"Everything is Better in Hijab"

Before I moved to sabre, I discovered this particular athlete from google images. At first I was quite ecstatic about my new discovery. This lady has a rather 'peculiar' way of dressing but it seems that coincidentally, fencing is actually accommodating her needs in terms of dressing.

Yep, Ibtihaj Muhammad lately has been gaining reputation as the first Muslim woman to represent the US in fencing. Her headscarf makes her noticeable among her comrades. They are none other than the 2008 olympics medalist, Mariel Zagunis, and Dagmara Wozniak.

Ibtihaj Muhammad began to fence as a cadet, based on several articles that I read about her, Ibti's mum managed to get her daughter to take a glimpse at fencing as she said "I don't know what that is, but when you get to high school, you're doing it." Also, she managed to went through some sort of a rather awkward demo fencing session after her coach asked for her father's permission "if he could touch her" in order to correct her.

Ibti would gradually become a trigger for Muslim women to achieve what they want without letting their faith to compromise them. I, for one, am really motivated by her and she became my rolemodel instantly after I discovered her.

 I think Ibti should really come to Indonesia one day and see how many girls who have the same 'appearance' as she is. Seeing that the numbers of hijabi fencers are gradually increasing too in Indonesia. It's just that I think she is a little bit underestimated by the world, because I personally think that our fencing seedlings are still in need of influential individuals like Ibti.

Diversity is the thing that makes us stronger, we may be a bunch of individualists on the piste but in reality we are one big family because we have the same passion. If we managed to overcome that  particular barrier, then our bonds will just become even stronger than ever.

Pictures don't belong to me, they belong to their respective owners.

Dadah,

Derping Around in The Regionals

I squealed. Everywhere I saw athletes. Everywhere I saw awesomeness.

Thank you for Athaya Harwig, for taking all of these amazing pictures.

Politics Are Evil

So apparently I got qualified to play in the Nationals as I had won a medal in the Regionals, but that's just because of the fact that for Cadet Women's Sabre, there were only 2 candidates in the whole Jakarta. I don't quite know why girls aren't so particularly interested in sabre but the competition only left one of my teammate and I to reach the final instantly in the Cadet Women's Sabre.

But I am so gutted right now.

Maybe because of the fact that the original Jakarta Fencing Team stepped down from the Nationals.

Which means my very first Nationals was a complete fail.

The technical meeting was in June 22nd, I remember we were all waiting for the outcomes of the technical meeting when suddenly I heard people around began to speak of 'another' team that was going to represent Jakarta. 

I, for one, was present in the Regionals, it was June 15th and 16th in Senayan (some sort of a famous sport centre in Jakarta). This so called 'Jakarta Fencing Team' was clearly not signed up for the Regionals but somehow they just got the opportunity to hold their very own Regionals. This is where everything is getting so complicated. No one even knew where these people of the fake 'Jakarta Fencing Team' did their practices.

My coach, being the person who knows his fencing comrades in Jakarta and all that jazz, decided to abandon the invitation sent to him by this fake 'Jakarta Fencing Team.'

Clearly the original Jakarta Fencing Team who always held the practices in Senayan outnumbered the athletes of this fake 'Jakarta Fencing Team.' Not only that,  the original Jakarta Fencing Team outnumbered the fake 'Jakarta Fencing Team' in terms of athletes whom constantly represent Indonesia in international-rank tournaments. In short WE are far more superior than they are.

I heard that the head of this fake 'Jakarta Fencing Team' had once associated herself with the All Indonesian Fencing Association (IKASI). From this, I just had the feeling that politics would be involving in this sort of matter. It is always like that in Indonesia no wonder everything we do in sport is always so shitty.

The head of the original Jakarta Fencing Team told us that they offered us some bargain about sharing a half of our athletes to them so we would still be representing Jakarta. But no.

Sometimes in fencing, fencers who would win the medals would be the one who got the first, second, third, and fourth place. Making the bronze medals to be gained by two people. In this case, if they offered us to share a half of our athletes to them that means 4 divided by 2. They would take the skillful ones and use them to 'represent' Jakarta.

Then left the other 2 who had done their very best in winning a place on the top 4 to mourn.

That is not All for One and One for All.

Now please die IKASI. You are useless after all.

Wait. That rhymes. I guess.

Dadah,

Regional Championship

Hullo everybody.

Been a long time ever since I updated this blog. Well time went pretty fast and tomorrow will be the very first regional championship I will participate in. Yes. In other words, the infamous kejurda. I will participate in women's sabre for cadet since I am still in middle school and this will also be my first time in using my sabre in a competition.

I shall now go to bed because if I came late tomorrow I will be shredded by my coach.

Dadah,

"Panggil Akoe Kartini Sadja" - Kartini Day Appreciation Post

"Kartini's hart sloeg warm de toekomst tegen,

Aan't garen van blemen, haar zielgewijd,

Reikhalzend uit teedere droomen ontwakend,

Tot heil van heel haar zachte volk,

In lijden en strijden met velen verbonden,

Na duisternis wijzend naar 'schemerend licht,

In blij ontluikenden morgenstond."

(Courtesy of "Kartini dari Sisi Lain")

***

Today is the 21st of April, in which Indonesians celebrate one of our most famous national heroines in history; Raden Ajeng Kartini.

To start this, let us all go back to the time where Indonesia was still a part of the Dutch colony, in the 19th century Dutch East Indies.


At that time, inlanders (another term for the native Indonesians in Dutch East Indies) were very much limited from the chance to be well-educated. While some children struggled to work in order to fulfill their family's needs, some inlander children who were recognized as a part of higher society families at least got a bit of chance to be educated. Lady Kartini was one of them.

Kartini, born in Jepara (a region in Central Java) to a noble Javanese family on 21 April 1879, managed to go to a Dutch school. But when she was 12, she was prohibited to continue her education because of her tradition commonly practiced by the Javanese (Indonesian would call this as 'pingit'), in which young girls are to be 'isolated' in order to prepare for their marriage in the future.


In her isolation period, because of her ability to speak Dutch, she then gained several Dutch pen pals. One of them was named Rosa Abendanon. She wrote letters to her regularly and then in the future, someone collected her letters and compiled them into a book called "Habis Gelap Terbitlah Terang" (Out of Dark Comes Light).

Not only that, after her marriage with a Javanese nobleman, Kartini managed to build school for women. It was a kind of school which taught women simple things like how to read, count, and sewing clothes, but it brought great change to a lot of people.

Kartini then was starting to be recognized as the woman who lifted Indonesian women status and taught people that anyone can have education, no matter what gender, race, religion, or even cultural background they have.

It was a sad thing though that Kartini didn't manage to live a long life. She died in the age of 25 after giving birth to her son. After Indonesia independent, Soekarno declared her national day to be set up on 21 April. So that people would never forget how a certain woman could fight to raise her people's status.

***

Talk about Kartini, the Dutch actually also gave some little appreciations for her

(courtesy of www.rnw.nl)

They said that there are several streets that are named after her in several different cities in the Netherlands. What thrilled me is that not only Kartini, but there are several Indonesian heroes names too that are being set up as street names in the Netherlands.

This is beyond amazing.

Dadah