*This is the third chapter of the previous article.
Members of the community health center set up a health post in the provided hall. Residents flocked to get their health checked. Their faces showed reluctance. I knew why. The health center rarely visited Maringkik Island. When they did come, it was usually for coverage—image management. That’s often what social workers do. No hard feelings. This is my observation on the ground.
The coverage of the health post took no more than 2 hours. After resting for a while, we moved on to cover the next item about education. There, we found an elementary school and a junior high school. However, for the first-grade classrooms, there was no proper setup like the others. The space for first graders was makeshift. The only thing covering it was the roof, allowing animals like goats and chickens to join the lessons anytime.
After a long day, we returned to the village head’s house. Josi slept on the terrace, while Tari and I slept on the living room floor.
On the second day on Maringkik Island, Tari and Josi covered the topic of clean water. Clean water was indeed scarce on the island. Residents had to fetch water from the neighboring island or collect rainwater, which rarely fell in such a barren area.
To bathe, residents soaked in the sea, washing up and brushing their teeth there. Once finished, they rinsed off with clean water—but very sparingly.
“Luna, you stay here. We’re going to shoot getting water from the neighboring island. The boat is small, it won’t fit if there are too many people,” said Tari. I felt a bit disappointed but agreed. I really wanted to see how they fetched water, as it was something new for me. So, I waited by the dock with two locals who were relaxing in a hut.
The lack of signal made me feel stuck. Perhaps the two older men noticed my awkwardness and struck up a conversation.
“Why aren’t you joining the shoot?” asked one of them.
“The boat won’t fit, sir,” I replied with a smile. “What’s that island like where you get the water? Is it far from here?”
“Yeah, it’s quite far. About an hour. Your friends might be back here around dusk.”
I looked at my watch—it was only 3 PM. How long would I have to wait for them? Going back to the village head’s house alone felt pointless. So, I continued chatting with the two men.
Before I knew it, the conversation with the locals became quite enjoyable as the sun began to set.
“What’s that, sir?!” I asked when I saw two children paddling a makeshift boat. It wasn’t quite a boat; it was just a rectangular box made of foam that the kids used.
“Oh, that’s a small boat. Usually a toy. But adults often use it to cross to nearby places. Want to try?” Without needing to be asked twice, I nodded enthusiastically.
The sunset witnessed my joy, just like the two kids I had seen. I laughed freely like them. I love it! I love the sea! I love the sunset! At that moment, I wished Josi and Tari wouldn’t return soon.
The cool sea breeze wrapped around me. The warm sunset embraced my spirit. I played my favorite song to enhance the evening atmosphere.
After a few minutes of exploring, I returned to shore with Pak Diman. I enjoyed the last moments of the sun disappearing beyond the ocean while sitting on the dock.
Not long after the sky turned dark, Josi and Tari appeared in their boat. Finally, after a long wait, we could return to the village head’s house together.
After a long day, we planned to bathe. Josi went first. Then Tari told me to go next. There was no decent bathroom there, and without light in the back, I bathed in the dark. Luckily, I had my phone, so I played music to liven up my bathing ritual. After I finished, Tari prepared to go out back.
“Dark, isn’t it?” she asked.
“Yes, it is. Very dark. We need a headlamp.”
“Ugh, I need to poop again. Josi, can you come with me…”
Josi promptly got up to accompany Tari. I sat in silence.
‘A partner’? Hmm… Why didn’t Tari ask me to come along? Josi is a guy. If I were in Tari’s position, I would definitely ask another girl to accompany me for something like that.
I shook my head.
Ah, maybe Tari feels more comfortable with Josi, I thought. I then moved to sit on the hut and joined Ovan, who had been waiting and guarding our belongings at the village head’s house since morning.
“I’m going home now…” Ovan said after breakfast. I, Tari, and Josi instantly looked at him.
“What do you mean?” Tari asked.
“Yeah, I have some errands in town. I’m going to cross over first. I’ll come back later.”
“Really coming back, right?” I asked, a bit uncertain and worried. I didn’t want to be left alone, especially after sensing that Tari and Josi seemed very ‘close.’ From his expression, Ovan was no longer comfortable being on Maringkik Island.
“Yes, really.” Ovan left for the dock alone.
“Ugh, whether I like it or not, Luna has to stay here to guard the stuff. Bram didn’t want to come here yesterday either, claiming he had to guard the car across. That driver is not recommended at all. He never helps with the coverage—always waiting in the car. I’ll report him to the boss, Pak Edi,” Josi complained.
Reluctantly, I agreed. I wanted to join the coverage; there was still so much I needed to learn. But oh well, let’s take it as a lesson. At least I wouldn’t have to suffer in the heat and could watch a movie on my laptop.
As noon approached, boredom began to creep in. I sat silently, looking around.
Baaahhhh…
Yes, this island has so many goats roaming around. None are penned. I wondered how they survived on this barren island. There was no grass, no clean water.
Wait! I noticed the goats’ behavior.
Oh my…!!! They were happily munching on cardboard, paper, and similar debris scattered on the ground. To confirm, I tore a piece of the mineral water cardboard next to me and offered it to one of the goats.
The goat devoured it eagerly until it was gone. I was taken aback. I had never seen a goat eat cardboard before. It was truly pitiful. What happens to humans who eat the meat of goats that consume cardboard? Yikes…
After getting tired of playing with the goats, I drifted off again. Suddenly, I heard music from a distance. It was unlikely anyone would be playing music in the middle of the day since the electricity was off from 7 AM to 5 PM there.
I searched for the source of the sound. A few minutes later, an old man walked by carrying aluminum boxes. The boxes were neatly tucked in front of his stomach. It turned out the music came from the old man drumming on the aluminum boxes. Once again, I was surprised. How could those boxes produce different sounds and rhythms? I called out to the man.
“Sir, what are you selling?” The old man approached me. “What do you sell, sir?”
“This is cotton candy,” he replied politely.
“Oh, then I’ll buy it for 10,000, sir.” I watched the old man prepare the cotton candy, which I usually called “foreign hair.” “Sir, do you have a phone number? I’m from TV; I want to cover you because your selling is really unique,” I asked without much preamble.
“Oh no, miss. I don’t have a phone…”
“Really? But you always sell here, right?”
“Yes. I live across and come here every afternoon.”
“Oh, well then, sir. I’ll just come here when I want to cover you, okay?”
After chatting for a bit, the man left while playing his music again. His selling was truly unique. It would be perfect for my old program, where the topic was about unique and quirky things. If my friend still working on that program wanted to go to Lombok, I could give him this lead. Ovan could help with the survey and arrange a meeting with the man.
Josi and Tari finished their coverage around 3 PM. That day, episode two was done. After lunch, we all prepared to cross back to the city.
The next destination was still in East Lombok. But this time, it was my turn to cover. After crossing from Maringkik Island, we looked for lodging close to the location. Located on the outskirts of town, our accommodation was not as nice as the previous hotel. Now it resembled a ‘no-tell’ hotel.
To be continued
