Yesterday, Monday June 3rd, I woke up very early and arrived at Ubung at 6 a.m. at dawn. Nobody was there before me but soon people were coming over. After it was settled, we departed to Lake Batur; 13 students of year 2011 in an Elf bus, 9 more students of year 2010 in another bus, and me, Bli Agus and Bli Made Dwi in a Jazz car. I didn't know these people before, but it's a good time to get to know more in this program.

So the program was about the socialization of the forming of a cooperative (Koperasi) for organic producers all around Bali. The members of Organik Mandiri Sejahtera that had been collected until now was 700 people from 14 villages and 5 districts. This is a very large number, especially because the idea came for social interest.

I didn't really get involved with the process but I agreed to help on the ceremony day. I was in charge of 22 students of Agriculture major from Udayana University who participated as ushers and receptionists. We were all dressed in Balinese kebaya, the local traditional dress. The first batch (of year 2011) came together with me but the second one came around 11 p.m. so I didn't get to really know them.


We arrived at Wantilan, on the west side of Lake Batur, at 8 a.m. and got prepared our guest lists and other forms the members and invitations needed to fill in. After completing the registration they needed to make a photo, taken by Bli Made Dwi. Then they were ushered to the Pura Jati temple at the north-east side of the hall.

The program started at around 11.30 p.m. when Ratu Pedanda (head of the Hindu priests from the Brahman caste in Bali) gave opening speech, followed by Mrs. Ni Luh Kartini (woman activist for organic production in agriculture and also a lecturer in Udayana University) and Pemangku (a Hindu priest). The speeches were closed by briefing from the Department of Agriculture from the government about the structure of a legal cooperative organization.

The program was supposed to be done at 3-4 p.m, but we finished at 2 p.m. already. It was because the food came late so the programs had to be started earlier than the schedule and the farmers, being uneducated mostly, just went home after the stomach was full. We knew it'd be hard to handle them, but we didn't expected that they'd just go home like that. It was kind of surprising.


But we are grateful enough for the whole programs, although we didn't get all the forms they should fill in, and we went to Pura Ulun Danu (the 'water source' temple) for the administration and to thank and farewell to the Jero Mangku (head of Pemangku in a temple). It took another hour or two before we could go home. We reached Ubung at around 7 p.m. at dusk time.

It was totally a social work for me, and I felt so good because it was not just to support a 'go green' program, support our farmers, and also to know people who care enough to make the cooperative. I got many new friends, especially the girls I was working with. It was really a fun day, not only because of the foggy scenery of the Lake and Mount Batur, those pine trees and also to learn more about Balinese language. Matur Suksma!

P.S. matur suksma = thank you