Hi! My name is Nita Istikawati, you can call me Nita. I am a COP Supporter from Yogyakarta.
The story began in 2010 when I decided to join COP as a volunteer. At that time, I was a university student doing an Accounting degree. It can be said that my education didn’t have any correlation with orang-utans at all. So, I wasn’t surprised when some college friends bullied me about my bizarre activities outside of campus. They often said that I was a very odd person because I liked to go to the zoo to make enrichments and better enclosures for the animals, joined an orang-utan demonstration (campaign), and also spoke out loudly against the destruction of rainforests for palm oil plantations. They thought it was extremely peculiar behaviour for a student from the Faculty of Economics. Well, it never ever stopped me raising awareness and helping orang-utans through COP. From my own experience, I know that everyone can help the orang-utan and its habitat without limits and boundaries. Everything that begins from your heart will come back to your heart again.
There are so many exciting experiences I gained when I was working as a volunteer in orangutan protection. There were lots of unforgettable memories. One of them is when I became a COP School organiser. My favourite position was as part of the kitchen team or kitchen angel. First, because I could taste the food before the other people did. Second, I could taste again and then third I could do food tasting again and again (LOL). On the other hand, I love cooking. Perfect. But please take it easy, I just wanted to make sure that all of the food that we provided at COP School was healthy, free from formaldehyde and safe for consumption by participants and also the presenters. I called it working on the front line. Alibi.
Hmmm… actually becoming part of the kitchen team meant that we should be facing the reality of the lack of sleeping time. Imagine this: the kitchen angels have to wake up very early in the morning before the cock crows and are already moving in the direction of the rising sun. Meanwhile, others were still soundly resting in bed.
As a kitchen angel during COP School, I had to wake up no later than 3.30am every day, because we had to boil water for drinking and then go off to the market to buy vegetables. After that, we picked up food for the catering and also had to prepare anything else. Morning rush hour. From this activity, I learnt a lot about time management and of course became more responsible with my job.
The kitchen is the most strategic place to meet up with everyone. While the participants were making tea or a cup of hot coffee, I got lots of chances to talk with them. Warm conversation in the morning made us feel closer to each other. The participants of COP School are very multicultural. They come from various backgrounds. There is a veterinary student, biology, design, law, economy, communication, etc. Well, I came to understand a wide range of characters and it made me easier to adapt to the new environment. Yes, COP School is a place where I gained a new family, who inspire and strengthen each other. Thanks, COP.
PENGALAMAN SERU MENJADI TEAM DAPUR DI COP SCHOOL
Hai! Nama saya Nita Istikawati biasa dipanggil Nita. Salah satu pendukung COP dari Yogyakarta.
Cerita bermula di tahun 2010 ketika saya bergabung menjadi volunteer COP. Waktu itu saya masih berstatus sebagai mahasiswa aktif di jurusan Akutansi. Bisa dibilang latar belakang saya memang tidak ada hubungannya sama sekali dengan orangutan. Jadi, tidak heran jika sering diejek teman-teman mengenai kegiatan-kegiatan saya di luar kampus. Saya dibilang orang aneh yang suka keluar masuk kebun binatang, ikut kegiatan demo (kampanye) dan teriak-teriak tentang sawit. Menurut mereka tidak wajar dilakukan oleh anak ekonomi. Namun hal itu tidak pernah mematahkan semangat saya untuk terus membantu COP. Menurut saya menyelamatkan orangutan dan habitatnya itu tanpa batas dan bisa dilakukan oleh siapa saja. Semua yang berawal dari hati akan kembali ke hati.
Ada banyak sekali pengalaman seru selama berkecimpung di dunia perlindungan orangutan yang tidak akan pernah terlupakan. Salah satunya adalah setiap kali menjadi panitia kegiatan COP School. Saya paling senang menjadi bagian dari tim dapur. Pertama bisa cicip makanan, kedua cicip lagi, ketiga cicip lagi, dan lagi (hehe). Selain itu saya suka makan. Cocok ya. Eitsss tapi jangan salah persepsi. Saya cuma mau memastikan makanan di COP School semuanya sehat, bebas dari formalin dan aman dikonsumsi oleh peserta juga para pengisi acara. Ini namanya adalah bekerja di garda depan. Alibi.
Hmmm… sebenarnya menjadi tim dapur itu artinya harus menghadapi kenyataan bahwa jatah tidur sangat berkurang. Bayangkan pagi buta sebelum ayam berkokok kami para kitchen angels sudah bergerak menuju arah matahari terbit. Di saat yang lainnya masih nyenyak tidur di dalam sleeping bed.
Rutinitas selama COP School, setiap hari paling lambat bangun sekitar pukul 3.30 pagi karena wajib memasak air untuk kebutuhan minum dan pergi ke pasar membeli sayur mayur. Mengambil makanan di catering dan juga harus menyiapkan ini dan itu. Pagi yang sangat sibuk. Dari kegiatan ini saya menjadi banyak belajar tentang bagaimana mengorganisir waktu yang baik dan bertanggung jawab dengan pekerjaan.
Dapur adalah tempat paling strategis untuk bertemu dengan semua orang. Sembari para peserta membuat teh atau secangkir kopi panas, saya banyak mendapat kesempatan untuk berbincang. Obrolan hangat di pagi hari membuat susana menjadi lebih dekat dengan para peserta. Para peserta COP School sangat multikultural. Mereka datang dari berbagai macam latar belakang. Ada mahasiswa kedokteran hewan, biologi, desain, hukum, eknonomi, komunikasi, bahasa, dsb. Secara tidak sadar saya menjadi memahami berbagai macam karakter orang dan membuat lebih mudah beradaptasi di lingkungan baru. Ya, COP School adalah tempat dimana saya mendapatkan keluarga baru, saling menginspirasi dan menguatkan satu sama lain. Terimakasih COP.
