Dengan kontrak kerja yang tersisa hanya beberapa bulan, hatiku sudah berkelana jauh ke kampung halaman. Waktu seolah berjalan begitu lambat. Apakah hanya aku yang merasakan ini? Mungkinkah sahabat-sahabat Buruh Migran Indonesia (BMI) lain di sini merasakan hal yang sama?
“Oh, aku rindu rumah,” bisikku dalam hati. Meski video call setiap hari tak pernah kulewatkan, rasa rindu ini tetap saja menggelayut. Andai aku punya sayap, ingin rasanya terbang ke rumah setiap malam dan kembali ke Hong Kong di esok harinya. Namun, aku tahu aku harus bertahan. Sebentar lagi…
Di tengah perasaan yang menggebu itu, pada suatu Minggu cerah, aku bersama seorang teman memutuskan untuk sejenak melarikan diri dari rutinitas dengan berlibur ke Cheung Chau, sebuah pulau kecil yang tenang di Hong Kong. Untuk mencapai pulau itu, kami harus naik ferry dari Central Ferry Pier. Perjalanan laut selama 40 menit itu cukup menantang, apalagi saat tubuhku terasa limbung karena mabuk laut. Meski begitu, ini adalah pengalaman baru dan berharga.
Saat memandang laut lepas, pikiranku pun berkelana ke kampung halaman. Rumahku di pesisir pantai selatan Jawa Tengah, tempat aku kerap menghabiskan senja di Pantai Ketapang Indah. Duduk di bangku dengan secangkir teh di tangan, aku sering terlena menikmati deburan ombak dan keindahan matahari terbenam, hingga azan Magrib membuyarkan lamunanku dan aku bergegas pulang.
Namun, di balik keindahan alam, ada pemandangan yang mengganggu setiap kali aku ke sana: sampah plastik yang berserakan di sepanjang pantai. Minimnya kesadaran warga akan kebersihan membuat pantai itu kadang terlihat seperti tempat pembuangan sampah. Botol, cangkir bekas, plastik kemasan, hingga baju bekas tampak berserakan, mengotori keindahan pesisir. Rasanya miris. Aku sempat berpikir, seandainya pemerintah menyediakan dana untuk petugas kebersihan di sekitar pantai, mungkin sampah-sampah ini bisa lebih terkelola.
Sampah di Pantai Ketapang Indah tak hanya berasal dari warga sekitar, tapi juga dari “banjir kiriman.” Setiap musim hujan dan banjir melanda pulau Jawa, sampah-sampah terbawa arus laut hingga menumpuk di pesisir pantai—dari peralatan rumah tangga hingga benda-benda tak terduga, seperti sandal, tas, dan sepatu. Fenomena ini disebut warga setempat sebagai “Sarah.” Aku sendiri tak tahu asal-usul nama ini, tapi kehadiran “Sarah” selalu membuat nelayan setempat enggan melaut. Jika jaring mereka dilempar, bukannya ikan yang tertangkap, melainkan sampah, yang tentu dapat merusak jaring mereka.
Dalam hati, aku memiliki harapan yang sederhana tapi besar. Kelak, aku ingin membeli sampah-sampah yang menumpuk di sekitar pantai, bahkan yang tak bisa didaur ulang, demi menjaga kebersihan tempat yang penuh kenangan itu. Mungkin ide ini bisa memotivasi warga untuk lebih peduli terhadap kebersihan pesisir kita. []
When My Body and Heart Were Separated by the Ocean
With only a few months left of my work contract, my heart had already wandered far away to my hometown. Time seemed to be moving so slowly. Am I the only one who felt this? Could it be that my fellow Indonesian Migrant Workers (BMI) here felt the same way?
“Oh, I miss home,” I whispered to myself. Even though I never missed the daily video calls, this longing still lingered. If only I had wings, I would fly home every night and return to Hong Kong the next day. However, I knew I had to hold on. Soon…
In the midst of those passionate feelings, one sunny Sunday, a friend and I decided to escape from our routine for a moment by taking a vacation to Cheung Chau, a small, quiet island in Hong Kong. To reach the island, we had to take a ferry from Central Ferry Pier. The 40-minute sea journey was quite challenging, especially when my body felt dizzy from seasickness. Even so, this was a new and valuable experience.
As I gazed at the open sea, my thoughts wandered to my hometown. My house is on the southern coast of Central Java, where I often spend the evening at Ketapang Indah Beach. Sitting on a bench with a cup of tea in hand, I often indulge in the sound of the waves and the beauty of the sunset, until the Maghrib prayer call breaks my reverie and I rush home.
However, behind the natural beauty, there is a disturbing sight every time I go there: plastic waste scattered along the beach. The lack of awareness of cleanliness among residents makes the beach sometimes look like a garbage dump. Bottles, used cups, plastic packaging, and even used clothes are scattered around, dirtying the beauty of the coast. It feels sad. I once thought, if the government provided funds for cleaning staff around the beach, maybe this waste could be better managed.
The waste at Ketapang Indah Beach does not only come from local residents, but also from “floods.” Every rainy season and floods that hit the island of Java, waste is carried by the sea current and piles up on the coast—from household appliances to unexpected objects, such as sandals, bags, and shoes. This phenomenon is called by the locals as “Sarah.” I myself do not know the origin of this name, but the presence of “Sarah” always makes local fishermen reluctant to go to sea. If their nets are thrown, instead of fish, they catch trash, which of course can damage their nets.
In my heart, I have a simple but big hope. In the future, I want to buy the trash that is piled up around the beach, even the ones that cannot be recycled, in order to maintain the cleanliness of this place full of memories. Maybe this idea can motivate residents to care more about the cleanliness of our coast.