Raffles
Go home

Leaving Halmahera does not mean leaving behind all the memories that have been created during the last twenty days that we spent in that city. But it brings all the good and positive things that we can bring to where we will be back. The place we will go home with all our routines and daily life.

The story about the trip during Halmahera is not finished even though we have arrived in Jakarta later. There are still many other stories that will be created.

****

Half-three, our plane just took off. The typical noise of the plane taking off does make deaf ears. I closed my ears because of the noise, even though it was not the first time to get on a plane, it still bothered me. Until the moment the plane had flown perfectly in the sky my hand was removed from both my ears. The evening sky looks beautiful from the plane window.

The greenery of the forest is still visible below. Ah if we had more time, I thought.It looks like we will arrive in Jakarta later in the evening. This flight will take almost five hours calculated by a twenty-minute transit at Sultan Hasanuddin airport as at the beginning of our departure. The difference this time we will part with Mas Adul and mas Nanang.

Before this plane took off, I texted raffles to tell him we were going back to Jakarta. But since my phone has switched on airplane mode then I can't see if there's a reply or not from them. My parents told me that today I will return to Jakarta. Be careful, take good care of yourself. That's my mom's message through the WA app I received just after I sent her a chat.

This time we really went home. Not returning from the forest to the resort or returning from the resort to the hall. But really back to where we started. Really coming back, it is likely that we will never see the good people who helped us during our time in Halmahera. It was sad but we still had to go home. There are still many obligations that we have to fulfill. If someday mate and given the opportunity again surely we will visit again.

***

The plane arrived at Makassar Sultan Hasanuddin airport. Mas Adul and Mas Nanang took their bags inside the cabin and said goodbye to us. They were both also included in the longed list of this expedition. Be careful, we said that we were crowded on the plane, not caring about the gaze of other passengers who looked strangely at us.

Because we still wear uniforms.If there is no writing faculty K******* on the back of the uniform there may be people who think we are pesantren or orphanage children who just released the cage. But our identity was saved because of that writing.

Where did it come from? someone asked one of us in the back seat of my seat. From North Maluku sir, he replied.There are activities there?ask someone to be called the father. The expedition was answered again. Where does that mean? ask again.Ke Jakarta, he replied. Oh so good luck mas and his friends yes. Thanks sir answered again.

At half-eight in the evening we arrived at Soekarno Hatta airport. Still have to wait for more baggage that makes us out of this airport longer. One by one the carier is lifted off the top of the luggage machine. Many pairs of eyes were looking at us because of the uniform we were wearing and the carier bag attached to our shoulders. Before landing we were fed dinner on the plane.My food did not have time to eat, then I took advantage of the time while waiting for luggage to fill the stomach that began to rumble.

Farhan gave the sheet to the officer as we were about to pass through the examination door. After everything was done, we were in the airport lobby. We are still waiting for the bus to pick us up. This time we did not use the bus from the airport, but there was already a campus bus that would pick up because we would all return to campus first before returning home or boarding each.

The frenzied atmosphere of the capital began to feel again. Although it's ten o'clock at night but it looks like this airport has no death. There are still many people passing by, very different from Sultan Babulloh airport in ternate there.

While waiting for the bus to arrive we decided to take a break. Some people were seen entering the foodcart arena and ordering food, some people enjoyed snacks, charging their phones to play trolley push to drive away boredom.

Ten o'clock later the bus we were waiting for appeared at the airport. Soon we put all the items in the bus trunk and into the bus. Some people sat up as soon as they sat on the bus. Indeed the body aches because too much sitting on the plane earlier.

The bus started to leave the airport. The streets of the capital were bustling with iron horse horses and humans coming into sight. Although it was late at night as if the humans in the capital had never slept, the streets were still crowded and jammed.

Buses crawl little by little in the middle of the traffic jam. Aduhhhh this is our address nyampe campus already morning said Dani. Some people have slept well no matter what is around them anymore and some are still literate to enjoy the traffic jam.

To drive away the bored Dani asked the bus driver to turn on the TV on the bus. At least there is entertainment in the middle of this jammed road. It seems like we haven't seen such a sight in a long time. It has been a long time since we were stuck in traffic on the way and it has been a long time since we saw the lights and tall buildings that lined it.

****

After working long enough with the traffic jam of the capital road we finally arrived at the campus. One by one get off the bus and help get the luggage out of the bus. Several senior people were waiting for us to arrive and helped to get the items out of the trunk.

The roomy equipment and camping tents we brought, we left the secret society on campus, then crowded we went home to each other's residence. Some people were picked up by their roommates and some decided to take the ojek because they were too tired while the rest were on foot. It was already two in the morning but the campus area was still crowded.

We've really gone home.