Belitung: Sekolah Laskar Pelangi (From The Novel: The Rainbow Troops)

Aku masih ingat waktu aku duduk di bangku kelas 3 SMA, saat itu guru wali kelas ku, Ms. Rina (panggilan Ms karena beliau adalah guru Bahasa Inggris) pernah merekomendasikan sebuah novel. Novel tersebut berjudul Laskar Pelangi.

I still remember when I was in 3rd grade of senior high school, my homeroom teacher, Ms. Rina recommended us a novel called Laskar Pelangi.

Awalnya aku tidak tertarik sama sekali. Tapi ternyata beberapa teman ku sudah membaca novel tersebut. Aku jadi penasaran karena novel itu tidak hanya menjadi buah bibir di kelas ku, siswa siswi kelas lain juga ikut membicarakannya. Hingga akhirnya rasa penasaran ku membawa ku ke toko buku sepulang sekolah. Aku menemukan Laskar Pelangi di bagian best seller.

At first, I was really not interested at all. But actually some of my classmates already read the novel. Not only my classmates, other students form other class also talked about it a lot, which made me curious. So, in order to fulfill the thirst of my curiosity, I went to the bookstore on the way home after school. Finally I found Laskar Pelangi on the best seller section.

Setelah membacanya, aku jadi tau kenapa novel Laskar Pelangi sangat direkomendasikan oleh wali kelas ku. Isinya sarat makna dan membuat mata ku terbuka tentang pentingnya pendidikan. Kisahnya berlatar belakang di pulau Belitung tentang kehidupan bocah-bocah yang hampir tidak bisa bersekolah karena sekolahnya kekurangan murid. Tidak jarang penulis mengambarkan kondisi Belitung dalam ceritanya, membuatku mudah untuk membayangkan bagaimana rupa Belitung saat itu.

After finished reading the novel, I clearly understand why my homeroom teacher recommended us to read it. The book was full of meaning and made my eyes opened about how important education is. The story is about the life of children who almost cannot enter school because the school was lack of student, with Belitung island as the background. The author writes a lot about Belitung in the novel, which made me easier to imagine Belitung island at that time.

Bulan Juni 2015, aku mendapatkan kesempatan ke Belitung. Aku berkesempatan mengunjungi replika SD Muhammadiyah, sebuah sekolah dasar tempat tokoh utama novel Laskar Pelangi belajar bersama kawan-kawannya.

June 2015, I got a chance to visit Belitung. I visited the replica of SD (Elementary School) Muhammadiyah, the school where the main character of Laskar Pelangi and his friends studied together.

Photo by: Christo (IG: @_kurisuto)

Replika SD Muhammadiyah ini terletak di Desa Lenggang, Kecamatan Gantung, Belitung Timur. Menurut ku sekolah ini jauh dari kondisi layak untuk digunakan sebagai sarana kegiatan belajar-mengajar. Namun justru dari sisi tersebutlah aku bisa memetik hikmah bahwa dalam kondisi apapun, asal ada tekad yang kuat, keinginan bisa terwujud.

The replica of SD Muhammadiyah is located in Desa Lenggang, Kecamatan Gantung, Belitung Timur. I think the building was not proper to be used as a school. But that thing in fact made me realize that whatever the condition is, as long as there is a strong willpower, dream can be achieved.

Untuk lebih jelasnya, ada baiknya kalau kamu mencoba membaca novel Laskar Pelangi. Novelnya sudah diterjemahkan ke berbagai bahasa, misalnya versi Bahasa Inggrisnya berjudul The Rainbow Troops, sedangkan versi Bahasa Jepangnya berjudul Niji No Shonen Tachi.

For more details, it is better for you to read Laskar Pelangi. The novel was already translated into various languages, for example in English it's called The Rainbow Troops, and in Japanese it's called Niji No Shonen Tachi.

Niji No Shonen Tachi

Setelah selesai menikmati suasana dan bernostalgia mengingat cerita dalam novelnya di replika SD Muhammadiyah, aku juga berkunjung ke Museum Kata Andrea Hirata. Andrea Hirata adalah penulis novel Laskar Pelangi. Museum Kata Andrea Hirata ini adalah museum literatur pertama di Indonesia. 

After visiting replica of SD Muhammadiyah, I went to Andrea Hirata's Literature Museum. Andrea Hirata is the author of The Rainbow Troops. This museum is the Indonesia's first literature museum.

Aku mengunjungi museum kata ini bersama teman-teman ku. Banyak dari mereka takjub akan isi bagian depan museum ini hingga tak sadar ada satu tempat yang sangat disayangkan apabila tidak dikunjungi.

I went to this museum with my friends. Lots of them were amazed by the front area of the museum, so they didn't realize there was a place that is more interesting than the front area.

Di bagian belakang museum ini terdapat jalan setapak berwarna-warni bagaikan pelangi. Sebut saja jalur pelangi. Area ini dikelilingi pepohonan, suasananya seperti di dalam kebun. Masih asri, udaranya pun segar. Nah kalau menelusuri jalur ini kamu akan sampai pada satu tempat yang spesial.

In the rear area of the museum, there was this colorful path. I called it the rainbow path. The area was surrounded with trees, walking through feels like in a garden, and I can feel the fresh air as the wind blows. If you follow this path, you will find a special place.

Rasanya akan jadi kurang seru kalau aku ceritakan lebih detail tentang tempat ini. Penasaran kan? Nah, buruan jadikan Belitung sebagai destinasi wisata liburan mu selanjutnya. Sekedar informasi, kamu bisa menemukan harta karun tak ternilai di tempat spesial ini loh!

It will be a spoiler if I tell you all about this place. You want to know more, don't you? So what are you waiting for! Book a flight to Belitung for your next vacation. FYI, you can find a priceless treasure inside this place!