What I Left in Jakarta

I never like our beloved capital city, Jakarta. Not even when I were offered million dollars, a fancy car, a luxurious home or even a handsome husband to live there (but wait…a handsome husband? Well, maybe I would consider it. He…he…). Anyway, the reasons are typical, the traffic, the heat, the noise, the expensive stuffs, and the flood are definitely on the list. But, a year before I left Jakarta, there was one thing that made me want to stay there longer. This thing was so unpredictable since everything happened in coincidence.

One day I was listening to a radio program when a commercial of a grunge event tempted my ear. I listened to it carefully and found out that the event was held by a community called Pearl Jam Indonesia. I wanted to come to the event badly but sadly enough I didn’t have any friend to accompany me to go there. Being disappointed for unable to join the event, I then asked grand pa Google the existence of Pearl Jam Indonesia. I found many sites related to it, from blog, videos, until mailing list. I decided to join the mailing list. Lucky enough, they would hold a gathering, a forum where all the members of Pearl Jam Indonesia gather for mainly talking about their idol, Pearl Jam. Without thinking twice I would join it and this time no one could stand on my way.

The place for gathering was a place I had never been before but one of the members offered others to go there together. I asked for a ride to this kind member, named Mas Reza who is like a Pearl Jam dictionary. Ask him anything about it and you’ll get an answer from him. To cut the story short, I met some of the members of Pearl Jam Indonesia. They welcomed me with open arms and we got along so well like we were such long friends. I never felt as a new member. I felt like I had found a new, warm and nice family. They welcome all kinds of human being. No matter you are beautiful or ugly, thin or fat, short or tall, rich or poor, young or old, student or worker, teenager or grown-up, you are welcomed here. For them they are only two kinds of people, those who like Pearl Jam and those who don’t. As if they say “if you like Pearl Jam, good for you and if you don’t maybe you should listen to its music.” One thing for sure, I’ve never met such a community which can be called as a second family. It’s so marvelous to think that we are all completely strangers but because of a band which put as together there is no more “who-are-you?” kind of thing. Pearl Jam Indonesia is what I left in Jakarta. But it never leaves me. It is always there in my heart and sticks with me whenever I go. Oh…how I miss Pearl Jam Indonesia.