Bhinneka Tunggal Ika

We’ll never realize how great our country and nation until we’re in another country, or see how other people from different country or nation admire and appreciate it. And that’s what I feel after talked with my friend, Carolina Duca.

Caro is an Argentinean, 22 years old, a girl with big passion of about culture and nature. She always so interested to know everything about world and history. At her college she took some subjects, such as universal geography, universal history and history of the cultures. We talked last Sunday, on our lazy day because at that time we didn’t do anything.

Then suddenly she smiled and said, “Bhinneka Tunggal Ika”. Gosh, it made me so surprised, how come she knew that phrase, Indonesian phrase? But her answer more surprised to me, “Because I like that phrase, I really do. I think it’s an example for the rest of the world, because there so much different people in your country. Religious, languages, as you used to be a colony, but in the end you always together as a nation. You say Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, that’s excellent”.

Yeah, Indonesia is a beautiful country. We may don’t have great MRT, wonderful winter, or advance animation effect on movie. But we still have lots of great culture, uniqueness dialect and vernacular, delicious local food, and wonderful tourism place. And there’s no other country has all of it, completely. Is it still not enough to show how great us?

Yeah, Indonesian is still a great nation. No matter how bad news in the media, no matter how the philosophy gives us many problems about that. That’s the point. That’s it. New generations are in charge of fix and spreading it. Without that phrase, we’ll never attempt to be as one, as a nation, as Indonesian.

And at this time, for the umpteenth time, no matter people think I’m mulatto, no matter my name isn’t sounds like Indonesian, I don’t give a damn. I’m Indonesian, and I love it is in my blood. I’m proud of it.

Bhinneka Tunggal Ika. Different, but same, as one nation.

Indonesia is great, the problem is the citizen.

Inspiration From Indian

I have decided to change the name of my blog after I had a conversation with my friend today. He's Calvin, an Indian friend. We talked on Skype this morning. At first I just explained how to go to Komodo Island from Singapore, but then we talked about many things. Lots of things.

It was started from he felt surprised why I can understand Hindi. I told him that I learned from Govind and my other Indian friends. I told him that I speak Indonesian, Bahasa, and Dutch. I also was studying French, Hindi, and Brasilian Portuguese. Then he asked me to teach him some words in Bahasa Indonesia. Yes, we exchange our languages, and it’s a good this to improve our own knowledge about languages.

Then we talked a lot about traveling. How many places we’ve been, and where we’ll going to. Just like me, he also wanted to travel around Southeast Asia. I told him I plan to Thailand in November to watch the Loy Kra Tumb festival, and he told me that he’ll travel probably in July or October. And we promised when we’re in the same country we can meet.

And this is the important part. I told him about me. How I want to get my master study about Industrial Ecology in Delft, the Netherlands. How I feel so interested and seems like want to learn all the languages ​​in the world, how I can be so crazy with all the things about traveling, how it become my biggest dream, how I always happy to meet people with different culture, how, how, and how.

Suddenly I realize I have many dreams, and many things I’ve learned from my life. I dream to study in the Netherlands, to around the world, to understand all the languages. And I’ve learned a lot from my dream. Learn how to save money to travel, learn languages ​​and other cultures from my international friends, learn to make all my dreams come true. And the best thing is how I learned to love myself. Learn to recognize my fragility, to improve my ability, to appreciate what I have, and most importantly, to not waste every second of my life and use it for something useful.

Well, I think I feel too much, but I don’t give a damn. I'll always dream, and learn to make them come true. Because life just once, and lived is not just to be born, grow, and die.

To Calvin, thanks for the inspiration, anyway ;)

The World As I Like It

I like Russia. The village, Svenska, inspired my middle name, Svensky.

I like The Netherlands. The country is where my grandma came from, and I proud it in my blood.

I like Brazil. The dance and music, samba and bossa nova, shake my world every day.

I like Canada. The singer, Avril Lavigne, always be my favorite. And don’t forget Feist and Simple Plan!

I like USA. The Hollywood movies are the best all over the world.

I like Italy. The foods taste so delicious, especially for my favorite one, lasagna.

I like Greece. The myth became my favorite bed time story when I was a child.

I like China. The Chinatown spread across the world and show how great their nation.

I like India. The people can dance very well and they’re really friendly at all.

I like Japan. The technology helps us. Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji are so unique.

I like Cambodia. The site, Angkor Wat, is my most favorite dream vacation spot.

I like France. The language sounds sexy and luxurious, and no one doubt the fashion.

I like Germany. The historical figure, Adolf Hitler, was one of the best orators all the time.

I like Singapore. The way they keep country clean makes me envy and stunned at the same time.

I like Palau. The country might be not popular, but I swear it’s the most unique place to explore.

But mostly I like Indonesia. The cultures, the foods, the way we respect other person, everything. No matter how bad news about it in media, no matter how jammed the road, or how dirty the environment. This is the place where I was born, where I’ll spend the rests of my life, where I’m supposed to be. And I really am so proud of it.

World. People. Culture. 

I love.

It's Not About The Destination, But The Journey

December 22, 2010, 10:53 pm

In the next few hours I'lll go to Batam, one of the city in Riau Islands Province, for a vacation. I also have plans to celebrate the new year in Singapore and also on vacation for a few days in Malaysia. This holiday as a personal gift for myself. How to deal with college, part-time job as a tutor, my decision to cancel the internship offer from Krakatau Steel as they're not in accordance with the plan of research that I want, all made me stressful and really wasted my time for refreshing. So, this vacation is the best gift after all the struggles I face in this busiest year.

This holiday was different than my previous visit to Malaysia and Singapore. Okay, I've been to Singapore for 3 times, and Malaysia for 2 times. But the vacation this time was different because I will celebrate the new year in Singapore, the first time I celebrate the new year abroad. In addition, the cause of this vacation was different because this time I was on vacation with backpacker style who were armed only with a backpack, and unlike previous vacations that I always under supervision of my parents, this time I was on holiday alone with my brother. It's sounds like a novel title, Honeymoon With My Brother. Wow, what an adventure!

It's lucky that I was born in the family that most of his hobby of traveling and make it as a "part-time job. " When there is a holiday, that's when we travel. There're many destinations, from just across districts to traveling around Europe. That's not a problem, provided your age is 20 years and could be in charge of traveling alone. Because I was already 20 years old, then it could be said this is my first trip as a backpacker.

Previously I've been on vacation to some place. Besides Malaysia and Singapore, I've been to Davao, Philippines, when I graduated from junior high school, and Sidney, Australia, when I graduated from senior high school. In Indonesia, I've been around the island of Java for 3 times, and to the island of Bali. Each of these places provide a different experience for me.

For example, Davao. Davao city is not famous in the world, but in the Philippines, the city was known as the durian city. Unfortunately, I was dating at the moment there is durian season and I really don't like the smell of durian. Finally I had passed out while being there because I couldn't smell the stinging of durian.

Another experience when I was in Sydney. Different time zones and the circulation cycle of the sun which also caused me felt a little different  disoriented with time beside the jet lag. If in Indonesia at 19.00 it was night, there was still brightly there. 21:00 hours at night when the streets has begun to slow in Indonesia, it felt like before sunset. It's difference, right?

So, what about Malaysia and Singapore? Perhaps people are bored by visiting the same country many times, and even tend to waste money. Why don't travel in another country? Well, in addition I don't have enough money for other countries, no matter if I'm on vacation again to that country. It's different, celebrate the new year as a backpacker, not the same as my previous visit. So it's no problem for me, like the title of this note, it's not about the destination, but the journey.

Because that experience so I aspire to be a backpacker. My goals are around the world, take pictures with the background of 7 wonders of the world (I already have 1, Borobudur!), visit exotic places like Angkor Wat or India, to the Papua New Guinea to see the culture that is still primitive. Not the wealth and treasure that I want to have in the future, a collection of photos, stories and experiences about a variety of life around the world that I can share for the people shall be my precious treasure that is not necessarily other people can have such as jewelry or a luxury home . Traveling is as young, and gather experience while you can.

So, there is no other reason for not traveling, right? Let go!


PS: Copy paste dari note saya di facebook. I know it's too late to post in blog, but it still interesting to read :)