Very rarely where I've disagreed with people about anything they tell me, but when it comes to the people living the city versus the people living here in Apeanggur Village, I'd say they need to check themselves again.
Throughout my life, neighbors and villagers around me have given me lectures about the city folk, often times bashing them.
"They mostly fend for themselves" The villagers say. "They're disconnected from people just for the sake of looking at images posted by their friends with social media"
So sometimes, reminding myself that I have a voice, I ask them. "Have you ever step foot in an urban environment before, and interacted with those in the city?"
1 in around 10 villagers would say yes. To the other 9, I'm afraid to say that you need to rework your judgment. To think we all agree on respecting each other here, a trait that has been around even long before I was born, so I find it strange that that respect is not spread toward others outside this village, that it's not tied to you when you do have to leave this place someday. This place was, as your average villager would say, simple in pretty much everything. The only technical here where phones without fancy cameras and applications and television to keep up with what's going on in the country.
Here I am living by myself. I was the only child, but my parents have already taught me everything I needed to know.
But as for what they say about the city folk? Picture this, take everything that makes a city person and throw it all away. What do you get? The average human being.
What we have in life does make a difference, but I never believed it's always the reason people have a mindset.
Take the most notable week in my life here in the village, the one that made think twice about village folk and got me to make a life changing decision.
***
On the first day, there was a robbery at the home of Ibu Sriningsih. It occurred just as the skies were starting to get dark and night had arrived. Her house was only a few meters away from mine, and her distraught situation of screaming and things breaking became my wakeup call at about at 9.30 PM, 2 hours after I had brought myself to bed after a day of house chores.
I rushed to her house just as two figures went out the side window. They paid no attention to me as they were making their escape in their dark clothes. Several neighbors rushed to her home, as one man in particular was shouting "Eh! Eh! Eh!" in panic at the situation unfolding.
The village chief, Pak Indra, noticed my presence and the other men and women (with some children). "Go back to your homes." He said. "We'll take it from here."
Ibu Sriningsih suffered no serious injuries, but it was clear she was shaken by the sudden case of a robbery and home invasion. Several villagers searched the area leading up to the forest all night, but no avail. The thieves got away, along with precious jewelry she had.
On the second day, I attended a small meeting with my neighbor Diansya, and the other women who live just down the road. We chatting about the recent news regarding what was going in the country, in particular the ongoing issue with the content of television shows by Great Axe Productions, a terrible assault committed by a tired but seemingly mentally ill painter and above all, the mysterious but horrifying case of cannibalism that involved a man and a couple at a small bistro.
The last case made my stomach hurl, especially since I had a hearty breakfast in the morning before attending the meeting.
From a distance, we heard some children playing at a road not far from our current position. The roads here in the village are mostly one way, with only one crossroad far up north which connects to other villages. Then, our ears pricked up at the sound of screaming. Some of the women stood up, others were in their seats, Dian and I were the only ones who ran to the location to see several kids witnessing two boys beating up one boy. One held the victim by his arms while the other brought on the punching. There were other villagers there, and I was one of the few that came up to the poor boy's rescue. His father was one of the local fisherman, while the other two boys, those two were sons of the father's associates in the fishing business.
The mothers of the two boys tried to explain to the victim's parents and Pak Indra that their children were probably watching too much TV that the violent content caused them to be like this. In reality, the boys' actions were caused by a misunderstanding at the game they were playing: hide and seek. The boys, who were hiding, accused the victim, who was the seeker, as being too close to the spot where the seeker should say "Tag! You're found." Eventually the boys who did the beating were punished by doing house chores. I thought that was the end of that, until I heard several villagers, calling out the mothers of the two boys as 'brain dead' because they tried to blame television for their sons' actions and not blame themselves for not being responsible as a parent. Now calling out on somebody who was already wrong, that's just wrong itself. I wasn't expecting everybody to be friends, but people should have their morals in check.
On the third day, I was just about to take clothes I dried off, before I had a knock on my door. As I answered it, I recognize the man in front of me. His name was Darlis, and he was managing a farm just beyond the road entering the village. He asked for my help. Some of his goats went running off by the time he woke up, and he believed some of them must have ran to the village and beyond. I was confused at first as to how I was going to help him, but thankfully he gave some help.
"They have green tags on their necks. There's also some numbers on them."
I decided to go out and seek the goats along with the other villagers he's asked around helping. Even Ibu Sriningsih helped around. Some of the villagers were lucky to find one of the goats, which was tied up to a wooden stake shoved into a dirt surface. Pak Indra, who came up with this idea, asked us to bring the goats to the stake and be tied.
Darlis, another villager named Hani, and I went along a path that was going to lead us to the rice farms and the forest beyond. I've been living here since I was born, and I have yet to venture outside the rice farms. There's been somewhat an unofficial agreement among villagers, to not venture into the forest unless accompanied and not going there at night, due to the unknown animals that may live there. In the case of us three, we heard the goat screaming, and we had no other choice but to move on to the source.
Now there were two sides to this event: the good thing was that we found a goat. As for the bad? I don't want to go into detail based on how cursed the sighting was but let me put it in three words: goat, man and sexual intercourse.
That's as far as I can talk about it, because I do not want to paint my mind with that cursed image.
On the fourth day, I was trapped inside. Not because of a storm, but rather because of a group of youths from the east who did the unthinkable.
From what I've heard, a young man had a relationship with the daughter of Irganto, one of the local rice farmers. Now Dian tells the Young Man wasn't a bad person, but he was far from good in Irganto's eyes. So by the time the Young Man took Irganto's daughter for a playdate, it's safe to say the rice farmer himself couldn't tolerate it, and had the Young Man straight to Pak Indra's custody.
The friends of the Young Man. They weren't having any of it.
Irganto lived two houses away from me to the left, and I was shaken by the sudden screams of 4 other young men, who raided his house by throwing rocks at his window. I went outside and yelled out to them. Just then, one of the young men charged inside, and dragged him out before kicking him to the ground. I wasn't going to stand around and tolerate this
So I went back to my house to grab a frying pan, and hit one of the youths in the end from behind. Irganto was beaten. He had some bruises on his face. His left eye in particular was injured badly. Animals is what those youths are. Animals! Irganto was sent to the hospital to get care, his daughter cut off her ties with the Young Man after what his friends did to her father, and Pak Indra assured us villagers, as ever, to remain calm and let him settle the issue from there.
On the fifth day, I had decided to stay inside my home. I didn't want to see or get involved in anything that was terrible. I had felt more comfort in my home than a bomb shelter that us villagers recognized from American action movies that were broadcasted on television.
On the sixth day, several villagers and I decided to go and check on Irganto. The poor man's left eye was nearly blind. We also brought his daughter, where she embraced him and cried in his arms, begging for forgiveness as her actions with the young man had indirectly caused him to be like this.
Much to our relief, Irganto was forgiving, but he had expected her to be working by the time she finishes her education. When we had returned to the village, I went over to a small building which served as Pak Indra's office.
"I understand you are concerned about the matter involving Irganto and those youths." He said. "But at the moment, we're still investigating."
"Investigating?" I exclaimed. "Why not catch them? Why not go to the east and have the village chief there do it for you."
"Catching people who have committed a crime isn't that easy Ibu Pari."
"I was a witness, and I'm pretty sure the other neighbors saw it too."
He didn't want to have this conversation, and assured me that the culprits would see justice.
On the seventh day, I woke up with the inside of my head feeling like I was having a migraine. I was starting to get tired really, of all the insanity that has happened. Dian tells me that Irganto was getting additional checkups, and should be going back home soon.
But I was still bothered by the lack of development about Irganto's attackers, and even the thieves who robbed Ibu Sriningsih, so I marched toward's Pak Indra's office.
But by the time I got there, I saw three police officers in uniform, and they were handcuffing Pak Indra near their squad car.
"Ibu Pari." Pak Indra exclaimed.
"What's going on?" I asked.
The first officer came to me. "Good morning Miss. I hope our presence isn't a threat to the villagers, but I'm afraid we need to take your village chief to the city for some questioning" I asked him what did Pak Indra do, and the officer replied. "We got some information from an anonymous source; apparently your chief here had hired two goons to rob the home of Ibu Sriningsih."
My eyes were filled with various emotions. Anger. Horror. Above all, it was disappointment.
"I'm being set up Ibu Pari." Pak Indra said sheepishly.
"Somebody is trying make myself look bad."
But I didn't believe him. He didn't even bother to check in with Irganto's attackers, let alone the thieves who raided Ibu Sriningsih's house.
After everything I've seen, everything that has happened for the last few days. It didn't matter what the place was like, or who had what lifestyle. People always have a mindset, a thinking process that makes them be good, bad or just plain messed up. The week has given me sight of what people are capable of doing, depending on the condition of their sanity
And because of that, I will take my leave from this village, for good.