Padang 3# Padang in My Mind
23 Dec 2010 Leave a Comment
I tried to look out of the aircraft window in my side. I wondered what kind of place that I will visit. Yes, I’ve learnt about this city from many books. I’ve googled the information for several times to make sure about the city. However, what I got in my mind was still blurring. What crossed in my mind was Siti Nurbaya, Sutan Takdir Alisyahbana, Agus Salim, Bunda Kanduang and many names that I got from the novel I had been reading when I was a child. The recent imagination about this city was related to the remarkable tourism place which is operated by the Italian; Cubadak Island. The Island I’m willing to visit during my stay in Padang. The view from the aircraft window was only the white cloud that was covered the land far down there.
Once the plane landed in International Airport of Minangkabau, I could see clearly the land outside. It was very different with the city I just left. I saw the green covered land surrounded by the forested hill. I was served with these tremendously beautiful views at my very first visit. Once I can directly conclude that the city is very beautiful with these natural landscapes. Yes, beautiful nature for me is a forest, hill and river.
It’s proven when I was on the ride to the place where I stay now. I really enjoyed the ride along the way to the central of city. It was really different with the cities I had visited recently. I could feel the city would be very interesting. In addition, the people I met were very warm and friendly. It’s kind of nice culture that Minang people have.
It didn’t take a long time for me to adapt with the life here. Even I only knew little about ‘bahasa Minang’, it didn’t take me to the ‘lost in the city experiences’. It is very easy to get the information you need here. The people will gladly tell you the way home if you are lost. So, nothing to worry here.
Recently, I found my big pleasure in this city. I love to take the ‘Angkot’ wherever I go. It is not like the ‘Angkot’ I found in many cities in Indonesia, the old ugly public transportation that people try to avoid. Unlike the fact in other cities, Angkot in Padang is my favorite transportation. Whenever I needed the escape from my hectic job, I would directly head to the street and take Angkot to do the city tour. What I like is the good music, comfort seat and the artistic decoration. Sometimes, I thought that I got the ride from the gangsta black man driver that is figured in the Hollywood movie. The combination of good music, decoration, and speed driving make my imagination take me to the scene of Fust and furious movie. In some ‘Angkot’, I found the wide flat LCD screen which played Justin Bieber or Akon video. And in one lucky day, the driver played me Lady Gaga’s songs along the way in my city tour. With what I’ve found, there is no reason not to enjoy the living in this city. @erikmarangga.blogspot.com
India Moment; Senyummu Indahkan Duniaku
23 Dec 2010 Leave a Comment
I was in rushing from Bandung to catch my flight in Soekarno-Hatta Airport when I wrote this note. I was anxious that I would miss the flight. It was three hours to the flight. I just keep on talking with my mind and regularly saw the clock above the drivers head front there. It was very annoying to think how I could be this late. I tried to keep the positive suggestion in my mind. I’ve proven this in many times, it was really works. What I kept in my mind was “the bus will get the airport no more than 2 o’clock” intervals with the words “the plane will delay 30 minutes, it’s Indonesia men!”
To lose my anxiety I tried to focus on my book I bought in Gramedia Matraman when I was in my quick transit in Jakarta in my arrival from Padang. Unfortunately, instead of “wow, it’s a good reading! I enjoy it!” what crossed in my mind was “owh…what kind of writing is this?”. I just couldn’t focus. Reading was no longer fun at the time. The anxiety of missing the flight broke my concentration. So, I packed back my book to my backpack and take my eyes out of the window in my side.
The shuttle bus I was taking started to enter the city highway which is regularly having the great long traffic jam. At the highway gate heading to the southern part of Jakarta and also Airport, the bus was side by side with another bus. The kind of a common economic bus crowded with the tired-face passenger. Suddenly, my eyes catch the other eyes in that bus. I didn’t know why, that eyes create calm in my heart. Eyes on eyes on the side by side running bus. It was just randomly caught. It seems the eyes over there looked into my eyes too. Eyes on eyes lead to another contact. Now smile start to bow on that good looking face (Senyum from Raihan started to play). It’s like that I had the ‘India moment’, the scene that you find in the bollywood movie (ya, ya, I know you’ll laugh me because I like to watch Indian movie) when the man meet the girls at the first time. The girls blushingly avoid her sight from the men ayes and does the eyes contact afterwards. It’s usually repeated. As you know, the next action will be the chasing each other in the large flower garden while singing. Sometimes hide behind the big tree and keep on singing. This part make Indian movie plays in a long long duration.
Ok, back to my India moment. The two buses rotated to run on before, rushing in the not too crowded highway. When they were running side by side, my India moment repeatedly happened. It’s kind of strange to get the feeling from the ‘I dunno who’ over there. It’s just started from the eye contact leaded by the smile. I forgot the anxiety of missing the flight and started to move my finger on my laptop’s keyboard when the bus with the nice smiling face running on before my bus. It’s an evidence that smile is a universal language, universal communication among us. So, why don’t we smile? Who knows the smile on your face gives the cheers on people around you.
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