Out & About : Dreams of being old in crazy Jakarta
Written by Writer on Wednesday, November 12th, 2008
Out & About : Dreams of being old in crazy Jakarta
Tue, 11/11/2008 10:53 AM | City
All this time I’ve always thought I have been a lucky grandma. And I am. What more could you ask for when your home is already filled with the faces and voices of your loved ones?
It is an ideal home, well, an Indonesian home of an elderly person surrounded by her loved ones — people I can spend the rest of my short life, sharing laughter and tears.
The sound of my maudlin grandchild, or the noisy sound of him smashing one of my favorite things, and the light banter between my son and his wife, simply add to the colors of life.
This was the wonderful picture playing in my mind as I drove along Jakarta’s almost empty roads during the week-long Lebaran holiday. The quiet streets ignited my dream of an elderly life.
Only a few people, such as my teenage sons, know that one of my favorite things to do is to drive slowly to a swimming pool on a Saturday or Sunday, taking shortcuts through empty roads in housing complexes. After five days of crowded, dusty and hot journeys to and from the office, a weekend drive in a housing complex among the greenery becomes a luxury.
I usually drive very slowly, with the music turned up really loud. When my sons come along, I exercise my authority over what kind of music should blare out from the stereo.
I argue that it is mom’s time and that mom deserve a reward after suffering on Jakarta roads during the week.
So that was what I was doing during the week-long Lebaran holidays last month.
While Jakarta was left behind by people going on the mudik (homeward travel), I went here, there and through the many parts of Jakarta that I usually avoid.
I drove slowly, not worrying about cars behind me that might dim their lights as a sign for me to speed up. I drove cheerfully with the music turned up. I was happy because I could catch every word the singer sang without it being drowned out by noises outside the car.
The empty roads of Jakarta made me wonder: Would Jakarta be better off alone and empty like this? Or should it remain as it is, with its rich colors from people coming to this city from across the archipelago?
I can’t find the perfect answer. Both seems nice.
Jakarta is nice when it’s clean and not crowded. Jakarta is also more alive — it is the place to fulfill everything you need.
Thinking about how I wanted to spend the rest of life surrounded by family was the perfect analogy to the peaceful Jakarta during Lebaran. I dream of growing old in a city without headaches caused by traffic jams or floods. When I am old, I want to live in a city where people are good to each other, respect the elderly and smile a lot.
To have a friendly city, all we need is to live side by side with different people, accepting diversity and respecting one another.
But the is probably just a dream. You cannot have everything you want.
This realization struck me after an experience at Senayan Bung Karno Sports Complex.
It was the first time my friend and I drove to the arena where people jog around the big stadium. After paying Rp 2,000 to enter, we parked the car, strolled along the stadium track and then sat on a concrete slab for a chat. A perfect place to relax, I thought.
When we were about to leave, a parking attendant approached my car. Accepting that sometimes you get charged twice in Jakarta, I handed him Rp 2,000, a reasonable amount to give to a parking attendant.
In a friendly voice he said, “Rp 5,000 ma’am, not Rp 2,000.”
“Oh, really?” I said, surprised.
“Yes, ma’am. Really.” He smiled, although to me it looked more like a wolfish grin.
It was like my friend and I were under a spell. We couldn’t think of a smart reply to his polite yet irritating demand. So we obediently took out a Rp 5,000 note and gave it to him.
We exited the stadium and drove in silence for a few seconds before bursting out with the same word at a same time, “Crazy”. There goes my dream of an ideal life as an elderly woman in Jakarta.
–Widhyawati Ambara
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