Every year we grow older...so does the city...
Jakarta grows older a year...
it is now 482.
June 22 is the big day for Jakarta. I remembered the old days when we were having the Old Night long party on the street, Malam Muda Mudi (The night for the youth). It is just like the celebration of the New Year's eve in Singapore, or "le quatorze juillet" celebration in Paris...(May be Paris is not really like it, I remembered that people was concentrated only around Eiffel Tower)...where people enjoy the night at the street, free of car, fireworks on the sky...
I was still a small children when I joined those celebration. I remembered that my father's office was in a room near the Statue "Selamat Datang". It was a hotel room of Asoka Hotel, pulled down to give a land for EX building. We used to come with some food to his office and enjoy the merriment of all the youth who walked freely on the street. Sometime we've got visitors. I remembered that I've met my cousin who was (at that time) having his short period of study in a university in Bandung. Then, on the street we accidentally meet his other friends.
My childhood memory is not really good, but like a puzzle some came out clearly. I think they are the happy moments of my life.
I also remembered that every year I went to Pekan Raya Jakarta (PRJ). It was in Monas. Sometime we went there for several times during its opening (a whole month). I remember that we, chiildren, gained a lot of free cookies, candies, and other food and drink as a sample product from the stalls. Even before PRJ was moved to Kemayoran those samples tradition were already half gone, to gain free products you've got to buy some other products.
My brothers and I started to love Kerak Telor, the traditional Betawi food through our journeys to PRJ. Sadly, I am not continuing that family tradition going to PRJ, neither did one of my brother who already has kids. PRJ is different now...It's merely business, at least that is how I saw it. And my kids wouldn't think I treat them a fun family activity by going there, they will accuse me of looking out a chance to write a story for wikimu.
I read an article that PRJ could also be moved to Ancol. This year malam muda mudi was taken place in Kemayoran. Complaining how far it is in FB made me gained a comment from my junior high friend. "For young people it is not far..." Yeach, perhaps...yet my children is probably too young to think that it is not far. Beside, we are actually not living in Jakarta anymore. Another comment said that Senayan would be a better place for PRJ, I agree with this comment. With busway and shuttle bus around, perhaps it would be nice to have it there...Yet, we all have to leave our cars outside Senayan and not to cross Sudirman...Ouff...is it possible? Wow, town planning and town management are tough to handle!
My family moved to Jakarta in 1974, so I am as well Jakartanese at heart. Even my Makasarese dialect doesn't have the sound of a Makasarese. I adopted the Betawi tongue. My children now complaining of my habit saying "gue" and "elo" for "me" and "you" which is not polite according to their teacher at school. Who say so? I don't think so... it's a part of my daily language. Will it deteriorate my Bahasa Indonesia? Not in writing I think...
Now the couple that welcome visitors to Jakarta seems to loose in the middle of highrise buildings and the jammed traffic around them. I share this picture to wikimu readers while keeping the memory inside my heart (and blog...)
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