Every city or region in Indonesia has its own uniqueness. This uniqueness can be created from its culture and geographic location.  Likewise with Jambi province, the city which is located in the middle of the island of Sumatra also has its own uniqueness. This region with its motto "Spucuk Jambi, Sembilan Lurah " has 9 Regencies and 2 Cities. And almost all districts and cities have tourism potential with their respective privileges. Jambi province tourism offers a wide range of recreational options. Starting from natural tourism, history, to artificial recreation that you should not miss it. Therefore, for those of you who like to traveling and have never been to Jambi province, it seems that this information is perfect for your reference because this time I will discuss the features that Jambi province has that you should try and visit. So, without any further ado let’s scroll down!

1.      Tugu Keris Siginjai (The Iconic Monument in Jambi)

The Keris Siginjai Monument is the newest monument to become iconic in Jambi.  Even the monument has become an icon in Jambi in terms of tourism and culture. This monument has a very valuable history for Jambi. The factor that causes this monument to be very special is because of a history that makes the Keris Siginjai a very important object. Not only for Jambi, but it is also a matter of pride for Indonesia. Besides that, the atmosphere in this place is fairly cool at night, this monument is also a comfortable place for people to hang out with family or friends.  There are also many traders along the park selling food and drinks with affordable prices. Not surprisingly, this area has now become a free tourist destination favored by the public.

2.      Jembatan Gentala Arasy (Pedestrian Bridge and Gentala Arasy Tower)

Not only the Keris Siginjai Monument, Jambi also has a tourist icon that is no less interesting which is a must for people to visit. Gentala Arasy Bridge is one of the most popular tourist objects in the city of Jambi.  Reported by Abadihoteljambi.com, this bridge has a length of about 503 meters and at the end of the bridge there is a tower which has a height of about 80 meters which has an Islamic style architecture. The bridge that was built over the Batang Hari river has such a magnificent and beautiful view.

3.      Geopark Merangin (Natural Wealth in Jambi Province)

Geopark Merangin is a natural heritage site from ancient relics located in Merangin, Jambi. Reporting from Disparpora.Meranginkab.go.id, Geopark Merangin contains fossils of leaves, wood, roots, animals, and shells. The fossils are estimated to be around 300-500 million years old which are located along the Batang Merangin and Mengkarang rivers. The fossils in this Geopark are dominated by shell fossils, ancient pearl fossils, and wood fossils that can be found in rocks along the Batang Merangin River, and many are still buried in the ground. Not only its beautiful natural charm, this historical heritage in the form of fossils that we can rarely find in other areas has become an iconic heritage in Merangin.  In addition, when we visit this place we can not only see the fossils, we can also see along the 3 hour journey through the rafting that is never boring.  We can also enjoy views of rivers, forests, and even some exotic waterfalls.  The excitement of traveling by rafting requires guts, extra energy that cannot be obtained other than in this place.  There are so many great spots to take photos that can produce stunning photos with a natural depiction of nature.

4.      Rawa Bento

Rawa Bento is a swamp located in Kerinci, Jambi.  This swamp is one of the new tourist attractions in Kerinci, which is quite popular with its views of Mount Kerinci, as well as birdwatching activities by boat. Various beautiful views can be enjoyed from Rawa Bento. Mount Kerinci which stands majestically, as well as green expanses of grasslands and trees create a beautiful nuance. The cool and fresh air also adds to the beauty of this swamp.  In this place there are also traditional boats that can be rented at affordable prices. Here you can also rent camping equipment which is quite complete that has been provided by the local community, or you can also stay at homestays around the area.

5.      Enjoy the delicacy of Jambi's special food, Tempoyak.

Apart from visiting the tourist attractions, it will feel incomplete if you don't try Tempoyak, which is a famous Jambi food.  Tempoyak is a typical Jambi food made from fermented durian.  After being fermented, the durian will give off a strong aroma with a distinctive taste.  Tempoyak is a spice commonly served as a side dish and eaten with rice.  Jambi people also often use tempoyak as a mixture in making chili sauce. Tempoyak has a distinctive sour taste with a soft texture of fruit flesh.

Its strategic location among other cities in the surrounding province makes the role of this province quite important, especially with its abundant natural resources.  Apart from all that, Jambi province offers quite a variety of tourist destinations, such as historical tours, waterfalls, lakes, islands, mountains, and artificial tours that certainly spoil the eyes with their beauty.  Let's visit Jambi province and get ready to be amazed by its natural beauty!

References:

Abadi Hotel. Wisata Jambi Terbaru. www.abadihoteljambi.com. Retrieved March 18, 2021 from https://abadihoteljambi.com/10-tempat-wisata-di-jambi-yang-bakal-menyegarkan-pikiranmu/

Merangin The Hidden Paradise. Geopark Merangin, Kekayaan Alam di Provinsi Jambi. www.disparpora.meranginkab.go.id. Retrieved March 18, 2021 from https://disparpora.meranginkab.go.id/geopark-merangin-kekayaan-alam-di-provinsi-jambi/

Utomo, Bagus Setyo. Rawa Bento, Sebuah Rawa dengan Keanekaragaman Burung di Kaki Gunung Kerinci. www.tempatwisata,pro. Retrieved March 18, 2021 from https://www.tempatwisata.pro/wisata/Rawa-Bento

By: Siti Maharani Salsabilla 

(A1B218074)

Book details:

·      Book title: The Female Brain

·      Genre: psychology

·      The author: Louann Brizendine, M.D

·      Translator: Meda Satrio

·      Publisher: Ufuk Press

·      Publication Year: 2007

·      Number of pages: 352 pages

·      Language: Indonesia

·      Price: Rp. 45.000

·      Published edition number: ISBN 979-1238-27-8

“You work on logic, she works on emotion”

People say, especially men, it is difficult to get to know women well because women are complicated and difficult to understand creatures. For some men, understanding women is a difficult thing, even more difficult than doing math exam. In addition, if we hear a book that discusses about the brain, especially the female brain, the first thing that comes to our mind is something that is very complicated, complex, and maybe boring for some people, but not with the explanation inside this book.

The Female Brain is a book released in 2006 written by American neurologist Louann Brizendine, M.D, a pioneer of neuropsychiatry and director of the Women's and Teen Girls' Mood and Hormone Clinic (the first clinic in the United States to specifically research and think  female brain function).  In words that don’t use rigid scientific language, which are easy to understand, and with examples drawn from everyday experience, she reveals the latest findings that show how unique the structure of the female brain is that determines how women think, the things that women think is important, how they communicate, and who they will love.

Louann Brinzendine

This book explains the life cycle of women from fetus to the elderly by taking a medical approach.  Brinzendine writes that every time a woman enters a phase of her life, each time there are changes in hormonal levels that can affect physical development, and what is more emphasized in this book is the emotional changes of women that greatly affect the way they socialize, communicate, make decisions,  negotiations, facing conflicts, to matters of love.

This book is very clear in explaining these emotional changes and how women deal with them, as well as some advice on how we should respond to them. From this book we can also find out some of the reasons why women talk more than men, why women remember details of quarrels that men cannot remember at all, why young girls are so obsessed with their appearance, why women are more sensitive than men, etc. All of this we can find the answer in this book. Louann Brizendine has conducted this research for 20 years, so that she is able to convey all of these things in a language style that is easy to understand and accompanied by examples of real events in everyday life making it easier for us to understand every information presented in this book.

As someone who really likes things related to psychology, this book has become one of my favorite book lists after Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus. This is because I think by reading psychology books I can understand what is going on in me, besides that I can also better understand how a person's character is. The interesting part in this book is the explanation of how the female brain in the phase of sexual maturity experiences changes from puberty where it occurs in increased sensitivity, growth of stress circuits, verbal, emotions that make women in this phase experience changes in the circuit of making decision and control emotions ripen early. It is not surprising that women are able to control their emotions earlier than men.

Not only understanding hormones in women, this book is also highly recommended for women who are still single and for couples who are getting married. Because this book is equipped with real cases in a family, the problems after marriage are very real and are fully explained with their hormonal causes and how to overcome them. For women who often experience stress, especially myself who feel it, emotional problems with a partner and so on, will also get a clear explanation regarding what happens to the real female brain.

Even after reading this book as a woman we will know how to react in case of disturbances that can make bad changes to our brain circuits. What I can conclude from this book is that hormones are very influential on changes in the female brain region. This book is perfect for young people to adults who are eager to know why a woman can behave unexpectedly and act differently at each stage. Especially for men, you must read this book so that you don't get caught up in dealing with women. 😄

Reference:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louann_Brizendine 

By: Siti Maharani Salsabilla 

(A1B218074)

Book details:

·      Book title: Of Mice and Men

·      The author: John Steinbeck

·      Translator: Ariyantri E. Tarman

·      Publisher: PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama

·      Publication Year: 2017

·      Number of pages: 144 pages

·      Language: Indonesia

·      Published edition number: ISBN 978-602-03-3781-4

“I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why.”

The quote above may illustrate the essence of the story that is presented in this book. After reading this book, it occurred in my mind, 'are we not allowed to have dreams?  Even just to dream we are not sure? ”. The tragic reality about the struggle for human life who strives to achieve dreams among so many limitations. A novella written by America's greatest poet, John Steinbeck, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962.

John Steinbeck

The novella Of Mice and Men was first published in 1937. The setting of this novella is California during the United States economic depression. This novella is a depiction of working class life which tells about the friendship of two men named George Milton and Lennie Small. George has a small body with a smart brain while Lennie is a big man but has mental retardation so that Lennie can't chose what is good and what is bad and even Lennie is unable to control his emotions. Not only that, Lenny has extraordinary physical strength, therefore Lennie often brings them both into trouble.

 The novella with a third person point of view tells the story of two human beings who complement each other's shortcomings and protect each other. They two have dreams that are very difficult to achieve it. Covered by a farm setting and strong labor nuances, with other worker figures, namely Candy the worker who has a work accident and only gets a cleaning job, Crooks the negro who is exiled because of his different skin color. Then Slim the foreman, a typical worker who is quite above the other workers. Then there is the son of the owner of the farm, Curley, who is known for his arrogance and his seductive wife.

George, Lennie and their friends are people who can only work their whole life to survive, without any guarantee that their life will get better. Even to have dreams they don't dare because there are too many of them, the lower class people who have to live with the reality that dreams will still be dreams. George and Lennie often wished they would have a house in the future, where they would be free, work for no one else and could do whatever they wanted without having to ask anyone's permission.  Lennie who loves gagging, he loved it when George told his that Lennie could raise rabbits and puppies when they had their own house later.

Through this novella, we will feel George's inner turmoil, between his empathy for Lennie because of mental retardation and also his troubles in taking care of Lennie. He must be willing to be able to resist his own desire to live the way he wants, but with Lennie he must give up on that. In this novella John Steinbeck is also very outspoken in raising issues that occurred at that time. We can see this from the very thick social differences such as the views of black and white color, the social status of bosses and workers, even for people with physical and mental disabilities who are told very straightforwardly.

Of Mice and Men movie

The story told in this novella is actually very simple, but the writer is able to bring the reader to feel the things experienced by the characters. The plot is designed so well that the story is light, but very meaningful. Not only with its good plot, but the characterization of the characters is built with great care. The story from this novella has also been adapted into a movie and I have also watched the movie from the story of this novella. The ending of George and Lennie's story was so unexpected, and it is made me cry at the end. I can take many lessons from each character and story. From this story we can get the message conveyed that a situation can force someone to do things unexpectedly. From the references I have read, this book is also included in the list of 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die, and I hereby dare to say that this book is highly recommended for those of you who like to read novels. Read this novella and try to get into the imagination of each storyline in this novel and feel the sensation. One more thing, I suggest you don't forget to provide tissue before reading because the story from this novella really makes our hearts touched. 😥💔

Reference:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Steinbeck