I was told
Ev'ry day in my childhood:
Even when we grow old
Home will be where the heart is
Never were words so true
My heart's far, far away
Home is too
Home - from Beauty and the Beast, The Musical
Part of my busy bee August was because I had to go back home twice in 2 weeks time. In both weeks, I went to Jakarta on Tuesday, stayed in Dharmawangsa Hotel until Friday, where I actually had a chance to visit home and spent a night there and went back to Singapore on Saturday. Tiring, yes. But it's a chance for me to visit home!
People always commented when they found out that I was about to go back to Jakarta for my business trip, "Oh, you are going home!" Is it really?
Something that they have forgotten to take into account; when it's business trip, it's not really home. I did not stay in my childhood home. I had to stay in a hotel. My trip is about work, work, and more work. Oh, did I mention traffic jam? I may sound someone with the nose so stuck up in the air when I write about traffic jam in Jakarta (either you live with it, or you migrate to other country). As much as I hate it, after years of training, I just learn to live with it. When I am in Jakarta, just blame everything to traffic, but don't complain about it. In Kota Singa, I can always complain about how bad traffic is and how government fail to control the car population even with the ever increasing ERP charges.
But is Jakarta still home for me? My parents house is still my home, and nothing will change that. My room is still there, although I can't use it anymore since my mother has handed it over to the heir of the throne and I had to use my sister's room now. But the sense of familiarity, the smell of home, is really something priceless. Knowing that I've got a place that I really belong to, when everything else fails me! But then, home is not really home when it comes to Jakarta. Traffic congestion was killer! And the sight of children begging or people asking money at the traffic light junction is something that I've never gotten used to since I was young. Although I also define home as a place to get good and cheap lulur massage and creambath as well as good and cheap shopping spree in Mangga Dua. And home is where I can get nice pempek palembang, rujak bebek and my favourite kolak pisang. Not to mention, nice affordable restaurant that's so rare in Singapore.
But over the years, I've also come to love this "fine city". It has never been love at the first sight. Although, when I first came to the city, there was this sense of euphoria of being in the new place, exploring something new. But then the euphoric feeling did not last, and I missed home terribly. Especially after I had my children. I wanted them to be brought up in the place where I spent my childhood, to be brought up the way I was brought up. I just wanted to go back and stayed in Jakarta, where it's home.
But, slowly, there's this feeling of attachment that comes from the fine city. Maybe it's from the way I can walk leisurely on the streets, knowing that the chance of someone mugging me is very slim. Or maybe because of the friendship with the people here that I have made over the years. Or how I can physically blend in the society where I can proudly announce, "I am chinese!" and did not get the racist stare! (my racist stare only came later, when people find out that the chinese looking lady, does not speak chinese, but speaks fluent bahasa indonesia -- so I don't know which one is worse). But I've started to love this city, and now I have adopted this city as my second home, without feeling guilty about having two homes.
Belle said that home should be where the heart is. So, I split my heart into two and put them in the two countries I call home.
In August, where both my homes celebrate the national day and independence day, respectively, I came up with the strawberry shortcake. Its red and white tone just matched well with the flags from both countries.
I have posted the recipe for the cake, since I bought a Japanese recipe book with gorgeous pictures of cakes (yes, it's written in Japanese). And I took pain to translate the recipe for this cake. For that effort, I believe I should be rewarded with something as simple as sharing the recipe with other people.
Happy birthday to both of my homes!
Nothing lasts, nothing holds
All of me
My heart's far, far away
Home and free
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