Sam Warnaars

Last night my friends advised me to not stay in the office till too late. I heard about experiences of friends that wanted to go for a party around this time last year, millions of Muslims would be celebrating in the streets, blocking the way and rejoicing. Not a good night to be out in the streets they said.

I took their advice and left for home little past ten. After the Ojek ripped me off (I thought traffic jam, than Ojek) because of the traffic argument I got home. I guess I live and work in the wrong side of town, because the streets were quite empty. No jams at all, but yes, more motors and more little groups of people than usually around that time of the night.

At home I found my boss practicing his guitar and voice. Today he found out that his brother will get married, so practicing needed to be done. It was too early for me to fall asleep anyways so I decided that since it was so quite in the streets it would be nice to get my camera and do a short walk around the block.

Outside the ambience was kind of.. strange. It might be the news that has influenced me a lot, or maybe the long era my friends used to play Command and Conquer Generals.. In a way the prayers coming from mosques gave me a slight uncomfortable feeling. Connecting it with the news items which usually are about bombings and war and the theme of the game of Command and Conquer Generals, I don’t think it is strange I did so. I didn’t realize this feeling till I was walking outside yesterday and listening to all the mosques that were airing their prayers in what seemed to me an unstructured way. The streets were empty, an occasional motor with happy people past me, the air didn’t seem as bad as it usually seems; still feels like a thick, warm, wet blanket. Cooler than during earlier yesterday though.

Walking out of the gates of my neighborhood I didn’t feel like walking the same way home. I took the way around, not knowing that during the night there is only one entrance that is open to my neighborhood. The rest is sealed of with high fences and guards drinking tea and talking the night away about what ever subject, while sitting around little bonfires or laying on their motorcycles.

On my way I passed several little parties. People were playing on self made drums, others gathered around ghetto blasters listening to Indonesian, hyped up Hip-Hop.

Walking along the bigger roads trucks filled with families passed by. Flooded instead of filled might be a better choice of word, since there were so many people on the truck. Some even had to sit on the roof of the drivers cabin, because the back didn’t provide any more room for them anymore. The children were holding flags I did not recognize, I guess flags from their neighborhoods. The trucks past too quick to take a good pictures though. I don’t want to flash the driver to death (if my small flash would already be able to do that) and since it’s so dark all the pictures are taken with either 4 or 8 second exposure time. And no, I don’t have a steady hand ;) .

After my 1,5 hour walk I returned home. The guard that accompanied me from the neighborhood gate to my place must have thought something like bule gila when I told him I just went out for a small walk. He seemed to know my name, as well as Rohims’ (my driver) and that of Ronny (my other boss) name. I guess now I know what the guards are talking about, gossiping away the night shift. All fine to me, I do love the placid street scenery by night and don’t need to be in a car to enjoy it.

How I love (and miss) the Dutch student culture. While it is not done to be fond of your fraternity/guild life it anymore after one or two years, my city has a culture of it’s own, probably due to the rather small student societies. My society, the largest with just over 400 members, has a culture where it’s normal to stop by till you graduate. The larger and older societies usually have a high level of young people in the bar, while older people tend to prefer drinking in a more quite place, at least, so I’ve been told by friends in other cities.

The student board term ends in August, just before the start of the new academic year. This has been some time ago, but it wasn’t till yesterday that I found the pictures. I do know the guys quite well. Erwin (middle picture above) is in my fraternity Thoridor, Ruben (on the right above) and I lived together for a couple of years at Asgard (and he’s a son of Thor as well). The guy in the left picture above is Siebe-Thijs. I used to listen to his weekly dj-sets till I moved to Jakarta. ST, In case you are reading, when will you start sending me those promised DVDs with music? I think it’s good that the women of the board still don’t wear suits. It is an issue within the new board every year I believe. Ladies, you are young and still look good, think about stop wearing skirts like this when you are over 40 if you really want to stop.

The guy that took the pictures is in Thoridor too. He took over the fraternity photo archive after I left, and has a passion for photography. Arjan, that’s his name, has a nose for good deals and can fix you up with a good photo gear for a very sharp price. We did some research together, after which I bought my Rico Caplio R4 for a bargain. After having it for some time my dad and another friend decided to buy the same one, excellent choice.. And to you Arjan, I can’t say anything else than brilliant pictures - as usual!

Public holidays! I love them: everybody is out of town. It’s quiet on the deserted streets of Jakarta, the air is much better and the ambiance is not the same quick-run-quick one. The last thing never bothered me, but it’s not something I am missing this week.

Public holidays! I hate them. While I say everybody is out to their kampung, I mean most of the people. And especially the ones that help me fulfill my needs are. The maid has permanently left, as I told before. The office boy has his days off, and even the security guards are not here to hang in their chairs all day long. I am all fine with that, but I was kind of bothered around lunch. I didn’t need more than once to learn that it’s better to bring your lunch in the official public holidays (last Monday till yesterday), but I didn’t expect the warung next door would still be closed today. I do miss Christines’ Nasi Bogona and my Nasi Campur, (she always gives me extra :) ). It was kind of sad to find out that she is still closed, and that she probably will not open again till Monday.

Rudi, my colleague from Belgium, didn’t mind much; we would just call the delivery service of the Pizza Hut for some hot steaming pizza (with the CheezBurst sides, nice!). We didn’t care that it probably would take half an hour to deliver, we were hungry and didn’t feel like waiting till after office hours.. I could do the ordering, I practiced my insufficient Indonesian skills enough the past week. I tried to call a couple of time but didn’t get to talk to someone on the other end of the line. The phone must either have been off the hook or there was no reply on the other side of the line - berlibur.

Our last rescue should have been the 24 hour delivery service of Mc Donalds. The phone was answered by a polite lady telling that all the lines were busy at that time. With an accent in her English that I could not quite place, she kindly asked to try again later. Rudi tried for quite a few times, but eventually gave up; no lunch today. Although Rudi was hungry, he didn’t feel like making the 5 minutes ride to the nearest mall, neither did I. This week Jakarta is on holiday, and now we knew it: the empty stomach kept reminding us.

My boss came in around 2. He slept in late today (I was not surprised, last night he was still watching movies around 4 - he didn’t answer my question if he would still get up for work when I asked him this morning). Since he didn’t have breakfast lunch yet he wondered if we wanted to join him at the food court in Taman Anggrek. Of course we would ;) . Arriving at Taman Anggrek I suddenly understood where all the cooks, phone operators and other people were; ice skating in Taman Anggrek. For the people not familiar with the mall, especially those in my freezing home country: yes, people like to do ice-skating here while it’s boiling hot outside (probably around 35 degrees at the afternoon). When I arrived I didn’t expect people in tropical climates to be able to stand foot steadily. A stupid assumption I guess, just not something I did expect.