A student of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara majoring in Social Welfare, Dicky Renaldi shared his story of being one of the students who took part in the MBKM MSIB Independent Learning independent Campus and Certified Independent Study program (MBKM MSIB).
Dicky, joined the AMATI Indonesia team, a gathering place for students from various scientific backgrounds who will implement and realize the Tri Dharma of Higher Education. Starting from education and teaching, research and development, and community service. Through the Independent Study Program Certified Independent Campus from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, Dicky can enjoy design thinking-based ecotourism facilities facilitated by AMATI Indonesia.
Not only online learning, but Dicky and other students are required to be able to implement knowledge directly in the field to solve problems faced by the community. The journey of Dicky and other students began on October 15, 2021, towards 8 student placement points spread across Indonesia. One is in the Gorontalo area, Bone Bolango Regency, Pinogu District. Based on literature studies, Pinogu has a regional language, namely the Bonda language or the Suwawa language, which is described as an area with extraordinary potential ranging from various aspects such as agriculture, animal husbandry, culture, and economy to plantations.
Located at the eastern end of Gorontalo, not only has potential in various sectors, its exotic natural beauty and being surrounded by Bogani Nani Wartabone National Park make Pinogu the paradise of eastern Gorontalo.
There are two teams stationed in Pinogu, and each team consists of 5 students from various universities and disciplines. Dicky joined the Julang Sulawesi team with Yellin Fitri Rastrania (Universitas Airlangga), Lusi Heraningtyas (Universitas Gadjah Mada), Muhammad Hidayatullah (Universitas Jember), M. Gafur Maladjai (Universitas Negeri Gorontalo), and Dicky Renaldi (Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara).
Unfortunately, on the day of departure to their respective placement locations. Dicky tested positive for Covid-19. Forced, he had to postpone his release, letting his teammates go first without him. Not giving up, Dicky did the test again on the 21st day.
Dicky feels this is all quite troublesome, but what can I do? The Covid-19 pandemic has ruined everything. He couldn’t wait to be in Gorontalo, a place often called the “Serambi Medina of Indonesia.” However, his ‘positive’ status forced him to rest, undergo quarantine first, and continue to coordinate with the Julang Sulawesi team online.
After three weeks of Dicky fighting against Covid-19, his wait for gathering with the Julang Sulawesi team has finally ended. On November 6, 2021, his journey and adventure to the east of Gorontalo began. Although it took him about 10 hours to get to Sulawesi, his departure from Kualanamu Airport to Gorontalo Jalaluddin airport was never imagined.
On November 7, 2021, Dicky arrived in Gorontalo. His arrival was warmly welcomed by Azwar and Alex as the PIC for the Independent Study of AMATI Indonesia in Gorontalo. He was not immediately sent to Pinogu, the location of his team’s placement. To enjoy the beauty of the surrounding nature, Dicky is invited to tour first to enjoy the beauty of Botubarani Village, a famous place for diving to see whale sharks. In this village, he met Sandiaga Uno, the Minister of Tourism, who also enjoyed the beauty of the Gorontalo sea at that time. However, it didn’t stop there, and the journey continued to Olele Village by a small boat while enjoying the sunset on the beach.
After enjoying the beauty, Dicky stayed one night in Pangi Village with the Sulawesi Black Monkey team. The next day at 10.00 WIB, he was sent by Mr. Alex to Pinogu with a modified trail bike to support the journey with difficult access through the forest of Bogani Nani Wartabone National Park.
The journey to Pinogu is ±40 Km and takes ±5 hours to travel. Arriving at Pinogu, members of the Julang Sulawesi team warmly welcomed Dicky, who previously only met virtually via Zoom and Google Meet to conduct learning or debriefing before going to the placement location Pinogu. The beauty of nature was an extraordinary opening for him. Still, he felt another valuable experience when he realized a language difference was enough to make him report when he wanted to speak.
For several months in Pinogu, the Julang Sulawesi team carried out various activities ranging from observation using the knowledge given, namely design thinking. His comments with the team produced slick works such as booklets (information books), interpretation paths, potential galleries, information boards, documentary videos, cultural videos, and the “Agritourism Tiyombo Lo Lipu” tour package.
This work is used to support tourists in adding information when visiting Pinogu. All of these works were presented to the Regent of Bone Bolango before returning to their respective regions on January 15, 2022, as material for the local government’s evaluation of potential objects for Ecotourism and economic support for the surrounding community. The work that was made was appreciated by the Regent of Bone Bolango
