The Harmony in the Quiet Places

THE HARMONY IN THE QUIET PLACES

The entrance to the center of the garden

     The sunlight that collided with the dark pines brought forth the shadows on a cobblestone street where I set my feet. It was mild winter with somewhat dry and cool weather. As I walked through a small way, I heard the sound of the dancing shrub that swaying in the wind on the left and right. I turned in any direction to answer my curiosity towards my surroundings. All the plants on the left and on the right were very well-maintained. I had not walk too far yet I could not wait to find out the other surprises in front of me. The place where I stood was The Garden Tomb, Jerusalem.

     I hung my camera on my neck and walked through a small half-round wooden bridge that lead to the other side of The Garden Tomb. I was very fascinated by the view around me. I stopped my footstep for a moment on that bridge. The clouds above was faintly visible as it is covered by many trees. The trunk of the tree was large with its branches that spread in all directions. The leaves was not too green but not yellow either. I rarely find those kind of trees in the cities. This garden gave a different impression from most of the garden that I knew. With the limited time, as far as possible I went around this garden to satisfy my eyes.

     From different directions, I heard the beautiful melodies of some group who sang with harmony. They sang with a half voice because in here we should not be noisy. Many people from all over the world came here to pray. There was a tomb behind hundreds of white stones that piled up into a wall which Christians believe that it was the place of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Therefore, people often came to this garden to pray or sing. In the past many archaeologist was here for a research because some spot in this place was the historical place according to the Bible. The Garden is open for tours and worship services every Monday to Saturday from 08:30 to 17:30, although closed for lunch during the winter.

The benches under a big tree

     The Garden Tomb is a quiet place preserved for worship and reflection. Many long brown benches with three legs to sit and enjoy the surroundings while listen to groups from all over the world worship in their native tongue. The benches in this garden was nailed permanent and arranged that facing to the tomb.  There are many beautiful garden in the world, but the atmosphere that I felt when I sat on one of the benches was hard to explain. The sound of people singing blend with the peacefulness of the garden.  There were no exhaust noise or  people shouting.  The serenity that I never felt in the city. Just to sit and enjoy the cold wind makes me felt very peaceful.

     Although I felt that my butt was already sticked to the bench because I was float off by the cozy atmosphere, but I had to go further to the other parts of the garden. The beauty and the atmosphere that were created in here makes me want to explore every part of this garden. The building materials which most widely used in the garden is the ivory white rocks that had a hole on some spots. A mixture of beige and white colour. Walls and some stairs from white stone gave the impression of something clean and bright. I walked down the stairs while looking at the plants and flowers that adorn this garden. All of the flowers are colorful and unique, I had never seen them before. Some of the flowers are arranged neatly in a pot that was spread throughout the garden, and the others was planted around the wall. The sun was shining to the flower petals and makes the pretty colour radiating. There was a butterfly perched on the tip of the flower petals. The flower petals was swaying because of the cold wind.

The writing behind a wooden door inside the tomb

     Arrived at the smallest yet the most important part of this garden. It was the open tomb carved into a rock face. The entrance to the tomb  was not too high, so for tall people they have to stoop when they wanted to get into the tomb. I was waiting in line to be able to look into the tomb because the capacity inside the tomb just about five people. My fingers touched the rough walls inside and it was uneven. The height of the ceiling was low and had a khaki colour. It did not take a long time for people to look into the tomb because the tomb was empty. However, me as a Christian was very glad to see one of the historical places that written in the Bible.

     Accompanied by the sounds of a birdsong, I walked to the exit way to continue the tour to other places with happiness. Sometimes we need a tranquil place. A place where we can take a long deep breath and calm down for a while our head and heart.

Jessica Nathania

Look Everything Closer, then You Will Understand

A friendly librarian of English Department 

Do you often go to the library? Do you greet the librarian before you go to the bookshelf? Maybe this one never comes across your mind, but a ‘Hello’ or smile from you means a lot to them.

A 27-years-old friendly librarian, Sonny Marlia Putri whom everybody calls as Mba Sonny. She arrives at campus at about 8 a.m. everyday and always in a hurry walking to the library, a place where she spent most of her time. She is a train users and it takes almost two hours from Bintaro where she lives to UNJ.

Sonny is a key holders of English Department’s library in UNJ. The first thing she does as she opens the door is sweeping the floor and spraying a fragrance throughout the library. “Wait a minute. After I finished cleaning up,” she said to the students who wants to do their assignment at the library in the morning. Sonny is a clean and neat person. She prepares the best for the visitors.

This year is her eighth years of being a librarian. Like most of people who don’t plan to be who they are now or what job they will take in the future, Sonny too, being a librarian is not in her plan. She studied at UIN (Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif Hidayatullah) majoring in English Education. In a mid-way of her college life, unfortunately her score was not so good, therefore according to her campus’s rules at that time she had to choose between two subjects as a transition if she want to passed. One of them was Library and Information studies.

She couldn’t make a decision. Her parents and neighbor said to her “Just take it, Sonny.” So, she took Library and Information studies. Finally she got her bachelor degree. “I don’t know. I just live the path, but my blessings is in here,” she said after passed through her fear of her future career in taking the Library and Information studies.

Sonny, with her daily routine

In eight years of being a librarian, Sonny gained many valuable experiences. One of them is she gets to meet new people from the prominent people to the students who visit the library. The other things is she becomes to love books “I used to not like reading books, but now, I love it,” said Sonny.

“When I was watching TV, and I was like O.. I know this book, or it was written on that book,” Sonny said excitedly. She is rich in knowledge along as she become a librarian. As a common people, we may think a librarian is a book keeper or a librarian is someone who tidying up the book on the table and returned it to the bookshelf.

In fact, a librarian do a lot of jobs we don’t know. Even if Sonny sits in front of the computer, she is actually not only take notes on the coming users. You know what, you can ask her many links that will be useful for your assignment as the student or as the lecturer. Students often find it so hard to get the right link for download an e-book. A librarian know it so well.

The saddest part of being a librarian is being underestimated with some people, even until now. “We are the same with others, let’s say finance or administration” said Sonny chuckling. If you are users in campus, actually not only the administration who can help you with anything you need, but a librarian also can help you. That was their potency as an information provider.

Unfortunately, a librarian’s salary is not comparable with their job, because many people think that their job is not as much as other occupation. It is not easy to be a librarian, besides the spesific knowledge that must be achieved, a librarian must be creative, initiative and knowledgeable, so the users will feel comfortable with the help of the librarian. We can find those characteristics in Sonny, a librarian who loves to sleep and travel.

Sonny is dressed very simple, but her dream is not that simple. She has a big dream to study abroad someday. ‘Where there is a will, there is a way’ is her way of life. As a human being, we can appreciate everyone, even if we don’t know how far is their contribution. Maybe we cannot give them a reward, but we can start being aware with the presence of everyone around us. “I hope someday my dreams will come true, but now I’m still trying to do my best,” said Sonny, a woman who always grateful with her life including her job as a librarian. 

By: Jessica Nathania.

[Mid-term] Jessica Nathania - He Deserves It (Short Story)

Today, October nine 2012 I saw him from the window of teacher’s room with proud. He walked out from a black metallic nice car. He came to school today to fulfill his promise that he made last Friday. He is Edwin Rune, one of my best student. When I looked at him from the distance I remembered how tough his life was. Today was exactly fifteen years ago when the first time I caught him sleeping in my math class. During algebra lesson, I saw him fell asleep on the table. It was a strange view for me because Edwin was the most enthusiastic student in the math class. Edwin loved math so much. I approached his table to wake him up and continue the class. In the afternoon three hours after my class, I was checking midterm math’s score and i found Edwin Rune got 29, the lowest score of this class. I was shocked and wanted to meet him as soon as possible. I called him to my room to ask about his condition which troubling me. He told me everything.

“I’m just very tired. Really tired” Said Edwin. He casted down his eyes.

I asked him “What happened, Edwin?”

“I just left my house because of many problems at home. My parents were fighting almost everyday. They are stressed because they can’t pay the school fee of my sister and I anymore. They also mad at me because I read comic and draw all the time at home. They said that reading a comic wouldn’t make me successful. They also said that if I still want to live at home then I have to sell all my comics and find a job to pay my own school fee. They mad at me all the times, they blame anything I did. I can’t stand anymore, so i decided to leave my house.” Said Edwin while he shed a tear.

Edwin worked at Chinese food restaurant almost two weeks. He slept at the kitchen of the restaurant. He was very tired because his boss gave him an extra job. He had to do all the works in order to be able to sleep at the kitchen. He didn’t have time to study or do homework. That makes him failed on the midterm. I really wanted to help Edwin with all of my strength. So, i offered him a free tutoring twice a week after school. I also treated him a dinner after tutoring session. I knew that he always hungry and didn’t have much money to buy food. It turns out that his salary from working at the restaurant was not enough because a lot of necessary as the third grade student.

Then, he tried gambling for the first time. Apparently that day was his unlucky day. The police went to the alleys to arrested the gambler. Everyone was safe except Edwin. He was jailed for five years without telling anyone including me. In those days, I tried to find Edwin to his house, but the house was empty. His neighbour said that the owner of the house had moved. Later, after he released he continued his life alone. He went to the restaurant which he worked five years ago, but the owner didn’t accept him anymore. So, Edwin did any work he could from being a market’s porter, a newsboy, and even a dustman. I often thought of him and longed to meet him but i lost his contact. I couldn’t do anything, but Edwin was always on my prayer. I hope he doing well wherever he was and I hope someday I can meet him.

Five years have been passed, one morning when he was delivering newspaper from door to door he accidently saw the first page of the newspaper. The headline of the news was “A great teacher led her students to the Math Olympiad” and the picture was me and my students. Edwin was surprised and immediately brought that paper home. At home, he stared at the picture of me and wanted to meet me. But, he thought that he was nothing. He didn’t have anything to make me proud. But at the same time it inspired him to get a better job. He promised himself that he had to be successful and he would meet me soon. Edwin was a good man, he never forgot any advices from his teacher. I once said to him “To be successful, the first thing to do is to fall in love with your work. So, do what you love and love what you do”. Still on the same paper, he starred at the comic section and realized that he really loves comic. He knew that drawing was his talent.

On the next day, he started to draw a simple character and made a comic. In the afternoon, he went to the Bangkok Post, a local newspaper. He tried to submit his first comic. He wasn’t confident until two months later when he had already forgotten his comic, he received a call from Bangkok Post that they were really interested in his work and offered him to make comics regularly every month. That was a good beginning for his career. As he grew up, he was getting more creative. A lot of people and media adored his work. He started to do collaboration with many huge media companies. He earned a lot of money from the collaboration. At his age of 25, he had enough money and partners to build his own company. Comic House was the name of his company. Yet he never changed, he was still Edwin Rune, a good student who never forgot his teacher. He felt that was the perfect time to meet me. So, he came to school to find me on October five. He arrived at school at 3 p.m. but unfortunately I already back to home. Edwin asked my address to the administration. He can’t wait for another day, so he drove to my house straight away. He arrived at my door and rang the bell. As I opened the door, I saw a charming and sturdy man with a neat shirt standing in front of me. 

“Mrs. Anne?” He said with teary eyes and a big smile on his face.

“E-e-edwin? Are you Edwin Rune?” I asked shockingly.

“Yes, I am Ma’am”

He could not resist to hug me. I hugged him very tight. That Friday was like the answer to all of my prayer for Edwin. I was speechless so did him.

“Come in. How have you been, Edwin? How did you get here?”

“It’s a long story, Ma’am. I am sure that you will be the first person to know everything. Do you have time tonight, Ma’am? Let’s have dinner together and I will tell everything”

He treat me a dinner at the five stars hotel’s restaurant. He told me every single thing while we were having a dinner. Before we went home, I asked him one last question.

“Edwin, do you still love math?” I asked.

“Yes, Ma’am. Now, I am an entrepreneur and a comics. But, math is always my favorite.” He said.

“Do you want to teach math at school next Tuesday? I missed seeing you in the math class.”

“Of course I want Ma’am. I really miss being in your class” He said excitedly.

I was so amazed with his struggle. Edwin Rune, a successful 30 years old man. He deserves it. I am a proud teacher.

Jessica Nathania.

[Mid-term] Jessica Nathania - The Best Guide (Poem)

The Best Guide

The sun have just greet the city

Yesterday was Friday

The Waves sound pushed her to leaving her favorite yellow bolster

And the remainder of air conditioner that seep into the pillow

She sat on the right

He sat on the left

The clutch pedal is pressed

Move the first gear

Smile to the road straight ahead

The bony hand move the second gear

Wide-awake on the u-turn

The speaker inside is vibrating

No, It is not the bass sound 

Yes, he is yelling on every bend

Her heart beats fast

Does she bring the thousand lives behind?

All of those roller-coaster sensation

Was about bring her to the next level

She calls him Dad.

Poem by Jessica Nathania.

Drama: The Last Leaf

Story by O. Henry

SCENE ONE

One morning, after the doctor had finished his third visit, Sue followed him into the small dark space that served as a hallway.

≈ ≈ ≈

SUE:

How is she, Doctor? (worried)

DOCTOR:

Not good. Not good at all, I'm afraid. She has one chance in... let us say, ten. And that chance is for her to want to live. (patted her shoulder)

SUE:

Is there anything that I can do to help, Doctor? Even though we just have met six months ago and became friend since then, but I regard her as a sister. (sigh)

DOCTOR:

The little lady has made up her mind that she's not going to get well. Has she anything on her mind?

SUE:

She… well, she wanted to paint the Bay of Naples some day. (discern to the doctor)

DOCTOR:

Paint? Bosh! Has she anything on her mind worth thinking about twice a man, for instance? (curiously)

SUE:

A man? Is a man worth… No, doctor, there's nothing of that kind.  (raising her voice)

DOCTOR:

Well, it's weakness, then. I'll do everything that medicine, so far as it may filter through my efforts, can accomplish. But whenever my patient begins to count the carriages in her funeral procession, I subtract fifty percent from the curative power from medicines. What can you do to help? Well, if you can get her to show some interest in something, even the new winter styles in coat sleeves, then I'll promise you a one-in-five chance for her, instead of one-in-ten.

SCENE TWO

Sue arranged her board and began a pen-and-ink drawing to illustrate a magazine story in Johnsy’s room.

≈ ≈ ≈

JOHNSY:

[SHE IS COUNTING BACKWARDS.] Twelve! Eleven! Ten! Nine! Eight! (her eyes were wide open and she was staring out the window)

JOHNSY:

Seven! (coughs deeply)

SUE:

What is it, dear?

JOHNSY:

Six! They're falling faster now. Three days ago, there were almost a hundred. It made my headache to count them. But now it's easy. There goes another one. There are only five left now. (gazing out the window from her bed)

SUE:

Five what, dear?

JOHNSY:

Leaves on the ivy vine. When the last one falls I must go, too. I've known that for days. Didn't the doctor tell you?

SUE:

Oh, I've never heard of such nonsense. What do old ivy leaves have to do with your getting well? And you used to love that vine so much.

JOHNSY:

It's just a feeling I have. I don't know how I know, Sue, but somehow I do. I'm sure that when the last leaf falls off that vine, I'll die.

SUE:

Don't be a goose. Why, the doctor told me this morning that your chances of getting well real soon, were… Let's see, exactly what did he say? He said the chances were ten to one! Why, that's almost as good a chance as when we're in New York when we ride on the street cars or we pass a new building.

Try to take some broth now, won't you? And I'll go back to my drawing, so I can sell the editor with it, and buy port wine for my sick child, and pork chops for my greedy old self.

JOHNSY:

You needn't get any more wine. There goes another. No, I don't want any broth. That leaves just four. I want to see the last one fall before it gets dark. Then I'll go, too. (teary eyes)

SUE:

Johnsy, dear, will you promise me to keep your eyes closed, and not look out the window until I'm done working? I must get those drawings done by tomorrow. I need the light, or I'd pull the shade down.

JOHNSY:

Couldn't you draw in the other room?

SUE:

I'd rather be here with you. Besides, I don't want you to keep looking at those silly ivy leaves. (pulled the blanket and wrapped her ‘till the chest)

JOHNSY:

All right, but tell me as soon as you've finished, because I want to see the last one fall. I'm tired of waiting. I'm tired of thinking. I want to turn loose my hold on everything, and go sailing down, down, just like one of those poor, tired leaves.

SUE:

You try to get some sleep, now. I must go downstairs and see if Mr. Behrman will come up to be my model for the old hermit miner. I'll not be gone a minute. Don't try to move 'til I come back.

SCENE THREE

Sue found Behrman, an old man who lived one floor down smelling strongly of juniper berries in his dimly lighted den below. In one corner was a blank canvas that had been waiting there for twenty-five years to receive the first line of the masterpiece.

≈ ≈ ≈

SUE:

…she was counting backward. I asked her what she was counting and she said, "The ivy leaves." She's convinced when the last leaf falls, she will die too. I'm scared! (hasted)

BEHRMAN:

Vot are you speaking, dot my leetle Johnsy vants not to live? Nonsense! She must not think this vay. It is crazy. Why do you let it happen?

SUE:

Oh, I don't know, Mr. Behrman. It's... It's just that she's as light and fragile as a leaf herself. I guess I'm just afraid it'll all come true and she will die when the last leaf falls. (more anxious)

BEHRMAN:

Vass! Is dere people in der vorld with der foolishness to die because leaves they fall from a vine? I have not heard of such a thing. Why do you allow that silly business to come in der brain of her? No, I will not pose as a model for your fool hermit-dunderhead. Ach, poor leetle Miss Johnsy.

SUE:

She's very ill and weak, and the fever has left her mind full of strange, and morbid thoughts. Very well, Mr. Behrman, if you don't care to pose for me, you needn't. But I think you're a horrid old… old… old… fibbertigibbett.

BEHRMAN:

You are chust like a voman! Who said I vill not bose? Go on. I will come with you. For half an hour I haf peen trying to say dat I am ready to bose. Gott! Dis is not any place in which one so schones as Miss Johnsy shall lie sick. Some day I vill baint a masterpiece, and ve shall all go avay. Goot? Ya!

SCENE FOUR

The next morning when Sue awoke from an hour's sleep, she found Johnsy with dulled, wide-open eyes staring at the drawn shade.

≈ ≈ ≈

SUE:

Have something to eat this morning, won't you Johnsy? Just a little broth or a taste of fruit.

JOHNSY:

Pull it up! I want to see. (pointed to the curtain)

SUE:

Look! Johnsy! It's still there! All that weather, and it's still there! (excited)

JOHNSY:

It's the last one. I thought it would surely fall during the night. I heard so much wind. It will fall today, and I'll die at the same time. (amazed)

SUE:

Dear! Dear, Johnsy! Think of me, if you won't think of yourself. What would I do if you should die?  (resuscitate her)

SCENE FIVE

JOHNSY:

Sue, come in here for a moment, will you? Sit here beside me. I have something to say.

SUE:

Johnsy, I wish you wouldn't keep on about the leaf. I really can't stand to hear you talk that way.

JOHNSY:

I know, Sue. I know. I promise. Don't go! Please don't go. (tagging Sue’s shirt)

SUE:

Well, all right. If you promise not to talk about death.

JOHNSY:

Oh, Sue! What an awful person I've been! I've been sitting here for the longest time, staring out the window at the last leaf, thinking of the past few days. All of a sudden it came to me. (affected)

SUE:

What? What came to you, Dear? (shocked)

JOHNSY:

Sue, something made that last leaf stay on the vine so that I'd realize how bad I've been. It was a message. Don't you see, Sue, something wanted me to live. (happy tears)

SUE:

Oh, Johnsy!

JOHNSY:

Someday, Sue, I'm going to paint the Bay of Naples.

SUE:

Oh, Johnsy! Johnsy! How wonderful! I'm so happy!

JOHNSY:

You can bring me a little broth now, and some milk with a little port in it, and, no; bring me a hand-mirror first; and pack some pillows about me, and I'll sit up and watch you cook.

SCENE SIX

The doctor came in the afternoon, and found Johnsy full of the color of life, and declared the battle won.

≈ ≈ ≈

DOCTOR:

She'll be just fine. All she needs now is good food and nursing.

SUE:

Thank you, Doctor. I'll see that she gets them.

DOCTOR:

Good! And now I must see another case I have downstairs. Behrman, his name is. Some kind of an artist, I believe.

SUE:

Oh, no, not Mr. Behrman. I hadn't heard. What's wrong with him?

DOCTOR:

Pneumonia, too.

SUE:

Oh, my God! Is it bad?

DOCTOR:

Yes, I'm sorry to say. Quite bad! He's an old man, he's very weak, and it was too late for me to do very much. There's no hope for him. But he goes to the hospital today to be made more comfortable.

SCENE SEVEN

[And late that afternoon, Sue came to the bed where Johnsy lay, contentedly knitting a very blue and very useless woolen shoulder scarf, and put one arm around Johnsy, pillows and all.]

≈ ≈ ≈

SUE:

I have something to tell you, dear. Our Mr. Behrman died of pneumonia today.

JOHNSY:

Oh, dear God, no!

SUE:

He'd been ill for only two days. On the morning of the first day, the janitor found him downstairs. His shoes and his clothing were wet, his apartment icy cold, and he was helpless with pain. At first, they couldn't imagine where he'd been on such a dreadful night. But then they found a lantern, still burning, and a ladder that had been dragged from its place, and in his room, they found brushes and a palette with green and yellow colors on them. Look out the window, at the last leaf. Didn't you wonder why it never fluttered or moved when the wind blew? That leaf is Mr. Behrman's masterpiece. He painted it there that night--the night the last leaf fell.

≈ ≈ ≈

Jessica Nathania