I was born in Kendari, a little town that has became the capital of Southeast Sulawesi Province.
Our house is near the shore. The place was very quiet in the past. There were only few houses sorrounded by forest. The shore was very clean. We used to play, swim, fish or travel around by a canoe that belonged to one of our neighbours.
Sometimes when the tide fell, we would walk across the shore until we reached the shore on the other side. The distance was not so great that we could get back before the tide would rise again. And along the way we used to collect some shellfishes, crabs or shrimps and brought them home. After that we would collect some money from each of us to buy some noodles and together we cooked and ate them in a small house that we built from nipa’s leaves.
There was a small river not far from home. The water was so clear that we could see the bottom of the river. And there were lots of sago palm trees along the river. When someone cut the trees, we took the smaller stem and leaves to build our small house or to make toys from it. In those days, we rarely bought our toys, we made it ourselves most of the time.
I had a friend named Wiwin. We are still friends now even though she has moved and live in another city. We used to go arround together. We even shared dreams that someday we would visit another country.
Here I am now, in the Netherlands, in Arnhem, alone in my room, trying to memorise what we did together, wishing that she were here sitting next to me, sharing all the good and the bad things like we used to.
Time is passing by. Everything is very different now. The forest has gone and been replaced by many houses. The shore and the river are not clean anymore since people have started to throw garbage on them. The air is not so fresh like it used to. And children these days never play like we used to and will never experience what we had done because everything has changed.
I miss my childhood sometimes. It’s a pity that even though we used to play at the shore, I could not swim at all like the others. I remember that I could only swim by holding a big stem of a banana tree.
Oh, how I wish I could feel the excitement of my beautiful childhood again.
Koonings Jaght, October 2002
Our house is near the shore. The place was very quiet in the past. There were only few houses sorrounded by forest. The shore was very clean. We used to play, swim, fish or travel around by a canoe that belonged to one of our neighbours.
Sometimes when the tide fell, we would walk across the shore until we reached the shore on the other side. The distance was not so great that we could get back before the tide would rise again. And along the way we used to collect some shellfishes, crabs or shrimps and brought them home. After that we would collect some money from each of us to buy some noodles and together we cooked and ate them in a small house that we built from nipa’s leaves.
There was a small river not far from home. The water was so clear that we could see the bottom of the river. And there were lots of sago palm trees along the river. When someone cut the trees, we took the smaller stem and leaves to build our small house or to make toys from it. In those days, we rarely bought our toys, we made it ourselves most of the time.
I had a friend named Wiwin. We are still friends now even though she has moved and live in another city. We used to go arround together. We even shared dreams that someday we would visit another country.
Here I am now, in the Netherlands, in Arnhem, alone in my room, trying to memorise what we did together, wishing that she were here sitting next to me, sharing all the good and the bad things like we used to.
Time is passing by. Everything is very different now. The forest has gone and been replaced by many houses. The shore and the river are not clean anymore since people have started to throw garbage on them. The air is not so fresh like it used to. And children these days never play like we used to and will never experience what we had done because everything has changed.
I miss my childhood sometimes. It’s a pity that even though we used to play at the shore, I could not swim at all like the others. I remember that I could only swim by holding a big stem of a banana tree.
Oh, how I wish I could feel the excitement of my beautiful childhood again.
Koonings Jaght, October 2002
No comments:
Post a Comment