School holiday break subdued during campaigns<\/p>\n
By Stevie Emilia<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The long-awaited school holiday has come but
\nthis does not necessarily mean that students are free to play
\noutside the house. This time, they have to spend their month-long
\nholiday differently, as the ongoing campaigns have made people
\nhesitate to leave their homes, fearing election-related
\ndisturbances.<\/p>\n
Rini, a student of SMA 6 senior high school, has to sneak out
\nof her house to meet school friends at Blok M, South Jakarta, in
\norder to catch the latest release Message in A Bottle.<\/p>\n
\"My mother is very strict, she wants me to stay in the house
\nthe whole time during the holiday,\" complained the second year
\nstudent. With two brothers, Rini is the youngest and the only
\ndaughter.<\/p>\n
She said that usually she spent her school holidays traveling
\nwith friends. Last year, she holidayed with friends in Bali.<\/p>\n
But this year, her parents would not even allow her to go to
\nher grandparents' house in Surabaya. Rini said her mother wanted
\nher to remain in the city for safety reasons.<\/p>\n
\"My mother said that anything could happen this time of the
\nyear... so, she wanted me to be close to her.\"<\/p>\n
But parents cannot always monitor their children. In Rini's
\ncase, both her parents work, making it easy for her to sneak out
\nof the house.<\/p>\n
Visiting the grandparents of other families in their hometowns
\nis the favorite way of spending the holiday, even though many
\nstudents, especially those living in big cities, prefer to spend
\ntheir holidays living it up. Some students from affluent families
\nspend their holidays either by traveling to other cities -- here
\nand abroad -- or by taking religious courses or extracurricular
\nprograms studying computers, English, music and even fashion.<\/p>\n
The campaigns and the coming elections, however, have made
\npeople, especially parents, anxious and cautious. They fear that
\nthere will be clashes among the political parties, triggering
\nriots.<\/p>\n
Rini said her mother would call the house several times a day
\njust to check up on her. \"But, I've already prepared my maid with
\nseveral excuses. I told her to tell my mother that I was
\nsleeping, or taking a bath.\"<\/p>\n
She said she disobeyed her parents because she believed the
\ncampaigns would not turn violent. \"I think I will be just fine.\"<\/p>\n
Another student, Iyok, was forced to cancel a trip to
\nSingapore, earlier promised to her by her parents. In Singapore,
\nshe planned to join a homestay program, taking an English
\nlanguage course as she had in the past.<\/p>\n
\"My parents said it would be better for me to stay home with
\nthem,\" said the Al Azhar senior high school student.<\/p>\n
She said she could do nothing to change her parent's last
\nminute decision, although her boarding house had already been
\nchosen and her flight had been booked.<\/p>\n
Being an obedient daughter, she complied with her parent's
\ndecision and started to think about another way to spend the
\nholiday. She tried to persuade her parents to allow her to take a
\ncomputer course here, but was disappointed when they refused to
\ngive the nod of approval to her request.<\/p>\n
She said her parents did not think it was safe for her to
\ntravel around the city on her own. Both of her parents are
\nworking.<\/p>\n
So now, she has ended up spending her vacation entirely at
\nhome. Every so often, a friend will come to her house.<\/p>\n
But most of the time, she spends the day with her play
\nstation, reading novels or talking to her friends on the phone.<\/p>\n
\"I don't care if my phone bill goes over the top ... This is
\nthe most boring holiday ever,\" she claimed.<\/p>\n
Not all parents, however, are afraid to send their children
\naway from home.<\/p>\n
Arief Putranto, who works in a private oil company in Jakarta,
\nsent his three children to his parents' house in Bandung a day
\nafter the school holidays started. School children began their
\nvacation on May 17 and will return to school mid-June.<\/p>\n
\"It's for precautions. My parents' house will be much safer
\nthan here,\" he told the Post by phone.<\/p>\n
Two of his children are senior high school students and the
\nyounger one is still at junior high.<\/p>\n
Arief said he could not take the risk, leaving his children at
\nhome only with a maid. His wife is also working.<\/p>\n
The idea of sending his children to stay with his parents came
\nup long before the holidays started, he added.<\/p>\n
\"See for yourself, the campaigns are very noisy. We can't
\npredict what will happen. I just want to prevent the worst, and
\nmy wife is completely in agreement with me,\" said the 45-year-old
\nman.<\/p>\n
In previous years, he often traveled with his children to
\nother cities during school holidays.<\/p>\n
\"Usually, myself and my wife use the school holidays as the
\nright time to take a break from the office and to spend more time
\nwith our children. But this time, it's impossible.\"<\/p>\n
\"I'd prefer visiting my children on weekends rather than
\nfeeling worried about them all day.\"<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/school-holiday-break-subdued-during-campaigns-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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