Writings Of My Other Self

Dear blog,

It has been a very very long while since i last wrote an entry. I tried writing a few times but i was just too busy to write. Either that or i wasn’t in the mood to write. (Wrote half way and then felt that it was boring so i deleted them).

Today is a Saturday and my friends and I are taking care of the office since the office caretaker went back to his hometown for ‘Lebaran’ (Holiday - Idul Fitri).

Now, on to the juicy part of this entry: My Experience in Jakarta, Indonesia.

I came to Jakarta for two purpose that is firstly to undergo internship and secondly, to seek a different life experience. I can proudly say that i have not only achieved both objectives but also gained so much more. My stay here has been a great source of inspiration.

Food Wise:
Jakarta is filled with food. In Malaysia, we have hawker stalls, over here they have ‘Warungs’. Everything in Indonesia is spicy. (They even put ’sambal’ into their porridge, something i’m not used to). I will never forget Nasi Pecel, Pecel Lele, Gado-gado and my favourite, KEROPOK Go Pek (it costs 500 rupiah).

In Indonesia, food comes looking for you. There are food vendors that either walks or cycles around the neighborhood with their carts until around 2am in the morning. That holds true until Idul Fitri arrives. Everyone ‘mudik’ (goes back to their hometown) and food is scarce (except Mc Donalds and Dunkin Donuts).

People:
In my opinion, the word ‘manners’ here means a lot. That’s what i’ve learned throughout my stay in Jakarta. I don’t really mix with the rich but most of my friends come from humble origins. They are not materially rich but they are rich in their cultural values.

Over here, i learned that there are several ways of greeting. Shaking hands (and then put it to your heart to show sincerity), taking an older person’s hand and touching it to your forehead and etc. I even learned that in Bahasa Jawa, you have special callings for older people. My friends are all well mannered people and i was just so blessed to have met them. I learned a lot from them culturally.

FAITH:
Then there’s my new found family in Christ here. The church is just located behind my office, so it is very convenient. (I have no excuses not to attend prayer meetings and bible studies)

The church here has taught me a lot of things. I managed to join their worship team as a backup singer and i learned a lot of songs in Bahasa Indonesia. They are all really awesome songs. It has been great knowing the people at church and it’s good to know that you can find a ‘family’ even though you are in another country. Oh yea, the worship team here sacrifice half of their Sunday at church. Why? Because there are two services, and if you’re in the worship team, you have to serve for both service, that means coming to church at 7:30am and serving until 12pm. After that there’s practice which last from 1pm to around 3:30pm. Even the guy in charge of the sound system needs to stay until the practice is over. Every little thing is important. During worship, each and everyone of them serve wholeheartedly. Even the person in charge of the projection does his job with almost perfect timing. THAT is what i call worship and THAT is the way Christians should be serving God.

On to some witnessing. I managed to talk to an older guy who is serving full time. He told me about a lady at church who is blind. That lady has a master’s degree in Theology, is a wife and mother and is able to serve God. Last year, she led a Christmas session at the church here where only blind people attended. Every single one of the attendees were blind. From the musicians (yes, MUSICIANS!) to the speaker, to the congregation. All these people though they were blind are serving God so faithfully. It brings shame to those of us who are not disabled in any way. Then there is another story of a guy who is both blind and deaf. He works as a massager. He is faithfully preaching the gospel. Next up is an Indonesian actor (forgot what his name is) who is also a preacher. Imagine that your pastor is a super star (O_o’) [and here some of us always say that we have no time to contribute to the church]. Then, there are my friends here who are around 17 or 18 years old who are studying at seminaries. I was shocked… they have given their lives to God at such a young age… I really do not have the grace to do so. Anyhow, all these amazing stories really inspires me to really buck up and serve God with reverence. In Indonesia, i saw how flexible Christianity is. People are not interested in the Laws of God. They are interested in the Grace of God. It is just so awesome to be seeing and experiencing all these things in Indonesia. THANK YOU GOD!

Oh yea, bible study has taught me a lot. That includes learning the Bahasa version of the chapters in the bible. Basically i am getting the same message that i’ve heard before but this time it’s in Bahasa. So, it is really interesting. The awesome thing about the bible is that when you read it at a different age, you get to understand deeper things. Things that aren’t revealed to you when you were still a kid. I think i get it now why it’s called the Living Word.

I’ve also learned that the most important thing for a Christian is not to preach the gospel. There is no use in just preaching the gospel when you’re not living it yourself. Nobody will believe you.

WORK
People at the office have taught me a lot of things Every single day i learn new things. I am on the same floor with 3 product managers and the director himself. I am always getting indirect lessons from them. From the way they handle their customers, the way they talk on the phone, the way they negotiate and the way they manage people. Seeing them work is a lesson in itself. This is so much more effective than learning managerial theories.

My director sometimes invites me over to his house. I really like to go to his house. Why? It’s because he will then talk to me and tell me about his life experience and teach me life lessons. He likes to give me a lot of advice and i listen with an open mind.

“If you live life without a goal, you are like a vehicle with limited fuel. You drive around aimlessly and halfway through, your gas runs out and you have yet to reach your destination.”

“If you are old, always feel green. Never once think that you have matured. Once you feel matured, that is the time when you stop learning and start decaying”

“No man is an island. We all need each other. Nobody is perfect. We were born to fill in the gaps that others have and likewise others are needed to fill the gaps that we have. That is why even though you might not like a person, it doesn’t mean that you should totally ignore them.”

“What you are in the future depends on the books that you’re reading today, the friends that you’re hanging around with today and whether you have determined a goal to achieve.”

“Always smile!”

The above are some of his favorite sayings. My boss is a really great guy. I think 50% of the changes that happened to me was due to his contribution. He really broke down my walls. When i came here, i had a lot of defects but i think i am a better person than i was before. Thank you Mr. Aloys! I will never forget my time here at PT MultiIntegra.

Life has graced me with a lot of wisdom since i set foot in the Republic of Indonesia. It has been almost 4 months and my time here is almost up. I am grateful to be here. (I haven’t visited a lot of places but in return, i learned a lot). That’s it! See ya!