There are many things that would make you happy if you open your mind to appreciate it. Me, walking in the paddy land always stimulates the sensation of pleasure and serenity.
As I stepped on the embankment, I saw the green field with farmers wearing striking old clothes, water flowing on the ground, wildflowers, butterflies, and dragonflies. As a naturalist, everything I watch in nature makes me awestruck, record it in my mind and express it in my writing and video content.
You may not be able to feel pleasant in the same way as I. When I brought this wild fern to my car to be planted at home, the locals wondered and asked, what for?
Shortly I answered, this fern will be a graceful plant on my pot. They laughed in disbelief.
This huge area was broken by illegal gold mining. The stone and gravel came up from the bowels of the earth and little ponds here and there. The land cannot be planted, the humus already run out.
Despite that condition, pretty and bright wildflowers catch my eye. No one cares but they look wonderful.
To rehabilitate the ex-gold mining area, my office and the residents work together on a project named The Open-access Land Reclamation. We have been working on the land to shape an agroforestry park.
We had been planting forest trees (Ketapang Kencana, bamboo, queen’s flower, banyan) and fruit trees (mango, durian, and matoa). Within three years, these trees would grow bigger, and bear fruit.
This is not easy work, dealing with the local people is challenging. We continue convincing them to stop illegal mining and be kind to the environment.
I once quit a post that provided me with a comfortable facility and a higher income. I decided to leave with two considerations; the work atmosphere did not inconvenience me, and I wanted to pursue a doctorate education.
If I quit the post, I would have to move into another government office without a position. Yet, I would have more time to apply for a scholarship.
My father disagreed. “Why do you leave a job that many dream to have?”
Fortunately, my husband supported me. He was aware of the pressure I faced in my office. He promised to fund my study if I failed to get a scholarship.
Years passed, and now I am grateful for making that decision. Pursuing education benefits me including enhancing my way of thinking, knowledge level, and career. That is one of the best decisions ever.
On special days or holidays like Lebaran Day or other celebration days, I prepared traditional dishes such as Lontong Sayur, Rendang, Opor Ayam, and Pindang Telur Puyuh.
Lontong sayur is a soupy food. The main ingredients are rice cake and vegetable curry. Veg curry is made from coconut milk and spices, including chilly, onion, garlic, and a bit of turmeric. After that, I added chopped potato, carrot, and chayote.
Lontong sayur, a delicious and easy to made dish
Rendang is the most famous Indonesian dish. Its main ingredients are beef and thick, spicy curry. Indonesian women like serving this food because it is both yummy and durable. Rendang can be kept for months.
Rendang, the most well- known Indonesian food in the world
I will clean one of the most neglected rooms in the house, dust and sweep it, and throw away unused items.
Perhaps, I need to refresh my mind by gardening. Walking around the house by bringing a camera, taking pictures or videos for my next writing material, and Instagram or TikTok content are also interesting activities.
I traveled to Mangrove Forest last week. It is located in West Tanjung Jabung Regency and can be reached by a three-hour drive from the capital city of Jambi. This mangrove forest is not in good shape, as being seen from many fallen trees.
The Mangrove forest is generally known as a forest that mainly grows on alluvial mud in coastal areas and river estuaries. Its existence is always influenced by the ebb and flow of the tides. Trees such as api-api (Avicenia sp), pedada (Sonneratia sp), bakau (Rhizophora sp), lacang (Bruguiera sp), nyirih (Xylocarpus sp), and nipah (Nypa sp) are very common here.
The beauty of this area is unique and enchanting. There for the first time, I saw a mudskippers (Periophthalmussp), a fish that can live on land. Also, the friendly monkeys expected us to give them some food.
Mudskippers are known for their unusual body shapes, preferences for semi-aquatic habitats, limited terrestrial locomotion and jumping, and the ability to survive prolonged periods both in and out of water
Traveling into mangrove forests is not popular here. This can be a pioneer of special interest tourism in Jambi Province. Would it survive? Time will answer.
In my surroundings, I am not lucky enough to meet someone who is nice and inspiring and whose attitude raises my fondness. Suppose I have someone favorite, I must know that guy personally. I don’t want to be cheated by social media masks.
There are no strict values for being my favorite. Sometimes it just comes.
Favorites cannot be explained simply with words. They are more often determined by your heart.
My late papa left me in the year 2014. I spent lots of time during his cure in the hospital, at that time I also had been finishing my doctorate in another city. I repeatedly went back and forth between Padang and Bogor. I had been trying my best to console his sickness, but life finally separated us in its way.
Papa was very proud of me. He often introduced me to his friend by saying, “She is my copy.”
He meant that I inherited most of his good character, which made him feel blessed. His way of speaking about me is always in my mind, guiding me to be the person he dreamed.
I was his first kid. He had five more kids after me. A lot of literature has been written about the bond between a parent with their first kid. I can say that the bond between me and my father was not just a crybaby relationship. It was a full-responsibility bond.
From my side, that bond reminds me of my birth role as the patron for my siblings. For my papa, that was a hint about his old age. He had to prepare himself to welcome death and made sure I was ready to lead our family as his replacement.
We were not always in a nice relationship. I once refused not to speak to him for months. He cried in front of me to ask forgiveness. I kept silent, was so headstrong. At that time, I was a silly teenager. His little mistake exploded me easily. Every time I recall it, I feel ashamed.
I am contemplating the dynamic of our relationship as a process of myself being a wiser mom for my kids. I learned from the mistake my Papa made in raising us. He was too permissive and easily exploited by his kids.
Luckily, he had me who accepted his generosity with full responsibility. I hope Papa will rest in peace. Allah forgives him.
Mountains and hills are preferable for me to the beach. They served me well with their many flowers and plants. Two famous regions in Jambi Province are located on the mountain. They are utterly charming; Kerinci and Merangin.
Besides their richness in flowers and plants, those regions also have amazing waterfalls and valleys. For those who love challenging traveling, they are paradise. Mount Kerinci is one of the highest in Indonesia.
Indeed, you have to pass a long road from the capital city of Jambi to get Merangin and Kerinci (more than 10 hours by car). Yet, you would not be disappointed.
Jangkat in Merangin Regency has this beautiful waterfall. The steep pathway to reach it is nothing compared to the sensation I get from it.
Kerinci region and its mountains are the most favorable tourist destinations in Jambi Provinsi. Here you can meet a huge tea and coffee farm, mountain climbing activities assisted by local people, coffee shops, and villas at the mountain foot, and the enchanting nuance of rural farming.
Mount Kerinci and a huge tea farm on the mountain foot.
Kerinci is also known for the presence of Kerinci Seblat National Park. Lush trees and clear-flowing rivers are natural riches that are protected from the threat of deforestation and other illegal activities.
This flower is quite unfamiliar in the world. Most Hoya species grow in Southeast Asia, Australia, and South India. Hoya has beautiful flowers and multiple benefits as an herbal medicine and air pollutant absorber. The flower bud is unique, it is like wax or porcelain so Hoya is also called wax-plant and porcelain flower.
I put my Hoyas collection on my home terrace and backyard. They need quite a long time to develop well. In the first year, they produced lots of leaves yet no flower bud. I was disappointed. Without flowers, Hoya is only an ordinary plant.
Until one morning I met a tiny flower bud. Finally, I got it. I felt satisfied as a flower lover I was able to cultivate Hoya and make them flower. The Hoya that I put in the backyard does not have flowers up to now. Perhaps they do not get the direct sun as the Hoya on the terrace has.
Next time I will tell more about the other Hoya species from my collection that are rarely met.
my thoughts on the environment, travel and life reflections 