End of The Master of Drama

Facebook keep reminding me how terrible my first months of study were. I missed class once because I totally forgot about the schedule, until Asher and Joao sent me the text me asking whether I was okay or sick. I remember how I was so excited to have the guru himself at our class but it turned out disappointed because he is too old to speak louder and no presentation. He wrote on his paper. Amazing!

Days of essay approached so did the cold weather. The great of horror combine! The seasonal affective disorder syndrome during November – January was so depressing. Tears of home sick to sick of the essays happened. If it wasn’t because of wonderful friends I had, I might not pass the depression. It was very funny when everyone relied on me to bring the sunshine to them with my smile, laughter and dumb joke sometimes so naïve, I was just the same, a weepy girl, cried a lot of missing home and my love one, not to mention those English literature that got me headache every day.

Time flies and when summer came we were all busy with the final project and dissertations. Nights at the library were fun because of friends, long discussion that end with gossiping. Heavy eyes of reading books and books suddenly wide awake when a cute guy or girl passes us by. We were gaining weight because of fast food and sugar on the table while reading and writing. We become close then before, our groups suddenly enlarged, from different courses, different levels, and different background.

Tears, laughter were worth it. Friendship is the most wonderful treasure I have. I had the most wonderful year of my life, yet the saddest one. He told me once that if I pass London then I will pass every challenge in my whole life. Well I never wish to pass London without him, since he was always there to help me pass my days with laughter.

Yesterday, I received the overall result, pass with Merit! I was surprised because I wasn’t sure if I can get Merit! Pass will be just enough for me. I couldn’t make it without help from friends, pray from my family and of course he who sat next to me most of the time while I did my study. I celebrate the wonderful day… alone… without friends and family. Instead of having fun, I slept with tears! I miss all of you people; mom, zi, akang, friends from London, friends in Jakarta and Jon… what is the use of having a wonderful time if I don’t have anyone to share my happiness with…

I pass my study, I pass all the London drama, Merit is just a paper, what I had in a year worth beyond Distinction…

This is why Nadiem Makarim should hire me …

I have been here in Bali since October 10 and every day I use Go-Jek- the motorcycle taxi from home to work vice versa and to Kuta Beach. I cannot drive a motorcycle, that’s the main reason. I could have tried to learn tough, consider I am a learner and eager to learn diving despite I couldn’t swim. However, I just like the idea of spoiling myself with Go-Jek. I don’t need to drive myself, don’t need to think about how to rent and pay the fuel or even worry to leave my motorcycle at home while I am on the field, which will take half of my monthly hour in Berau, Kalimantan.

The other reason is that I love talking to people, listening to their stories and learning something new about life, from other people life. That is also the reason why I decline many offers from the driver to be their regular customer. No, thank you. I like to have a different person who takes me from one point to another.

I believe that every person is an amazing creature with the unique story. One day I met an old driver. He is from Malang and has been living here for 20 years. He said Bali is super nice to him, enjoying sunrise and sunset on the beach, laid back then one day he realized that he has a gray hair and lost his tooth, he is aging! He was a tour guide, but Google has taken away his customer with providing the tourists more information what to do and how to spend a holiday in Bali. Who needs a tour guide now-days. He consciously understands that life is changing, and he needs to adapt the change. He learns how to use a smartphone with the internet from his son. Then he became the Go-Jek driver and learns how to use Google maps. He survived. He said Go-Jek has given him life and save him from a ‘crazy life’ of a tour guide. Because, as a tour-guide, he couldn’t say no if his customer took him to drink alcohol. I gave him three stars for his story.

Then I met a young man. He graduates from university in Yogyakarta. At the beginning, he was just trying to live away from his family, started to work in Bali. This year marks his 8 years in Bali. I have seen enough of everything in Bali, from the cheapest place to the most expensive one. How did he do that? He said from friends to friends and friends, that’s the idea of networking. He earns about 7 million IDR a month. Compare to his fellow graduates in Jakarta, he is lot richer! But home is always Yogyakarta to him, next year he will move back to Yogyakarta to be with his mother. I gave him three stars for his story.

Well, I don’t always talk to my Go-Jek driver, or sometimes the Go-Jek driver doesn’t bother to talk to me either. I gave them three stars for the quietness J

Yesterday one Go-Jek driver was trying to flirt with me. He came from Gili Trawangan and he does many things to earn money. He is a driver, a massage therapist with Go-Massage and also a ticket agency for people who want to travel from Bali to Gili Trawangan. I did ask how much is Go Massage per hour, he said around 65K IDR. ‘Mba nya mau massage? Buat mba nya saya kasih diskon khusus’ ( Do you want a massage? For you, I will give you a special discount?) he even giggled while driving. I said No. of course not! I gave him two stars!

Tonight, for the first time I put four stars for the Go-Jek driver.

He is Isa and he came from Solo. His late father was Chinese and during the riot in 1998 his family lost everything. Not even the insurance company paid them for all the damage. He was in the second year of High School when his life changed that time. Economically devastated and his family got discrimination. His sister was being looked differently at school as she has typical Chinese. Isa is lucky because he has Javanese face like his Javanese mom. To save his family, the father moved and brought his sister to Bali and start all over. Bali is a safe place as it welcomes everyone from everywhere. Isa and his mother moved later on in 2002 and Bali had become his home ever since.

I wish Isa a very best luck in the world. I hope he can forgive what bigot people had done to his family and find happiness here in Bali.

So yes Nadiem Makarim, you have so many great people who are working with you and depending their livelihood on Go-Jek. I am not the biggest fan of the idea of sharing economy, because, in the end, it is all about making a profit. I know you are a good man with a good heart, don’t let business turn you into a monster. Nadiem, you need to collect those people stories, they are your assets, by listening to their very own stories of life, you might change someone life, their life and others like me who lovingly hearing them talking.

You can hire me to write those stories, or anyhow, hire someone else who has been a better writer 🙂

A Month After

I was sitting on Kuta Beach all alone. I was running with Gojek to catch the sunset, but it was too late. By the time I got there, the sun was gone, vanished behind the cloud. I hate that cloud for stealing my sun.

I was calling your name. We could enjoy this freaky and dirty beach together. It is freaky as a man approached me and without even saying, ‘sorry can I sit next to you,’ or any polite words, he just sat there and tried to make a conversation with me.  I was thinking of you and imagine you are the one who sat next to me. That man did two bad things; he was annoyed me time and he was sitting on your spot!

And yes, Kuta is always known as a dirty beach as the stupid tourists and locals just littering there. Plastic bottles are everywhere, not to mention the cigarette butts! Nevertheless, strangely, I always come back to this beach. Somehow, I just like this beach with its freaky and dirty way  to entertain me.. as you always say, I am a weirdo J wait damn, why I sound like a bitch… freaky and dirty entertain hahaha

If you said I am a weird, remember what Juan and Joao said… It is no surprise if I keep having a strange and weird thing in life as I am a weirdo. I never wanted to live in Bali, because it is an expensive place and too touristic for me. It was you who wanted to stay and work from here.

A month after you gone, I am here… living in your dream, as I took the opportunity to live and work here for a year. Since I got here three days ago, I keep calling your name. I miss you every second and somehow Bali has brings you alive again. I wonder if you were here on this freaky dirty beach, maybe you were.

Do you think I am crazy? Maybe I am… and I don’t mind. I will not expect anyone to understand how difficult it is for me to accept the fact that you are gone. For me, you are immortal in my heart and my writing. I wish I am as smart as that girl who invented a virtual monument for her best friend who died so that she can keep talking to him.

I am talking to you and I can always imagine how you respond with a goofy smile and deep voice with a certain intonation that stuck in my brain. I was afraid that I might forget your voice, but I don’t think I can forget. Your voice is there, in my head. However, I am worry of forgetting your smell but your brother had given me your perfume brand… you! that is a very expensive brand! Damn…

A month after…

How are you out there? Are you happy? Do you have a good weirdo friend like me?

I am fine, trying hard to accept the fact that you are gone. I miss you! mostly your huge hug that almost breaks my glasses!

‘Oh Nita, what am I going to do without you?!,’ you always said that while you were hugging me. Look… look… look how am I doing without YOU! it is hard but I will be okay, no worries.

I promise to live my life here in Bali happily! for you…