Accompanying students at a real job lecture location in a remote village in Aceh Utara, Indonesia.

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The students from Universitas Malikussaleh from various faculties not only left memories and results of their work at the location of real work lectures (KKN) in remote villages in Pirak Timu and Paya Bakong sub-districts, North Aceh, Indonesia. On the other hand, they also take many things such as experiences that they will not get in college.

Many of the students who have been doing Community Service since last June have never lived in remote areas. Not only for students from outside Aceh, the original Acehnese also feel foreign to their respective KKN locations. Never mind stopping, never heard of his name.

Student of the Mathematics Education Study Program, Syafwani Sadanta Capah, admitted that he did not have any significant difficulties for a month doing KKN activities in Geulumpang Village, Pirak Timu District, North Aceh. Syafwani, who is a member of Group-28, had a memorable experience.

“One of the things that impressed me the most was the language difference. As we know, language is the main way for us to communicate. The first week of participating in KKN, I felt a little alienated because eight of my group of friends communicated in Acehnese language,” said the student who is familiarly called Wani, at the end of July 2022.

Wani and another member of Group 28, Neysa Ardelia Limbong from outside Aceh, could only smile because they did not understand the discussion being discussed. But over time they learned little by little the Acehnese vocabulary.

“Now I can understand simple Acehnese language in everyday life, although I still don't understand it very well. I think learning a new language is really fun. Besides being able to communicate with more people, learning a new language can also improve our memory performance," added Wani, who is from North Sumatra.

She admitted that he had an exciting experience because he had to get to know and work together with other students from various majors and faculties. "I share experiences with new friends, friendships with villagers that I have never met before, and many other good things that I am very grateful for," said Wani.

The language barrier was also experienced by Neysa Ardelia Limbong. However, after a few days, he began to greet residents in the Acehnese language even though it sounded stiff and funny. In fact, the language problem gives another color when carrying out KKN activities.

Neysa was very impressed with the response from the village head and residents who always helped and supported each of their activities and programs. The villagers are also very friendly which makes them comfortable in Geulumpang. "Moreover, the children in this village are very enthusiastic about whatever program we run, moreover our main focus is on children," said the student of the Architecture Study Program.

She suggested that the KKN program in the future could be even better. KKN groups can be more compact and can coordinate with the campus, field supervisors, and the community more intensively. "KKN student programs and activities can be more beneficial for the local community and students can develop all their potential during the KKN period," she hoped.

Wani conveyed the same hope. According to her, the schedule for the KKN debriefing with the release of students is very close because it is only a day apart. This condition makes students participating in KKN feel overwhelmed in preparing for various needs. Wani also hopes that the notification of the location of the KKN should be done a little earlier. "Perhaps some students can use the time to survey locations or prepare other needs," suggested Wani.

The head of the KKN Committee at Malikussaleh University, Zulkifli MH, said that the success of the KKN was thanks to the support of all parties, from campuses, students, supervisors, village communities, to the North Aceh District Government. "In the future, we hope that it will be better and have more long-term impact for students and the community," he said. [Ayi Jufridar]

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Rapat dengan mahasiswa KKN Kelompok 28 di Aceh Utara.

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Pembekalan KKN diharapkan berjarak dengan pengiriman mahasiswa ke lokasi.

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Karena KKN Bukan Sekadar Program dan Kegiatan

PARA mahasiswa Universitas Malikussaleh dari berbagai fakultas bukan hanya meninggalkan kenangan dan hasil kerja di lokasi KKN di desa terpecil di Kecamatan Pirak Timu dan Kecamatan Paya Bakong, Aceh Utara. Sebaliknya mereka juga mengambil banyak hal seperti pengalaman yang tidak akan mereka dapatkan di bangku kuliah.

Banyak di antara mahasiswa yang melaksanakan KKN sejak Juni lalu, belum pernah tinggal di daerah terpencil. Bukan saja bagi mahasiswa yang berasal dari luar Aceh, yang asli Aceh pun merasa asing dengan lokasi KKN masing-masing. Jangankan singgah, mendengar namanya saja belum pernah.

Mahasiswa Progam Studi Pendidikan Matematika, Syafwani Sadanta Capah, mengaku tidak mendapatkan kesulitan berarti selama sebulan melakukan kegiatan KKN di Desa Geulumpang Kecamatan Pirak Timu, Aceh Utara. Syafwani yang tergabung dalam Kelompok-28 itu mendapatkan pengalaman berkesan.

“Salah satu yang paling berkesan bagi saya adalah perbedaan bahasa. Seperti yang kita tahu, bahasa adalah cara utama bagi kita untuk berkomunikasi. Minggu pertama mengikuti KKN, saya sedikit merasa terasing karena delapan teman sekelompok saya berkomunikasi dengan Bahasa Aceh,” ungkap mahasiswa yang akrab disapa Wani, akhir Juli 2022 lalu.

Wani dan anggota Kelompok 28 yang lain, Neysa Ardelia Limbong yang berasal dari luar Aceh, hanya bisa tersenyum karena tidak mengerti pembahasan yang dibicarakan. Namun lama kelamaan mereka belajar sedikit demi sedikit kosa kata bahasa Aceh.

“Sekarang sudah dapat mengerti bahasa Aceh sederhana dalam kehidupan sehari-hari walaupun masih belum begitu paham. Menurut saya belajar bahasa baru itu sangat menyenangkan. Selain dapat berkomunikasi dengan lebih banyak orang, belajar bahasa baru juga katanya dapat meningkatkan kinerja memori kita,” tambah Wani yang berasal dari Sumatera Utara.

Ia mengaku mendapatkan pengalaman seru karean harus akrab dan bekerja sama dengan mahasiswa lain dari berbagai jurusan dan fakultas. “Saya berbagi pengalaman dengan teman-teman baru, silaturahmi dengan warga desa yang sebelumnya belum pernah saya jumpai, dan banyak hal-hal baik lainnya yang sangat saya syukuri,” ungkap Wani.

Kendala bahasa juga sempat dialami Neysa Ardelia Limbong. Namun, setelah beberapa hari ia mulai menyapa warga dengan bahasa Aceh meski terdengar kaku dan lucu. Justru masalah bahasa memberikan warna lain ketika melaksanakan kegiatan KKN.

Neysa sangat terkesan dengan respons dari kepala desa dan warga yang senantiasa membantu dan mendukung setiap kegiatan dan program mereka. Warga desa juga sangat ramah sehingga membuatnya nyaman di Geulumpang. “Terlebih anak-anak di kampung ini sangat antusias terhadap apapun program yang kami jalankan, apalagi fokus utama kami memang ke anak anak,” ujar mahasiswi Program Studi Arsitektur tersebut.

Ia menyarakan program KKN ke depan bisa lebih baik lagi. Kelompok KKN dapat lebih kompak dan dapat berkoordinasi dengan pihak kampus, dosen pembimbing lapangan, dan masyarakat lebih intensif lagi. “Program dan kegiatan mahasiswa KKN bisa lebih bermanfaat bagi masyaralat setempat dan mahasiswa pun bisa mengembangkan semua potensi selama masa KKN,” harapnya.

Harapan serupa disampaikan Wani. Menurutnya, jadwal pembekalan KKN dengan pelepasan mahasiswa sangat berdekatan karena hanya berselang sehari. Kondisi ini membuat mahasiswa peserta KKN merasa kewalahan dalam mempersiapkan berbagai keperluan. Wani juga mengharapkan pemberitahuan lokasi KKN harusnya dapat dilakukan sedikit lebih awal. “Mungkin bagi beberapa mahasiswa dapat memanfaatkan waktu tersebut untuk survei lokasi ataupun menyiapkan keperluan lainnya,” saran Wani.

Ketua Panitia KKN Universitas Malikussaleh, Zulkifli MH, mengatakan kesuksesan KKN berkat dukungan semua pihak mulai dari kampus, mahasiswa, dosen pembimbing, masyarakat desa, sampai Pemerintah Kabupaten Aceh Utara. “Ke depan kita harapkan menjadi lebih baik dan lebih berdampak jangka panjang bagi mahasiswa dan masyarakat,” ujarnya. [Ayi Jufridar]

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