The Word We Swap on Fridays

On the university campus, there is a language exchange table. It sits in the corner of the student café. A paper sign hangs above it: "Teach one word. Learn one word."

Di kampus universitas, ada sebuah meja pertukaran bahasa. Meja itu terletak di sudut kafe mahasiswa. Sebuah tanda kertas tergantung di atasnya: "Ajarkan satu kata. Pelajari satu kata."

Ximena sees the sign in September. She is from Mexico. She wants to practice her English. She sits down at the table with her tea.

Ximena melihat tanda itu pada bulan September. Ia berasal dari Meksiko. Ia ingin berlatih bahasa Inggris. Ia duduk di meja itu sambil membawa tehnya.

A boy comes and sits across from her. He has a green notebook. "Hello," he says. "I am Yoon. I speak Korean. I want to learn Spanish."

Seorang cowok datang dan duduk di seberangnya. Ia membawa buku catatan hijau. "Halo," katanya. "Aku Yoon. Aku bisa bahasa Korea. Aku ingin belajar bahasa Spanyol."

"I am Ximena," she says. "I speak Spanish. I want to learn English. Can we help each other?"

"Aku Ximena," katanya. "Aku bisa bahasa Spanyol. Aku ingin belajar bahasa Inggris. Bisakah kita saling membantu?"

"Yes," says Yoon. He smiles.

"Bisa," kata Yoon. Ia tersenyum.

They start slowly. Yoon points to his cup. "Coffee," he says. "In Korean, it is also coffee. But we say it a little different."

Mereka mulai pelan-pelan. Yoon menunjuk cangkirnya. "Coffee," katanya. "Dalam bahasa Korea, katanya juga coffee. Tapi cara mengucapkannya sedikit berbeda."

Ximena laughs. "In Spanish, it is café," she says.

Ximena tertawa. "Dalam bahasa Spanyol, itu café," katanya.

They write the words in the notebook. They draw little pictures of cups and trees and buses. Time passes fast. After an hour, they both know ten new words.

Mereka menulis kata-kata itu di buku catatan. Mereka menggambar gambar-gambar kecil cangkir, pohon, dan bus. Waktu berlalu cepat. Setelah satu jam, keduanya sudah tahu sepuluh kata baru.

"Same time on Friday?" Yoon asks.

"Jam yang sama hari Jumat?" tanya Yoon.

"Yes," says Ximena.

"Ya," kata Ximena.

They meet every Friday. Each week, they pick a theme. One week, it is food. Another week, it is family. Yoon learns "hermano" for brother and "abuela" for grandmother. Ximena learns how to say "thank you" in Korean. Her pronunciation is very bad. Yoon tries not to laugh, but his shoulders shake.

Mereka bertemu setiap hari Jumat. Setiap minggu, mereka memilih sebuah tema. Suatu minggu, temanya makanan. Minggu lain, keluarga. Yoon belajar "hermano" untuk saudara laki-laki dan "abuela" untuk nenek. Ximena belajar cara mengucapkan "terima kasih" dalam bahasa Korea. Pengucapannya sangat buruk. Yoon berusaha tidak tertawa, tetapi bahunya bergetar.

"Again," he says, and she says it again and again.

"Sekali lagi," katanya, dan Ximena mengucapkannya lagi dan lagi.

After a month, they speak in simple sentences. Ximena tells him about her small town. Yoon tells her about his mother's kitchen. He also tells her about his cold-day soup.

Setelah sebulan, mereka bisa berbicara dengan kalimat-kalimat sederhana. Ximena bercerita tentang kota kecilnya. Yoon bercerita tentang dapur ibunya. Ia juga bercerita tentang sup untuk hari-hari dingin buatan ibunya.

One Friday in November, the café is nearly empty. Snow falls outside. Ximena arrives late, with snow on her hat.

Pada suatu hari Jumat di bulan November, kafe itu hampir kosong. Salju turun di luar. Ximena datang terlambat, dengan salju di topinya.

"I have a surprise," says Yoon. "Today, we choose one special word each."

"Aku punya kejutan," kata Yoon. "Hari ini, kita masing-masing memilih satu kata istimewa."

"Okay," says Ximena. "Who goes first?"

"Oke," kata Ximena. "Siapa yang duluan?"

"You," he says.

"Kamu," katanya.

Ximena thinks for a moment. She opens the green notebook. She writes a Spanish word in big letters. The word is "gustar." She turns the notebook around.

Ximena berpikir sejenak. Ia membuka buku catatan hijau itu. Ia menulis sebuah kata Spanyol dengan huruf besar-besar. Kata itu adalah "gustar." Ia memutar buku itu ke arah Yoon.

"It means: to like," she says. "You can like a song, a place, or a person."

"Artinya: menyukai," katanya. "Kamu bisa menyukai sebuah lagu, sebuah tempat, atau seseorang."

Yoon reads the word. He repeats it quietly. His ears turn pink.

Yoon membaca kata itu. Ia mengulanginya dengan pelan. Telinganya memerah.

"Now you," Ximena says.

"Sekarang kamu," kata Ximena.

Yoon takes the pen. He writes a Korean word in small letters. Then he writes it again in English letters. Now she can read it. The word is "joahae."

Yoon mengambil pena. Ia menulis sebuah kata Korea dengan huruf kecil-kecil. Lalu ia menulisnya lagi dengan huruf Latin. Sekarang Ximena bisa membacanya. Kata itu adalah "joahae."

"It means: I like it," he says. "Or: I like you. The meaning is in the voice."

"Artinya: aku suka itu," katanya. "Atau: aku suka kamu. Maknanya ada di dalam nada suara."

Ximena looks at the word. She looks at Yoon. For a moment, the café is very quiet. The coffee machine hums. A student laughs somewhere far away.

Ximena menatap kata itu. Ia menatap Yoon. Sesaat, kafe itu sangat sunyi. Mesin kopi berdengung. Seorang mahasiswa tertawa di suatu tempat yang jauh.

"In what voice?" she asks.

"Dengan nada suara yang mana?" tanyanya.

"This one," he says, very softly. "Joahae."

"Yang ini," katanya, sangat pelan. "Joahae."

"Me gustas," she says, just as softly. "That is the Spanish."

"Me gustas," katanya, sama pelannya. "Itu bahasa Spanyolnya."

They smile at each other. Neither says anything for a long time.

Mereka saling tersenyum. Tak ada yang berkata apa-apa untuk waktu yang lama.

Then Yoon pushes the green notebook to the middle. "Next week, a new word," he says.

Lalu Yoon mendorong buku catatan hijau itu ke tengah meja. "Minggu depan, kata baru," katanya.

Ximena takes the pen. She writes the date on the next page.

Ximena mengambil pena. Ia menulis tanggal di halaman berikutnya.