This memory stays with me clearly. During rice season, especially when the rice starts to bear fruit, I would begin to worry - because my job was coming. I had to guard the rice from the wild birds.
I didn't like doing it. While kids my age were out playing, I had to spend my days protecting those rice plants from morning until dusk.
Alone, with a bamboo pole and a sheet of tin in my hands. When the birds started landing on my father's rice, I'd bang that tin as loud and hard as I could to scare them off - while screaming HHHHOOOOOOHHHH!!
I had to do this for weeks, until the rice grains hardened enough that the birds would stop wanting to eat them.
My childhood was beautiful in its own way. And that's how I became my father's favorite - I always did what he asked, even when I didn't want to. That's how he taught me discipline and patience.
NGULAH KEDIS (mengusir burung pemakan padi)
Kisah ini masih teringat jelas dalam ingatanku, pada musim padi khususnya saat padi mulai berbuah, aku akan mulai khawatir, karena tugasku akan tiba menjaga padi padi itu dari burung burung liar.
Aku tidak suka melakukannya, disaat anak2 sebayaku bermain, aku harus menghabiskan waktuku menjaga padi2 itu dari pagi sampai senja tiba. Sendirian dengan bambu dan seng untuk atap rumah di tanganku. Ketika burung2 mulai hinggap di padi2 ayahku aku akan memukul2 seng, membuat suara se bising dan sekeras mungkin untuk mengusir mereka, sambil aku berteriak HHHHOOOOOOHHHH!!
Aku harus melakukan itu beberapa minggu sampai biji padi mulai mengeras, maka burung akan berhenti memakannya.
Masa kecilku indah dengan caranya, dan begitulah aku menjadi kesayangan Ayahku (aku selalu menuruti beliau meski aku tak ingin) begitu beliau mengajarkanku tentang disiplin dan kesabaran.