Sad Story Rizquna study Surabaya, becoming homeless friend friend's boarding house
The Sadness of Surabaya Migrants Who Can't Stand Renting a Boarding House: Sleeping in Warkops, Security Guard Posts, and Becoming Miscreants in Friends' Boarding Houses
Illustration - The sadness of Surabaya migrants who can't afford to rent a boarding house (Ega Fansuri/Mojok.co)
In many cases, the lives of migrants in big cities are always full of sad stories. Including the story of Surabaya migrants who, because they couldn't afford to rent a boarding house, ended up having to be homeless; sleeping in coffee shops, security posts, and even becoming a parasite in his friends' boarding house.
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Reading Mojok's coverage of the suffering of migrants—in Jogja and Surabaya—who survive in an uninhabitable boarding house made me think of a close friend from Blitar, East Java, Rizquna (26), who once experienced the hardships of life as a migrant from Surabaya.
In fact, Rizquna's story tends to be worse. If you are strong enough to rent a boarding house, even if it is not habitable, it still feels better. However, Rizquna couldn't afford to rent at all.
I myself have written the story of Rizquna's struggle as a migrant from Surabaya; studying while working for his younger siblings' school fees in "Mother, Tempe, and an Unfinished Thesis".
Since the coverage aired until now, Rizquna's thesis was never finished. There's no time to do it. He hastily entered a new chapter in life, tasting the bitterness of the world of marriage.
We met again on Saturday (6/1/2024) in Ponorogo, East Java, at the wedding of another close friend of ours. She now lives in Ponorogo, "staying" at her in-laws' house, and has one child; boy, a son who hopefully is as tough as his father.
“We no longer sell tempeh, but it still has something to do with soybeans. Now selling soybean juice," he said at that time.
Because, as far as I know, he previously worked as a waiter in a restaurant which, by Ponorogo standards, was considered luxurious. However, it turns out that recently he has stopped being a waiter.
“Now I'm a parking attendant. But still at the restaurant. "The results are quite good," said the former Surabaya migrant.
Ah, Rizquna, he is still as tough as I knew before.
So a Surabaya migrant who was evicted from his own home
In fact, in the early days of being a migrant in Surabaya, Rizquna stayed at his brother's house in Kenjeran, North Surabaya.
At his brother's house, Rizquna helped make and deliver tempeh to customers. So from morning to evening he will study at UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya (UINSA), then in the evening he will make tempeh, then at dawn he will deposit it.
That was the cycle for several months living at his brother's house.
However, things changed when Rizquna started coming home often late at night. He began to actively join the organization. Apart from that, he also often drinks coffee with his friends on campus.
“Actually, you don't just drink coffee. I'm paying off my assignments in installments. "Because I don't have a laptop, I had to borrow one," he said when I asked him to tell me more by telephone, Saturday (17/2/2024) evening.
"I'll definitely borrow your laptop, hahaha," he continued.
Rizquna's habits inevitably make his brother angry. Rizquna was accused of negligence.
He himself had tried to explain what he was doing, how could he come home so late at night. However, his brother didn't want to understand.
"Instead of feeling equally uncomfortable, I left (from the house)," he continued.
Surabaya migrants who wander in coffee shops
Rizquna then decided to become a homeless migrant in Surabaya. Sleeping sak nggon-nggon (anywhere).
At that time, he left a bag containing clothes at my boarding house. Meanwhile, to sleep, he often chooses to sleep in our regular coffee shop in Wonocolo. His name is Warkoplak. Unfortunately now it has moved somewhere.
Heard, the rental price is expensive. As a result, Gugun (the owner of Warkoplak) decided not to renew the lease. He moved without notice to us customers since Eid 2023.
What's nice at Warkoplak is that the seats are long and wide benches. Good for sleeping. Apart from that, usually after closing at one in the morning, WiFi will still be on. So, Rizquna can stay on WiFi, whether scrolling through social media or doing assignments.
Illustration – Surabaya migrants who are homeless. (Jon Tyson/Unsplash)
Gugun memorized Rizquna's habits. Luckily, Gugun is a bit of a hothead. So instead of reprimanding Rizquna, he laughed at his misfortune of being kicked out of your house.
"You just have to put up with mosquitoes when you're in Warkoplak," said the man who was already done with being a migrant from Surabaya.
Migrants from Surabaya who slept at the security post until they became parasites in a friend's boarding house
In the morning after waking up, Rizquna will move from Warkoplak to my boarding house to shower and change clothes. After that, he would steal some sleep on campus.
At that time, both Rizquna and I had to play around with the boarding house mother. Because once you're caught, you'll definitely get sprayed. And that has happened many times.
But what can I do? Rizquna has no fees for boarding house rentals. He divides the money he gets from work to pay for UKT, for daily living, and if there is any left over, he will send it to his younger brother's school.
Rizquna worked at Wahid Hasyim's duck stall, a fairly well-known duck stall in Surabaya. Then he worked as a security guard at the Surabaya State University (UNESA) Lidah Wetan campus.
“At that time, I occasionally slept at the post. But if there are lecture hours, it's better to go to campus. "Even though I'm sleeping in class, at least I'm not absent," he said.
Now "staying" at my in-laws' house
After experiencing the hardships of being a migrant from Surabaya, during the Covid-19 pandemic he decided to return to Blitar and try the tempeh business.
His tempe business is running smoothly. There are lots of customers. Unfortunately, he had to let it go because he moved to Ponorogo after officially marrying his girlfriend on December 15 2021. His tempe business is now being continued by his younger brother.
Portrait of Rizquna's wedding on December 15 2021 (Rizquna)
“Even now he is still a midfielder, to. "Previously, I was a midfielder at a coffee shop, now I'm at my in-laws' house," he joked.
However, Rizquna admits that he is lucky to have in-laws who are very good and not overbearing (worldly). Because, just like his wife, his in-laws are people who always try to understand Rizquna's condition.
Author: Muchamad Aly Reza
Kisah Miris Rizquna Kuliah di Surabaya, Menggelandang Jadi Benalu Kos Teman
Mirisnya Perantau Surabaya yang Tak Kuat Sewa Kos: Tidur di Warkop, Pos Satpam, hingga Jadi Benalu di Kos Teman
Ilustrasi - Mirisnya perantau Surabaya yang tak kuat sewa kos (Ega Fansuri/Mojok.co)
Kehidupan para perantau di kota-kota besar dalam banyak kasus memang selalu penuh dengan cerita-cerita miris. Termasuk cerita perantau Surabaya yang karena tak kuat sewa kos, akhirnya harus gelandang; tidur di warkop, pos satpam, hingga jadi benalu di kos teman-temannya.
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Membaca liputan Mojok tentang derita para perantau—di Jogja dan Surabaya—yang bertahan di sebuah kos tak layak huni membuat saya jadi teringat pada sosok teman dekat asal Blitar, Jawa Timur, Rizquna (26), yang pernah mencicipi kerasnya hidup sebagai perantau Surabaya.
Bahkan kisah Rizquna cenderung lebih parah. Kalau kuat sewa kos, walaupun tak layak huni, rasa-rasanya masih mending. Namun, Rizquna sama sekali tak kuat menyewa.
Saya sendiri pernah menulis cerita perjuangan Rizquna sebagai perantau Surabaya; kuliah sambil bekerja untuk biaya sekolah adik-adiknya dalam “Ibu, Tempe, dan Skripsi yang Tak Selesai”.
Sejak liputan tersebut tayang hingga sekarang, skripsi Rizquna pada akhirnya memang tak pernah selesai. Tak ada waktu untuk mengerjakannya. Ia keburu memasuki babak baru dalam kehidupan, mencicipi pahit-getir dunia pernikahan.
Kami sempat bertemu kembali pada Sabtu, (6/1/2024) lalu di Ponorogo, Jawa Timur, di acara pernikahan teman dekat kami yang lain. Ia sekarang tinggal di Ponorogo, “numpang” di rumah mertua, dan sudah beranak satu; cowok, seorang anak yang semoga setangguh bapaknya.
“Sudah nggak jualan tempe, tapi masih ada hubungannya dengan kedelai. Sekarang jual sari kedelai,” ceritanya waktu itu.
Sebab, setahu saya sebelumnya, ia bekerja sebagai pelayan di sebuah restoran yang, untuk ukuran Ponorogo, sudah terbilang mewah. Namun ternyata, baru-baru ini ia sudah tidak jadi pelayan.
“Sekarang jadi juru parkir. Tapi masih di restoran itu. Hasilnya cukup kok,” ungkap eks perantau Surabaya tersebut.
Ah, Rizquna, ia masih setangguh yang saya kenal dulu.
Jadi Perantau Surabaya yang terusir dari rumah saudara sendiri
Sebenarnya, pada masa-masa awal menjadi perantau Surabaya, Rizquna sempat numpang di rumah saudaranya di Kenjeran, Surabaya Utara.
Di rumah saudaranya tersebut, Rizquna ikut bantu-bantu membuat dan menyetor tempe ke pelanggan. Jadi dari pagi sampai sore ia akan kuliah di UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya (UINSA), lalu malamnya akan membuat tempe, kemudian subuh ia akan setor.
Begitulah siklusnya selama beberapa bulan tinggal di rumah saudaranya tersebut.
Namun, keadaan berubah saat Rizquna mulai sering pulang larut malam. Ia mulai aktif mengikuti organisasi. Selain itu juga sering ikut ngopi dengan teman-teman tongkrongannya di kampus.
“Sebenernya ngopinya kan nggak asal ngopi. Aku nyicil tugas. Karena aku nggak punya laptop, jadi harus pinjam,” tuturnya saat saya minta untuk bercerita lagi lewat sambungan telepon, Sabtu, (17/2/2024) malam.
“Kan laptopmu yang pasti kupinjam, hahaha,” sambungnya.
Kebiasaan Rizquna tak pelak membuat saudaranya geram. Rizquna dituding kelayapan.
Ia sendiri sudah mencoba menjelaskan apa yang sedang ia lakukan kok bisa pulang sampai larut malam. Akan tetapi, saudaranya tak mau mengerti.
“Daripada sama-sama nggak enaknya, aku keluar (dari rumah),” lanjutnya.
Perantau Surabaya yang menggelandang di warkop
Rizquna kemudian memutuskan menjadi perantau Surabaya yang menggelandang. Tidur sak nggon-nggon (di mana aja).
Saat itu, ia menitipkan tas berisi pakaian di kos saya. Sementara untuk tidur, ia sering kali memilih tidur di warkop langganan kami di Wonocolo. Namanya Warkoplak. Sayangnya sekarang sudah pindah entah ke mana.
Dengar-dengar, harga sewa tempatnya mahal. Alhasil, Gugun (si pemilik Warkoplak) memutuskan untuk tidak memperpanjang sewa. Ia pindah tanpa pemberitahuan ke kami para pelanggannya sejak lebaran 2023 lalu.
Yang enak di Warkoplak, kursinya berupa bangku panjang dan lebar. Enak buat tidur. Selain itu, biasanya setelah tutup pada jam satu dini hari, WiFi akan tetap nyala. Sehingga, Rizquna bisa tetap WiFian, entah untuk scroll-scroll media sosial atau mengerjakan tugas.

Ilustrasi – Perantau Surabaya yang menggelandang. (Jon Tyson/Unsplash)
Gugun sampai hapal dengan kebiasaan Rizquna itu. Untung saja Gugun orangnya agak pedhot dikit. Jadi aih-alih menegur Rizquna, malah justru menertawakan nasib sialnya terusir dari rumah saudara.
“Cuma harus tahan sama nyamuk kalau di Warkoplak,” ujar lelaki yang sudah khatam kerasnya jadi perantau Surabaya itu.
Perantau Surabya yang tidur di pos satpam hingga jadi benalu di kos teman
Pagi hari setelah bangun, Rizquna akan geser dari Warkoplak ke kos saya untuk mandi dan ganti baju. Setelah itu, ia akan mencuri-curi tidur di kampus.
Baik saya dan Rizquna saat itu harus kucing-kucingan dengan ibu kos. Karena sekalinya ketahuan, sudah pasti kena semprot. Dan itu sudah berkali-kali terjadi.
Tapi mau bagaimana lagi. Rizquna tak ada biaya untuk sewa kos. Uang yang ia dapat dari kerja ia bagi untuk bayar UKT, untuk hidup sehari-hari, dan kalau ada sisa, akan ia kirim untuk sekolah adiknya.
Rizquna sempat bekerja di warung bebek Wahid Hasyim, warung bebek yang cukup terkenal di Surabaya. Kemudian ia bekerja sebagai satpam di Universitas Negeri Surabaya (UNESA) kampus Lidah Wetan.
“Waktu itu sesekali tidur di pos. Tapi kalau ada jam kuliah, mending ke kampus. Walaupun di kelas tidur, tapi seenggaknya nggak absen,” ujarnya.
Kini “numpang” di rumah mertua
Setelah mencicipi kerasnya menjadi perantau Surabaya, pada masa pandemi Covid-19 ia memutuskan pulang ke Blitar, lalu mencoba usaha tempe.
Usaha tempenya berjalan lancar. Pelanggannya pun banyak. Sayangnya, ia harus melepasnya karena kemudian pindah ke Ponorogo usai resmi menikah dengan kekasihnya pada 15 Desember 2021. Usaha tempenya tersebut kini dilanjutkan oleh sang adik.
Potret pernikahan Rizquna pada 15 Desember 2021 (Rizquna)
“Bahkan sampai sekarang masih gelandang, to. Dulu gelandang di warkop, sekarang di rumah mertua,” kelakarnya.
Namun, Rizquna mengaku beruntung memiliki mertua yang sangat baik dan tidak kedonyan (duniawi). Sebab, sama seperti sang istri, mertuanya tersebut menjadi orang yang selalu mencoba mengerti kondisi dari Rizquna.
Penulis: Muchamad Aly Reza