Culture Clothing

Why travel? Why spread yourself so thin like a crepe, why bother living in different societies and cultures for tiny pockets of time and readjusting yourself to a new culture every time?

This post is inspired by a Javanese Muslim prayer: Rumekso Ing Wengi. It's a prayer which symbolizes each body part with a saint or a deity, with the purpose of granting protection and strength to the person who prays.

I've thought about this question a lot, and as somebody who has done so myself, I would say that assimilating these cultures are like going shopping for your body, mind, and soul. I am born and bred Indonesian, but as I visit different countries, I absorb some aspects of the culture that I like. It's like putting on a piece of garment, an armour, or an accessory. And what I put on never leaves me, even as I leave the country and stay out of touch with the culture itself. After I traveled around, I found myself well-shopped enough that I can design my own ideal fashion of culture with the bits that I have picked up along the way. The ideal is, of course, different from people to people, but mine is:

My wits and business astuteness, Chinese

My confidence, eloquence, and charisma American

My work ethic and humility, Japanese

My taste and manners British

My humor Australian, my friendliness Canadian

My efficiency and pragmatism Singaporean

but most importantly,

My heart and spirituality: Indonesian.

So, two points to be made: Firstly, I get to choose what I put on. I have the freedom to make the best of everything that has been given to me. Secondly, if you see me only based on what I am wearing, I am indeed no longer Indonesian. I am a global citizen. But my heart still is, and this shall not change even when my passport no longer is.

Lagu Wajib Kosmos

Ya Tuhan, biarlah dengan seluruh buah perbuatan mulia di dalam hidup hamba, dan dengan seluruh ilmu pengetahuan yang merupakan hak hamba, melekat di setiap ucapan hamba.

Reservoir

Once upon a time,

I took my car keys and went for a drive.

Although I miss Singapore sometimes, I still remember a lot of the stress I had to put up with to do well in my exams and excel in school. Of course, there were plenty of coping mechanisms, one of which I forgot until today. Whenever my dams were about to burst, I would go out and take a bus to McRitchie Reservoir. There, I would walk along the dark bodies of water and enjoy the smell of the forest while gazing at the stars. I would always go there by myself, alone, at night.

I would allow the nature to embrace me, enjoying my quiet moment of solitude. As I walk in further and further into the reservoir, the lights become dimmer and the sounds of cars become softer. In the depths of silence, there were no worries, there were no fears. Everything is going to be okay; I don't need to fear rejection or failure. There was a glob of wisdom-energy in the air that accessed me and revitalized my spirit. If there is a refresh button in life, this felt like hitting it. I would come back to my dorm, feeling more confident and stronger, ready to take on another stretch of challenge.

Two years, 20,000 miles, and a random drive later, I arrived at the Quabbin Reservoir at Amherst College. As I walked along quietly, staring at the great lakes and watching crimson, orange, and yellow leaves flutter about, I recognized the semblance that I'd encountered and forgotten so many times two years ago. The cool air and the softly blowing wind were casting the same spell on me. It may be forgotten, but it will never be lost on me.

I know, but I sometimes don't remember. But if I forget, I will remember to remind myself that I know.