A glimpse from the past: the power of a dream (Part 1)

Just got back from my uncle's house in the southern outskirt of the Jak-city. He now lives with his wife alone, both of them in that pretty big house. All kids have left home and live on their own. Next month, on the 25th, my uncle will meet his 80th birthday. He doesn't look that old 'though. All his siblings have passed away, younger or older, includes my dad, who were 9 years younger than him who passed away 5 years ago, or even my other (step) aunt, who were 19 years younger than him, who passed away last month. He's been through a lot in his life. Most of his friends have also passed away.

I always like to talk with him. His voice resembles my late father's voice, very much. His face is also resembled my dad too. I remember when he was sitting in my dad's funeral that night, and some people were surprised, shock actually to look at him because of their resemblance. Anyway, I and my uncle talked about things like politics, health, education, quality of teachers, etc that night (most of my family and relatives were or are teachers, so criticizing the current educational system is like, well, our 'snacks' for chit chat :). Then he told me the story of how he went to school during those difficult days:

Note: one of the typical paddy field in Rote Island., I took the pic in 2010

He was born in 1932, and he went to school in Busalangga, a small village in Roti Island in 1938. The big family lived there by then. I recall my dad told me the story that his father's father 'migrated' to Busalangga from other 'county' (Termanu) and settled there. It's not clear what the great grandfather did, but the old Matheos (aka my grand father) worked as a teacher and a sort of preacher (Gospel teacher) there. Those days, primary school in that village had only up to 4th Grade. So in year 4 (1942), my uncle dropped out because of Japan invasion. He then became a sheep herder, guarding goats and sheep around the area for about a year off from school. It was probably unstable and hectic days until 1943 with all the transition and changes (including her mother's death in 1943 after giving birth to a baby girl who was also died after that, -my dad's younger sister, who also died soon after the mother passed away. Note: I got this story from my late dad, who was only 2 years old when these things happened).

One day, he walked too far with the herds, to the small town of Baa, the center of government and trading  activities (albeit the tiny scale). He saw and met some of his friends from Class 4, who were in Class 6 by then. He asked them how to go back to school, and even came to the teacher and asked about the possibility of joining the school again with his friends. The teacher said "We love to have you back to school, but sorry, you have to start at Grade 5, and not 6". He argued, "But my friends are in Grade 6?". "No, sorry but that's how the regulation is, take it or leave it". So he took it, started again at Grade 5 in 1944, I suppose.

Fortunately (or unfortunately), the school had limited number of teachers, students and classrooms. So what happened was, Grade 5 and 6 were taught in the same room, with 2 blackboards but sharing teacher and room. So the teacher would have written questions for Grade 6 and Grade 5 in different boards, but students could look into each other's questions. So my uncle often did the work of Grade 6 students. The teacher finally let him counted as Grade 6, together with his other friends.

After "graduated" from primary school, he again took some time off, until he found that there was a kind of course in Baa, a course to be a teacher, two years in duration and again, he persuaded the teacher to join, but rejected in the beginning. But because they lacked students, he was allowed to join after all. He didn't really know what actually to do after that, and hope was diminished because he had no idea of what he had to do after completing that school, but becoming a village teacher.

Then came the enlightenment, a man who offered him a dream, an idea. That continuing education was possible for a villager kid like him. It's the old Rev. Octavianus (still young at that time, of course:). He said, "David, you know what, you can go to High School in Kupang (the province's capital) for free, if you become the best of your classmates". The idea was injected to his mind: "that if you're smart enough, you'll get the ticket out of here, out of this island". The spirit intoxicated him, he learned like crazy.

And well, out of  his friends' prediction, he got the best marks! He recalled that night, "My principal invited me to his house, to have a dinner with his family that night. We ate good food with his wife and children. Then he congratulated me and said, 'You'd better get prepared because you'll go to Kupang very soon'. And that meant only one thing: that I made it!". The principal handed him a certificate (? not sure I remember this part) and beautiful, seemed expensive pen, with a card (?can't remember this part either) that has the picture and autograph of Eastern Indonesia Republic back then (I suppose it was Mr. Sukawati, 1947, I just Googled it :). Then he was having an euphoria attack. Utterly excited with the winning sensation, he thanked the principal and kept running and running through the total darkness to his house, to inform his father that he gets it. I cannot imagine how he could do it (he could not imagine either :). I know the road from Baa to Busalangga, I've been there. It is dark as hell, It's total dark bring the stars and sky above so very close, like they're hanging and going to fall into the Earth. And I'm talking about year 2010 AD, meaning, not so long ago.  But back in the 1940's? I don't dare imagine the darkness, and with all the horror stories about the former battlefield along the road (among the ethnic sub-groups), which was common back then), I was almost convinced that he had a trance that night :).  He rushed, bumped into his father, hugged him tight, and reported what he'd just been told to his father.

Then the story ends.

Time was up, almost 9 pm and I must go back because I'd take a pretty long trip back to my kost from their house. I bade them goodbye and he walked me to the fence gate.

PS:
I know that later he continued to Kupang, and then Mataram and then to Bandung. That's why he ended up in Jakarta, becoming a public official at the capital's Education Office back then until he retired. I always wonder why he, a smart person like him, did not continue his study to at least bachelor degree (he just got his diploma for 3 or 4 years degree or Sarjana Muda). Apparently, I heard that it was because of his involvement in PNI that was a close ally to PKI, the communist party, at that time. After New Order, Suharto's era, he was banned from taking any opportunities I assume, which was common during the Suharto's regime.  People who have family ties with PKI were even totally banned from being public servants or anything close to public professions. That's the bad scar the autocrat made in our country's history.