At home in Taman Ayu

Yudhie's street in Taman Ayu
His apartment is the first floor of one of the houses on the right

Where was I? Oh yes, ‘…go where you know people and live as they live, not as a tourist.’  Perhaps this may seem the less adventurous route, but it makes a lot of sense, especially when you’re in a very different sort of country and culture.

My ticket from Tokyo to Jakarta on ANA

It’s still the 20th of December.
My plane from Tokyo arrived promptly at three o’clock in the afternoon. My fellow passenger and I successfully made it through Immigration, then parted ways. My new son and best friend Yudhie was waiting for me patiently at the barricade, then found a reliable taxi, and we engaged rush hour traffic on the Jakarta-Tangerang toll way. By the time we arrived at Yudhie’s apartment in Taman Ayu, it was late afternoon. What a relief to be home! The apartment was comfortable. Though he shares it with roommates, two young women from Manado, Sulawesi, who are also teachers in nearby schools, they are both home for Christmas holidays. We will have the place to ourselves for the better part of two weeks.

Ruang tamunya - the living room

It really felt like home, too. Strange how you can feel at home in a place where you’ve never been before and sometimes have never seen. That’s how it was for me. Home is always a place where you feel wanted, and therefore, safe. Yudhie showed me around the house. They have the first floor of a two-storey townhouse. The upstairs has a separate entrance, so the apartment is quite private. The girls share the larger of two bedrooms, and Yudhie and I, when at home, would share his slightly smaller room. It was a nice ‘starter’ home for three new teachers, equipped with most of the necessities of daily life. I unpacked my bags, showed Yudhie the gifts I brought from America for him, his roommates, and Dwi, and then, I had my first meal.

Dapurnya - the kitchen

Yudhie had prepared rice, and some curried veggies and fish. It was cold by the time we sat down to eat, but I will always remember that first supper. Soon I would learn that you haven’t eaten a meal in Yndonesia if you haven’t eaten rice. Rice in all of its forms, but especially nasi putih, plain white rice, steamed, morning, noon and night, and at every opportunity throughout the day. It didn’t take long for me to expect it at every meal, and I never tired of all the things that came with it. We finished off with coffee and some Turkish delight that I brought from the States. I’d told Yudhie about it, but he’d never eaten it before. From the first day, the two of us were experiencing so many new things that we lost count. Best of all was finally to meet each other in person.

Sudut doa, rak buku dan mejanya
Prayer stand, book shelf and desk

Nightfall. It was still rather warm, so to cool off the bedroom where we would sleep, we turned on the air conditioner. We traded off who would sleep in the bed and who got to sleep on the mattress on the floor, but before we retired for the night, we prayed together before the ikons in Yudhie’s room. The oil lamp was lit, a pinch of incense was burned, we venerated the cross and recited the traditional Orthodox prayers in English from memory, and then offered thanks in our own words. It was a perfect ending to a very long, sometimes arduous, day.

Though I had to endure the rigors of a long air journey, Yudhie labored to ready his place for me, to make me feel at home. Everything we had to do to get to this moment was worth it.

Dhóxa tó Theó.
Kemuliaan bagi Allah.
Glory to God.

Next… Jalan-jalan Tangerang