If people ask me what is the right sentence to describe Purwokerto, I would shout clearly that it is the most charismatic city ever. Several people may say it is just a city, underdeveloped and nothing special, but readers, you should believe me it is obviously wrong. I see Purwokerto as a calm city which is really help me to throw away all my bloody-busy-daily-task. The hottest weather even can be left as a barrier to explore more these beauty city.
Through the chance of being representative of my university, Universitas Brawijaya as the adjudicator’s participant of Java Overland Inter-Varsities English Debate (JOVED) which is hosted at Universitas Soedirman, I observe and reach Purwokerto as well. Yet, it is not quite easy to reach this calm city. Since the tournament will be started on July 7th, 2012, my friends, the seven others’ representative of my university and I choose to go on the night of Friday, July 6th, 2012. That date had become the busy and hectic day for us where we need to be in a hurry to chase the bus against the traffic jam which is happened around the flyover on the way heading to Arjosari bus station for around 30 minutes which drove Adit, my friend crazier. His tension grew higher when we arrived at the bus station; the taxi driver asked more for paying the payment because of the longest time on the traffic. Even though we finally agreed to pay the adding fee, I heard his complain over the Malang’s taxi driver when we entered the bus station.
“I do not understand them; they always take the benefit for granted. Why don’t they try to consider the usage of argo? I am pretty sure it should be cheaper from 60.000 rupiahs,” he said passionately angry while continuing, “Oh, shit! Surabaya’s taxi driver is far better than them!” His complain is quietly true regarding to Malang’s taxi driver, because they tend to choose the agreement in the beginning for their taxi services instead of argometer that has provided for calculating the payment, so then they easily can break the agreement because of some unbelievable reason that they created, such as the longest waiting of traffic jam. Comparing to Surabaya’s taxi driver when we attended some tournament on ITS and SMANISDA, it is quietly cheap and fair since they has used their argometer.
After sitting on the bus, I directly open up the blanket because I cannot deal with the coldness of air conditioner inside of the bus. While waiting for one more passenger, I have a short chitchatted about the preparation of going to Purwokerto during that day with Leiditya and Fafa who have a sit next to mine until the bus finally had walked and gone to our destination. As I have chosen since the beginning of the journey, I preferred to sleep during the night rather than hearing the jokes from Ope, Fahri and Aditya who have a sit near me, exactly beside and behind mine. I close my own air conditioner on the top of my sit then hugging tightly the blanket service to give a signal and understanding for Adit, the one that sit beside me to turn off his air conditioner. Yet, it seemed so useless to warn him since he looked so careless and survived the weather by using only a short pant with untouched blanket.
As a long journey started while preparing my sleeping time, I wondered what will Purwokerto looked like and what I wanted to do after arriving there. Those syndrome questions always appear if it is the first time I go to the place. It is quite effective to kill the boring time to only sleep or chitchat with my friends during 14 hours journey which make my backbone felt sore.
Arriving Purwokerto at the main bus station around 9.30 A.M. should be the first capturing moments there. It happened when I had just dropped from the bus, I could see people were searching the money by offering a help to bring the luggage of passenger. I felt so confused to face those people firstly before Ope pull me away to avoid the crowd. Yet, it was so awkward when one of my team’s delegations take one of the offer, then suddenly disappearing from our eyes.
Our confusion brought us to the side of the bus station which is the place to reserve the taxi to find Fafa, the one who accepted the offer. My friends and I quietly relieved to find her even though she looked so fine as nothing’s happened to her. Next, we finally decided to directly jump to the taxi for heading to Horizon Hotel which is the lodging service from the committee for all the participants around Indonesia. When we reached the venue, there had been the participants who came from Universitas Indonesia, Universitas Gadjamada, Universitas Bina Nusantara, and also Universitas Negeri Malang. While waiting the reservation room that had been being prepared, we chose to have a conversation together with the representative of UM which came from the same region. I heard that Karnia, one of the representatives of UM shared to us about her worse journey to Purwokerto using Pahala Kencana Bus. I ever get the information from some people who argue that it was pretty dangerous bus which drive as they want to reach the time arrival punctually, but I thought that it was a wise choice not to be so interference and talk-active to the conversation, because I had not really known them yet like Ope and Adit who get along on Malang Debating Union.
I am so grateful when Arbi, the chief executive of JOVED XVI’s committee which had conducted at Universitas Soedirman informed that the times for Universitas Brawijaya delegation to get the keys and enjoy the rooms to take a rest after having long journey. As I entered the room together with Queentries Regar, Dwi Arum Ariani and Leiditya Naristi who fought for bathroom, I chose to throw myself to my bed. I did not intend to sleep, but I need to relax my body before I would attend the Debate and Adjudication Seminar including my accreditation that would be started on 1.00 P.M.
After the long waiting process, I found that it was so interesting having a well-known and friendly deputy chief adjudicator namely Ahdiat Permana who came from Universitas Indonesia as my examiner, even though Leidi and I needed to finish the adjudicator’s accreditation around 8 P.M. Yet, as my body had been protest during the day, it was so tiring when we found our room was locked and all the members were going outside. Next time, we found a favorite place to spend the night on Purwokerto after the disappearing moment on the first day. Since I did not care where they were going, I chose to hug the bed soon after they came and gave the keys.
No doubt to say that Purwokerto was really hot, literally yes. I felt like getting fever when I should adapt to the coldness of my room and the hot sun outside to reach Universitas Soedirman. Tournament was always awesome to have and see great debaters who dominated the DOTY (debater of the year) spoke and debated using a gorgeous argumentation. For some people might be bored, so I would be better to skip tournament.
During five days my friends and I lived on Purwokerto, it was all about tournament since the early morning until the end of evening. We only had night to explore and observe this calm and charismatic city. I might be left my first night, but on the second day Leidi and I preferred to walk together leaving all my friends to observe some foods around Universitas Soedirman after attending JOVED council. Unfortunately, both of us could only buy some snacks because the bus had come to send the participants back to Horizon Hotel.
Horizon hotel was fourth star hotel which has swimming pool, small café, canteen and hall room for meeting and party. We were so hungry when arriving the Hotel, but we thought that it was not wise to have dinner at the hotel. Together we spent that night by walking around the street in front of the Horizon Hotel.
“What time is it?” ask Queen, the most attractive and expressive girl I ever known who came from Bontang, Borneo. Without answering her question, she continued“it should be the morning! Wow, it was too calm city! Let’s party on the road,” she said loudly while crossing the street. Everyone laughed for it.
“Queen, you really are a crazy girl! Stop it; people are looking at us now!” Adit pointed her, “We suppose not knowing her,” said him to us.
“Aah, Adit! No one looks us even recognizing who we are! Come dit, don’t be shy to join me; it was a common for you, right!” We chose to laugh without answering her crazy statement, because it would not stop if we keep continuing Queen’s play.
Queen might be right that calm city truly right for Purwokerto, because it was around 9.00 P.M. but the street was so quiet like it had been midnight. I felt like seeing a pretty innocent night which fulfilled by several man who sold their foods and things and the yellow light through the street. Our favorite place was there, near the hotel which was found by Adit. It was a fried duck shop in which using a delicious green chili to be package together. Even thought the price was not cheap that is twenty thousand rupiahs, we never get bored to visit the shop every night after tournament for only reserving and eating the fried duck. We might be skipped only a day on the third day, when attending a breaking night party that was serviced by the committee for announcing those who continue to eliminary round of JOVED.
As the representative of Universitas Brawijaya, we were so grateful to have both of our teams continued to the next round in the following days. Besides, there was another occasion to bid the host of the JOVED XVII. As we had prepared for taking the chances to be a host of the second largest debate tournament around Indonesia, Universitas Brawijaya finally won the bid without no competitor by acclamation.
On the last day, my teams and I watched the perfect grand final between ITB versus UI. Yet, the announcement was adjourned since the committee wanted to have a memorable tournament at Purwokerto by conducting city tour which visited baturaden. Unfortunately, we had been prepared the ticket to go back on July 11 around 2 P.M., thus we decided to leave city tour.
As the wish of Ope to walk around before going back to the main bus station, we decided to visit lumpia boom which seems to be well-known during JOVED tournament via social media twitter, after tahu telor. It was promoted by the committee and participants who actively posted several memorable moments during tournament.
Lumpia boom was not as delicious as it promoted, but it was enough to hold the hungry for a while. Maybe the strategic place which closed to university was the reason why it was famous. Around 1 P.M., we were heading to the main bus station for leaving Purwokerto after five days.
My friends and I were not really enthusiast to sleep since we were so curious to know who would be the winner. We talked and discussed a lot during the journey until the debater broke the timeline of #JOVED2012 around 4 P.M. It was announced by Bobby Andhika Ruitang, the invited adjudicator from UI that ITB had been defeated by UI on the grand final round. Yet, the most precious achievement as Top 10 Best Speaker of Universitas Brawijaya was also grabbed by Ope. This announcement was really shaken the bus in which I see how happy he was at that time.
As it was so long journey between Purwokerto-Malang after all the curiosities had lost from my mind and all the stories had been told, I surely sleep for so many times on this journey. Arriving Arjosari bus station on 6 A.M., I chose to leave first for my own boarding house. Purwokerto might not have a special occasion for this journey, but it was really memorable tournament on the beauty calm night city.
