Nabila Dwi Lestari (30802400026)
The prolonged dry season sweeping through Semarang this year presents a unique set of challenges for university students living away from home in boarding houses. As temperatures surge, cramped boarding rooms transform into stifling ovens, even with electric fans running at full speed. The unrelenting mugginess does not merely trigger daily mental fatigue and minor health issues such as headaches, dry throats, and mild dehydration. It also lands a direct blow on students' wallets.
Amidst the scorching weather, students are forced to confront the harsh reality of severe overspending. Living costs have spiked as students pour extra funds into buying mineral water gallons at an accelerated rate due to skyrocketing daily consumption, purchasing cold iced drinks to beat the heat, and constantly topping up electricity tokens. This ground reality is keenly felt by Nazil, a university student residing in Semarang. Echoing the collective experience of her peers, Nazil revealed that she must dig deeper into her savings, estimating an extra weekly expense of over Rp50.000 just to survive the extreme heat.
To dodge soaring electricity bills caused by frequent cooling fan usage, many students opt to utilize campus facilities during peak afternoon hours, choosing to stay in air-conditioned libraries rather than returning straight to their sweltering rooms. Furthermore, outdoor activities are strictly curtailed, with many actively avoiding stepping outside between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM. Adapting to Semarang’s blazing sun, Nazil has developed her own mobility survival routine. "Kulit jadi belang karenaSemarang panasnya bukan main, jadi milih OTW kampus pagiterus pulang sore kalau udah enggak panas," shared Nazilregarding her strategy to dodge peak sunlight hours.
Beyond the financial strain and exhausting daily adaptations, the long dry season has ignited a sharp ecological awareness among students. A vast majority view climate change as a critical, pressing issue, identifying large industries and corporations as the primary culprits behind environmental degradation. Weighing in on the matter, Nazil firmly asserted that widespread deforestation and a lack of environmental awareness lie at the root of this extreme weather. She emphasized that the government ought to step up reforestation efforts significantly and urged fellow students to maintain high vigilance regarding the long-term threat of clean water scarcity.
Ultimately, what Nazil and her fellow students endure perfectly encapsulates what it means to become a "matang" person. Literally, Semarang’s relentless heat leaves them "well-done" and roasted by the daily sun, right down to uneven skin tones. But metaphorically, the financial pressure, the overspending, and the sheer resilience required to survive in a distant city shape them into far tougher, wiser, and more mature individuals.
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