SMA Global Prestasi kicked off March 2024 by taking its 10th-grade students to participate in a Local Immersion activity in a village rich in diversity and still upholding the value of "Harmony in Diversity." In Buntu village, Wonosobo, Central Java, all 10th-grade students from SMA GPS Bekasi, collaborating for the first time with GPS Dago, Bandung, were given the opportunity to learn together various life skills that would become their assets in their future lives, from March 3rd to 8th, 2024. On Sunday evening, all parents accompanied their children and escorted them with their teachers, praying and hoping for a smooth journey to Wonosobo and for the Local Immersion activities to run smoothly until they all returned to Bekasi without any hiccups. Messages to always maintain the school's good name were also conveyed so that all students could maintain their manners and behavior while in Buntu village, and always respect the people and all cultures there.
On the first day of Local Immersion, we started by giving students the opportunity to socialize with their foster parents. Each house was occupied by two students from GPS. From breakfast to lunch at their foster parents' homes, they got acquainted and built closeness while conducting simple social research to complete their Sociology/Geography/Economics assignments, which had been guided by their respective subject teachers. They were also asked to learn independently by helping their foster parents tidy up eating utensils, wash dishes after meals, or even help clean and tidy their bedrooms and houses. Perhaps this could be a challenging activity for them because they may have never done these activities at home, as there was always someone else doing them for them.
Although rain poured down on the village from morning till evening, it did not dampen the spirits and enthusiasm of the students to carry out community services by cleaning the places of worship that would be used for the Religion Service activities later that night. The children enthusiastically cleaned the mosque, Catholic church, temple, and houses of residents that would be used for Christian and Hindu religious activities. It was truly beautiful to see the children working together to tidy up their respective places of worship so that they could comfortably perform religious services later in the evening.
The clear skies on the second day seemed to support SMA GPS in teaching activities for the students of SD Negeri 1 Buntu, which was only a few meters away from the children's homes. The welcoming and opening ceremony was done by showcasing the abilities of the SMA GPS and SDN 1 Buntu students. SMA GPS presented the Palang Pintu culture and dances from Betawi, Jakarta. Meanwhile, the students of SDN 1 Buntu presented dances from West Java, modern dances, and the most entertaining was the lion dance performance by the students. Their agility greatly impressed the GPS students. On this occasion, SMA GPS also provided souvenirs in the form of keyboards, which the school needed to support their teaching and learning process. The activities continued directly by teaching the students from grades 1 to 6 in turn by the prepared groups from Bekasi and Bandung. Many memories that will surely not be forgotten by the children from GPS and SDN 1 Buntu.
In the afternoon, the activities continued with a second-hand clothing bazaar brought by the students from Bekasi and Bandung. This activity was eagerly awaited by the residents of Buntu village. It was evidenced by their impatience to immediately buy the clothes that had been prepared by the children for display. As a result, the activity started 1 hour earlier than the scheduled time. In fact, all the clothes brought were sold out within 2 hours.
The shouts of the students and accompanying teachers echoed back and forth as they sold their clothes. The atmosphere of the bazaar was lively and bustling. All proceeds from the bazaar sales would be given back to the residents of Buntu village through the youth organization there.
On the third day, we began by giving the children the opportunity to farm with their foster parents. In the fields, they learned about farming while enjoying the stunning natural beauty of Wonosobo. Upon returning from the fields, the children assisted the village Posyandu cadre in the Buntu village Posyandu activities for toddlers and the elderly. SMA GPS Dago focused on helping the elderly Posyandu, by assisting the cadre in welcoming the grandparents and conducting simple health checks such as weight, blood pressure, and doing elderly exercises.
Meanwhile, the students of GPS Bekasi were divided into six locations of Posyandu for toddlers to assist the cadre in welcoming the toddlers who came with their parents. There, they helped weigh and measure the height of the children, accompanied them in playing while waiting for their turn, and distributed souvenirs that they had prepared from Bekasi.
After lunch break, the children began preparing for the Art Performance as their farewell event with the residents of Buntu village. Each group had prepared a performance to entertain all the attendees. The Art Performance ended with a traditional dance from Wonosobo, Jatilan. All the performances of the children and the villagers vividly depicted the beauty of Indonesian unity in diversity, as everyone respected and loved each other. It was no wonder that this Local Immersion activity carried the theme "Bhinneka Tunggal Ika Unites Us as One Indonesia".
March 7th was our last day in Wonosobo, and we spent it visiting historical sites and tourist attractions in Wonosobo. Our tour began with observing the Wonosobo area from the heights of Skyline Kahyangan. Here, we took the opportunity to capture moments of togetherness per class with their respective class advisors. Our tour continued to Candi Arjuna. However, it was regrettable that we were greeted with heavy rain at Candi Arjuna, so the intention to capture togetherness with the background of the temple could only be done as a whole with all participants from Bekasi and Bandung. The last tourist destination we visited before bidding farewell and returning to Bekasi and Bandung was Kawah Sikidang, which is the main tourist attraction in the highlands of Dieng, Central Java. Kawah Sikidang was formed from volcanic eruptions in ancient times. Interestingly, this crater is still active until now, but it is considered safe to visit because of its low sulfur content. After enjoying the beauty of the Dieng tourist attractions, we returned to Buntu village to pack and bid farewell to our foster parents.
Friday morning, we finally arrived back in Bekasi. The children joyfully reunited with their parents, who eagerly awaited their sons and daughters. All the students brought Wonosobo potatoes as souvenirs provided by their foster parents. Surely the journey home was filled with lively chatter from the children about the exciting experiences and lessons they gained from the Local Immersion activities. Their testimonials in the evaluation form generally described feelings of happiness and being impressed with all the experiences and memories they gained in Buntu village, Wonosobo, with their foster parents and all the people they met there. Hopefully, the impressions and lessons they gained, to some extent, will be beneficial in shaping their characters for their future.
Author: Pesta A. Marbun
Editor: Lady Yesisca
Documentation: GPS SHS Teachers
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