After working for environmental project, we moved to our project with children in prostitution area. Everything was different, not only the theme of the project, but also the campsite (of course), the circumstance, the weather, and the experience.

I take those three words in the title to describe the second project in this work camp; children, prostitutes, and animal.

I put children in the first order is because our project mainly focus on children in prostitution area. Almost every day we do activity with children. One of the aims of this project is to give a space for children in prostitution area to play with their fellow children and to shift their mind for a while from their original environment to their real environment. The children in that area are living in the prostitution area with the condition where a lot of things that they are not supposed to see. For instance: alcohol, sexy prostitutes with beer and cigarette, sex transaction, etc. That is why we came there to play with them, gave them education through games, and taught them making handicraft. Besides, we also made badminton competition to encourage them to sharpen their brilliant skill in badminton.

Frankly saying, the children there are a bit naughty and “wild”. It was so hard to organize them. We had to prepare layers of plans since our first plan sometime did not work due to their very active reactions. However, it was really nice, somehow, to see their smile and laugh when they run and mess up our program. They seemed very free and found their real childhood with their friends. So nice!

Prostitution can also depict this second project since we were working in the prostitution area though we did not really get in touch with them. However, we had one activity with them which was aerobic. Aerobic is actually their regular activity held in every Friday morning. Fortunately at that time we had occasion to do aerobic with them. In the first very beginning we also led the aerobic before the real aerobics instructor came.

Nearby our campsite, approximately 2 km from the prostitution area, we had very active village youngster. They are used to ask us to involve in their activity in that village. Therefore, some days we could realize some activities with the local youth, such as campaign on drugs, cooking exchange (again we cooked hutspot), self defense training, jogging in the morning, etc. It was very interesting to work with them.

Other story from our campsite is about animal. Why do I say so? It is because during our stay there, we found a lot of animal which made the Dutch volunteers very surprised. Actually it was not that much though!!!

First, in our home we had a cat, but in early in the morning there were two cats. Second, we had a little bird of Momo that is found by our host (and finally it flew away) Third, we had two little ducks of Toto that he bought in the traditional market. And the last we had a very big spider behind the cupboard that surprised everybody in the night before we sleep.

The cats used to fighting early in the morning on the roof and suddenly one day they were falling down to the room where Anja, Selmar, Jorine, and Madelon sleeping. Unexpectedly, one of these cats scratched Anja’s finger on her foot. Abruptly, it became very worry day since she was afraid of rabies virus brought by the cat.

The spider also gives us another hectic story. We were supposed to sleep at that night. However there was a big spider under the cupboard in the place where Indonesian volunteers sleeping. Everybody was very curious to see the spider therefore everybody was awake and gathered in Indonesian corner to witness the spider. Anja was the hero at that night. She finally could catch that spider though she failed before.

Somehow, it gives new experience for Indonesian too to deal with that kind of animal even though we get use to it actually. But it was fun, anyway, to be surprised of animals, and to be hectic with the children!!

“Clean the world; make a better place for you and for me and the entire human race. There are people littering. If you care enough for environment, make a better place for you and for me….”

Awareness of Indonesian people to throw the rubbish into the garbage bin is still too low. A view of abundance of rubbish in a certain place is common here. That’s ashamed indeed!

That is why the idea of organizing a work camp in Gedong Songo Temple was raised; moreover Gedong Songo Temple is one of famous touristic places in Central Java.

The first project of BWC IIWC and SIW took place in that area with the project of environment. We, twenty one volunteers from Holland and Indonesia, worked together to make betterment in that area.

What we did maybe is not something sophisticated. We just had awareness, care, and willingness. People may see our project as a simple plan, yet actually it contributes more that they think.

In the beginning of our work there, we started to clean the area of the temple by taking the rubbish and put it in the plastic bag. To attract more attention of the visitors, we put environmental signs written on the paper on our body. It was quite effective since the Dutch volunteers did not need to speak Bahasa Indonesia to warn the visitors to clean the environment. Most of the visitor just smiled or laughed when they saw us. Even some people asked to take picture together with us (not us…just Dutch volunteers, haahw)

Having cleaning the temple area, painting and placing the garbage bins was the next agenda. We painted about 25 garbage bins with our own design. It did not really look nice though!!!! But the function is more than its pattern, so it’s OK! Then, we put them in surrounding the temple by using cement.

Besides physical work, we also had done campaign about environment. We visited the elementary school to disseminate the idea of environmental sustainability, to plant trees together, and to hold drawing competition regarding environment.

The other activities are meeting with local government, market day, and cooking with local mother. Meeting with local governments was held in Balai Dusun (village office). As usual, we met a lot of leaders and listened to their long speech that contains welcoming speech, apologize, and bla-bla-bla…. D

Afterwards, we had occasion to visit the traditional market. We went there by opened-cap car (is It correct spelling?) while sang loudly. For me it seemed like a parade of football champion, yeyeyey :D

In closing, we held environmental campaign on the stage in the Gedong Songo Temple. We performed drama about environment in Bahasa Indonesia with the actors: Mark as Paijo, Sander as a garbage, Lovi as an angle, Bas and Toto as the devils, and Dwi as a narrator. Also, we had environmental dancing (Jourine, Gangga, Janine, Tabitha, Madelon, and Floor who supposed to be there). Apart from that all we presented fashion show and song. We made our own costume from plastic, paper, and other recycle materials. Through this fashion garbage show, we’d like to demonstrate that garbage is not merely useless, but it also has plus point if it can be recycled.

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Staying in Gedong Songo is so peaceful and enjoyable. You will feel like you are bestead by such beautiful nature ad scenery. When you are there, you’ll find yourself standing as high as other volcanoes and mountains. As if you can reach the sky. Also, you’ll ascertain cold fresh air, cold water, cool people, and large multifunction public bathroom where you can find out half-naked mothers and really naked old men taking a bath. Freezing in the night with loud snore as a melody to sleep used to convoy us to sleep. Small narrow home really make us close to each other :D

“Prior to join the work camp you’ll be very excited and curious, during the work camp you’ll be very happy, tired, home sick, and after the work camp you’ll get loneliness syndrome for a while”

Doing voluntary service for 23 days is not common for me. It’s more like a challenge. Usually I do only two weeks. Bilateral Work Camp IIWC-SIW is extremely excellent camp ever for me. Working with 16 volunteers from Holland and 5 volunteers from Indonesia for more than three weeks in two difference places is so precious.

In this work camp, I worked for 12 days in Gedong Songo for environmental project and the remaining days in Tegal Rejo for project of children in prostitution area. In Gedong Songo, we did a lot of things related to environment. We cleaned up the surrounding of the temple, painted garbage bins, placed the garbage bins permanently and made environmental campaign on the stage of Gedong Songo. In the second project at Tegal Rejo, we more focused on children activities. Besides, we also involved local youth in our activities.

Like usual, work camp is always memorable. A lot of unforgettable moments that come across; smile, laugh, cry, home sick, and friendship indeed! In the morning you will always be woken up swiftly although you are in your nice dream. There is no time to take a shower in the morning and the occasion to use toilet/bath room is limited (everything is in hurry :D) otherwise everybody will yell and mock you horribly outside, hahah :D. Cooking team will always be busy in the kitchen; peeling while testing the foods. Washing team will always be wet and cleaning team will work in the last minutes; after meals.

For myself, I am satisfied with this work camp. Two thumbs up for all the volunteers, both Dutch and Indonesian!!! I admit that it was not that easy for the Dutch volunteers to deal with Indonesian way of life. They had a lot of cultural shocks during our stay. But it was not that hard too for them, I think. Everything was running well though with a lot of hard work and great effort.

I am very pleased because I find new friends, either from Indonesia or from Holland (from Indonesia not so many though!!), though I didn’t find my love, ahahhahaw :D. I’m so glad to know and to work with them; Jorine and Selmar (a nice couple ever in the work camp), Maurine who got new nick name namely Momo, Janine who I used to black mail (ik wil je vermoorden!!!), Bas(koro) who has very loud snore, Mark who was my secret friend and my roommate :D, Sander who got special jingle from the children in the prostitution area (should I write the lyric, Sander???), Torsten (Toto) who is very strong and hate question “are you tired?” (but finally he was tired, hahah), Madelon who looks like Kirsten Dunst (it’s based on polling of Indonesia participants, not only my personal opinion ya!!kwkwwk), Floor who has half blood Makassar-Holland and found my snore as her worst memory in the work camp (sowwrrry Floor), Tabitha who used to sing “tempe..tempe..I want tempe…!!!, Isa who got sick for five days, Anja who got night mare with the scratch of “suspected” rabies cat, Adi who will become model (hmmm…I don’t think so, sorry!!), Gangga who has lekker recipe and maybe found her love, Dwi who suddenly disappeared in the middle of the work camp, Rani who suddenly appeared in the middle of the work camp, Mariana who was locked in room 301 by Rani (hahahah), Luise who used to ask us to sing one, two, three, four…., Claudia who was well known as a Janet Jackson, and Lovi who was busy to meet local partners.

Spending 23 days together formulated our own experience. Somehow it was long work camp but it was finished too fast, wasn’t it guys????