I laughed non-stop, hearing my friend’s explanation. Finally, I laughed so hard that I fell off the chair. Wow, there’s something wrong with this sarong too. Luckily I was told. Eventually, I returned to the room; I changed the sarong with trousers.
Sure enough, a few days later, I accidentally opened Twitter. In one of Gus Usman Ar-Rumy’s tweets, a video shows Mbah Sudjiwo Tedjo being laughed at by mothers near his apartment for wearing a sarong in the middle of the street. Mbah Tedjo looked confused until finally, Gus Usman explained. It’s a fascinating video.
At Al-Azhar University, many Indonesian students wear sarongs to go here and there. But the locals there are used to it because they have understood the culture of Indonesian students who mostly lived there for years. This differs from the writer and his friends who live in the Heliopolis area (Misr Gadida); of course, they will be surprised by such an apparel set.
The sarong that the writer carries is useless. It can only be used indoors. It was also scarce because the cooling function of the holster at that time was worthless. It was December, Egypt was experiencing winter, and the temperature could reach 30C. In fact, you need something warm.
Finally, because he was bored and seemed uncomfortable every Friday prayer, he had to wear pants; the writer bought a robe like his other friends. Its function is only used during Friday prayers. If conscious and thought, it is also used for congregational prayers at the mosque.
Well, the fate of this robe when the writer returns to Indonesia is the same as the fate of the writer’s sarong when he was in Egypt. Useless! It’s a shame to want to pray because, in the village, it’s not uncommon to see people praying wearing robes. Well, just don’t forget that if you want to go anywhere, research the local culture first, so you don’t get caught up.
Note: translated by editor from https://www.duniasantri.co/nasib-sarung-dan-gamis-santri