ONGGAR-ONGGAR (The Warm Snow of Coconut Shells)
I still remember how we celebrated moving up a grade in elementary school. We would bring onggar-onggar, small decorative branches made from tree limbs, decorated with whatever wild flowers we could find growing around us. The day before, I would spend my afternoon searching for them and putting them together, my heart bursting with joy because I was moving to a new classroom and got to choose a new desk.
There was another tradition that was just as unique. Back then, our classroom floor was made of smooth, unpainted cement. Our teacher would ask each of us to bring a plastic bag full of usam, the leftover grated coconut after the milk has been squeezed out. That coconut waste would be scattered across the entire floor, and then, it was time to play.
First, we had to stack all the desks and chairs against the walls to make the classroom wide and open. Then, the grated coconut was thrown across the floor, and my friends' voices would echo through the room, screaming: AYOOOOOO!!
We scattered and began to play. To me, that blanket of grated coconut looked just like snow, but it wasn't cold. It felt warm, because it had been kept sealed inside our bags. It smelled a little sour from sitting, and our hands grew oily as we touched it, squeezed it, and rubbed it hard into the cement. The whole room filled with the echoes of our happy screams and laughter.
Our teacher left us alone to play. It took a long time to scrub the floor with that coconut, and we would rub every single corner. The floor, which had started out dull and gray, began to shine from the natural oil left behind by the coconut flesh.
About twenty-five of us spread across the room, playing and working at the same time to make the floor beautiful. Some of us would run and slip because it was so slick, and you can just imagine the laughter of the other kids watching.
Back then, I didn't understand why we did this every single year. All we knew was that it was the day we looked forward to the most.
Looking back now, those memories are beautiful. We were learning to take responsibility for the new room we were about to live in, learning how to guard and care for our own environment. We were taught how to decorate with onggar-onggar, preparing it all ourselves from the things around our houses. And what I felt the most was the teamwork, the togetherness. Our tiny hands working together to lift heavy desks and chairs, scrubbing the floor, and laughing as one.
Today, I remember that I was once happy in a way that was completely free. Work and responsibility felt like a game, light and full of joy.
I wonder if elementary school children still do this today. Is there still a warm snow made of coconut? Is there still that sour smell of fermenting coconut flakes, and those bright, shining eyes when everything is finally cleaned up and you see the smooth floor glistening, ready for you to live in for the next year? I learned what it felt like to belong to a place, even before I ever sat down at my desk.
ONGGAR-ONGGAR (Salju Hangat dari Ampas Kelapa)
Aku masih mengingat bagaimana kami merayakan kenaikan kelas saat sekolah dasar, dengan membawa onggar-onggar yang terbuat dari ranting pohon yang dihias dengan bunga-bunga yang ada di sekitar kita. Sehari sebelumnya, aku akan mencari dan mempersiapkan itu dengan hati gembira karena aku akan pergi ke kelas baru dan memilih bangku baru.
Ada hal yang juga unik. Karena lantai kelas dulu terbuat dari aci semen yang halus, kami diminta guru untuk membawa satu kresek usam, atau sisa dari perasan kelapa parut saat diambil santannya. Parutan kelapa itu akan ditabur di seluruh lantai, dan waktunya bermain.
Sebelumnya, kami harus menumpuk meja dan kursi untuk membentuk ruang kelas lebih lapang. Lalu, taburan parutan kelapa ditebar di lantai dan teriakan teman-temanku menggema dengan kata: AYOOOOOO!!
Kami menyebar dan mulai bermain. Bagiku, tebaran parutan kelapa itu seperti salju, namun tidak dingin, bahkan cenderung hangat karena disimpan dalam wadah sebelumnya. Baunya sedikit asam, dan tangan kami mulai berminyak saat menyentuh, meremas, dan menggosokannya di lantai. Dan yang bergema adalah teriakan bahagia dan tawa dari kami.
Guru meninggalkan kami bermain, karena dibutuhkan waktu cukup lama untuk menggosok lantai dengan parutan kelapa itu. Kami akan menggosok setiap sudut, dan lantai yang awalnya muram kini mengkilat dengan sentuhan parutan kelapa yang memiliki kandungan minyak.
Sekitar 25 anak menyebar ke seluruh ruangan, bermain sekaligus bekerja membuat lantai itu lebih indah. Beberapa dari kami berlari dan terpeleset karena licin, dan bayangkan tawa teman-teman kami yang lain.
Aku tidak mengerti dulu kenapa setiap tahun kami melakukan itu. Yang kami tahu, itu hari yang kami tunggu-tunggu.
Sangat indah jika aku kenang saat ini. Kami belajar bertanggung jawab atas ruangan baru yang akan kami tempati, bagaimana kami menjaga dan merawat lingkungan kami. Kami diajari belajar menghias dengan onggar-onggar dan mempersiapkannya sendiri dari bahan-bahan sekitar rumah. Dan yang paling terasa adalah kerja sama dan kebersamaan itu sendiri. Tangan-tangan kecil kami bersama mengangkat kursi meja, menggosok lantai, dan tertawa bersama.
Hari ini aku mengenang aku pernah bahagia sebebas itu. Pekerjaan atau tanggung jawab serasa bermain, ringan dan membahagiakan.
Aku bertanya-tanya, masihkah anak-anak sekolah dasar melakukan itu saat ini? Masihkah ada salju hangat terbuat dari kelapa? Masihkah ada bau asam dari oksidasi parutan kelapa itu, dan mata berbinar saat semua dibersihkan dan kamu melihat hamparan lantai yang berkilau, siap kamu tempati dalam satu tahun? Aku belajar rasa memiliki, bahkan sebelum menduduki meja dalam ruangan itu.