Ruby's wish

Ruby’s Wish
If you walk down a certain road in a certain city in China, past the pet market with its yellow-and-green ricebirds hopping in their bamboo cages, and the goldfish and the terrapins in their porcelain bowl, you will come to a block of houses, five houses wide and seven houses deep. Many families live here now, and the buildings are brown with age and dirt. But if you look closely, you will see that, once upon a time, this was all one house, the magnificent house of one family.
The house was built by an old man who returned from the Gold Mountain. That was what the Chinese called California, when many men left to join the Gold Rush there and few came back again. But as I said, this man did come back, and he came back very rich. And he did what rich men did in old China: he married many wives. His wives had many sons, and these sons also had many wives. So at one time, the house was filled with the shrieks and laughter of over one hundred children.
Amongst these children was a little girl that everyone called Ruby, because she loved the colour red. In China, red is the colour of celebration. On New Years’ Day, children receive red envelopes full of good-luck money. Brides wear red on their wedding day. But Ruby insisted on wearing red every day. Even when her mother
made her wear sombre colours like all her other cousins, Ruby would tie up her jet-black hair with red ribbons. Because he had so many grandchildren, Ruby’s grandfather hired a teacher to come to the house. Any grandchild who wanted to learn could join the classes. This was unusual in China in those days, when most girls were never taught to read or write.
Whenever the weather was fine, classes were held in the garden. The windows of Ruby’s grandfather’s office opened on to that garden. Often, he would rise from his desk to gaze out of his window at his grandchildren.
One day, Ruby’s grandfather looked down from his window to see the high white wall of the garden plastered with calligraphy. His grandchildren had been practicing their handwriting. Ruby’s grandfather laughed to see that many had smudged ink on their hands and faces!
Then he noticed a sheet that was more beautiful then the rest. Which of his grandchildren had produced such wonderful calligraphy? Down in the garden, the teacher was praising Ruby. Her ears were turning as bright red as her jacket. But if Ruby was doing as well as her boy cousins in her studies, she had to work much harder. When the boys had finished their studies for the day, they were free to play. But the girls had to learn about cooking and keeping house. In fact, as far as their mothers were concerned, these were the only things girls had to learn. One by one, the girls stopped going to the classes. All except Ruby. She would catch up on her embroidery at night. Many nights, her candle flickered long after everyone else had gone to bed.
One day, the children were asked to write a poem. Ruby wrote:
Alas, bad luck to be born a girl;
worse luck to be born into this house
where only boys are cared for.
Ruby’s teacher was very impressed by the poem. He showed it to Ruby’s grandfather. Ruby’s grandfather was also impressed, but he was worried about what
the poem said. He summoned Ruby to his office. Ruby found her grandfather sitting in his chair, her poem spread open on his desk.
“Did you write this poem?” asked Ruby’s grandfather.
“Yes, I did, Grandfather,” answered Ruby.
“Do you really think that in this house we only care for boys?”
“Oh no, Grandfather,” said Ruby, very sorry that she upset him. “You take good care of all of us, and for that we are all grateful.”
“Little Ruby,” her grandfather said gently, “I really would like to know why you wrote this poem. How are the boys better looked after?”
“Well,” said Ruby, trying to think of a small, unimportant thing. “When it is the Moon Festival and we are each given half a moon cake, the boys always get the half with the yellow moon yolk.”
“Hmmm,” said her grandfather, as if he was still waiting. “Is that so?”
“Yes,” continued Ruby, “and when it is the Lantern Festival, the girls are given simple paper lanterns but the boys have red lanterns in the shapes of goldfish, cockerels and dragons.”
Ruby’s grandfather chuckled. He’d never thought about it before. He could imagine how much Ruby would have liked a red lantern.
“But most importantly,” said Ruby, staring hard at her red shoes, “the boys will get to go to university, but the girls will be married.”
“Don’t you want to be married?” asked her grandfather. “You know, you are very lucky. A daughter of this house can marry any man.”
“I know, Grandfather,” said Ruby, “but I’d much rather go to university.”
Ruby’s grandfather touched her hair. “Thank you for talking to me, Ruby,” he said. “Go on with your lessons. Make the most of them while you can.”
So Ruby went on with her lessons. Some of the boys grew up and went away to university. Some stayed in the house and started families of their own. But when they grew up, all the girls were married and sent away to live in their husbands’ homes. Ruby knew it would soon be her turn. In the ponds, Ruby could see the orange-and-
white carps gulping for bread under a thin layer of ice. It would soon be Chinese New Year. Ruby felt sure it would be her last one at home.
On New Year’s Day, Ruby put on red velvet shoes and tied red ribbons in her hair. Then she went to wish everyone a happy new year. She started with her married cousins, then worked her way up through her parents, aunts and uncles. Each one gave her a red packet full of lucky money. Finally, she bowed before her grandfather. “Good luck and prosperity, Grandfather,” she said.
“Good luck, little Ruby,” replied her grandfather, and he handed her a very fat red packet.
Ruby could feel the eyes of all her family on her as she opened the lucky red envelope. Can you guess what was in it? It wasn’t money, it was something much better than that.
It was a letter from a university, saying that they would be proud to accept Ruby as one of their very first female students.
So that’s how Ruby got her wish. It’s a true story. And how do I know this? Well, Ruby is my grandmother, and every day she still wears a little red.
Shirin Yim Bridges
Ruby’s Wish
San Francisco, Chronicle Books, 2002

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“Gedung Kelelawar” di Kota Tua Semarang

JIKA Singapura bisa memiliki dan mempertahankan kawasannya yang disebut Little India, China Town dan Kampung Melayu sebagai salah satu obyek wisata menarik, mengapa Semarang tidak? Seperti di negara tetangga tersebut, Semarang memiliki Kota Tua yang tidak kalah menariknya dibanding Little India, China Town dan Kampung Melayu.

Dilihat dari jumlah bangunan dan bentuknya, Kota Tua jauh lebih besar. Bangunan-bangunan tua tersebut berumur lebih dari satu abad, bahkan sudah mendekati dua setengah abad. Gereja Blenduk yang merupakan bangunan tertua di kawasan itu misalnya, dibangun pada tahun 1753 di zaman pendeta Johanennes Wihelmus Swemmelaar.

Gereja dengan kubahnya yang unik ini konon pernah limbung. Pondasi bangunannya di bagian timur sempat ambles beberapa sentimeter sehingga dikhawatirkan akan menganggu konstruksi seluruh bangunan. Untung kemudian hal itu bisa diatasi dengan melakukan perbaikan, sehingga kekhawatiran kerusakan lebih parah bisa dihindarkan.

Akan tetapi hal itu bukanlah satu-satunya persoalan yang dihadapi Pemda Kota Semarang dalam menjaga salah satu ciri khas yang dimilikinya. Kota Tua menyimpan sejumlah bangunan tua lainnya yang kini kelihatan makin rapuh. Di beberapa tempat tampak bagian tembok mulai jebol dan pintu-pintu bangunan yang terbuat dari kayu jati kelas satu sudah mulai dimakan pelapukan akibat kurang perawatan.

***

SEMARANG memang merupakan contoh menarik sebagai daerah pantai yang dirancang pemerintah kolonial Belanda sebagai kota pelabuhan dan perdagangan yang dibangun di wilayah bagian utara. Sedangkan wilayah selatan yang merupakan daerah berbukit-bukit dirancang sebagai kawasan hunian dan peristirahatan.

Kota Tua yang memiliki sekitar 80 bangunan tua yang sebagian besar dibangun pada abad ke-19 dan awal abad ke-20, terletak di wilayah bagian utara. Dari ketinggian bukit-bukit di bagian selatan, setiap orang bisa menikmati keindahan Kota Tua dengan latar belakang Pelabuhan Tanjung Mas dan Laut Jawa. Kerlap-kerlip lampu kota dan lampu pelabuhan kelihatan di malam hari.

Kini setelah lebih dari satu abad, perkembangan kota sudah sangat lain. Stasiun Jurnatan yang dikenal sebagai stasiun sentral sekaligus stasiun tertua, sudah tidak ada lagi. Di atas daerah yang dulunya merupakan stasiun yang menghubungkan Semarang dengan Jomblangbulu itu, kini berderet bangunan pertokoan.

Menyadari kekeliruannya, Pemda Kota Semarang kemudian berusaha mempertahankan bangunan tua lainnya, terutama yang terletak di seputar Kota Lama. Bangunan itu bukan hanya memiliki nilai estetika tinggi, tetapi juga merupakan aset kota yang sekaligus mempunyai nilai budaya dan ekonomi.

Bagi wisatawan, terutama mereka yang berasal dari luar negeri, Kota Tua mempunyai daya pikat tersendiri. Mereka bisa berjalan menyusuri Jalan Letjen Suprapto yang membelah Kota Tua serta jalan-jalan yang lebih kecil di kiri kanannya seraya menikmati bangunan tua di kiri-kanannya. Bahkan bagi wisatawan dari Negeri Belanda, perjalanan mengelilingi Kota Tua merupakan catatan tersendiri yang merupakan nostalgia menyusuri “jalan kenangan”.

Untuk membedakan jalan di “Kota Tua” dengan jalan di sekitarnya, aspal jalan “Kota Tua” ditutup paving block. Selain mengesankan lebih artistik, tinggi badan jalan bisa lebih tinggi sehingga mengurangi kemungkinan ancaman banjir yang sudah menjadi bencana rutin kota Semarang.

***

SAYANG, keindahan itu harus punya beban kondisi bangunan-bangunannya yang memprihatinkan serta hiruk-pikuk arus lalulintas kendaraan. Terutama pada siang hari, arus kendaraan hampir tak pernah henti sehingga bisa menimbulkan getaran yang mengganggu kestabilan bangunan, di samping sangat menganggu para pejalan kaki.

Namun, ancaman paling berat selama ini adalah akibat kurangnya perawatan. Bangunan-bangunan Kota Tua umumnya merupakan bangunan besar berlantai dua. Kecuali beberapa instansi atau perusahaan tertentu, seperti PT Telkom, Kantor Pos, PT Asuransi Jiwasraya, sebagian besar bangunan lainnya digunakan oleh lebih dari satu perusahaan. Bahkan ada di antaranya yang menggunakan satu bangunan lebih dari satu perusahaan atau kegiatan usaha.

Ada yang menggunakan sebagai cabang kantor dagang, kantor pelayaran, kantor notaris dan pengacara serta kantor-kantor lainnya. Kemampuan kegiatan usaha tersebut tidak sama. Bahkan karena skala usahanya tergolong kecil, mereka hanya mampu membayar sewa tanpa bisa melakukan perawatan, apalagi perbaikan.

Akibatnya, sebagian besar kondisi bangunan Kota Tua mengalami kerusakan. Genting-genting yang bocor dibiarkan sehingga air menggenangi lantai dan mempercepat proses kerusakan bahan bangunan. Bangunan lantai dua yang terakhir digunakan PT Perkebunan XV misalnya, dibangun tahun 1887. Tanggal 17 Agustus 1974 bangunan tersebut diresmikan pemakaiannya setelah mengalami renovasi. Namun sejalan dengan perubahan di lingkungan Badan Usaha Milik Negara (BUMN) tersebut, kini sebagian besar ruang dari gedung tersebut dan gedung-gedung lainnya, dalam keadaan kosong.

Tembok luar bangunan yang terletak di bagian paling atas, sudah ditumbuhi tanaman liar. Akar-akarnya mencengkeram, merusak tembok bangunan. Penderitaan bangunan itu makin lengkap jika turun hujan. Pada siang hari, ruang kosong yang terletak di bawah genting dan langit-langit bangunan dijadikan sarang ratusan ribu kelelawar sehingga gedung tersebut dijuluki “Gedung Kelelawar”.

Nasib yang tidak jauh berbeda, bahkan lebih parah lagi dialami sejumlah bangunan-bangunan tua lainnya. Tembok-temboknya dibiarkan terkelupas dan batu-batanya mulai lepas. Kayu-kayu bangunan yang terbuat dari jati atau kayu pilihan lainnya sudah mulai dimakan aus akibat terendam air pada setiap turun hujan.

Di luar Kota Tua, bangunan tua yang megah Lawang Sewu yang menjadi ciri khas kota Semarang kini mulai kehilangan pamor. Bangunan tersebut dirancang dengan arsitektur modern, merupakan karya Prof Klinkkmaer dan Quendaq.

Seperti halnya di daerah-daerah lain, ancaman paling besar terhadap bangunan-bangunan tua di kota ini berasal proses waktu yang memakan kekuatan bangunan itu sendiri. Adanya serangan air hujan hanyalah salah satu sebab, di samping terik matahari yang menjadi faktor penyebab yang bisa mempercepat proses kerapuhan bangunan secara alami.

Apalagi jika pemerintah kota tidak mampu mengendalikan banjir yang kini sudah menjadi langganan rutin wilayah utara Semarang pada setiap musim hujan. Dengan kurangnya perawatan, seberapa lamakah kekayaan yang mempunyai nilai budaya dan ekonomi itu bisa bertahan? (Her Suganda)

Sumber: Kompas, Minggu, 19 November 2000

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