SUMMARY OF “THE COCONUT “

I have been waiting this moment since six months ago. This is the best chance for me to improve my abilities with met a new persons with different background especially friends from Japan. Joined this program make me become rich person because I got new friends that I can share each other what I have and what they have it.
Surprise, it is a right word to describe my feeling with this program. Many things I knew that make me say “wow”. Started from Makassar when I did transect walk to the fishpond in Tallo area that give me a different view about surrounding me. Many things we can do and there are a lot of potentials we have. I believe every persons is unique, my experience on that place give me a good lesson learn for my life that even though from a child can see her environment based on her view. We got a lot of information from her and because of that her community can accept us as well as their own family without pretending to be nice persons.
In Kappe, I have got the next surprises that can make me sometimes smile, laugh, and sad. Surprise from their enthusiastic when the first time we come, their kind, how they greeting us especially our friends from Japan with different language but can make unity even though the conversation much of laugh. Sad with their potentials that their have it and their not use it in maximal way, pride with their struggle to continue their life for example their fishponds can not gave good harvest but they still do it even though trial and error always happened.
I learned many things from Kappe’s people especially from my host family. I came to learn with them about their life for my life. I have got it much from my host family, Father, Mother, Brother, and My Sister. They have very happy life even my Brother and My Sister can not continue their study to Junior High School because of lack of budgets even my Father is Fishpond farmer who always got little harvest from his fishpond because of reddish head disease of shrimp.
I have got a lot of information about Kappe Hamlet especially about fishpond from my Father. He is hard worker and always done everything by himself likes making net or repair his net, repair his house wall, and et ce tera. I learned how to make net because my father saw me how to make it, how to manage fishpond likes when we have to put seed on the fishpond, what kind of fertilizer, how to treating shrimp, and milkfish, when we can got natural seeds of shrimp and milkfish, how Camboja fish eaten seeds, and many more including TAIBOKA as food for shrimp and milkfish who gave inspiration for me that I want to know more deeply about it. That is my wonder.
From my mother, I have got many things about her. She was partum her children by herself and some mothers always asking and consulting to her about pregnancy without payment. She sold ‘sweet ice’ to elementary school with his cousin’s son who still study there and their share the result. Then, I think that this family not a rich one but they want to share job opportunity with other even though just a little bit. Until the end of 2006, my mother taught several children of Kappe reciting Al Qur’an and She had take care of her niece’s too. When I asked my mother where she got maternal knowledge she said that from her mother. It is an amazing that she knew it and want to know it.
And from villagers, I learned about their hard working, hospitality, kindness, togetherness, struggle et ce tera. They accept us as well as their own families and we would be a part of them.
To get more information about my wonder I try to observe with counting coconut trees on this hamlet. Actually, there are many coconut tree and they concerned to plant again because they realize the benefit of coconut trees because at the past time on this village there are many coconut trees until erosion comes in the coastal line many trees fall down include coconut trees. And there are many coconut trees cutting down because government has made regulation to remove house position to make a good structure of house.
Much of information a got from villagers without interview when I pass in front of their house they sometimes invite me and then I stopped by and look at them work for example. And much of them ask that what for we here. I try to tell them that we came here to learn from them about anything that we are really interested to their daily life. Some of them directly tell me about this village at past, now, and what they want in the future. They told about their feeling about their environment, the young generation situation and condition, government policies, and et ce tera.
From my friends, I learned how to make them comfort with us if we need something from them with approached. However we tried to put our self on their side honestly it is not so easy to do it.
I joined in this program to increase my knowledge and I got more than I expected. All that things can be happen because of people in Kappe and from all of you guys as a fieldworker. I just want to say THANK YOU VERY MUCH for all kindness, hospitality, experience, sharing and you make me sane in the crazy world.

Best Regard

Written in FASID Fieldwork Program, 2007