VIRGILIO, CRYSTAL AND ME IN PARE

“You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.”
― Ray Badbury (American novelist, short story writer, essayist, playwright, screenwriter and poet)

Little about Pare

In front of Alun-alun Kediri with Jannah and Nur

This story started from small town in Kediri, East Java, Indonesia. The town was Pare. As mostly people know, Pare is popular with its Kampung Inggris. Kampung Inggris is a village which filled by hundreds English courses. One thing that made Kampung Inggris was different with other courses; they obligate their students to speak English every day, every place. 

So, you can imagine how crowded that village with students who speak English. The interesting thing was the students came from different provinces of Indonesia. So, it made Kampung Inggris became popular and visited by many students especially in school holiday.

I took a part in Pare about six months ago. One of courses named Foreign Language Course offered Holiday Program. And I was interested to join that. First day in there, made me surprise. Two foreigners were introduced to be tutor during my 3 weeks English course.  

One of them was Virgilio. He’s from Portugal. The other was Crystal. She’s Chinese. They were as old as most students who studied. About 20 years old. Both of them would fill our day with Portugal and Chinese dialect of English. That’s exciting! 

Virgilio and Crystal: Between Portugal and China

The most that I knew was about Crystal’s country. She lived in Beijing. She studied there too. She took Accounting major in her college. It was same as Virgilio, but he studied in Portugal. 

In fact, Crystal was volunteer which sent by AIESEC, a global youth organization which has many branches in the world. She was asked to be English teacher in Indonesia. She often told us about China, the history, the culture, the foods, and the traditional clothes.

I didn’t have any idea with the Portugal culture because Virgilio was told us little about it. But one thing which I never forget, Virgilio never ate rice. He’s not familiar at all with that food. So, in his daily life in Pare, he consumed bread or vegetables. But the girl, Crystal didn’t. She usually eats rice in China. So, it’s not hard for her consuming rice and some other Indonesian foods in Pare.   

Chrystal and Virgilio

China was not extremely different with Indonesia. Chinese people were accustomed to consume rice same as Indonesia people. Other Chinese foods were same as Indonesia people usually cooked.

For instance, we often called Bakmi Goreng but in China named Chow Mein. I thought this was because a quarter of Indonesia citizen is originally from China, so many foods from Indonesia influenced by Chinese food.

Actually, her cultures mostly known by us, but mostly wrong interpreted. One thing which I remembered was about China New Year celebration. In Indonesia, it’s identical with expression: Gong Xi Fa Chai. 

Mostly students guessed that it means: Happy New Year in China language. But Crystal said that it was wrong. Gong Xi Fa Chai meant that may this year become better than before, so it was hoping, not expression.

Red color which mostly interpreted as brave symbol by Indonesia people was different with China. China always uses red color to celebrate their event, coloring their temples and dominate their traditional clothes. But it doesn’t mean as brave. Crystal said that it means the happiness and the prosperity symbol.

English Language in the Tongue of Chinese, Portuguese, and Indonesian

Studied with the two foreigners was harder than with other tutors who were originally from Indonesia. Their English dialects were not easy to understand. Most students were also difficult to make them understand about their English conversation.

But, day by day, students started to be comfortable with them. We sometime practiced their original language and they also practiced Indonesian languages. Some days, we learnt about their cultures and compare with Indonesia’s.

As I told before, most students were difficult to understand the English dialect of Virgilio or Crystal. We tried to listen them carefully and gave them feedback by thinking hard first, because our dialect such couldn’t be caught by them well. I sometimes had conversation with Crystal. I ever introduced myself to her.

Crystal was curious girl. Every student’s name, who she knew, would be noted by her in her mobile phone. She wrote their name meanings too. For instance, a student introduced her name: Intan. So, Intan would tell Crystal that her name meaning was diamond. Crystal noted that.

When she asked my name meaning, I told her that I don’t know. It’s just my nickname. “But, Ely, I will always remember you, because your name is easy to remember,” she said.

Me, Chrystal, and Andi on the way to Kelud Mountain

Final day in Pare, I, my friends, and the two foreigners went to Kelud Mountain. When we were in car, the driver told us about one part of way to Kelud which contain of magnetic area. The driver used Indonesia language and I tried to translate it to English for Crystal.

But, I thought, she didn’t understand my talk. The driver proved it. He turned off the car and the car automatically moved. It because coherency between magnetic area and the car. Crystal got surprised and she started to be curious. I tried to explain again.

When I said: “This is magnetic area, Crystal” and she replied: “what? Magne… what?” I continued: “Magnetic…” . The driver started to go from magnetic area and Crystal still didn’t catch my word.

She put her mobile phone out and opened her English-Chinese dictionary. She asked me to spell the words. “M…A…G…N…E…T” I spelt it. Chrystal shouted: “Aha! I know..I know…so it has strength to pull the iron things”.

I sighed, I can’t imagine at that time, how if I live in foreign country which the English dialect is different with me. I think, dictionary is the most important treasure that has to bring everywhere. 

BITTERSWEET

Agree with Rad Badbury said, we just need people to know about culture. Communicating with people who were different with us will make our quality and quantity of communication become less.

But, if we never know and try, we are only like living in dark earth. Finally, Pare gave me an unforgettable communication-across-culture story. Especially about my Chinese friend, Crystal. –The End-

      

Kelud Mountain, Kediri, Indonesia.