Ende : One-day Trip to Ende Island!
Last Sunday, on the 25th of October 2015, my friends, dr. Bagus, dr. Reska, and dr. Raymond, and I were invited to a charity event in Ende Island. Yes, Ende Island! An island in Ende district. Ende people believe that the island was the knife used by Wongge Mountain. In that legend, Wongge Mountain was a bad man who slayed Table Mountain. Wongge and Table fell in love with the same girl, Iya Mountain. It was told that Wongge Mountain was fiercely jealous of Table Mountain because Iya Mountain preferred Table Mountain over him due to Table’s kindness. As a result, Table Mountain was decapitated – it has a flat peak, like a table, unlike other mountains in general. Well, that’s all about the story. And what about our trip to the island?
Around 7 a.m., we dropped our motorcycles at Puskesmas Rukun Lima. From there, we went to the beach by foot which took roughly 10 minutes. The beach is not far away from the morning market. So the salesman can sell fresh fish, shrimp, octopus, and many other sea animals. Near the harbour, our advisor, dr. Nining, and her team have arrived. We then joined them to wait for the canoe to come to carry us to the boat. After a few minutes, the canoe came and took us one by one to reach the boat. The canoe is small and can only carry about 8 persons at a time. Because it was the first time for me to ride a canoe, it was a little bit shocking when the canoe swayed on the waving water. On the boat, we waited for other passengers to come until the boat was full, up to around 50 persons, and we were ready to go!
From right to left: dr.Ireska, dr. Denisa, dr. Raymond, and dr. Bagus.
The canoe and the boat at Ende Harbour.
We enjoy the trip!
After 2 hours, we finally arrived at the island. During the trip, we could see the borderless blue sea, the birds trying to catch fish, the beauty of the underwater view, and other magnificent scenery. Sometimes we may see dolphins jumping out of the water, but unfortunately I didn’t see that live attraction. L My first impression when I stepped foot on the island was that it was hot, dry, and desolate. Around the village, there were hills and coconut trees in every corner beside the view of the beach, boats in the harbour, and people who take baths and wash clothes on the shore.
Look, the island is almost near!
From the harbour, we took an “ojek” to go to the event site. When we arrived, the people, from children to old men or women have been waiting for us. So, we immediately started the “pengobatan massal”. This is not my first time to communicate with native Ende people. Some of them can speak Indonesian, but some can only speak Ende-nese, especially “mama tua” or “bapak tua”, which was what we called the elderly. For me, language is the main thing in communication. Fortunately, with some help from the translator, that problem was solved. In addition, their complaints have previously been recorded at the first spot, before they met with the doctors. It was extremely helpful. Nevertheless, to create a good bond between the patient and doctor, I tried to speak in Endenese, like this:
Me : Selamat siang, mama. Rasa bagaimana kah?
Ine (mama tua) : cndjcdhfuefjdjhfjnc [speaking in Endenese] *the only thing I can do is nod my head and smile*
Me : Kepala ro iwa? [Kepala sakit tidak?]
Ine : Iwa. cndjcdhfuefjdjhfjnc [speaking in Endenese] *she is smiling at me
Me Tuka ro iwa?
Ine : Iwa. cndjcdhfuefjdjhfjnc [speaking in Endenese]
Me : *shaking my head, laughing.
Dr. Bagus : Ayo lo, Den! Ahaha!
Me : Epen! [“emang penting”]. *haha, at least I’ve tried, right?
Fortunately, the translator helped me to communicate with Ine.
The situation at the “pengobatan massal”
At 2 p.m., it was finally finished! Everyone had gotten their medications and gone home. So, it’s time to eat! We were served genuine traditional food of Ende Island: ubi cincang, ubi rebus, ikan bakar, sambal khas ende, pizza ende, ikan pari, and many more!
Traditional food from Ende Island.
The most unforgettable experience was while we rode in a “gerobak” to look around the island. We enjoyed seeing the beauty of the island and taking in the wonderful atmosphere.
We are on the “gerobak”.
After about 30 minutes, we returned to the harbour and prepared for the trip home. But, wait! Look at what we found near the harbour: an old lady was handcrafting the traditional Ende cloth.
With the woman who was making the traditional Ende cloth.
That sums up our story from this short trip. We gained many precious experiences. We could see how wonderful Indonesia is, not only by seeing the nature but also the people, the heritage, and the food. And, the most important thing is we learned how to communicate with patients who come from a different culture, different language, and different background.
Editor: dr.Fidini Hayati A
Photographer: dr.Raymond Surya & dr.M.Bagus Hari S
Ende, 16 Oktober 2015
dr. Denisa Prahajna
FKUI 2009