After fasting for one moth during Ramadhan, on 1st Syawal, Moslem's people all over the world celebrate Ied Mubarak. We call it “the winning day”, since during the Ramadhan month, not only we are not eating during the day, but we also challenge to execute good deeds as much as we can, make gifts as many as we can, go to the mosque for praying as often as we can and say God’s name and read Koran as long as we can. We should also prevent ourselves for any bad actions such as swearing, hurting the others, etc. Ramadhan is also the month that we can make requests to God as many as we can. God promises if we can fulfill what God has ordered, God will multiply our good deeds for hundreds or even thousand times. God will approve our requests, and for sure we will receive God’s mercy. After we pass Ramadhan month, on the Lebaran day or Ied Mubarak, we would be as clean as a baby.
Indonesia, the largest Moslem country, where 90% of its populations are Moslem, off course celebrates this Ied Mubarak. It is the time when all Indonesian people, from all over the world, return to their hometown. Mostly Javanese people, they love to have family gathering during Lebaran day. Mother, father and children will go together to see grandparents and other relatives in other cities. We need to see the others since Lebaran day is the day when we ask forgiveness from others to complete what we have done during the Ramadhan month. The money that they have been collecting during a year will evaporate only for a few days. Each business in Indonesia also has an obligation to offer support funding for celebrating the day that we call THR or tunjangan hari raya.
Some people said that going home for Lebaran celebration is out of our rationalization. How come that the amount of money that they can develop as capital to build further business, use only for individual consumption. New dresses, lots of food, gifts for friends and neighbors are also the complementary things. Plus traveling expenses. It consumes a huge amount of money. Even people abroad who could not get permission to go home from their supervisors will send money to their relatives in Indonesia to celebrate the day which is about 9.1 trillion rupiah this year (MetroTv news). Nevertheless, going home is a tradition. Something that has been infiltrated into people’s mind that this behavior is a must in their society. No matter how expensive it is. Gathering with family is a relief after one stressful year working and struggling for life in other’s people areas. Not only forgiving, they are also eating together, laughing together, doing recreation together with all of the members of the beloved families. On the other hand, going home is a show off on how successful they are during these years.
People will spend money in their hometown. Transportation business will reach their peak of sales. Money itself will be distributed evenly to each corner of the country. Some economic experts say, this phenomenon will strengthen our macro economy condition. I think if we have an event as big as Lebaran day every month, Indonesia will have a stronger economic condition than today. No wonder, there are more and more holidays we have now than a few years before. This will encourage people to travel and distribute money to other places.
Jakarta will be empty during this Lebaran day. It is predicted that almost 3.2 million people will go by train, plus several other millions will take buses, airplanes and ships. Several factories such as traditional medicine factories, offer free bus ride to several towns for people who work for them. Even my office, at the ministry of forestry, offers free buses to several towns in Central Java. Maids from my office colleagues normally take the opportunity. Another phenomenon is, there will be 3.9 million people that will go by motorcycles (Tvone.come). Motorcycle is a cheap vehicle that most people afford to buy. Last year, 74% of the total road accidents were from these motorcycle riders. Irrationally, 5 people rode on it (parents and 3 little children). So you could imagine how dangerous it is, traveling for hundred kilometers with a motorcycle where the whole family are the riders, and where all of around them are giant trucks and buses. So this year, some motorcycle dealers offer a program of going home with motorcycles together. Wives and children will be put in buses where husbands are traveling with his flock of motorcycles. This hopefully will reduce the potential road accidents. Though negatively they will bring more people when they return, during the Lebaran holiday, most people will go and Jakarta will be empty. So empty.
When I was a child, my family was part of these Javanese flocks that went home from Jakarta to their hometown. Father, mother and 6 children. We were not a rich family so we took the cheap standard economic train where people can still go with the train with no seats. They are sleeping all over the train’s floor. In Malang, my mother’s hometown, we stayed at my grandparent house. Though it changes now but to date, I can still remember the old house. Old style of windows and doors, the big kitchen, railway next to the house and the smell of my grandmother medicine oil as she spent time on bed during her last days. At that time, I met all of my cousins, and traveled almost every day including visiting my father’s hometown. The last time I went back to Malang with my parents was during my high school. It was only 4 of us, both of my parents, me and my little sister. My father took us to many of his memorable places during his childhood. A house yard full of Zalacca palm and its fruit, places where my father stole the sugar cane with his friends, and the river where he swam, fished and played around with his boyfriends during his childhood. My father looked very happy showing us all of his memorable places. A few years later, he died.
Grandparents had gone. Father had gone. So far, we celebrate Lebaran day at home and visiting relatives older than my mother and late father, not far away from Jakarta. And also we have relatives visiting us during the day. There will be big feast. Everybody should eat. When the time goes by, people are getting older. Marriages make people visit their spouse’s family than their own. More people move to other towns and less and less people are visiting us. And this year, for the first time, we celebrate Lebaran day in Bogor at my sister’s house. Not in mine, since my home is too small to have the whole family’s members. This must be the most quite Lebaran that we ever have. But hopefully, this will tighten up the closeness of my family’s members.
Happy Ied Mubarak everybody. Please give forgiveness to every mistake that I make, unconsciously or intentionally. Have fun with your families and May God blesses will always be with us each day.
Wednesday 16 September 2009
Tuesday 1 September 2009
Friends (the CCF gang)
I have several friends during these 10 years that always spend time together. We all are people who took a French class at CCF before. It was in 1999, when I took a French language class at CCF in Kebayoran Baru. I intended to learn French since I need to have my second international language after English. Besides, French sounds so sexy. When you hear someone speak French, they will move every part of their faces. When the lips move sexily, their eyes will approve what lips say. When we say ‘no’ or ‘yes” in English, we can say it flat, but when we say ‘non’ or ‘ui’ in French, feel like my lips and eyes are working together. I am hoping, if I speak French well, I will look a bit sexier.
By the way, the language - that I think - gives the speaker no gesture is German. When I was I in Stuttgart, I went to a local castle. The guide spoke German, though I learned German during high school and but all I remember about the language is only “Ich liebe dich”. The guide made a joke, everyone was laughing. I said nothing as I saw him as a talking mannequin. No smile. No head movement. No gesture at all. What a stiff person.
Back to CCF. I first arrived in Mimma’s class. A young teacher who now works for the French embassy. I had several classes afterwards, but I ended to move back to Mimma’s class. I liked the way Mimma thought and I like her too. She is the most fun person I’ve ever known. When she is around, things will cheer up. When teaching, she played around and made learning a language became a fun thing. There was also another teacher who likes to teach us how to make French cuisines. But on top of that, I have great friends from CCF.
When I have long week end, I often ask my friends from CCF to join me exploring the nature and some are national parks. Way Kambas NP, Pulau Seribu NP, Karimun Jawa NP, Bali Barat NP, Bromo Tengger Semeru NP, Baluran NP, Kapoposang Recreation park, and many others such as exporing Lombok island. Many interesting memories we had together. I, Titis and Yance with several other friends, dived in the beautiful and clean water of Kapoposang, spent over night and had a fish as big as a baby. We barbequed it by using sea water as the ingredient. When I, Titis, Betti and Tantri went to explore Lombok island (see the picture), we ate “plecing” or leafy vegetable every day. When we could not tell the different between dogs and monkeys, we believed that because of the chemical compound of plecing that influenced our consciousness, as we ate it too much. When I and Mimma went to Karimun Jawa NP, we swam naked on the beach and the sensation was superb! Those are only a few memories that we shared together. There are a lot more !!
Our next destinations are Raja empat and Wakatobi NP. But due to my chaotic financial situation at the moment, let me finish my study first then we can have fun again. The good impact of my hobby to explore the nature is encouraging others to manage other trips. Many of them with other friends, managing several trips to Ujung Kulon NP, Ujung Genteng and others. Even Betti, Bambang and others start to travel all over the world. If you need any information about the cheap packages to different countries, ask Betti. Not only traveling, birthday party for a dinner at different restaurants is our moment to see each other. After the dinner we often move to other coffee house to finish the party. I shared my birthday party with Betti, and since Betti has many kinds of credit cards, normally I will find any restaurant that give 50% discount rate for a dinner. That’s something for a student like me, as still we split the bill afterwards. Though I could only eat at certain restaurants at the moment, but I’m glad that my friends comprehend my weaknesses.
In one period in CCF, when the class finished, sometime I and several others continued the class to a local café. Or to my renting place close to CCF at that time, for a cup of coffee or having evening meals. It was a day when I had a class mate who was a hooker. She went there because her boyfriend wanted her to speak French. I make friends with everyone. As long as they are nice to me, I will be nice to them too. I was touched when she said to us that it was the first time for her to have normal friends. I wonder how bad people were treated her. To prove my friendship, she took me to the places where she worked. Tanahmur at Tanah Abang, Jalan Jaksa, some discothèques, where most of her customers were foreigners. I didn’t change my mind. She is still my friend. For me, life is about making a choice. Some people are fortunate enough to make a good life, but some are trapped in long unavoidable misfortunes. Although she graduated from a university, drugs, bad divorce, loosing the only child and family problems were the things that dragged her to become a hooker.
One day she gave me a call wondering whether she had to take a job as a secretary. I encouraged her to take the opportunity, hoping that she would have a better life. I and several friends were also accompanied her in an in interview to become a manager at a local cafe. Good things came to her, more and more. She took an interview with Singapore airlines, and she got the job. Nowadays, she is a customer manager of Singapore airlines in one country somewhere on this globe. I lost contact with her when I lost my cell phone again (it is about 10 times now).
See how her life is changing. I’m learning a lot from her. I’m learning that we have no reason to look down the others. I knew her first as a hooker, the lowest status in our society, even some people are allergic to them. Now she is someone important in Singapore airlines, where only a few people have the quality for her position. We never know how God manages someone’s life. All we can do just appreciating the others and help when we can. Because someone who might has a lower status than us now, perhaps in the future will become someone who will rescue your life.
Everyone needs friends. There will be no life if we have no friends. But it is up to us to whom we make friends. If I have to make a choice between a fancy girl, live in an apartment, but she lies a lot and likes to compete for everything, and a nice hooker that we can spend time together, laughing at the corner of a restaurant, I choose the hooker as my friend. I could not stand with someone who lies a lot and unconsciously betrays the friendship. Whoever they are, because sincerity is something important for me in a friendship. When I have good friends, I love them and I feel that they love me too. And I hope our friendship will last forever.
By the way, the language - that I think - gives the speaker no gesture is German. When I was I in Stuttgart, I went to a local castle. The guide spoke German, though I learned German during high school and but all I remember about the language is only “Ich liebe dich”. The guide made a joke, everyone was laughing. I said nothing as I saw him as a talking mannequin. No smile. No head movement. No gesture at all. What a stiff person.
Back to CCF. I first arrived in Mimma’s class. A young teacher who now works for the French embassy. I had several classes afterwards, but I ended to move back to Mimma’s class. I liked the way Mimma thought and I like her too. She is the most fun person I’ve ever known. When she is around, things will cheer up. When teaching, she played around and made learning a language became a fun thing. There was also another teacher who likes to teach us how to make French cuisines. But on top of that, I have great friends from CCF.
When I have long week end, I often ask my friends from CCF to join me exploring the nature and some are national parks. Way Kambas NP, Pulau Seribu NP, Karimun Jawa NP, Bali Barat NP, Bromo Tengger Semeru NP, Baluran NP, Kapoposang Recreation park, and many others such as exporing Lombok island. Many interesting memories we had together. I, Titis and Yance with several other friends, dived in the beautiful and clean water of Kapoposang, spent over night and had a fish as big as a baby. We barbequed it by using sea water as the ingredient. When I, Titis, Betti and Tantri went to explore Lombok island (see the picture), we ate “plecing” or leafy vegetable every day. When we could not tell the different between dogs and monkeys, we believed that because of the chemical compound of plecing that influenced our consciousness, as we ate it too much. When I and Mimma went to Karimun Jawa NP, we swam naked on the beach and the sensation was superb! Those are only a few memories that we shared together. There are a lot more !!
Our next destinations are Raja empat and Wakatobi NP. But due to my chaotic financial situation at the moment, let me finish my study first then we can have fun again. The good impact of my hobby to explore the nature is encouraging others to manage other trips. Many of them with other friends, managing several trips to Ujung Kulon NP, Ujung Genteng and others. Even Betti, Bambang and others start to travel all over the world. If you need any information about the cheap packages to different countries, ask Betti. Not only traveling, birthday party for a dinner at different restaurants is our moment to see each other. After the dinner we often move to other coffee house to finish the party. I shared my birthday party with Betti, and since Betti has many kinds of credit cards, normally I will find any restaurant that give 50% discount rate for a dinner. That’s something for a student like me, as still we split the bill afterwards. Though I could only eat at certain restaurants at the moment, but I’m glad that my friends comprehend my weaknesses.
In one period in CCF, when the class finished, sometime I and several others continued the class to a local café. Or to my renting place close to CCF at that time, for a cup of coffee or having evening meals. It was a day when I had a class mate who was a hooker. She went there because her boyfriend wanted her to speak French. I make friends with everyone. As long as they are nice to me, I will be nice to them too. I was touched when she said to us that it was the first time for her to have normal friends. I wonder how bad people were treated her. To prove my friendship, she took me to the places where she worked. Tanahmur at Tanah Abang, Jalan Jaksa, some discothèques, where most of her customers were foreigners. I didn’t change my mind. She is still my friend. For me, life is about making a choice. Some people are fortunate enough to make a good life, but some are trapped in long unavoidable misfortunes. Although she graduated from a university, drugs, bad divorce, loosing the only child and family problems were the things that dragged her to become a hooker.
One day she gave me a call wondering whether she had to take a job as a secretary. I encouraged her to take the opportunity, hoping that she would have a better life. I and several friends were also accompanied her in an in interview to become a manager at a local cafe. Good things came to her, more and more. She took an interview with Singapore airlines, and she got the job. Nowadays, she is a customer manager of Singapore airlines in one country somewhere on this globe. I lost contact with her when I lost my cell phone again (it is about 10 times now).
See how her life is changing. I’m learning a lot from her. I’m learning that we have no reason to look down the others. I knew her first as a hooker, the lowest status in our society, even some people are allergic to them. Now she is someone important in Singapore airlines, where only a few people have the quality for her position. We never know how God manages someone’s life. All we can do just appreciating the others and help when we can. Because someone who might has a lower status than us now, perhaps in the future will become someone who will rescue your life.
Everyone needs friends. There will be no life if we have no friends. But it is up to us to whom we make friends. If I have to make a choice between a fancy girl, live in an apartment, but she lies a lot and likes to compete for everything, and a nice hooker that we can spend time together, laughing at the corner of a restaurant, I choose the hooker as my friend. I could not stand with someone who lies a lot and unconsciously betrays the friendship. Whoever they are, because sincerity is something important for me in a friendship. When I have good friends, I love them and I feel that they love me too. And I hope our friendship will last forever.
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