to hear from her father. Instead of appreciating her for getting a better score, he just said that there were students better that her.

She cried. She felt so hurt by what her father just said. She already did her best for the exam pretest so she could achieve a better score, but her father did not appreciate it anyway. 

But then she studied again and prepared for the real final exam. She did not expect much. Her score in pretest was enough to make her confident to face the real final exam. 

When the final exam result was released, the girl was shocked to know that her score was the highest among all of the students. She could not believe that the real score was more than what she had expected. This was her first rank ever since she went to school. Even got a top five was her precious achievement.

And when the father found his daughter finally got the first rank, he gave his smile to her. And that's enough for the girl to realize that what her father said at that time actually built a special strength and motivation to her unconsciously. And it worked.

It could not be inferred that it was a good way in motivating child, anyway. Some fathers probably have another ways and it works too. It was not about what kind of way that work well, but what kind of way that suitable to the character of the child. It was all about how well the parents know their child.

The girl realized that the lesson that her father just taught her was about being not too much in any kind of situation. We don't need to be proud too much when we achieve something, and also not to desperate too much when we regret something.

@kusdwilestarin

It’s a Girl !

Sunday morning 1990, a 35 years old man was sitting nervously in a waiting room of a hospital. Her wife was in a process of giving birth for his second child. Deep inside his heart, he really wished that the baby would be a girl to complete his little family with a son and a daughter after a long wait. 

A Long Wait

This was seven years after his first child born. This man and his wife were actually planned to have another baby since their son was 2 years old. She was actually pregnant for second baby as planned. But on the third month pregnancy, the fetus misscarried. They were sad, but still tried to have a baby again. 2 years later, his wife was pregnant again. But still, the baby did not come to the world. 3 years later, his wife was pregnant again. The man took care of his wife much more carefully to avoid another unexpected thing. In his heart, he had two wishes to God. First, the baby would come to the world safely. And second, the baby would be a girl.

In a few months of pregnancy, The Wife was always in a painful situation every time the baby made a move. She sweated. She had to stop any activity she did and lay down on the bed. Although it was not her first pregnancy, she never felt so painful as this one. The motion was stronger that her first child. 

At that time, using scan to know the gender of the baby inside the belly was a high price for this family. So they chose to wait until baby born to know the gender. "I guess this one will be another baby boy," The Wife said to her husband. The Husband just smiled to his wife and took care of her. She knew that her husband was hiding his dissatisfaction. 

The Wish Come True
In the hospital, there were some patients that would give birth for their baby. After waiting for a while, The man heard a baby cried softly. He asked to the nurse, but it was not his baby. Then he heard the next baby crying. He asked again, yet it was not his baby. He started panic. Then after hours, he heard the third crying. The sound was so loud. Really loud. The husband started sweating. If that was really his baby, that strong cry sounded like a boy. 

He asked to the nurse again. Then the nurse said it was his wife who just gave a birth. And the nurse informed him that the baby was a girl. His face looked so happy. He can not hide the grateful expression. Once he was allowed to visit his wife, he gave a great hug to his wife. "Thank you," he said implicitly for giving birth a baby girl.

The man loved his daughter so much. He praised to God for the favor he got. God really fulfilled his wish although he had to wait until seven years and passed several trial. "If your mother did not get trouble with her pregnancies, you would never be in this world. But Allah already prepared you," The Man said to the little baby who obviously do not understand what he said. 

What if
Anyway, that kind of joy would never exist if it happened in the pre-islam generation. Before islam existed, people only expected baby boy. The born of a girl was a mistake for the father. Girl had no price at that time, and the family who had a girl would be humiliated. Some people even buried their baby alive just to avoid social humiliation (16:57-58).

It may seems awkward to talk about old generation and compared it to recent day. But to know that there was a terrible time for girls due to gender unfairness, now even just being a girl in this time is a favor. Moreover, to know that there was a long journey behind the birth of a baby from the story of the man and his wife, even just being born in this world is a great gift from the God.

@kusdwilestarin

A Little Attack that Matter 2

The boys and the girls were still sitting on the floor. Some of them made a little talk in whispers. Yaa, i have done that too. They just felt the same when the topic they discussed was really close to their daily situation.

The discussion was just about the devil’s attack from the front. Then what kind of situation when they attack from the back? 

There was Anang who raised his hand to take turn. He started sharing. It was a weekday morning when he just finished the school exam. He felt like so reluctant to go to school. The lesson was over, so why should student keep going to school? But then he still prepared to go. He denied his thought and tried to keep being a good student. But when he was on his motorbike on the way to school, the bad thought came again. Why don’t just turn the destination to have something fun with friends? Then he suddenly changed her mind. He finally didn’t come to school.

Anang admitted that sometimes he failed to deny that kind of bad thought, although he knew that was satan’s whisper. They pulled human to not doing their good deeds. Human can easily identify their own situation, actually. Willing to wake up early in the morning, willing to not gossiping people, willing to stop the bad habit, willing to not repeat the past mistake after made taubah, but then failed. That's all the whispers that worked.

Then what about the left and the right side attack? Qonita came again with another story. She shared her situation at the dorm. She had to manage the younger girls, remain them to pray on time, to take bath, clean the room and obey the dorm’s rule. But she realized it hard to keep sabr facing the girls. Sometimes, she get angry to the girls. “First time I did that I felt so guilty actually, but then I did it again and again until i felt like I just can help my self to deal with the situation. That’s probably the attack from left side,” she conclude again. Whenever human get comfort or guiltless of any bad deed, that’s the attack from left side.

Finally, the attack from the right side is the hardest one. They attack through the good deed of human. Some people feel that they already in a good faith then have right to judge people which good or bad. But sometime, the way they tell others could be humiliating. It found a lot in social media.

Human have to tell the right things to the others. But at the same time, they do not allowed to hurt people. Imagine when a person lives in the circumstance that love doing ghibah. When he/she tell people to not doing that, he/she would probably become the odd one. So you are getting more religious now? That kind of comment would probably come up and people would avoid this person. Then what is the more appropriate way to deal with that situation? It probably depend on the ikhtiar of every human, and that is the art of being human. Wallahu a'lam

@kusdwilestarin