An Amazing Journey of Life Origins 2

Hiya, hoe gaat het met jullie? Alles goed? Well it’s time for me to tell the story again. Still remember Mr. Hadi Smedema and Ms. Jikje de Jong? Yes, they are my guests from before. And now, they fulfill their promise to return to Indonesia again. But now, they didn’t come to Java, but to Bali. So here it is…

About three months ago, I receive an e-mail from Ms. de Jong about their plan to come again to Indonesia. We keep exchange story as well giving information about what to do or what to see. Then I come up with plan: I will come to Bali to meet them again! But…. Uhhhhh I cannot leave my current job. So I came with another plan, do White-lies (if it can be called white-lies, hehehehe)

Aaaaaand, off I go to Bali, three days before meeting time. It was my first time back to Bali again after eight years, but now, alone. Yeaaah, my resolution this year accomplished sooner than I expected. But what excite me most is, I meet again with two nice person from my trip about eight months ago. Well, because I came three days earlier, I don’t know what to do once I arrive. I contact my friend Alan, but seems he still a little bit busy. Note: Alan is my friend who works as guide in Malang, but during low season, he “run” to Bali. Kinda tricky but he’s smart Then I spent my days touring de Bali, with my aunt’s motorcycle. Bali have a little bit complicated roads. Many branch, one way road, and many intersections. But I able to memorize some of the roads, well, just to come back to my aunt’s home without having lost, hehehehe. Also for two days, I visit Sanur Beach for local’s view and Kuta Beach for sunset view.

sunset view of Kuta Beach

Then I finally meet with Alan. We spend night walking around Kuta into the Legian St. as well. Wow, many foreigner comes. Why of course, Legian St. is the center of Foreigners, “bule” if local said. We also go have fun go mad at one of the bar in Legian and come back home very late. Nice, but actually, I’m not on the mood that time.

Next day, it’s time to meet. Together with Alan, we went to Hotel which Mr. Smedema and Ms. de Jong stayed. It was rejoice! We seeing each other again. He’s got cooler from before, but the second time I see him, he really got his Javanese side in him, hehehehe. Ms. de Jong? Still as fabulous as before. She’s more matured now. And then, the four of us walking together to Kuta beach, while talking to exchange stories what we have done after first visit to Java eight months ago. We also go to the restaurant in front of Kuta Beach. The color of the restaurant is Red, but I cannot remember the name (my bad my bad, hehehehe)

And here is when everything is clear. I’m a village boy, so how to eat in the big western restaurant like this really confuses me. Alan? well he already learned table manner so it is not a problem anymore for him. We laughed all the time, mostly about my stupidity (I remember I ordered sandwich, but got confused because the sandwich served in big plate). But I also thinks, is it okay for Mr. Smedema and Ms. de Jong to treat someone like this? I mean, look at the menu, it’s quite expensive… And it answered, they treat us with no problem at all, its because they said we (Alan and me) was a good person, and helped them in the past, so they pay it back now. awwwwww, so nice, thanks for everything Mr. Smedema, Ms. de Jong.

After have some lunch, four of us continues to walk again, and we go through Legian St. once again. There, Ms. de Jong found some souvenirs shops that she planned to visit after they return from Gili Island. And we end the day by sitting on the sand of the Kuta Beach. Watching sunset as well as talking what to do next. Even only one day of our meeting, it was really fun, nice view, nice pesons, nice friends. Night comes, we back to their hotel, drink some Bintang, and we teach our language to each other (Alan and me teach them Indonesian and Mr. Smedema and Ms. de Jong teach us Dutch). And it’s time to say goodbye, we return to our homes and the couple, back to their rooms to have some rest.

Well that’s the story I got for this trip. Nice experience for me, but still, it’s not enough. I want to stay much longer, but duty calls. Thanks again Mr. Hadi Smedema, Ms. Jikje de Jong, hope to see you two again next years.

Met Mr. Hadi Smedema, Alans Achmad, Ms. Jikje de Jong

An Amazing Journey of Life Origins

It was a sudden call from the office. Hurriedly I take my ass back to the office. As Dee greet me, Mr.Mamat ask me to accompany him to a place called Sumber Gareng. No idea where it was. Never heard of it before. I ask Mr. Mamat where it is, but he doesn’t know as well. Then, what to do? Oh I asked him what purpose going there? He said “we are picking up a baby.” What? My first thought is I bring the guest from nowhere to that Sumber Gareng to adopt a baby. But I’m not sure if it’s true or not.

About 12.30 PM we leave the office to meet the guest at Kartika Graha Hotel where he stayed. At the hotel, we waiting for about two hours by doing nothing. Even Mr. Mamat able to sleep at the lobby. And me? I’m the type of person that cannot sitting quietly. So I walk around the Hotel and seeing the Hotel facility. And… it’s about the fourth time I walked around until the security stop giving me a smile and give me look “just sit down and be quiet.”

Then the person we expected finally comes. With his tour leader, he and his girlfriend introduced themselves. The man is Hadi Smedema and the woman is Ms. Jikje. They are from Holland. The tour leader introduced himself as Mr. Panji.I thought they will adopt a baby, but it was all wrong.

Mr. Panji asks me to accompany them to find the origin of Mr. Hadi. We are gonna find his birth place. Then, I noticed, Mr. Hadi is  Indonesian, while Ms. Jikje is Holland. I’m surprised at first if he can’t speak Indonesian. Realizing my shocking look, Mr. Panji explain everything, and he introduced me to his guests, as a translator. I’ve been thinking what should I do.

And we go, we started chatting to know each other better. They are very nice couple. They said a lot, asking a lot, and answer my question a lot (my chance to know foreign country). Then Mr. Hadi explains his purpose to come here. He said that he is looking for his mother, his REAL mother. He said he was adopted when he was three months old to Netherland, and stays there ever since. About one hour we drive to the Sumber Gareng.

First we starts by going to the hospital where we believed is Mr. Hadi’s birthplace. As we investigate (I’m in the secret detective mood now, hehehe), we knows if the hospital name has been changed and it is a new one. We asks the people around for information but we got nothing. They seems hiding something. But one thing for sure, we come to the right place, because from information I got from Mr. Hadi about the hospital, it matched with the information from locals. hmmmmmm.

Then we continue the investigation to the Orphan house. Mr. Hadi take a lot of picture, about the orphans, and the orphanage itself. But we are not satisfied, we keep looking. Mr. Hadi suggest me to meet the oldest person in that place. Then I come up with an idea to meet the Mayor of the village. We introduced ourselves and Mr. Mayor accept us nicely. Then he helped us to get more information, but I think it still circling around the one we got at the hospital

And he got an idea. Mr. Mayor calls someone who might knows about the story. Then that man come. About fifty years old, wearing simple T-shirt and short, he have a kind face, and so calm. He look at Mr. Hadi and then remembered something. Hurriedly he hug Mr. Hadi and said if he is often take Mr. Hadi for a walk when he still an infant. He recognized Mr. Hadi through his big and circle eyes. A wonderful feeling spreads among us that moment. Even Ms. Jikje is crying of happines. Then we matched all of the information we have gathered with the new one. It’s about  89% matched. But we still couldn’t find his mother. Mr. Hadi said that he have satisfied with this for now. And Mr. Mayor promised that as soon as he knows more info, he will inform me and I will forward it to Mr. Hadi at Holland.

And we going home. We discussed this subject along the way. This couple thanked me for helping them translating what they said. And I thanked them to trust me to help them that time. Even Mr. Hadi offered me to go to Netherland one day. I really happy to hear it. They are very nice persons, and honest.

And we end the day by droping by at the hotel and enjoy some cup of coffee. Me and Mr. Mamat promised them if they come here again, we will pick them up anywhere they landing. To Malang, Surabaya, Jakarta, even Jogjakarta. I have a very pleasure time with them, and they motivates me to learn to speak Dutch, so when they come here again, we can speak with Dutch better.

Hoe gaat het? Alles goed? Latest contact I got, Mr. Hadi and Ms. Jikje planned to back to Indonesia again. Maybe they will stop by to Malang again, I hope we can meet again. He asks me to accompany him back to Sukorejo again, it will be pleasure for me to back to do another amazing journey of life origin…

Mr. Hadi, Mr. Elli, Mr. Wahyudi, Ms. Jikje, and me