"CULTURE" THE INCREDIBLE ATTRACTION OF JAVANESE WEDDING CEREMONY

Labels: - Thursday, October 28, 2010


In this modern age, many people think that the more modern things we have are the better we get. In my opinion, it’s completely wrong. Do you know why? Indonesia has many kinds of beautiful traditional cultures, especially the traditional wedding ceremony. Every province in Indonesia has their own wedding ceremony and the most beautiful wedding ceremony is Javanese wedding ceremony. The incredible attractions of Javanese wedding ceremony can be seen from four processes inside it.

The first process is siraman. The bride has to do siraman in her house a day before her wedding. Siraman means to clean her body and soul before ijab qabul. The water that is used in siraman comes from seven sources and be added by seven kinds of flower. The process begins when her parents, start from her mother, pour that water over her head. The process is done, if all of her close relatives, who are married, have already poured over her head. In the end of the process, the bride has to break a kendi (earthenware flask with a neck) for showing that the process is already done.

The second process is balang suruh. The bride and the bride groom have to do balang suruh which is held after ijab qabul. Balang suruh is a process when they throw sirih leaf that has been rolled before, to each other. They throw sirih leaf in the same time. This process means that they love each other and willing to be loyal to each other. It symbolizes their goal in having a lovely and harmonious marriage and live happily ever after.

The last and the most important processes in this ceremony are wiji dadi and sinduran. Wiji dadi is a process of several ceremonies that newly wedded couple has to undergo, such as: first, the bride groom has to step on an egg until it breaks down. Second, the bride has to wash the bride groom’s foot with water that has been added by seven kinds of flower. The stuff that is used to take the water is a piece of coconut shell. Wiji dadi means the bride groom will become a responsible and be a good father when the have children. Another process is sinduran that every newly wedded couple also has to undergo, such as: first, the bride and the bride groom stand in front of the bride groom’s parents. Second, the bride groom’s parent will cover a cloth on bride and bride groom’s shoulders. The cloth which is used in this process is sindur cloth. That is the reason why this process named sinduran. The meaning of sinduran process is the bride groom’s family accepts the bride as the new member of their family. In the end of this process is the spoon feed each other which mean they will live together in happiness and sadness.

Javanese wedding ceremony has incredible attractions in each process inside it, especially four processes that mention above. Even though those processes sound very complicated and so many stuffs we need to do it, but every process in this ceremony is very meaningful and useful in our live. In each process symbolize the bride and the bride groom’s expectation like having a lovely and harmonious family, have a loyal husband and wife, live together in happiness and sadness, and so on. Therefore, the incredible attraction of Javanese wedding ceremony can be seen from the meaning of each process which can influence our live better than before. In my opinion, we should not think the complication, but think about what we will get from them. Those processes will fascinate you, if you know the meaning.

My Strongest Type Intelligence

Labels: - Sunday, October 17, 2010


At first, I thought that the strongest type of intelligences that I have is kinesthetic intelligence. I thought that way, because I used to dance since I was in kindergarten and I love dancing so much until now. However, after I use self-diagnostic for identifying multiple intelligences that Pak Iwan gave, I found that my strongest type of intelligence is interpersonal intelligence. I was made confuse by the result, I counted it again but the score is still the same. Then, I realize the reasons why interpersonal intelligence is the strongest intelligence that I have.
First, I am the president of traditional dance club in SSE, Tatra Abhirama. Works together with other member to manage the club is an ordinary and obligatory thing for me. I have to give directions to my secretary to make some proposals, I must monitor the club’s inventories from club’s member, and so on. Second, I usually have group assignment. That’s make my creative ideas usually appear if other people push my creative thinking ability. For example, when doing a class project or other project that do in a group my idea will come to complete someone’s idea. That means, my ideas have to be hooked first with other group member’s ideas. The last but not least, I often dance in a group and dancing in a group is need good coordination. While I am dancing in team I must equalize my power with other dancer, and its need good interpersonal intelligence.
From that reasons, I conclude that almost every activity that I do are need interpersonal intelligence. I think nothing wrong with it anymore. I will also build my intrapersonal intelligence, because I remember that intrapersonal intelligence is also important for teacher.

Effective Teaching

Labels: - Thursday, October 14, 2010

In some ways that Pak Iwan used to teach effective teaching last Friday in classroom is effective, but some other ways are not effective. For example, when we were watching a video about effective teaching, actually I felt sleepy and not focus in watching it even it’s a good video. This situation also appears in other subject when I have to watch a video or only listening to the teacher. Maybe it’s my big problem. I cannot only sit, listen, and watch something without doing anything physically. I have to move and doing activities while learning. I think it would be good if we watch video and in the same time, we do some activities. I think there is a way to solve this problem.
However, there are also effective ways that Pak Iwan used while teaching last Friday. For instance, group activity. With this way I didn’t feel sleepy anymore. It is because I interacted with other students and I did some activities, such as read and discussed. I also love a moment when Pak Iwan shared his experience. I love that moment because sometimes the experiences that people said have some similarities with my experience, so I can get benefit of it by imitate the things they do to solve the problem. In that time, Pak Iwan gave me a lot of information for being a teacher. Other effective way that is used is relate the material in a real situation. The text that Pak Iwan gave and the way he moderate the discussion is very effective, I think. He gave opportunities for all students to speak about what they understand from the text.
Overall, I can understand the material that Pak Iwan taught. For additional, I like the way he deliver the material. His gesture and the way he speak is very natural but still in good organization. What I understand about effective teaching is not only the method that the teachers use but also the way he/she deliver the material.

The Most Suitable Method

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The best method for Indonesian students is total physical response. In my opinion, this method can make the lesson more interesting. As I feel as an Indonesian student, almost all the text book and the way the teacher teach is only listen, drill and practice. With using total physical response, the class’s atmosphere would be changed. The reason why is that this method use the physical response of the students so that it makes the students have less time to get bored and feel sleepy. The other reason, when using this method, learning will fun and reduce the stressfulness. Moreover, if the students’ stressfulness is reduced, the lesson that the teacher gives could be easier to understand by the student. Students will mastered what they learn not only by remembering what is written in text book or what the teacher said, but also with their understanding about the movement that they did in classroom.
            Those are the reasons why I think this method are the most suitable method for Indonesian context. However, this method seems like more effective for kinesthetic students because it uses physical movement. For the others multiple intelligences, this method is working but not as effective as in kinesthetic students. To maintain classroom, teacher needs to do effective teaching by learning all the methods and apply them in the right situation. Still, the use of total physical response gives more advantages than its disadvantages.

The Most Suitable Method

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             Once Bu Gum asked me, what language teaching method I good at, what in my mind was Total Physical Response. It’s not only because I am a dancer, but it’s more because I am a kinesthetic person. I can more understand about the lesson the teacher teach using total physical response. So do when I teach students, I can be better in delivering the lesson using total physical response. There are several reasons why I can teach better using this method.
            First, I can explore more with my body movement while teaching. As a dancer, express something with dance or body movement is usual. That is why it is easier for me to teach using total physical response than other method. Second, I am not really good at speaking. Pak Pri has told me that our brain is like a storage which saves our stock of word in the right position. I believe with that, but when I have to speak something in front of the class, the word that comes out my mouth is not good. I think it is because I rarely speaking in English, so when I have to speak in English I lack of confident. On the other hand, when I have to do something with body movement in front of the class with a thousand people or even more, I feel free and confident. It happens because I love to do that. That is why total physical response is the method I good at.
From those two reasons, I conclude that teaching method that I good at is Total Physical response. Still, I will learn and integrate all the teaching method to improve my teaching ability.

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