Happy National Teachers’ Day on November 25th

With our teachers . Taken from Thowi’s fb

Last Tuesday on November 25th, Indonesia celebrated the National Teachers’ Day. The celebration wasn’t as huge as New Year’s celebration but for me, Teachers’ Day has much more meaning than the New Year’s.

On a night before, my elementary school mate, Thowi, invited us to visit our elementary school teachers. We called it “sowan” in Javanese language (our native language). Rama & I gathered first at Thowi’s house which was next to our school then we went together there. We came when the school time had finished so there were many parents picked their children up. The school was kind of chaotic as you can imagine there were many children running around and screaming. I WAS part of those hyperactive kiddos way back then :p

We met one of our teachers, Mr. Muchsinun, before heading to the teachers’ room on the second floor. He was surprised seeing us and asked what did we do. Did we come to pick someone up?

More teachers on the second floor were surprised when they saw us entering the room. We graduated from elementary school on 2001–wheew, 13 years ago! so there were not all of our previous teachers were registered as an active teacher anymore. Mrs. Yekti, welcomed us with a huge smile. She still remembered us very well and introduced us to the other teachers who taught us before. We felt so touched knowing some teachers remembered us. We were toddlers way back then. Small, hyperactive, screaming, fighting with other friends, running around with that smelly uniform, playing football (with tennis ball), and of course, all toddlers do THE nose-picking (even now we are doing that!).

The teachers asked about what were we doing and our future plan. We reminisced about the good ‘ol time, mostly were funny stories that the teachers remembered about us (especially how “calm” and “naughty” we were, haha). Mrs. Yekti said she was so proud of us and knowing how her students were now going all around the world made her even more proud.

“We, the teacher, always stay here. We don’t go anywhere. You, our student, are going everywhere.” -said Mrs. Yekti

With Mrs. Masayu, my final assignment supervisor. Taken at our beloved Labtek V – Informatics Engineering ITB

What Mrs. Yekti told us was exactly similar with what Mrs. Masayu, my supervisor in ITB, told me when I met her in Bandung last August. Honestly speaking, after hearing that sentence, I felt more and more grateful having such inspirational and supportive teachers. Prof. João Falcão e Cunha, who helped me a lot when I bothered him with my 1000 questions about uPorto, told me to come by anytime at his office in FEUP when I come to Porto. He is a super busy professor, fyi.

With Isabel (left) and Prof. João Falcão e Cunha, was my program director and now the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, uPorto

I think I am speechless now as I have many things to tell about my awesome teachers. Yet I think I am running out of words. let’s sum it up: Dear teachers. Thank you very much. Without you, we are nothing.

PS. When was the last time you met your (elementary/high school) teachers? How did you feel when you finally met them? Were you as happy and feeling so thankful as I was?

Kisses,