The language program in Bumen had finished.  For two months and seven times, we had class on teaching and learning Japanese with the youth of Bumen at the Library. The program started in late June and ended in mid-August.

Actually, we are not teaching the youth at Bumen, however, we were taught to learn more on our knowledge about Japanese culture.  Some of them asked us some questions that we are not even aware of before. Some of us had even taken aback when they asked about “Why the Japanese doors are a slide-door and not a pushed-or-pulled door like in typical Indonesian houses in general?”

Soon, a week later the answer to that question emerged from other students. He got an explanation from his encounter with Japanese. He said that the Japanese-style slide-doors are aimed to help people evacuating themselves during the earthquake. Yes, surely that our friends in Bumen has made us learn.

It was after the fourth meeting that we, all the team members of three languages class program, held an evaluation meetings and planned a special project to end this program. After considering several things, we decided to produce a wall magazine for each class. Later, the wall magazines will be posted in the Library as collections.

Two weeks went by and each class had to determine what kind of wall magazine that will be made started from its form, content, and the materials needed. At first, when we presented this idea of making the wall magazine to the class, they immediately coined an idea to make a Sakura Tree. All of us agreed, but the question was: how is the shape of that Sakura Tree? Is it drawn or we try to make a miniature of Sakura Tree? Then, we decided that it seemed more interesting if we make Sakura Tree and hang the articles on its small branches.

The day before the making of the wall magazine, Dedy selected some branches as the main materials of Sakura Tree. We also prepared the pink-colored crepe papers to make the Sakura flowers and some fishing strings to tighten those flowers. Since the stem should be erected, we needed a pot. Finally we used a big can as a pot and we decorated the can together with origami papers. We also filled the can with some pebbles to prop up the stem of our Sakura Tree.

The articles we hung on Sakura branches are written in Indonesian, but still use the Japanese term. One of the students even created an article about his favorite manga (comics), Naruto. Other short articles talk about the various myths existed in Japan, onigiri recipes, and the history of traditional Japanese theater. It took about four hours to finish the Sakura Tree. After everything was done, slowly, we start reading the articles hang on every branch, one by one…under the Sakura Tree…

-Monika-