Journals
Monday,Feb 28 2005, 05:47:50 PMPART 63: FAREWELL TO AL MUSLIM & AIESEC...
PART 63: FAREWELL TO AL MUSLIM & AIESEC UNIVERSITY OF SURABAYA
JANUARY 4, TUESDAY
Aiesec arranged a farewell Dutch-treat party for me with most of its members and former officers in a steak house. The president and I made some exchange gifts, chit-chat with the people, made some speeches and took pictures.
JANUARY 5, WEDNESDAY
The students of Grades 4 to 6 conducted a simple farewell program for me. Prayers, speeches, gifts, coins and sweet smiles were handed to me by my children whom I taught and played with for the past 7 months.
Monday,Feb 28 2005, 05:33:15 PMPART 61: NEW YEAR IN JAKARTA DECEMBER 30,...
PART 61: NEW YEAR IN JAKARTA
DECEMBER 30, THURSDAY
I took a plane to Jakarta to spend the New Year expecting that it would be more lively and fun rather than if I stay in Surabaya.
Without knowing where to stay, I clicked on some names in my cell phone. The Filipinos cannot accept me for they had some visitors already. Ika, the girl who had her traineeship in Manila, just got married last Dec. 26, met me in Plasa Indonesia but cannot take me either. I accidentally met Ariel from Bandung with his girlfriend in that mall. And the relatives of my friends from different Aiesec are not available. Some guy from friendster accepted me. Well, what do you know Friendster works!
DECEMBER 31, FRIDAY
I traveled alone to some parts of the city that I haven’t been before, the northern part – Kota, Malaka and Sunda Kelapa. I took different modes of transportation. The BUSWAY has a special designated lane and runs through the city from North to South. The BAJAJ is a rickshaw version of the Tuktuk in Thailand.
GLODOK is the Chinatown, which I did not dare to visit. Its crowded, narrow busy streets can bring me to oblivion. I stayed on the bus to reach the end terminal that is KOTA. This was the old capital during the VOC and Dutch occupation. Just a few meters ahead are the Fatahillah, Serejah and Puppet Museums.
The VOC shipyard was turned into a restaurant and souvenir shop. Across it is the Lookout Tower. I tried to get inside the Sunda Kepala by taking a bemo but it was later that I realized that I was no longer in the port area and the vehicle was running towards east out of the city. I got lost!!! Nah. I just got off the bemo, crossed the street and took the bemo going to the opposite way that brought me back to the Busway terminal. Then I just proceeded to Plasa Semanggi to have dinner.
In the evening, my new friends brought me to Senayan Park and Sports complex for the New Year’s Party Celebration. There were live band performances, on the other side was techno/house music and the other part was hip-hop/rnb. Talking about some party. Those places were not crowded for they fear of some mischief or bombings, and the President announced to ‘lay low’ to sympathize with the victims of the deadly tsunami.
There were some fireworks displays and blowing of improvised horns at the strike of midnight for only 10 minutes or so. But there were no firecracker exploding in the streets, big or small, there were no people shouting and jumping, no merry making, no feast on the dinner tables, and no beers and drunkards.
JANUARY 1, 2005, SATURDAY
I called the airline to transfer my return to Surabaya on this day rather than staying in Jakarta for 3 more days. There was nothing to do for me anymore.
--------------------------------
PART 62: LAST JAUNT IN SURABAYA
JANUARY 3, MONDAY
Fadil and I went to the Immigration to fix Exit Permit papers. After that, he took me for a last stroll around the city where I stayed in for the past 10 months.