My hometown at night, from the top
Right today is the 1st of April so Happy April's Fool day! Hahaha. I think the best joke of today was SP "rebranding" its name to Dover Polytechnic instead on Instagram. That cracked me up in the afternoon when I saw it heh.
But today, is also the 100th birthday of my hometown, Sukabumi! So my hometown is older than my country haha, of course. It is already there during the colonial times, where my hometown is nothing but forests and hills and tea plantations which during the Dutch colonial times. Well apparently it was used to be called Soekabumi but now it's Sukabumi. Which in English it literally translates to Like-earth! Or well if you translate it from Sundanese like-home.
I've never really talked about my hometown here, or in fact anywhere else. So since today is her birthday, I shall blog about her, and what I like about her eh?
When I was in Singapore a lot of people used to think that all Indonesians come from Jakarta. Some even think that Indonesia = Batam. When I told people I from Sukabumi, they gave me a big question mark. So I told them I'm from West Java and they still gave me a question mark. So okay, nevermind, to make my life and their life easier I just tell them I come from Jakarta/Bandung because these 2 cities are more well-known than my humble hometown.
Although eventually I'll tell them "I'm from a town 4 hours drive south from Jakarta"
Yup my hometown is located about 80 kilometres south of Jakarta. Well it used to be a 2-hour drive from Jakarta but thanks to globalisation and the ever-increasing number of cars and ever-deteriorating road condition it now takes AT LEAST 4 hours to Jakarta. If you drive at like 2 AM in the morning you can reach it in 2 hours plus. But it's okay, over the years I have become used to the condition of the traffic and road here so it's fine.
Mt Gede, above a sea of green paddy field
It is located in the foot of Mt Gede, which is a mountain, or in fact a dormant volcano here! It last erupted hmm I think 40 years ago? When my mum was still a young lady haha. And it translates to big mountain by the way. And I love the mountain a lot. I think the mountain is something that make Sukabumi, Sukabumi. There's the mountain, the fresh morning air, and lots of paddy fields. I think that's Sukabumi for me. These three things always remind me of my hometown.
The location of my hometown makes it very cold and chilly especially in the morning and at night. During the day the temperature ranges from about 27-29 ish? I don't think we've reached 30 over here. And at night it's usually below 25 degrees. There was one night I remember though where the temperature reached 15 degrees! It was very very cold that I had to wear a jacket inside my house. And I spent the whole night snuggling under the blanket.
And the geographical location makes Sukabumi an awesome spot for tea-plantations. This was why the Dutch owned a lot of plantations in the colonial times. Even now, tea plantations are spread over the foot of the mountain. And my hometown produces some of the best tea ever! Or maybe it's just because I've been drinking them since young so my tongue is accustomed to the taste of the tea. But no harm giving it a try if you want! :)
Being in West Java, we're all considered Sundanese here. So we have a Sundanese culture, be it in the dialect we speak, the food we eat and the things we do. Sundanese food is lovely, lots of chilli and fried stuff. We proudly eat our food with our fingers, because it's the best way to eat it. There are a lot of traditional food still being sold here and they're all pretty good.
I am born and raised in this humble hometown of mine. Although well practically, I lived half-and-half of my life in Singapore and Indonesia. Since I spent 11 years studying there. But now I'm back and it feels good to be back I suppose, being close to the people whom I've been far away from, for too long. While being in Singapore, and after returning here, I have a deep and grateful sense of gratitude with the fact that I grew up in this hometown of mine.
A lot of people don't really consider growing up in a small town with nothing much a privilege. But I do. My hometown may not be like Jakarta and other big cities in Indonesia (where most of my Indonesian friends in Singapore come from). It may not have so much to offer, but it has definitely taught me how to be happy in so many simplistic ways.
I grew up in a town where malls don't exist. When I was young there wasn't even any fast food outlets etc. After school I would play catching with my friends or cousins, have food by the roadside and with the abundance of natural places, we get to be in touch with nature. This is probably why I love taking walks outside and being outside so much.
I suppose we have definitely learn that happiness can be derived from the simplest things in life. And this is definitely a lesson that not many people can have when they are young. And hopefully, something they can carry till they grow up. So I am really proud that I come from a small town, that I am raised here, and it is with this pride that I'm longing to go back.
The world is a beautiful place, but there's no place like home
Anyway, my hometown has long been progressing now. We have Macdonalds, KFC, A&W, you name it. Okay we still need Starbucks here HAHAHA. But there are loads of Cafes springing over around. And there's an awesome cafe which I always enjoy going to. We don't have malls but we have like 5 supermarkets and also a few shopping outlets. And yes I wish for the cinema in my hometown to be revived. We need it back!
My biggest dream in life is to bring my hometown to the world map (for good things, not bad). When I joined the Noise photography competition last year, I sent in a lot of photos of my hometown, hoping that one of them could be displayed so that people can see how my hometown looks like. But alas I didn't get selected so no worries. But I'm glad I have Instagram to share my hometown to the world! Heh heh. And also this blog, and my tumblr.
In fact there's a really big sense of pride of the things that I did in Singapore. For example, me performing in Esplenade gave me a sense of pride that me, someone from a town not many people know of, have performed in one of the world's renowned concert halls. I'm probably some of the first people in my hometown who reached the summit of Mt Kinabalu? Maaaybe. But nahh it's not important, I'm just proud to be someone from Sukabumi.
My hometown is definitely one of the loveliest places on earth. I am born here and I would love to die here as well. And be buried here, unless we run out of cemetery slots that I got to be cremated. Then at least scatter my ash here. My hometown has come a long way, and still has a long way to go. It is in my biggest and ambitious dreams that I make my hometown a better place. It is the dawn of a new generation, and well, we're the ones who'll continue the great works of our forefathers here. So I hope for a brighter future for this tiny hometown of mine.
Like what Adele sang in her song "Hometown Glory",
Round my hometown, memories are fresh
Round my hometown, the people I've met
are the wonders of my world, are the wonders of this world.
Happy birthday once again, Sukabumi! May you grow to be a great city for the future generations.
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