English Version of "Looking back at a point when I was in Indonesia)

Looking back at a moment in Indonesia

My mind goes to Indonesia during these days. Exactly speaking I want to experience the Lebaran atmosphere again.

These days are the end of Ramadhan, the holy month for Islamic people –Idul Fitri. The Indonesian version of Idul Fitri is called Lebaran. The “Selamat” in Indonesian language means “Wishing your blessings and good deeds”. So Indonesian people will greet each other “Selamat Lebaran” during Idul Fitri. And they ask for forgiveness. “Mohom Maaf Lahir dan Batin”.

Therefore I would like to greet all my Indonesian friends with:

Selamat Lebaran.

Mohon Maaf Lahir dan Batin.

You may hear the heart beat of Indonesian people from the music from the drums in every mosque. The atmosphere is so blessed with this kind of drum beat everywhere in the cities. You can hear the drum beat the whole night. (Some of you guys have already experienced it, right?)

It is a lovely custom of Indonesian people that they visit their families, relatives and friends normally on the Lebaran evenings. Everywhere in the atmosphere is filled with “Mohon Maaf, Lahir dan Batin” and “Selemat Lebaran”. People ask for forgiveness if there are some mistakes they have made during the years and the whole life.

The guests are warmly welcomed in every house. The receivers of guests have prepared a lot of food for them. Then they will have their meal together while talking about their past, presence and future related to family members. They recall their happiest memories during their old days.

Children meet parents. Pupils meet teachers. Old friends meet their old friends. I, one of the guys who always want to be totally absorbed in the other cultures, did join the Lebaran activies in Bandung. Of course it is a good chance to participate in such a holy and religious festival in Indonesia while we are there in Indonesia, whose culture and ethnic diversities are so large.

I still remember those Lebaran days in 2005 October. Frankly speaking I began to learn how to speak Bahasa Indonesia at that point. So I did want to test and practice my Bahasa Indonesian skill (although it is so poor until now. he..he..). A lot of friends of my friend, whose mother is our house owner, visited him. They greeted him “Selamat Lebaran dan Mohon Maaf Lahir dan Batin”. His friends greeted me too since my appearance is so Indonesian, especially so Javanese (as they said later). I had a good chance to practice my Bahasa and did reply in the normal way. After we asked for forgiveness, we became friends. Then I decided to join with them to see how they enjoy the Lebaran atmosphere. They paid respect to their old school teachers and asked for their forgiveness. We went around Bandung. They saw their high school, the roads and streets on which they grew up and became adult, the market, the trees, every building and so on. They even recalled their happy memories with their friends, girl friends. Some were with us now. Some were not. Some were alive, some dead according them. They talked about all of friends, checked whether the trees which span the benches on which they had spent most of their youthful days were still there or not. Some trees were there. Some benches and trees were not. They wanted to keep all these structures and trees to keep their youthful memories. But now they were not there. But of course their youthful days are still there. They didn’t want changes of such buildings to keep them as the reminder of their memories. On the other hand, they wanted to change these structures especially school buildings so that their new generation can make effective use of modern technology and facilities. They inhaled the Bandung air which they had missed the whole year. Once in every year they come to Bandung and inhale it during Lebaran. They would have snacks from roadside sellers whose snacks they had enjoyed during their youthful days (with their friends and girlfriends or boyfriends).

In 2006 Lebaran, we went to the cinema with one of Burmese Muslim friend. She asked for our forgiveness. And we showed our forgiveness by joining her celebration of Lebaran here in Indonesia. There were four Burmese students there at that time. Two of them are Muslim girls. One of them, two of us Burmese guys, one Cambodian, one Lao, three Indonesians stayed together in our house. We all were sisters and brothers. Sometimes we cooked Burmese food (normally if I cook, others can’t eat it), sometimes Lao version of Thai Tom Yam(Hu…when can we have home cook one again..?), quite rarely Cambodian (except our Cambodian friendd is very good at frying eggs as he said during those days). We went shopping center together, celebrated our birthdays together. So we became real sisters and brothers. Therefore we also helped our Burmese Muslim girl to celebrate her Lebaran home away. We joined her to sms our friends to ask for forgiveness. We joined her to ask for forgiveness from her too. During the nights, we sang songs, played games, greeted our house owner in a Lebaran way. Those nights we normally used to stay out. Such times in Indonesia are really memorable for us.

In such way, the end of Lebaran comes again every year. And a current of people will flow back to the other cities where they are settling down and where they have their jobs. Old Bandung people (although some of them still think themselves as Bandungers) say goodbye to Bandung again. And they fold their youthful memories there again in Bandung. And I am sure they will unfold them again next year in the Lebaran.

As for me, if I have a chance, I will also come to Bandung again to dig up my Lebaran memories that I had folded there hopefully in one corner of my life.

Best regards to you all.

And again,

Selamat Lebaran

Mohon Maaf Lahir dan Batin

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