Season 3 Episode 3
Level of Indonesian and English fluency: Intermediate to Advanced (speaking speed: Advanced)
Indonesian Version
Gua adalah anak pertama dari 5 bersaudara. Lahir dan besar di Pematang Siantar, Sumatera Utara. Dari kecil gua sudah diajarkan untuk bekerja, menjaga toko, mengantar kue ke pasar untuk dijual dan sepulang sekolah gua kembali ke pasar untuk menerima uang dari hasil penjualan kue.
Disaat teman-teman sebaya gua pulang sekolah bisa bermain, gua harus menjaga toko sampai sore dan itu dilakukan setiap hari dari hari Senin sampai Minggu. Walaupun gua suka kesal tapi gua menjalani tugas yang diberikan oleh orang tua kepada gua.
Gua juga sudah terbiasa dengan wangi khas dari ikan asin yg memenuhi seisi toko dan lantai atas rumah (kebetulan kami sekeluarga tinggal di atas toko), tidak jarang baju gua terimbas wangi khas ikan asin dan gua sudah terbiasa apabila ada teman-teman di sekolah suka tanya, bahkan dengan nada mengejek gua, kok baju gua berasa wangi ikan asin. Bertahun-tahun gua memendam rasa malu karena wangi ikan asin yg melekat di baju. Sampai akhirnya gua bisa menerima dan bersahabat dengan wangi khas tersebut.
Pak Landung dan Ny. Ai, kedua orang tua gua, rupanya tau hal ini dan selalu bilang sama gua dan adik-adik gua untuk tidak boleh malu menjadi anak penjual ikan asin. Harus bangga karena dari hasil jual ikan asin dan 9 bahan pokok inilah yang bisa membiayai sekolah dan kuliah gua beserta adik-adik gua.
Kedua orang tua gua juga mendidik anak anaknya untuk menjadi petarung sekaligus pejuang kehidupan. Bau ikan asin yang menempel dan tidak bisa gua tutupi, tanpa gua sadari, merupakan salah satu pendidikan awal bahwa sekeras apapun hidup, tidak boleh lari dan bersembunyi. Harus dihadapi karena itulah sekolah kehidupan yang sesungguhnya.
Gua melanjutkan kuliah dan menetap di Jakarta.
Menjadi warga Jakarta adalah cita cita dari kecil. Bekerja di industri hiburan adalah mimpi yang terus gua pelihara, gua pupuk dan gua bawa dalam doa gua setiap harinya. Jakarta mendidik gua menjadi sosok yang mandiri, tahan banting, tidak mudah patah semangat apalagi mengeluh. Jakarta juga memberikan tempat kepada gua untuk meraih mimpi-mimpi gua, salah satunya menjadi manajer artis.
Semua itu tidak ada yang gampang, tidak ada yang instan, tidak ada yang serta merta langsung kejadian. Gua yang memulai karir gua dari posisi yang paling bawah sebagai runner, dari sana perlahan-lahan merangkak naik. Begitu banyak jalan terjal yang harus dilalui, jatuh bangun yang sudah tidak terhitung jumlahnya.
Tahap demi tahap, gua lalui dengan kesabaran dan terkadang hanya ditemani oleh air mata, sepi, dan seorang diri.
Bekerja- jatuh- bangun- jatuh lagi dan bangun lagi, begitulah seterusnya. Itulah kehidupan yang gua lakoni, gua nikmati dan gua resapi.
Sampai kapan pun gua akan terus menjadi murid dari kehidupan.
Tidak ada secuil penyesalan berkarir di Industri hiburan dan memilih Artist Manager sebagai profesi. Menjadi (Manager Artist) adalah sebuah kebanggaan, pekerjaan terhormat yang akan gua kenang sepanjang hidup gua.
Perjalanan masih sangat panjang, gua sendiri tidak tau hingga kapan.
Yang pasti, selagi masih diberi nafas dan semangat, gua akan terus berjalan, berlari, melompat tinggi. Kadang berhenti sejenak, bersiap untuk melangkah lagi. Memilih menjadi pejuang kehidupan adalah kebanggaan yang patut dirayakan.
English Version (7:50)
Sulung is the eldest of five siblings. He was born and raised in Pematang Siantar, North Sumatera. Since he was little, he was already taught to work; minding the store, delivering cakes to the market to be sold, and returning to the market after school to pick up the money from the sales of the cakes.
While Sulung’s friends played after school, he had to mind the store until the afternoon and that was done everyday from Monday to Sunday. Although annoyed, he still did the chores that were assigned to him by his parents.
Sulung was also accustomed with the “unique smell” coming from the salted fish that filled the store and the floor above it (his family lived above the store). Often enough his clothes also absorbed the smell of that salted fish and he got used to being asked by his school friends who made fun of him because of that salted fish smell from his clothing. For years, he had to endure the embarrassment of the smell of salted fish on his clothes. Until he eventually could accept and made peace with that specific smell.
Mr. Landung and Mrs. Ai apparently knew about this and had always taught Sulung and his younger siblings to never be embarrassed about being children of a salted fish seller. They must be proud of that fact as the income from selling salted fish and other main food ingredients was what paid for their education till university.
Both Sulung’s parents also taught their children to be tough and work hard in life. That smell of salted fish that stuck and could not be covered, unknowingly was one of the early teachings that no matter how hard life gets, one should never run and hide. Those challenges must be faced as those are the real lessons in life.
Sulung continued his university education and resided in Jakarta.
Being a citizen of Jakarta was his childhood goal. Working in the entertainment industry had been a dream that he nurtured, worked for and prayed for every day. Jakarta made him into an independent person, who is tough, not easily discouraged and never complained. Jakarta provided a place for him to realize his dreams, one of them being a manager for artists.
All of that was not easy, nothing was ever achieved instantly or just happened by itself. Sulung started his career from the bottom as a runner, and slowly worked his way up. Many steep paths had to be passed with uncountable failings and getting ups.
Step by step, he had to go through them all, alone with patience and sometimes only accompanied by his solitary tears.
Sulung went through the cycle of work-fail-get up again.That is his life in which he lived through, enjoyed and endured. Until forever he will always be a student of life.
He never once regretted his career choice, working in the entertainment industry as an artist’s manager. Sulung is proud, working as an artist’s manager, an honorable profession which he knows he will carry with him for the rest of his life.
The journey ahead is still long, Sulung himself does not know until when. One thing is for sure, while he is still breathing and passionate, he will keep on walking, running and jumping. Sometimes stopping for a while to get ready and start again. Choosing to become a life fighter is something to be proud of and worthy of a celebration.
This is a story from Sulung Landung who is originally from Pematang Siantar, North Sumatera. He currently lives and works in Jakarta as a manager for artists, establishing the company Avatara88 or Avatara88 ARTIST MANAGEMENT. He also has written 2 books on artist management and will launch his third book this year. He has also been involved in movie productions as Assistant Producer & Co Producer , musical dramas and became one of the hosts of a podcast called Di Belakang Layar (Behind the Scenes).
Vocabularies
Gua: I (traditional local Betawi/Jakarta word) majority of people in Jakarta use this word during informal settings and with people who are the same generation or younger.
Wangi khas: specific smell (wangi usually used for something smells good instead of bad)
Terimbas: got caught, absorbed, affected
Kok: why (it’s an informal way to question and to confirm, it depends on the context. if question, the tone is going up, when it’s used to confirm, the tone is going down.)
Memendam: harbored, endured
Warga: citizen
Manager Artis: Artist Manager (Indonesian tends to mix both English and Indonesian)
Pupuk: nurture (the direct meaning of that word is fertilize)
Sosok: a person, an individual
Serta merta: instant, necessarily
Secuil: small, tiny (something)
Pak Landung dan Ny. Ai: Sulung’s parents’ names (Pak is Mr. and Nyonya is Mrs.)
9 bahan pokok/ Sembilan Bahan Pokok (SemBaKo): the nine main ingredients for cooking and food (local, Indonesian)According to the Indonesian trade department in 2017: rice, corn, soybean, sugar, frying oil, scallion, beef, chicken, chicken eggs.
Indonesian language used here is in the daily-conversation format, that has influences from the local culture and custom. Should you have questions on the more formal version, please consult with your guru Bahasa Indonesia.
Level of Indonesian and English fluency: Intermediate to Advanced (Speaking speed: Advanced)
Guest Speaker Photo: Dion Wiyoko