LIVING IN PMH

Boarding School (Pesantren) is one of the oldest educational institutions in Indonesia which has an important contribution in the intellectual life of the nation. These institutions accounted worthy in nation-building in education, religious, and moral. Historically, Boarding Schools have a huge experience in educating and developing community. Even, Boarding Schools are able to enhance its role independently to explore the potential of surrounding community.

At least there are three main elements of support exist and whether schools in education, the kiai as an educator and owner of the cottage and the students; curriculum boarding schools; and places of worship education, such as mosques, scholars home, cabin, etc. These elements manifest in the form of its activities are summarized in Tridharma of Boarding School, is coaching the faith and devotion to God Almighty, the development of science and useful skill, and devotion to the religion, society, and state.

Modern Islamic Boarding School Biru that well-known as PMH is one of Boarding School in Bone, South Sulawesi. I know that several people think that Boarding School is not a comfortable place. But this view doesn’t apply in me. For me, life in Boarding School teaches us the way to survive in face the challenges of life. In this place, I can study how to be an autonomous person.

In my opinion PMH is the best place to study. Why??? Because we can learn many things there. The same as another school, in PMH even though we learn more about religion (Nahwu, Saraf, Fiqih, etc.) but we also can learn common knowledge like Math, Science and Social knowledge, Arts, etc. Beside that, we also study about personality, discipline, togetherness, and so on that will be benefit for you. So, don’t worry, you will get more than you want.

Like another schools, in PMH we also wear the same uniform with general schools, there’s white-blue for MTs or White-grey for MA and scout uniform. One thing that different with common school is holiday. At the common schools, Sunday is their holiday. In PMH, our holiday is Friday. In Friday, we are free and we can take a rest more because nothing teaching and learning process in the classroom or in the mosque. Sometimes we use that time to come back to our home because long times no see our family makes us homesick. And we just can come back once a month.

However, I believe that all of friends who had experience life in PMH sometimes feel the beauty of life at Boarding School. There is love and there is sorrow, life with friends together. Feel the beauty of togetherness, eat together, sleep together, pray and learn together. Together in a lot of activities that have been defined by the PMH.

Indeed, life of PMH can open our eyes about how a person should do their life without selfishness. When there are friends getting sick, we help and keep them up to take care of them until cured. Subhanallah, really lovely, isn’t it???

However, it feels more beautiful when all was done solely to seek blessings of God. No matter how charitable we are, if we done with intent "tabarruj", there is no blessing and it’s useless I think.

So far I know not a few of the students who must live among the "shortage" at the PMH without complaining one bit. The spirit to seek knowledge is not reduced at all. We really believe what is told in the book ta'limulmuta'alim. Dissipate a lot in our studies will make science not only blessed but also brain can not think. We should be patient in our studies in any condition. Although we must wake up early, it doesn’t burden at all. Although we had to hold the eyelids to remain open while sleepy haunts, not to make his spirit dimmed. Armed with a yellow book that read Arabic without wowel that Allah provided by previous scholars.

I still remember that we must got up at the early morning, for about 04.30. Even, sometimes before 03.00 o’clock there were student started to show their activities, such as Tahajjud prayer and had already Tadarrus. Chill of the morning didn’t make us lazy to do it. So got up, we immediately went to took ablution for performed Subuh prayer. After that, there was study of Al Kitab by one of our teacher (kyai) and it’s different every day. These activities usually end up at 06.00 o’clock.

After that, we prepared to go to ate in the dining room. So finished eating, we must got back to the dorm, took a bath, and got ready to the class to learned. But, before going to the class there were usually several students had obligation to clean the dormitory, in order to maintain cleanliness and comfort the place where we lived (dormitory and surrounding). There was schedule that had been made for it and changeable in each period. We studied in the classroom till 14.00 o’clock but when Dhuhur prayer time came, teaching and learning process was stooped for a moment and continued after performed Dhuhur prayer.

We usually got lunch after finished teaching and learning process in the classroom. Strung activities like that didn’t means never making us feel tired. Because of that several students usually take a nap while waiting for Ashar time prayer.

Towards the evening, we busied ourselves back to keep the remembrance of Allah, performed the afternoon (Ashar) prayer. In the afternoon, sometimes there are extracurricular activities, such as Boy Scouts, Sports, Red-Cross, Course, etc. That activity is available for students, if they don’t want to join, its okay. Because that activities provided for students who wanted to developed their interest and talent. The students who didn’t joined in it, just stay at the dormitory doing another activity.

As the sunset, these activities must be stopped and re-conducted religious activities in the night the same as what we do in the early morning. It’s usually happen during an hour, between Magrib and Isya’. After that, we’re having dinner and then continued our study in each dormitory. And one thing that I never forget about PMH is make a line custom. In every thing that we do, we must make a line. For examples, take a bath, taking a meal in the dining room, ironing, and so on.

Beside that there are many current and interest activities that teaches us to be talented students. For examples, weekly speech using four kinds of languages (Indonesian, English, Arabic, and Buginese), speech cadre training that well-known as LKD, daily vocabulary in three languages (English, Arabic, Indonesian) and so on.

One thing that makes me become survive in PMH is ascetic attitude. We are like a family same as in our home. The first time stay there, I feel really different seemed to be in “another world”. In my home I rarely mop the floor, sweep, remove garbage, clean the bathroom (picket), I feel really compulsion. But after one year, I could feel how good stay in PMH. We always remember the hereafter and competing in the goodness. Good willing (Insya’ Allah)….!!!

 Another important thing about life of PMH is discipline. All things that we do have regulation and will get punishment when we break it. The kinds of punishment that will given depends on what regulation that we break. Sometimes we get punishment to write down surah, cleaning the dormitory/toilet, wash the dishes, and so on. Even, there is ever some students must be drop out from PMH. But it doesn't mean PMH is bad for us. By that punishment we can be more discipline students and be better in the future.

However, behind all of that not all students who entered by the parents into PMH is a student (children) who is really good, there are also children who are "naughty" and the purpose of her parents to enter into the PMH is for him to Stained by his good friends. Not even he who stained but sometimes the presence of students who “ornery” changes and makes his friends for being “naughty” like him.

And I feel in the world of PMH, there are also students who sometimes do something that shouldn’t done by a religious students, such as lie, stingy, arrogant, etc. Moreover, there are several students who always blamed his friends, consider themselves the most correct. There is also a feeling he was the most beautiful, cutest and most clean. There are also so cool students and likes littering (could he could eat garbage then placed beside his bed). The more severe Islamic world is identical with scabies and "flea" if you've got one religious students would be guaranteed the others will get. Well this is the life of our schools should be able to distinguish the good and true. That is the process as human beings in life.

***Islamic Greeting***