#10 - Pesantrenisasi Program Experience

Assalamu’alaikum,

Hi, readers (even tho I don’t have many)!

Finally I can post another entry to my blog! College hadn’t been that busy but I just couldn’t find the right time and mood to write again. But here I am! Blogging in the middle of mid-semester examination weeks. Okay so, actually I’m currently facing the examination week. And you know, been being all stressed out but I’m still trying my best not to. Always remember that God has always been beside you all this time. He has been watching you and been ready to catch you if you fall. What you have to do now is just believe in Him and His plans.

Just a month ago I went through interesting experience. Have you ever heard of ‘Pesantren’? Most people here called the Islamic boarding school as a ‘Pesantren’. It’s kinda hard to give you the precise explanation actually, but I’ll try. Apparently my college is holding a program that’s called ‘Pesantrenisasi’. The program obliges the students to stay at the boarding house for about 20 days with attending normal class during the day and have to stay at the boarding house to attend Islamic-based lecture, doing congregational prayer (shalat al-jamaah), group discussion with other halaqah members and mentor, etc. by the night.

Why do I called it as an interesting experience while the other of my friends were sick of it and want it to end badly?

I feel like I’m walking on the better road, with colorful flowers on both right and left ride, benches, beautiful park lamps, and with people smiling, greeting every person that passed by. ‘Rusunawa’ (click to see how it looks like) is the name of boarding house that’s located not that far from my campus building. It has decent rooms, clean bathroom, and also wi-fi. Consists of 5 floors for the girl dormitory with no elevator, so that I have to walk through 3^rd floor to reach my room. I have 3 roommates, Wulan and Iki who’s majoring in Industrial Engineering and Ririn from department of Islamic Studies. The students had to wake up at 3am to pray tahajjud, then heading off to the mosque to pray shubuh, join the discussion with the mentor, and heading back to home at around 6am. It might seem tough at first, but when you actually doing it, it wouldn’t feel burdensome. Because we—as God’s servant have to remember Our Creator more, also worshipping Him even more. And we shouldn’t feel burdened by the fact that we need Him more than He ever need us.