Young Love and True Love

Love is a feeling of strong affection that occurs to every human or even animal. It is a personal attachment that is charaterized as a positive emotion or a virtue. Love can make one unselfish and loyal to the others. Love can also be described as a sexual attachment to the opposite of gender. In english, love can be desribed as several meanings based on the different feelings, attitudes, and states. Love may refers to the passionate desire and intimacy of romantic love, sexual eros, the emotional closeness of familial love, and the platonic love that makes a friendship, or to the devotion of religious love. One of the popular love is that the passionate desire and intimacy of romantic love. This is the most beautiful love that everyone ever feels. In loving someone, sometimes people get broken heart when the relation is over, however, some get it forever until the end of their lives. There is a difference from this love, for teenagers who have just known about love, they feel that love is the most beautiful thing that should be enjoyed while for the matures, love is not only about happiness but also a commitment for themselves. Those kinds of love are called as young love and true love.

Young love happens to the teenagers that have been in the age of puberty. For those who have just known about love, they feel that love is everything in life, the most beautiful feeling that happens only in the age of teen. When they are attached to the one whom they love, they feel shy and embarrassed whenever they meet each other. This thing always happens for most teenagers. They will think that love is the most precious thing during their lives. They act as they are mature like adults’ love but actually they are not. Sometimes this love can also make them blind, such as forgeting about school, agaist their parents and make any decision by themselves without thinking the effects as they are lost in feeling. They have not thought or realized what the purpose of loving is. This unsteady feeling sometimes makes them lose control. Many teenagers who are not under parents’ supervision are trapped in a lust that may kill themselves, because they just love someone only by his or her physique, such as the handsomeness and beauty. By loving the physique, it may makes them in a strong desire and try to have sex, however, it will be ok if there is no pregnancy but if it is the opposite, they will have another live. This kind of love will not stay longer, easy to disband, and easy to look for another one then forget each other, because adolescence is a time of uncertainty, the stage of looking for  identity and a period of the most severe (Hurlock, 1993). It means that mentally, they are not ready to live without parents’ dependency. For teenagers, love is like a game that finishes after the end of relationship, whereas there is a life after it. So in a teen age, love is just a temporary happiness during their ages.

On the contrary, true love mostly happens to the mature people that have really known about what love is. For the mature, love is not just a happiness but it is a commitment to love their partner forever. The mature thinks that love does not come by handsomeness and beauty but it comes by the abilities that they have, such as one’s talents, works , and jobs.  For the stable mature guys, loving somebody is a reflection of the future. It means that they attract to the opposite sex is not by love, but by thinking that whether he or she is well-established or not. In this case, sex is not the main priority but life will be more serious after they choose a partner to live together, because life does not finish to the marriage but it will become the real life after that. The need of life, jobs or careers, and family will be more important than love itself. The main priority is that they can provide all what they need in a domestic life, such as economic and educational needs. True love does not eat love but the way to live together with the partner and family they make. True love is judged as the real love in a real life.

It can be concluded that both loves can occur to humans’ lives. True love is more meaningful than young love. However, before people meet their true love, they may experiance young love first because young love mostly happens during the teenage while true love comes to the mature people.

source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love

Herbal Medicine and Medicinal Chemistry

In a daily life, medicine is an alternative way to avoid, reduce or cure many kins of desease. Medicine is an important substance which people need because they are not escaped from deseases during their lives. In modern live, medicine is produced by using sophisticated formulas that works quickly in human’s body. This kind of medicine can be said as medicinal chemistry. However, there is a medicine which is made by utilizing a natural wealth that is said as herbal medicine. This medicine is made handed down from the ancestors without a clear research, but both medicines are good for human’s body to cure the diseases. However they also have advantages and weaknesses.

Medicinal chemistry is usually consumed when people need a rapid hadling. This medicine can cure the disease in a short time. For the people who are in chonic, this medicine is very recommended to reduce the pain in a short way. However, besides the benefit of it, medinical chemistry has some weaknesses. Medicinal chemistry is made by the sophisticated formulas that are discovered by the experts, it has no doubt that the price is expensive. Another hand, based on dr Amarullah H Siregar, medicinal chemistry only cures the symptoms of disease but it does not cure the source of it. It means that medicinal chemistry only cures some body systems. The other impacts of this medicine is that the side effect. After consuming it, the effect can occur directly and undirectly. The direct effect such as sleepy, diarrhea, and so on can be felt. If people consume this kind of medicine coninously, the indirect effect usually is more dangerous such as heart disease. This happens because the chemistry consists of inorganic materials while the system of the body is organic and complex. Chemicals is not a suitable material for human body, so it should be limited so that the body is able to tolerate it. Those are the advantages and disadvantages of medicinal chemistry.

Similarly, besides the medicinal chemistry, herbal medicine also has the benefits and some lacks. The benefits of herbal medicine such as there is no side effect after consuming it. This because the herbal medicine is made of an organic material that is complex. Another word, it can be meant as food for body to rebuild the system of human body. Herbal medicine is more safe than the chemistry one. Another benefit is that the way it is used is more simple and the price is much cheaper than medicinal chemistry. Herbal medicine is also easy to produce, it is because the materials are utilizing the source of nature such as plants and herbs. The process is very simple and it does not need any sophisticated tools and an expensive research. However, above all those benefits, herbal medicine has a lack also. Neither herbal medicine is produced by using any sophisticated tool nor chemicals, so the it takes long time to take an action in the body or it reacts slowly. It is suggested that people should consume the herbal one if they do not need a special cure of their diseases. So beside the advanteges, herbal medicine has disadvantages also.

It can be concluded that in choosing what suitable medicine for human body  is, it depends on the need. If the diseases need a quick care, the medicinal chemistry is the best way. However, if it is the opposite, then consuming herbal medicine if more useful.

source: http://www.deherba.com/obat-tradisional-vs-obat-kimia.html#ixzz2Ivpr9s6U
    http://www.gentongmas.com/berita/608-kelebihan-antara-obat-herbal-dan-obat-sintetiskimia.html

A Storyteller for Children

Story is a narrative speech of an event which had happened. By the story, everyone will know the setting of an event such as where, how, and what the doer experiences from the begining until the end. In this case, the main actor of the story can be a human or an animal. Generally, story is told orally and enlivened by the teller. It is purposed to entertain the listener. Usually, it tells about the story of children and is presented by the teller in a short way. In this real world, children need story during their lives like food for bodies. Everywhere the children are, they need to share a story with their friends and it helps them understand their world. In this case, the position of a storyteller is needed to amuse the children who are always thirsty of story and these are some ways how to be a good storyteller.

A storyteller can choose the story which can be understood easily by the children. Children often accept the story that displays about their childishness, it is important for the teller in applying a story based on their ages. If they are beginers or too young, the teller can choose a short story which should not be too much descriptive. Children also often like a story in a foreign language that will engage them during the first few lines of the story. At the age of six to nine, the story should be more simple, for example Mr. Page’s pet shop. This is Mr. Page’s pet shop. What’s in the pet shop? Oh there some cats in the pet shop. What does a cat say? It says Miaow! Miaow! What’s in the pet shop? Oh there are some frofs in the pet shop. What does the frog say? It says Croak! Croak! This simple example will engage the children in understanding the labguage and also it will offer the children’s rich experiance. So in choosing the story, a teller should pay attention of what grade the children are.

The way of the teller remembering the story is also important. The story will be told with coherent. There are various ways of remembering the story before being told to the children. A teller should choose  the most appropriate way for himself which makes him comfortable. It will be difficult that the teller memorize the written story word by word. One of the examples of remembering the story is that making bubbles. The teller reads the story and tries to elicit the content for a few times. He can then try to make bubbles like the example:   Ma Liang => Old man brush => beard
                                                 => this brush is for...
                   =>very poor           =>stick ground
                   =>Chinese   
                   =>like drawing

This way is easier that the teller can read it visually than memorizing all words. If it is possible, make a more specific frame of it. Instead of puttung the key points in the bubbles, the teller may write it in simple note. This way is called a story skeleton (Morgan and Rinvolucri). The teller can also remember the dramatic part of the story or its verbal rhytm and remebering the characters (Duncan Williamson).

            A storyteller’s manner and the voice will give more attention to the children. It is a must that the teller should tell the story by his own way. Grace Hallworth, the West Indian storyteller, is quiet and dignified as a person and as a storyteller she is just the same. Duncan Williamson, the Scottish Storyteller, is full of fun in normal conversation and is just the same in storytelling. It is like chossing the story based on the character of the teller. If the teller is a quiet person, the he can tell the story queitly. However, it will be more fun that whatever the teller’s character, he should give all his personalities through the story or able to role the main character of the story. Not only the manner, but the teller’s voice also gives more interest. It will be boring the the teller just tells the story without taking an action of his voice. The potential variety of human’s voice consists of pitch, volume, rhythm, softness, harshness, and pause. It will be more dramatic when the teller master is able to practice this variety. However, it does not mean that he will need a training to make his voice better. The teller can sit or stand so that he can breathe easily. He can speak loudly so that the children sit at the back can hear the voice, but never use harsh voice like a teacher when he want to cut the students running through the corridor. To make the difference between the characters and the narrator, the teller can use a very ordinary sentence that makes the story look amazing like “I got up this morning and opened the curtain”. Then try to say the sentence in several moods such as happily unhappily, wickedly, innocently and so on. In playing the role, a teller should be able to change his personality based on the story is about and then combine it with some kinds of voice, it will give more appreciation to the listeners.

            Becoming an attractive storyteller is not difficult by knowing the suitable story for the children’s grade and how to deliver it, then by combining a various voice and different characters will attract the children’s attention in listening the the story.

                      Nancy Ajram - Shakhbat Shakhabeet / شخبط شخابيط 

Source: www.youtube.com

             http://seamz-independent.comuv.com/Pengertian_Cerita.html

             Storytelling with Children Book by Andrew wright

The Three Learning Styles and Role Play

Every student has his own way in learning something. In formal school, each student has a different style in understanding the material which is delivered by the teacher. This difference is called learning styles. There are three styles of learning that are the most popular, such as Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic. In language teaching, teacher should know the types of the learners’ interests of which they hold. He can not generalize all students that the ways they learn are same. Therefore, the way the teacher delivers the materials is not enough only by speech, it will be less fair for the learners who are not interested in it and the effect is that they can not learn in a maximum effort. Thus, The teacher should know how to combine the three learning styles to be one method in teaching language. Role play is one of many approaches that is useful for them. This way is very simple to enroll the students that have different learning styles in class and these are how to combine the three learning styles in a one way.

First, visual learners are for those who learn by seeing the graphics, watching a demontration such as a teacher who is explaining the material, and then visual formats such as textbook, movie, powerpoint, images and so on. Visual learners  sometimes tend to sit in the front and take a note of the delivered material. Often they close their eyes to undertand, visualize or remeber something. They are interested in imagination which is full of colors. However, they will get difficulty when they have to listen to the sound that has no objects. Thus, the existence of role play can take benefits for the visual learners. In language teaching, when the teacher wants to tell about the story about something like narrative text, it is not enough if the teacher only using a speech. Therefore he can ask the students to perform the topic. Mostly in a developed shool, every class has LCD that makes easier for the learners to learn. For example, the topic is about the story of Snow White. The students can use images that are displayed through LCD, such as when the setting is in a castle, they can show the castle on the screen. It is much more useful that visual learners can take a note by watching the actors combined by  the pictures in order that they can understand easily what the story tells about. Thus, this way is more beneficial that the visual learners can get the given material by a fun way.

Second, auditory learners are those who learn through dicussions, lectures, oral readings, and so on. It is best that auditory learners do not need any visualization. Usually, they sit wherever they want in class, they do not care about what is going on in front of the class as they can listen the material. For auditory learners, they do not need much practise or may they get difficult when they have to understand or look at a diagram. Based on the way they learn, role play can get their attention. Besides using image, the students are also able to use sound. For example, when snow white is walking in a forest, the sound of the wind, birds, insects and so on can be applied through the sound speakers. The actors speak aloud combined by the sound needed so that the visual learners can elicit the story is about. This way, for auditory learners, they can get the material easier.

The last one is kinesthetic or tactile learners. For kinestetic, they need to be active in class. They often use gestures and need to touch or move. They often communicate through action and expressing their bodies. However, they will get difficuty when they have to understand the material by speech, reading or looking at the pictures, because they can not recall well what was said and seen. Thus, the action of role play can handle the kinestetic learners. In applying role play, it has no doubt that it is full of actions. It is very useful for the kinestethic learners to act by playing and moving, because they can get the material directly through practising. By doing so, the kinestetic learners can gain the material through their actions.

By applying role play, it can handle the differences of leraners’ learning styles. By combining some pictures and sound in role play, the students will get the materials easier and the learning process will be more attractive.

Applying Role Play to The Integrated Skills of English

In teaching english, it is needed to measure what and how far students have mastered each skill. There are many methods that represent on how to teach english and also many books provide some kinds of  material related to the skill that they will apply in language teaching. However, some teachers get difficult when they have to combine the integrated skills at the same time to measure the students’ abilities mainly for assessment. They may still use one method for each skill, like in teaching listening, they use metacognitive method or in teaching speaking, they use debate and so on. It will be good that the focus on each skill will be more detail, however, it needs more time to access the four skills at the same time. Actually, there is a way that in teaching english, teacher can measure students’ abilities based on one method by using role play. This method is an effective technique to animate the teaching and learning atmosphere, arouse the interests of learners, and make the language acquisition impressive (Feng Liu & Yun Ding 2009). As the main process in teaching consists of three approaches such as presentation, practise, and production, this method will engage the third approach. Role play is an affective method which emphasizes much performance to reach the target languge. Although most teachers think that role play is only applied to measure or improve speaking ability, but it can measure the integrated skills too such as listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

The first is that in teaching listening and speaking, teacher can apply role play as the method which is more practical. This way, the students’ abilities can be barely exposed. It can be explained that in role play, the actor will act based on the topic that is chosen. Then he talks without reading a script that is read by the narrator. He only uses gestures and explanation orally to make the listeners understand what he wants. Then the listener will try to gain what the speaker is doing, and if the listener can respond the speaker, it means that the listener understands what the speaker says. It is clear that the teacher can measure the students’ abilities based on the conversation that students do in role play. Moreover, the nature of role play is that there is no written dialogue which the students have to memorize. The narrator only reads its script and the speaker will arrange his own words to explain or make a conversation with the partners. Another hand, it can connect the students to the real world, because the speaker makes his own dialogue to explain the listeners that they do not know what the question of the speaker will be about. In a real condition, when someone is going to talk about something, the listener does not know what he plans to talk about, after the speaker finishes talking or asking, the listener will respond automatically based on what the speaker wants. It is impossible that the listener knows what the speaker will talk or ask. It is same as that if the students only memorize the dialogue, it will not be efficient, because the listener has already known what the speaker is going to ask and it has been planned to what the listener will answer. Thus, it can not be measured by the teacher as they just copy the sentences based on the dialogue. Besides it, the real-time nature of spoken language not only affects to the listener but also affects the speaker who must speak in real time (Ochs, 1979). It means that the relationship between listening and speaking are absolutely unplanned, the listener will arrange and construct the words based on his knowledge to respond the speaker. In real time, it is unplanned discourse, both skills are spontaneous and there is no much time to organize or make a plan. So by doing this method, students are hoped that they can practice it in a real world where the target language is flowing naturally and spontaneous in a fluent way.

The second is that the role play can role as in reading skill too. Middle grades students need to read with automaticity, the ability to decode words, recognize word meanings, the meaning of sentences, and the meaning of the text (LaBerg & Samuels 1974). It can be interpret that in role play, one of the students of the group is hoped to narrate the story so that the actors know what to do. After the narrator reads the script, then the actors begin to act. To measure the reading skill based on what they are doing, it is absolutely clear that when the narrator reads the script, the other partners (actors) will try to recognize and understand what the narrator tells. If the they know and understand what to do, so the comprehension of their reading skill is mesured. However, it may seem that the teacher does not know how to measure the narratos’s skill ability. Well, in this case, the teacher can test him by asking some questions before the role play is begun. It purposes to know or judge the ability of his speaking skill. Moreover, by reading aloud, teacher can measure his pronunciation also. So here role play can measure the students’ reading ability through the script of the role play they are practicing.

The last one is writing. People may think that it is impossible to use this method through writing skill. Well, it can be explained that in giving a judgement of writing ability, teacher should consider about the nature of writing itself. In speaking, it may consist of the originality that the spoken language runs automatically (spontaneous). However, in writing, the characteristic is permanent, it means that the text can be read and reread as often as one likes (Brown 1994). They do not need a teacher’s supervision like in practicing speaking. Thus, it is fine that the students arrange their script at home by working together. Then the teacher can ask for the students to copy the script and giving it to him as a writing assessement. The script then can be analyzed based on what to be measured, such as vocabulary, grammar, tenses and so on. In this case, students are hoped to work cohesiveness, because in giving the result, teacher should generalize for each group. Instantly, role play is also able to judge students’ writing skill in english.

It is the example how the teacher should do in applying this method. Firstly, the teacher divides the students into some groups consists of five or six members each group. He then lets the students choose their own topic, it is purposed to make easier the students to master the topic based on their background knowledge. If the teacher chooses his own topic for them, it may effect that students will be difficult to master it while they do not familiar with the given topic. After that, the teacher asks the students to make a script at home and copy it, one for the teacher and another for the narrator. The script does not consist of dialogue, but it is just a plot, like “ A long time ago there was a boy standing alone at the bank of the river and talked to himself why he is upset”. Then, the actor acts as a boy that is talking to himself why he is upset by arranging his own words. But before they start the role play, the teacher asks the narrator about the role play is about, such as the content of the topic, moral value, or characters that they will act. It is to measure the narrator’s speaking ablility because he will not speak naturally in roling the play, another hand he just reads the script. Then, the role play can be started. Teacher observes them and make a list of what should be corrected. After it finishes, the teacher gives a praise and feedback to each group.

By the explanation above, it can be concluded that using role play to teach the integrated skills of english is more beneficial for the teacher to measure students’ competences. The students will enjoy the play as they imagine that they speak in a real world by adapting the environment of the class. The teacher can also measure the skills through their performance and easier to make a judgement based on their abilities.

English as An Extracurricular Subject for Primary School

English is an international language which is important to learn due to the insistence of globalization. It is very useful that people now learn english as an International Language, because they will not face any difficulty when they access some news from abroad. In Indonesia, the people who have the ability of english are still less and learning english is very recommended in this modern age. However, it does not mean that english should be learnt in primary schools as an intracurricular subject. English itself is still a foreign language which is difficult to learn for children. This thing may make the students get confused while Indonesian itself has not been learnt in a maximum capacity. These are the reasons why english is not suitable as an intracurricular subject for primary school, students are focus on Indonesian as their second language in school and  english can be a burden subject for the students.

Firstly, students or learners should be focus on Indonesian as their second language. For most Indonesian people, bahasa is not the first language which they acquire from the environment, but their local languages itselves which have various kinds. Students should be taught Indonesian first and its culture including the customs as the main subject so that they get more patriotic. It will be irrelevant that english is taught in primary school as an intracurricular subject along with Indonesian. Moreover, learning Indonesian is not as easy as they acquire their mother tongues. They should first adapt the new environment which is quiet different from their owns, then they can learn that language step by step. However, in this era, Indonesian people whose the ability to speak Indonesian based on EYD are still less. Based on Akhadiah dkk (1991:1) She says that Tujuan pembelajaran Bahasa Indonesia adalah agar siswa memiliki kemampuan berbahasa Indonesia yang baik dan benar, serta dapat menghayati bahasa dan sastra Indonesia sesuai dengan situasi dan tujuan berbahasa serta tingkat pengalaman siswa sekolah dasar. It means that the purpose of Indonesian language learning is that the students have the ability to speak Indonesian correctly and in fluent way, and also the students are able to appreciate the language and its literature based on the situation and its purpose of the target language  including the knowledge of  the level of primary students. From the statement above, it is clear that Bahasa or indonesian Language for primary school is a means for developing the ability of the leaners in using the target language correctly based on the main function as a communication. Learning Indonesian in primary school is a vital subject for the students because it is the national language that they have to master according to its purpose and the use.

Secondly, english is a burden for the primay students. Despite they have to learn the second language, they also learn about foreign language at the same time. Surely, it will make the students get difficulties in learning proccess. English itself is very different from Bahasa based on its grammatical structure, pronunciation, literature, and the spelling. Students who are just entered the primary school, they must be insisted to learn english. It will be confusing that they have to be able to differenciate the second language and foreign language. For example, when they have to write somethimg in english which is extremelly different from Bahasa, it means that they have to be literacy in english. It is ok that some westerns who do not speak english as their daily life, they can learn it easily. There are many similar english words that appear from their local languages, but in Indonesia itself, it is the opposite. Moreover the pronunciation of english also does not match with Indonesian or too much different from Indonesian's pronunciation , it will enlarge the difficulty of learning english. The students will feel unconfident, they  think that english is a frightening language and also encumbrance.

The suggestion is that english should not have to be eliminated, but it can be an extracurricular subject. The students are free to choose the lesson or not based on their neeeds. It will be more useful because the subject does not depend on the curriculum which standardizes the minimum score that students have to reach but they can learn it in a fun way. They will not feel burdened and compelled because they can choose it as they like.

By making english as an extracurricular need, the students will not be mandated if they have to take the subject or not. Moreover the process of learning Indonesian language will go in a maximum way. They can learn Bahasa as their national language while making english as their secondary one of extracurricular subject.

English Education in Indonesia and Vietnam

English is an international language which is a must to be mastered in various countries around the world. At this time, it is quiet difficult to face the world without the ability of  english as an international language. English has big roles in some sectors, such as business, politics, economics, etc. Although it has been run in some countries, yet in some developing countries like Indonesia and Vietnam, english is still difficult to be mastered due to the education of english is still less than its standard. In this case, some problems are found why english is difficult to be mastered.

In Indonesia, people already master bahasa as their second language besides their local language. They can master bahasa easily because the environment supports them to do so. But it rarely happens with the english, that is true that english is taught in primary schools, however, the environment for children to speak english is very less. They feel difficult to practice english in their real lives because no one speaks english. Based on Edward Sapir on his book entitled Language: An Introduction to the Study of Speech:1921. He says that Speech is so familiar a feature of daily life that we rarely pause to definite it. It seems as natural to man as walking and only less so than breathing. it means that when we learn language, we need practise. Language will be faded when no one uses it or it is same as when we learn language but we never practice it. It is like what happens in Indonesia mainly for those who learn english.  At school, They have only little time for english while they spend alsmost entire time to speak bahasa and their local languages. Whereas at their age, children can learn language easily due to the children’s brain are still elastic and flexible so that the absorption of language is more efficient. Language has no use if there is no time to apply.

Similarly, it also happens in Vietnam. While in Indonesia, the reason of learning english is because of the environment, however in Vietnam, it is because the teachers of english are still doubtful instead. Based on Beritaedukasi.com on 2^nd July 2012, survey proved that the ability of english teacher in Vietnam is so much far from the standard. Nguyen Ngoc Hung, the headmaster of the national project of teaching and learning foreign languages ​​through 2020 proved that 97% english teachers of Senior high and 93% english teachers of Junior high and secondary schools are failed through the test of english based on european standardized which is held by the ministry of education. English Teachers have big roles in students’ influence, because the development of the nation can be depended on the education which is held by the teachers mainly at the ages of globalization.  It can be said that if the teachers have no ability to teaching english then what the students will be. They  are left behind instead of this modern era, while now english is a common lamguage in some countries and it is also as a means to communicate and gain information based on international news.

Thus, the development of english education in Indonesia and Vietnam have a slight difference. In Indonesia, the difficulty of learing is about the environment that is impossible for applying english while in vietnam, the difficulty of learning english is because of teachers’ quality.

The Ways to Celebrate Muharam and Messiah

New year is the turn of the year which is identical with the celebration and party. It is done to welcome the new year which is going to come and say good bye to the last year. Especially in Indonesia, people are enthusiastic to greet the new year by holding such kinds of celebration like party, dinner, or blowing a trumpet at mid night. On the other hand, there is another new year for muslims, it is called as Muharram. In Indonesia of which the people are majorly moslems, they celebrate Muharram in different ways, although the Messiah is not less interesting. There are some kinds of celebrating both new years in Indonesia.

Many people especially in Indonesia celebrate the Messiah by going outside with partners or friends and having fun. Most teenagers go outside with their partners or friends joining the party or festival that is held in certain places. It is because the festival is held only one time in new year eve, moreover such kind of this celebration is very populer in Indonesia like in Yogyakarta city.  They go to the town square and spend the whole night until the turn of the year comes. Not only teenagers who go out for having fun, but it also happens with families. They often choose to have dinner together, it purposes to make their relationship between all family members get closer especially for those who live in capital city. Most of them have career and business, it rarely happens that they can have dinner together like in the new year eve due to they are busy with their jobs. The celebration then continued by having trumpets together at mid night to welcome the new year and say good bye to the late year. It is purposed to start the new lives and a wish that they should be better than what they did in last year. Not only trumpets, but it can be also having fireworks party. Some say that it is better to celebrate new eve by doing so, because it will not be forgotten during the their lives.

Similarly, the celebration between Messiah and Muharam can be alsmost the same. However, in celebrating muharram, people do fasting. It is sunah for muslims to do fasting in Muharam, because God will give them much more bless during their lives. “Seutama-utama puasa setelah Ramadaan ialah puasa di bulan Muharram.” (HR. Muslim no. 1163) It can be interpreted that after fasting in Ramadhan (the main fasting), the first sunah is fasitng in Muharam. It is the first sunah after ramdhan. So fasting in Muharam is the first sunah between the other fastings.

Another thing is that in Muharam, the celebration can be done by fireworks or having trumpets and vacation also. In this case, people can celebrate it while visiting poor people in a certain place or in orphanage and doing social service. These things are very wise jobs. Besides it, Ulamas say that Muharam is a month for fatherless children. Giving alms to the people who are less than us is much more valuable than spending money for nothing. In celebrating Muharam, it can be also by having trumpets and fireworks with them, we can feel the happiness each other and moreover, it is useful for the relationship between muslims regardless the gaps between them. It is like a thank to God for the rich that they are given anough sustenance. The celebration will be more valuable and unforgettable by doing useful things.

Based on the paragraphs above, it can be compared that the celebration of both new years are not much different. In messiah most people spend their money for going outside and celebtaring party or dinner. It is what most people do to make the new year to be unforgettable and luxurious. However, in Muharam, people can spend money for helping the poor, it is a thankfulness for God on his bless and still remember the people who still need us. Moreover, it can also build the social care and also loyality in a society. In additon, doing vacation during the holiday of new year is also good. People do this to refresh their minds and ready to start the new life. Another hand, In Muharram, people can also visit an orphanage to celebrate the new year. It is very gerat job that they can also astablish the relation between ecah other. Because all moslems are brothers.

So in Muharam, many things can be done to make it meaningful and also the messiah. The celebrations are for commemorating the new years which only come one time during a year. Although the celebrations are little bit different but they both go in balance. 

The Celebration of Eid El-Fetr in Indonesia and Egypt

Eid El-Fetr is a Muslims’ big day in the world. This day is very important to celebrate, because it is the day which marks the end of the Ramadhan (Fasting days). Eid-El Fetr is also called as the feast day of breaking the fast. During this day, all muslims are not allowed to do fasting, because they have been fasting for a month before this day falls. Therefore, this day falls at the first of Syawal (Islamic Calendar). This big day is also identical with a festival which is purposed to celebrate the winning day for the muslims, due to they have been fasting started from the dawn until the sunset. For muslims, this is the day to show the main goal of their unities. In some countries, like Indonesia and Egypt, the festivals can be similar due to they have a strong relationship between the other muslims or society in their cultures. These are the similarities of Eid celebration in both countries.

In Indonesia, around the three or two days before Eid, the road, harbor, and airport become crowded. All people who are far away from their families, because of their jobs or careers, come home to meet their parents and celebrate Eid together. This is like a loyality that Indonesians have by celebrating Eid in their childhood place with their extended families. They think that it is better than doing it alone after long time they never meet each other. They also bring some presents, commonly food, for their parents or even for given to their neighborhoods or relatives, some of them buy some new clothes especially for children and women or wives. During the night before Eid or Eid eve, all people go to the Mosque including women and children. Usually in a village, women cook at noon for Eid then they leave home at night together with the other women to the Eid eve for cooking near the mosque. Then, men celebrate the Eid eve by saying The Great Allah by using microphone inside the mosque. For children, they usually celebrate the Eid eve by bringing the torchs or lamps, walking around the village and saying The Great Allah together with some men guide them and give them some candies during the walk. Afterward, they come back to the mosque with the men. Woman then then give them food and eat together while listening to the speech held by a spokesman. Then, on the day of Eid, people go to a wide field to do an Eid prayer at the morning. After the prayer ends, they go home for eating or taking a rest for a while. In this case based on Indonesian culture, every family asks for the redemption each other. The children will say to their parents an apologize of whether they do any mistake during their lives and so do the parents. It purposes that in Eid, everyone is like reborn with their innocence like a baby who is just given birth, no sins and just like a white paper. Then they continue it by visiting their relatives and neighbors, mainly the young visits to the old, like a family visits to their grandparents. After all, Usually the Eid celebration is continued by vacation to some places with family during the holiday. Then they go back to their jobs and careers, for those whose jobs far from the family, the road will be crowded again as their departures.

In Egypt, during the days before Eid, there will be more crowded because most egyptians like celebrating eid with their relatives. Egyptian people have a strong relationship among their societies. So that for those who live far away from their neighborhood, they come home to celebrate Eid. Some of them also buy some new clothes for presents such as men usually give their wives clothes for Eid. Then wives usually cook something at home, sweet food and the famous food of Eid called Fesekh. Especially the ten days before Eid, some men go to mosque for praying, even they do not go home although just for a while. Said, an egyptian man, usually goes to the mosque on the days before Eid to do I’tikaf until the last day before Eid, then he goes home for celebrating the Eid eve with his family. Then during the night before Eid, some children often celebrate the Eid eve by playing fireworks and firecrackers. Mostly they do not sleep until the Eid comes while the wives are preparing their clothes and food for Eid. As the day of Eid, they go for praying in wide land but not often, for Eid prayer. After it ends, some people greet each other and mostly say Happy eid (Eid Mbarak), however, some say happy eid and wish that they can celebrate eid together next year. (Said Hamdy Al-Sharef, Email interview, 2013). Implicitly, it means that they wish to be given a long life by Allah so that they can celebrate Eid together next year. Some people usually visit to their relatives to greet them happy eid and for children, they are given some money to spend the holiday during Eid.(Omar Abd El-Hamied Mohammed, Email interview,2013). It can be meant that based on the culture of Egypt, most people care and wish to be the best for each other during the Eid. Then the final session of this celebration, children or family go to some places such as going to the parks, cinemas, or visiting Neil as the last of their holiday (from wikipedia).

By the two paragraphs above, they can be compared that similarly, the celebration of Eid El-Fetr of both countries is not much different. The days before Eid, there will be crowded due to the visit of people who want to celebrate Eid with their relatives in neighborhoods. Then, also the celebration during Eid eve is similar, in Egypt, women cook something at home while in Indonesia, women cook something at home in the afternoon until evenin. After the preparation of food finishes, they go to the mosque at night to cook together for celebrating Eid eve. The kids also playing together with their torchs and fireworks in both countries. In Egypt, After the Eid prayer ends, they give a happy eid or eid mubarak to each other, while in Indonesia, it is continued by asking for redemption each other among the relatives. Then afterward, as the last of their celebration, they usually go to some places for vacation, it happens to both countires.

It can be concluded that in celebrating the day of Eid, it might be similar to one and another due to both of the countries likes to celebrate Eid with their relatives. It means that they have a strong relationship in society. Then, the purpose is just one, it is to celebrate the big day of Muslims after they do fasting for a month and commemorate it by holding such kinds of celebrations.

Parents Are The Main Teachers for Children

Parents are the ones whom we have known since we were born. They are keys of the family, because their attitude will be imitated by the children in every case. At this modern age, many parents have realized that their children’s characteristics and attitudes are based on how their parents behave. However,  some parents who are less educated, they have not realized that anything what they do will not be imitated by the children because they already enroll their children to the formal schools. it will be absolutely true that the teachers in a formal school take a part to the students. However, they are not very closer to them than their parents, because the children spend much more time with their parents than the teachers. In this case, the roles of parents are very needed to build the children’s characteristics. These are several roles that parents should do to educate the children such as, developing the moral value in daily life started at the early age, controlling them whenever they do wrong steps or mistakes, and supporting them whenever they do positive things.

            The first is that the moral value development is very needed for the children at the early age. This thing is the base of children’s character building until they reach at adult age. If parents have worked this out, the children will be directed. The main moral value is that the rules of religion which is followed. That is the base of all deeds that they do because it will lead them to the right way whenever they almost do a wrong way. If it is planted well to the children, they will know and think more before doing somthing mainly for the thing that can harm them after being adult. For example, when they have a job which is honesty is the main of its priority, but the insistence of economics which is less than enough may make them do a wrong step such as embezzling money for a private need or it may be called as corruption or anything else. However, if they have a strong faith based on religion they hold, they may think that it is a digressing thing that may harm them in the afterlife. Parents also give them something like input which includes anything they can do or can not, like the words “if you respect  others, you will be respect too by them.” Anak akan mengetahui bagaimana seharusnya menghormati orang tua karena telah dibiasakan atau dididik oleh orang tua sejak kecil (Redi dan Oktafiani, 2007, hlm 41). It means that children will know how to respect the others if parents teach them during the childhood Redi and Oktafiani, 2007:41). That is a laudable thing that makes them able to survive in the real society. To teach about this, it is impossible for the children if they are given some speech, they will be bored and not enthusiasm. Parents can teach them by a fun way. There are many media that can support this thing, like watching cartoon which consists of moral value, reading a story and so on. Then after reading or watching a cartoon movie, parents tell them what lesson which can they gain from those. It is more beneficial than listening to the speech or explanation. Those are enjoyable ways that parents can do to lead or plant the children about the importance of moral value at the early age and apply it in a daily life.

Then the second is about controlling them whenever they do a wrong step. But here, controlling is not by forcing. In this case, mostly it happens to the teenagers who warmly want to do many things. Parents have to have more extra energy to watch them because if they do one mistake, it can be fatal. Most teenagers do anything they want without thinking about the effects. This is the role of parents to lead them so that their warmth is directed. It is very needed that parents should be closer to them due to they start to know new things in the world. In this case, the relation between parents and children should be opened, such as parents can act as their friends and share anything with them, father may share a thought with his son and mother shares a thought with her sister. It is better than when the children share the problems with their friends who may do not know about it and not well-experianced due to they are the same ages. It may danger them if they do it because not all friends are certainly good. Making friends is good but it should be under parents’ supervision. However, parents are the best friends, they can lead the children to the right way and give them some advise. But the fact is that some parents do not care about the development of children’s age. Whenever their children do a mistake, for example, at this age children coriously want to know about sex, drugs, alchohol and so on. If parents lose the control of watching them, they may suppose to ask about it with their friends, whereas, their friends do not know exactly about it. It is possible that they will try about what it is. And after parents know about what they did, they just slap or hit them or ask for them to go away. It mostly happens in the area that sex out of marriage is not allowed and also consuming achohol and drugs. This is a big mistake that parents do and it is parents’ fault. Parents should be open-minded with the children, although they do a mistake, slapping or hitting them is not the way out to solve the problem. Moreover, it does not give the time to turn back at the previous condition because it happened and it has happened. Thus, parents should give them advise before they do something and explain about the impacts. Parents’ affection is needed in this matter because it is the way to control the them and so far no parents give their children the wrong steps.

The third is that parents should support the children whenever they do positive things. Some parents sometimes have less attention with their children because they work too much and busy with their own careers. It is very important to support the children whenever they do a good thing, like getting rating in their class then parents should praise them or even give them reward so that they will be more motivated. Another good thing not only academic achievement but also parents should let them to learn how to live in society like joining any arganization or doing social service. Many parents are still reluctant to let their children learn about it, because they think that this event only distrubs their study. It is totally wrong that they still think like that. Based on Enda M. C Sosial adalah cara tentang bagaimana para individu saling berhubungan. It means that social is a way how an individual interacts. This event can lead the children live in a community which they have to adapt the environment, they can learn about how to respect the others, how to understand one’s feeling and so on. Moreover by doing so, the children will not be spoiled and depend on their parents and also they learn about responsibility then how to solve the problems and anything else. And also they can direct their desire into a good way, it is so much better than studying at home all the time. That is a very great thing that parents should let them do so. Parents also should know that academic acheievement can not determine the children’s future because socialization is more valuable than it. Thus, these are some good things that parents should advocate the children to do so, the children will be more independent and get more self-esteem in a positive way.

It can be concluded that by educating the children during the childhood until being adult such as planting them about the values in life, leading them to the right way and teaching them about everything they have not known until they get sucess, parents are the best teachers in life.

Haifa Wahbe - Baba feen / هيفاء وهبى - بابا فين

Biography

Ghassan Fayiz Kanafani / غسان كنفاني was born in Acre (Akka), Palestine in 1936. His father was a lawyer. When the war between Arab-Israel occured in 1948, he and his family evacuated to Damascus and lived there. After finishing his study, he worked as a teacher and journalist in Syria, then moved to Kuwait. Afterward, he moved to Beirut, Lebanon and became a journalist in some print media and finally he joined in PELP (Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine) and published a magazine entitled Al-Hadaf in 1969. He was the first editor for this magazine.

Besides writing, Kanafani was also an activist in expressing the freedom of Palestine from Israel’s Colonialism. He was also a novelist, essayist, short story writer and a drama manuscript writer. During hi life, Kanafani had published eighteen books such as novel, short stories and non-fiction stories and a hundred of articles related to culture, politics, and the struggle of Palestinian people. His works has been translated more than 17 languages and pulished over 20 countries in the world. Some of them are adopted for radio drama and theatre in arab and europe. Two of his novels are filmed.

Kanafani passed away on 8^th July 1972 at the age of 36. He was assassinated together with his nephew in bomb explosion in his car by the secret department of Israel.

“Children are our future” he always says this sentence. No wonder that he wrote many stories with the children as the main characters. His works are very touched and consist of universal value of humanity. Therefore, Ghassan Kanafani’s works are still alive and even inspire modern arab literature and the world. (Translated from Palestinian's Children book)

Resala lel Alam (Message to the world) by Nancy Ajram 

نانسي عجرم - رسالة إلى العالم

(source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CdsoBUeC9A&noredirect=1)

RSBI is considered less fair in Indonesia

In Indonesia, RSBI (Rintisan Sekolah Bertaraf Internasional) is a dream school for every student. The school is built by the goverment to advance the development of education in Indonesia. It is a pioneering international school which its students are insisted to master english, because some subjects such as mathematics, sains, and english are delivered by english. On the other hand, the school is subsidized by the goverment aorund 400 to 500 million rupiahs, however, now the subsidy decreases to 250 million rupiahs per school (ekbis.rmol.co). Besides it, the school also has the right to gain the fee from the students. Behind of that RSBI is considered as a luxurious school by the society, it also has big effects to the nation itself. These are some effects that are caused by RSBI, the school makes a gap for the society, the teachers’ quality itself are still questioned in delivering the material, and the facilities between RSBI and non-RSBI.

The first is that the school makes a gap for the society. In RSBI, the fee that supports the education is very expensive for the lower class of society. It means that the students of RSBI are dominated by the rich while the poor has a difficulty to get a chance for that school. Although it provides 20% students from the lower class (antaranews.com), but it is only little amount while in Indonesia, the society is still dominated by the middle class. It may also happend that in learning process the poor feels self-estimated because the environment is dominated by the rich. There will be a descrimination between those whose higher social strata, they may feel reluctant to socialize themselves to those whose lower social strata. Moreover, for the students who are not in RSBI, they  feel that RSBI is only for the rich people whose high prestige and not for the lower society. The education here strangkles those who are not able to have a proper education like the other whose high authority.

The second is that the quality of the teachers are still questioned in delivering the material. The teachers in RSBI are not as good as the teachers who teach in common shools. In RSBI, the subjects of mathematics, sains, and english are delivered by using english. It is very clear that according to the article 36 of the Constitution, it is said that the Language in Indonesia is Bahasa (rhezarivana.blogspot.com). It means that as long as the place is still in the sovereignty of the Republic of Indonesia or NKRI, then it is sure that they must use indonesian as a delivered language which is inaugurated. Then for those students who used to speak indonesian, they feel confused because the delivered language is quiet different. Moreover, Itje Chodijah, the trainer of english in Jakarta, said in kompas, Wednesday, 25^th april 2012 that the ability of the teachers in using english as a communication in teaching must have at least 800 score at the test of English international communication. But those teachers who reach more than 800 for the subjects of mathematics, and sains are only about 1 to 2.9 percent, and for english teachers are only 5.6 percent. From the statement above, the teachers of RSBI schools are not well qualified at speaking english. It can be occured that the focus on learning process does not point at the material, but it is about the way of the teacher in delivering the material by using english. If the teacher can not speak english well, above all the students. Moreover in teaching process, the using of english should be an academic english, not english for daily life and it needs more time to master. It is not unusual that many slogans in RSBI look little bit weird because they are translated in word by word. The teachers of RSBI have not been proper to be the teacher of RSBI itself.

The last one is that the facilities in RSBI are quiet different from the commom schools. in this shool, the number of group learning is maximum 36 pmembers in one rombel. The environment, especially the rooms are comfortable completed with AC. This can be proven by the using of goverment’s fee in facilitating this RSBI and also the school is allowed to ask for more fee from the students by the reasons of A to Z. RSBI is also allowed to make admission first before the common schools, it means that RSBI is able to select the students whose high-level intelligence more than the common schools do. While the common schools’ facilities are very less, it is a rare that the common schools have AC in every rooms. At least they have their own fans by swinging their books, and also the studentsin every room are not certain, around 42 members. Common schools make admission after the RSBI, it can be said that the common schools only receive the remainders of RSBI who are not accepted. The differences are seen clearly from both schools. These data of the different facilities are taken from edukasi.kompasiana.com/2012/12/06/mereka-sekolah-top-ya-pak-kalau-kita-508823.html

Thus, RSBI is a school which makes a gap and descrimination between the Indonesian people. Different strata is clearly exposed by seeing its fee and facilities, while the quality of its teachers are the same as the common schools in Indonesia.