About June, 1968, I attended a State Elementary School Number 3 in Lembah Street, Kelandasan City of Balikpapan market areas. Balikpapan in 1960’s has already the busiest and a business city in Borneo, because they have an oil refinery which can refined about 400,000 barrel of crude of oil a day, the largest Indonesian oil refinery on that times. When I attended at level 3 at Elementary School my age is 10 years old. Most of my classmate was 9 years old, because when I enrolled the first level of Elementary School event my age still 7 years old, but I stayed at level one for two years, because I did not pass the class in the first year. One of the reasons, my desk was in the backside last. So, with the students of more than 40, I could not hear what the teacher saying in the front of the class. That is why my father, Agusno, an Indonesian sergeant army told my principal that I should change the desk into the first line of the desk, close to the teacher in the front of the class, when I was continuing my class in year a head, in 1966. The changing of my desk was successful, because I pass the class till I am in the level 3 now, in 1968. In level 3, one of my best friends names Ahmad, but most of my classmate called him “Ahmad Picak’’ (Ahmad blind), because one of his eyed was not in used, he only could see in one eye. Ahmad told me that he could not see with his two eyes since his birth. ‘’Maybe my mother get something diseases, or my mom malnutrition’s, so she could not released me to the world in healthy physically,’’ Ahmad told me some times. Ahmad indeed is one of poor families’ students in my class. That is why before attending the class, he should carry on his shoulders a sweet plastic ice to sell in many areas in Balikpapan, from Klandasan market, Semayang harbor as well as around the school areas in Lembah Street. Some times Ahmad also sold a fried banana and other Indonesian traditional cake and pie in order to empower his purchasing pocket to buy a books and other their families needs and also to pay his tuition school fee. One day in February 1, 1968, I ask Ahmad: ‘’Ahmad, can I joined with you to sell sweet plastic ice (es plastic) and fried banana (pisang goreng or local call it ‘’Sanggar Pisang’’) like you did,’’. ‘’Sure, you would. We met you tomorrow in Gunung Dup, we will take sweet plastic ice there, including a fried banana, Ok?’’ Ahmad said to me. ‘’Ok, I would met there,’’ Yusuf told Ahmad. Gunung Dup areas, closed to Balikpapan Harbour are elite areas. Most peoples whose lived there is a rich peoples, mostly an Indonesian Government Own Oil Company of PERTAMINA staff, and other Foreign Oil and Gas company. Because only a certain peoples can effort to buy a refrigerator or commercial ice box in the 60’s. In early morning, about 06.00, on Thursday, the first week of June, 1968 I have already in the house of one of Pertamina staff in Gunung Dup areas. I was a little surprised that Ahmad went this house earlier than me. He already arrived at 05.45, 15 minutes earlier than me. Ahmad had already fulfilled his entire two ice thermos with 60 ice sweet plastic. Each thermos had a capacity of 30 ice sweet plastic. Usually the ice sweet plastic has ingredients only water, sugar, and “cake colors’’. Some times thy mix it with fruit juice, like soybean juice, mango juice, durian juice and other fruit taste. I was also fulfilled all two ice thermos and I carried with 1, 5 meter stick into my shoulder. Ahmad this morning had to sell his ice sweet plastic to Prapatan market route, Sentosa II, Klandasan traditional areas and closed to Jalan Lembah areas. I had another route. Around Semayang harbor, Kebun Sayur market and Kampung Baru Tengah areas. ‘’Sweet Ice…..mix with sweet fruit”! , I shout lauder in the street, to tell the peoples that I pass by that I offer to sell a sweet ice. Some of the peoples bought my ice sweet plastic in the route, before I arr

1. Unfinished Journey
(A short story of an autobiography of Indonesian Journalist)
http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/5018147-unfinished-journey-episode-1-a-short-
story-of-an-autobiography-of-indonesian-journalist
By: Muhammad Jusuf *
(Episode 1, January 13, 2010)
Selling Sweet Plastic Ice
About June, 1968, I attended a State Elementary School Number 3 in Lembah Street, Kelandasan
City of Balikpapan market areas. Balikpapan in 1960’s has already the busiest and a business
city in Borneo, because they have an oil refinery which can refined about 400,000 barrel of crude
of oil a day, the largest Indonesian oil refinery on that times.
When I attended at level 3 at Elementary School my age is 10 years old. Most of my classmate
was 9 years old, because when I enrolled the first level of Elementary School event my age still 7
years old, but I stayed at level one for two years, because I did not pass the class in the first year.
One of the reasons, my desk was in the backside last. So, with the students of more than 40, I
could not hear what the teacher saying in the front of the class. That is why my father, Agusno,
an Indonesian sergeant army told my principal that I should change the desk into the first line of
the desk, close to the teacher in the front of the class, when I was continuing my class in year a
head, in 1966. The changing of my desk was successful, because I pass the class till I am in the
level 3 now, in 1968.
In level 3, one of my best friends names Ahmad, but most of my classmate called him “Ahmad
Picak’’ (Ahmad blind), because one of his eyed was not in used, he only could see in one eye.
Ahmad told me that he could not see with his two eyes since his birth. ‘’Maybe my mother get
something diseases, or my mom malnutrition’s, so she could not released me to the world in
healthy physically,’’ Ahmad told me some times.
Ahmad indeed is one of poor families’ students in my class. That is why before attending the
class, he should carry on his shoulders a sweet plastic ice to sell in many areas in Balikpapan,
from Klandasan market, Semayang harbor as well as around the school areas in Lembah Street.
Some times Ahmad also sold a fried banana and other Indonesian traditional cake and pie in
order to empower his purchasing pocket to buy a books and other their families needs and also to
pay his tuition school fee.

2. One day in February 1, 1968, I ask Ahmad: ‘’Ahmad, can I joined with you to sell sweet plastic
ice (es plastic) and fried banana (pisang goreng or local call it ‘’Sanggar Pisang’’) like you did,’’.
‘’Sure, you would. We met you tomorrow in Gunung Dup, we will take sweet plastic ice there,
including a fried banana, Ok?’’ Ahmad said to me. ‘’Ok, I would met there,’’ Yusuf told Ahmad.
Gunung Dup areas, closed to Balikpapan Harbour are elite areas. Most peoples whose lived there
is a rich peoples, mostly an Indonesian Government Own Oil Company of PERTAMINA staff,
and other Foreign Oil and Gas company. Because only a certain peoples can effort to buy a
refrigerator or commercial ice box in the 60’s.
In early morning, about 06.00, on Thursday, the first week of June, 1968 I have already in the
house of one of Pertamina staff in Gunung Dup areas. I was a little surprised that Ahmad went
this house earlier than me. He already arrived at 05.45, 15 minutes earlier than me. Ahmad had
already fulfilled his entire two ice thermos with 60 ice sweet plastic. Each thermos had a
capacity of 30 ice sweet plastic. Usually the ice sweet plastic has ingredients only water, sugar,
and “cake colors’’. Some times thy mix it with fruit juice, like soybean juice, mango juice,
durian juice and other fruit taste. I was also fulfilled all two ice thermos and I carried with 1, 5
meter stick into my shoulder.
Ahmad this morning had to sell his ice sweet plastic to Prapatan market route, Sentosa II,
Klandasan traditional areas and closed to Jalan Lembah areas. I had another route. Around
Semayang harbor, Kebun Sayur market and Kampung Baru Tengah areas.
‘’Sweet Ice…..mix with sweet fruit”! , I shout lauder in the street, to tell the peoples that I pass
by that I offer to sell a sweet ice. Some of the peoples bought my ice sweet plastic in the route,
before I arrived in Semayang harbor areas.
‘’Brother, come in here,’’ shout some one who just went come out from one warehouse in
Semayang harbor, Balikpapan. Then, I went more closely to the young guy who just called me
who want to bought my ice sweet plastic. ‘’Hey, Togar, please came here, tell all your friends
there, I would treated you all to buy this ice sweet plastic,’’ said Ucok to his friends whose jobs
as a part time bag carried person in the Harbor. ‘’Ok, we would came,’’ said Togar and around
five other friends.
When I arrived in Semayang Harbor, My ice sweet plastic left only around 40 items. Around 20
items were already sold on the way from my boss houses to Semayang Harbor. They only took
not more than three minutes to dry out my thermos ice. I was very happy so, but when Ucok had
give a sign to his friends. ‘’Run…!’’ said Ucok to his all friends. It’s was took only one minutes
Ucok and all his friends was gone to somewhere in the Harbor that I could not follow. How a kid
ten years old like me can catch them or could follow their speed running.
I just cried loudly and no one worker in the harbor took pity on me. I do not blame them, may be
they just worked to hard tried to feed their families by offering a part time job to carry a ships
passenger bags or carried other things. That was they were not enough time, event a few minutes
to watch other peoples business like me.

3. • Freelance Journalist and Lecture in Journalism at Hidayatullah School of
Economics Institute (STIE), Indonesia.