Letters to Indonesia

When we first went to Indonesia several years ago, there were three things I wanted to do: 1) learn to surf; 2) learn a Balinese dance; and 3) get to know Jakarta, the city where my parents first met, so many years ago. I never touched a surfboard. I learned a dance from North Sumatra. And fell in love with a city that is very difficult to love.

Like so many Southeast Asian cities, Jakarta is congested. No one stays in the proper lane, traffic lights are mere suggestions, and motorcyclists fight for space with pedestrians on the sidewalks. How they drive, so they seem to live. So what is it about this city that compels? I don’t really know, but I hope to figure it out in these, my letters for Indonesia.

Letter 1

You don’t see many street dogs in Jakarta. That is because many consider dogs to be dirty, and, well, you can imagine what some do to them. The animal shelter has plenty of stories to tell. There are, however, a lot of street cats. One mommy left her two kittens in our yard; she picked us to take care of them. I can’t imagine why. I’m not a cat person. In fact, as a child, I was afraid of cats. But how does one turn away two kittens? So I bought bowls and filled them with food and water, and left them in the yard. I was sure that once they discovered their legs, they’d leave us and be the wild cats they’re meant to be. But they kept coming back, day after day, month after month. They decided that our front mat was the perfect bed. The brazen one had no problem walking up to me to see what I was doing. The shy one would say hi only when he was behind the huge leaf of a potted plant I had at my front entrance. Then he’d lift up his paw in an attempt at a high-5. I called the brazen one Kit Kat. His brother was Snickers. It made no sense to fall in love with them, but I did. My first surprise in this city.

Letter 2

My mother used to sing “Bintang Kecil” to me when I was little. I remember doing homework with Broery’s voice on the tape deck in the background, crooning about love lost. Because of these songs, my Indonesian vocabulary ranged from phrases like little star in the sky, I miss you, you broke my heart. I couldn’t really carry a sensible conversation in Jakarta with these words. So, needing to expand my vocabulary a bit, I did the only logical thing: I joined an Indonesian choir.

Though I loved the songs, the best part was sharing in the snacks! Did you know that the proper way to eat a fried tofu is by holding it in one hand while chewing into a fresh chili pepper with the other? I joined to learn new words; I left with new pants size.

Letter 3

“How was Indonesia?” they ask. In this, my final letter, I say:

Volcanoes and forests

And waters so blue

Yogja and Bali

And Pelabuhan Ratu

Stay for a while

And enjoy Nature’s art

But what is beauty

If there is no heart?

Snickers and Kit Kat

Sweet and wild

Words in verse

From the heart of a child

Song and dance

From so long ago

Friends who share all,

Who know not the word “no”

So beats the heart

In this beautiful land

From the grit of Jakarta

To Bali’s white sand

With Mark by me

Where next we roam

But for a short while

Indonesia was home.

#iloveindonesia #travel #expatlife