This year was really hard for me as I had a lot of failure on 2018 which made me down and almost give up to go through this year. It made me not write any year-evaluation last year because nothing I could proud of. All of those anxiety also made me reluctant to write year-resolution in the beginning of 2019 because I did not believe in myself whether I could achieve dreams I grave in my mind, too impossible.

All the problem in the beginning of 2019 is still same, I was full of questions on how I should do to survive my new life in Japan as new marriage couple, without proper Japanese capability.

I could not work with my accounting bachelor degree

I could not pursue my master degree if I stuck with my dream to pursue master degree in accounting in Tokyo

I also still did not have any plan to build a real family (birth and grow child) in the near time

I did not know how my life could bring me. 2019 was really hard!

Actually in the end of last year, I have decided to jump on other field, throw away Accounting and adjust myself to other related business field degree which held in English, and close to my home in Tokyo. Nevertheless, I also stuck with my condition on how I still in far capacity with the requirement of my target university, I was really worst in preparing my GRE test. Moreover, I also still think deeply whether I should ask my husband to finance independently my master degree which it is sooo expensive (relatively to my financial capability and compare to Indonesia). That is why, I am not dare enough to set my resolution in the beginning of this year. 

I knew we should have navigation to achieve our dream, but I did not make it. I just kept all my dream on 2019 in the deepest of my heart, as I was very afraid to express it all. Too impossible in logic. But, I trust God to listen my whisper of dream and hope God can make it come true.

Please see what God had blessed for me this year. God always send love to people who loves Him too. Check this out.

1. Passed MIB Rikkyo University admission, start to become Japanese student

As I have told you, this is the achievement I really desire to. The only possible I can do without my Japanese proficiency and inline with my big dream to be lecturer someday (?). But, I did not have strength to make it true. I was nothing when I should start my whole new life in Tokyo. I was bad at math, but I should took GRE test (the craziest test I’ve ever taken). But alhamdulillah, I got the notification in the middle of June that I could start my master degree this year. Miracle, a poor girl from isolated area could continue her degree in one of top university in great country, Rikkyo University in Tokyo, Japan. Once again, alhamdulillah.

Everything is on time.

I should not shock for this fact since I live in Japan right now. Japan is well known for its strict to  time. Discipline comes first when talking about attitude in relation to Japanese. That is why, it is not a surprised condition to see how on time everything in my eyes during my life here.

I can find how on time my Japanese friend to meet me in each our appointment.

How on time train arrives the station and leave every passenger, including me, when we got late a second to get on the train after the scheduled time table.

However, instead of found all of those facts, I can find how living in Japan bring me to see life in order. I can see the regularity of life here. I really see how this life looks like arranged properly.

It is real.

You can see everything the same as you saw yesterday if you do it again in the same minute

Minute? Yes.

You can even meet the same condition and same person in the same minute everyday. I believe they do their daily activity regularly, so I can meet with them easily if I make my daily activity regularly like them.

How can I know this fact?

Let me share my background story.

Every morning 2-3 times in a week, I do part time job in an international school in Kiyose-shi.  A distance from my nearest station to the destination takes around 45 minutes by train. I should arrive in school at 8.50, so I should plan my trip to arrive there before the designated time. In my case, I should leave home at least 7.47 (cause it needs 8 minutes approximately from my home to station) and reach the train which leaves at 7.57 from my nearest station.

I should leave home on time to avoid waiting train for so long, and also not in hurry to catch the train I used to get on. Moreover, I  always sit in the same cars on train. The first of eight cars on the train. I always choose the same cars since it is the nearest cars near with gate in my station and near with the stairs to transfer train in Tokorozawa station.

It’s quite hard to be able reach our destination on time in Japan if we do not plan each our trip carefully. Since I have same activity and time every weekday, so I only plan it once in the first time I worked there and I just did it repeatedly for commuting to work. Two to three times in a week, I did the same thing. It makes me never come late to work.

Then?

Indirectly, I have told you that I live in regularity. No one teaches me to do that, but the willingness for not coming late to work is the reason I do that. So every time I do my regularity, uncoincidentally, I met with same person there.

Of course, I can make a conclusion how Japanese normally have regular daily activities. Really really do the same thing everyday in the same minute.

How Can I really Know This Fact?

I know because what I did for around 10 months make me meet same people and some condition every time I go for work. I can realize those things since my part time job place is not in the central of Tokyo.

I live near the central Tokyo, so I never meet rush hours since I go to opposite destination unlike common salary-man out of there. Mostly people that I remember are the one who has special characteristic so I can remember them easily and clearly. I do not know maybe there are other same people who has same robot schedule like me, but of course I will never try to remember people that I met in train every day hahaha

1. I always meet a middle-aged man in car parking near my house, just get into his luxurious Lexus car. His appearance looks like a rich salary-man. He always heat his car engine every time I pass that car parking lot.

2. I always meet such a 'different' boy in my nearest station getting on the same train and cars like me, listen to music loudly, and make his body join the tempo of the song. He looks like boy with special needs.

3. I always meet with a cute boy who board in the same cars with me, always get on the train from Iogi station to station more than Tokorozawa station (I do not know because I should transfer train in Tokorozawa). He gets to use bluetooth earphone, and always take the corner seat, same like me. Sometimes he sits in front of me so I can really remember his face.

4. In Hana Koganei station, I always meet such a special needs boy who just get on the train. He never sits even there are so many empty chairs. He just stand and walk back forth in a cars and speak by himself loudly. Quite disturbing, but as a character of Japanese, I do not give comment to people like him.

5. In many chances, I meet with the other special needs middle-aged man who always get on train from Tokorozawa station, and get off in the same destination station like me (Kiyose Station). He always screams every time he gets on and get off train, quite scary.

*Btw, most of person I remember is special needed person since they look different to other people, so I always aware their existence

And there are many more conditions that same thing I found, especially when talking about the train system. How the train driver always change every time the train arrives in Kami-Shakujii station, I always meet with the special commuter express which uses special rugby-theme train every time I arrive in some station. And blah blah blah...

From the experience I had, I can make conclusion how Japanese culture about on time can bring people to life in order. Especially for those who works in traditional Japanese company, government institution, and education institution. I do not talk about my company's husband and other modern company which apply flexible time to go work.

No one teaches us, but we automatically aware to do life in order. Most of the Japanese who meets my criteria will have same mindset like I have been doing so far. Plan when will leave home, get on the train, and which cars of the train to get on. Of course I will not uncoincidentally meet those people almost everyday if they do not do same thing like me. Forget it.

Join to Life in Order,

Sintia

P.s. I wrote this article before I resign from my job. The time I upload this in the same day I took my resignation makes me cry a lot. I will really miss all of those same person I met. So far since I commute to central Tokyo in quite rush hour, I never and cannot aware who is the person get on the same train like me. However, I still do same thing, will catch the train at 10.01 to arrive at class before 10.45.

***

“Hiii, gak bakal aku ke Masjid Kabukicho. Masih banyak pilihan masjid lain”

Lain cerita dengan seorang temanku di atas. Di saat aku merasa kagum dengan keberadaan masjid Kabukicho di tengah lokasi yang sebegitu uniknya. Ada orang Indonesia yang berkata demikian padaku ketika aku menawarinya berkunjung ke masjid ini. Aku hanya diam, tapi ada rasa sakit juga mendengarnya. 

Ya mungkin memang Kabukicho disebut sebagai tempat yang tidak aman karena banyak orang ‘aneh’ disana. Kabukicho dikenal sebagai sarangnya Yakuza, preman Jepang yang menyeramkan. Kabukicho adalah tempat hiburan malam yang besar,

Di sekitar masjid, ada banyak pub/bar dengan penyewaan jasa perempuan dan laki-laki untuk menghibur (namun bukan prostitusi juga ya), namanya host/hostess club. Di tempat-tempat itu, pengunjung memesan wine/beer/vodka melalui si host/hostess ini, dan sang host/hostess akan menemani pengunjung untuk minum bersama sambil bermesraan. Nantinya si host/hostess akan mendapatkan uang dari hasil dia berhasil menawarkan minuman-minuman itu ke si pelanggannya. Mereka yang penghasilannya terbanyak, akan dipromosikan di papan nama yang besar itu di wilayah Kabukicho.
 (yaampun ngerti banget yak saya urusan beginian wkwk)

Namun anehnya, selama aku kesana, tak sekalipun aku mengalami catcalling walau aku harus jalan sendirian malam hari. Anehnya lagi, malah kebanyakan laki-laki yang lebih suka disapa oleh orang tak dikenal untuk ditawari jasa hostess di suatu hostess club tertentu. Namun normalnya sih, tak begitu banyak ancaman yang ada dari distrik ini, ketika kita berkunjung. Kata temanku sih, memang sebenarnya Kabukicho sekarang tidak semenyeramkan dahulu. Bahkan banyak kuliner menarik di sekitar sini juga, tidak halal tapi yaa.

Memang sih selama aku disini, di Kabuicho pernah terjadi kasus penembakan yakuza oleh yakuza lain di suatu tempat karaoke tak jauh dari masjid. Sering juga ada pertengkaran. Ada banyak orang mabuk yang tiba-tiba tergeletak tidur di jalanan. Bahkan ada pula orang mabuk yang masuk ke masjid. 

Perkenankanlah aku bercerita lebih lanjut tentang ini:

Suatu hari di bulan April, ada orang mabuk yang masuk ke masjid dini hari. Dia mabuk dan tertidur di dalamnya. Memang permasalahannya masjid kami buka 24 jam jadi siapa saja bisa masuk ke masjid, dan pada saat itu tidak ada yang menjaga masjid. Orang itu tidur dan entah bagaimana kronologi lebih lanjut. Orang itu mengamuk di dalam masjid. Membanting kotak amal hingga berhamburan uang di dalam nya, dan dia menyalakan api kompor di dapur hingga hampir membakar sekitarnya. Kemudian orang itu pergi begitu saja. Untunglah ada orang Indonesia yang tiba-tiba datang dan meredakan masalah itu.

Namun percayalah orang itu sebenarnya tidak berniat jahat, dia melakukan itu karena di luar kontrol akibat mabuk saja. Dia tidak mengambil uang juga dari kotak amal yang dia lempar. Untungnya ada kamera CCTV di masjid sehingga dengan mudah polisi bisa melacak orang tersebut dan menemukan orang itu dengan mudah. Tentu saja dia tidak merasa melakukan hal itu, tapi karena ada bukti, tentu saja orang ini diadili. Lebih parahnya lagi, karena orang ini membuat keonaran di masjid, orang tersebut diadili dengan pasal terorisme, yang tentu saja hukumannya akan berlipat-lipat.

Pihak keluarga dan pengacara dia datang ke masjid dan meminta agar pihak masjid memaafkan sehingga proses litigasi tidak perlu dilakukan. Tentu saja pihak masjid memaafkan, sambil di dalamnya imam kami memberikan kata yang menyejukkan bahwa kejadian yang dialami ini menjadi alasan mengapa Islam melarang meminum minuman yang memabukkan karena akan ada dampak-dampak negatif seperti yang dialami oleh orang tersebut. Dari kejadian ini, semoga saja orang tersebut bisa merasakan damai dan indahnya Islam.

Sebenarnya masih ada banyak cerita tentang orang mabuk yang sering datang ke masjid, dan merasa senang ketika kami tidak mengusir dan memperlakukannya dengan buruk.

Tidak peduli orang itu masuk Islam atau tidak. Rasanya aku merasa keberadaan masjid Kabukicho di tengah red light district ini benar-benar menunjukkan betapa damai dan indahnya Islam bagi rahmatan lil 'alamin.


Penghuni Kabukicho yang berbeda,
Sintia

Bonus Foto kak Irfan sedang mengaji

Location:
Masjid Al-Ikhlas Kabukicho
1-chōme-3-10 Kabukichō, Shinjuku City, Tōkyō-to 160-0021
https://goo.gl/maps/CxMFgFvj2jvqp8rW6

Facebook: Masjid Al-Ikhlas Kabukicho
Instagram: @masjidalikhlaskabukichotokyo

Ambi

Ambis

Ambisi

Ambisius?

Setidaknya beberapa temanku menyebut aku dengan istilah demikian selama aku kuliah S1. Jujur saja aku tidak tahu apa itu ambisius. Namun sepertinya aku tahu alasan kenapa temanku memberikan cap ambisius itu padaku.

Sebenarnya aku tidak bertanya langsung kepada mereka, apa yang membuat mereka menyebut aku sedemikian rupa. Aku tidak tahu itu panggilan positif atau negatif.

Mungkin mereka memanggilku begitu karena aku selalu mencoba jadi yang terdepan menjawab pertanyaan dosen di kelas, menyelesaikan ujian paling cepat, dan mendapatkan raihan teratas dibandingkan orang lain. Aku tidak tahu karena itu atau bukan, tapi rasanya label itu terlalu keren sih apabila disematkan kepadaku.

 Anggaplah asumsi di atas benar. Menurutku rasanya tidak salah untuk bersifat ambisius sesuai dengan definisi di atas. Namun entahlah, rasanya kata ambis yang disematkan teman-temanku itu lebih cenderung ke arah yang negatif.