Rendezvous With A Long Lost Friend...

My trip back to the place I was born was truly memorable. Six long years I have been away, many things have changed, Jakarta has become more modernized. Although, there are still poor city dwellers living by the murky canals, with zinc rooftops right above their heads, their only shelter from the scorching sun and the rain. Their shabby homes are enough to protect their family from the ever hungry mosquitoes at night. During daytime, the family members will go to work, even mothers and toddlers. The head of the family would earn the most money by working on the roads selling newspapers or helping cars to cross a jammed junction. The mothers and toddlers would stroll down the rocky, damaged road waiting for the red light. Once it is on, they would make their way, begging for a small donation from the rich road users. They can only survive from the sympathy of these people. Even with 100 rupiah (about 5 cents Singapore currency), they will gladly accept it and so they go again to the next car. They will stop begging once the green light is on. They will step aside, waiting for the next red light. Both mother and toddler are exposed to the dusty winds and the poisonous exhaust gases from the vehicles but that did not bother them. Then there are roadside sellers who barely earn a profit from the goods they sell. During a good week they would gain about 10,000 to 30,000 rupiah (about S$ 2-6). Even though modernized, Jakarta is also a poverty stricken city; many from outside Jakarta gambled all their money just to come there in order to look for jobs. Jakarta is already densely populated yet people still want to come there hoping to find better life. With these negative images of Jakarta, most people would probably be thinking that happiness cannot be found. Well, that is a wrong perception. Poor they may be, but they have strong determination to survive and even help you when you need directions or find places to repair your vehicles in the most remote areas. The less fortunate people there are not easily stressed; you can see it brimming in the children’s eyes telling that we are happy with what we have. Even with torn and tattered clothes, without proper foot protection and without proper meals or even modern technology, they are still able to smile, feeling good about themselves. Unlike big stars in Hollywood, with expensive cars, grand and comfortable homes, they still cannot find happiness in their lives.

Six long years, I have lost the people whom I once called friends. I recalled when tears rolled down my cheeks when I was on the plane bound for Singapore. I recalled those faces I recognized, those fine moments we have had, those joys and laughter, those time when we were together as friends. I was thinking that I will miss those precious things bitterly. But I managed to meet one of my good friends who I lost. Perhaps she might be reading this. My rendezvous with her make me revisit the good old days once again. The good old days that I am holding on to, the past that is sweet to remember. This is just the beginning of reliving my past, my childhood days I sorely missed. How time flies that we now are young adults, pursuing our dreams, taking separate paths but I am glad I got to know these friends, to meet them when I was younger, knowing who they all were. All I can do is smile fondly as I slowly remember our time together which was not bound to the chain of sorrow or regrets. I wanted to meet them all at the reunion on 15th January 2005 but it looks like fate will not allow me to. Even so, I wish I could meet them someday…only if fate will allow me to. These memories will be missed but not forgotten.