"…We are the world. We are the children. We are the ones who make a brighter day so let’s start giving. There’s a choice we’re making. We are saving our life. It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me…"

I believe that everybody was stunned when they knew that the King of Pop passed away. And I concede that it’s the hard destiny people must face when their idol is died mysteriously and unexpectedly.

Actually I am not a big fan of Jacko. I knew him just by name that he is singer. I didn’t listen and know his songs. His top of career was in my childhood so I don’t really recognize Jacko. However, since the news of his death is always aired on TV, I got curious to search who Michael Jackson is. Likewise, I see the impact of his death is so unbelievable. A lot of people cry, a lot of people comment regarding his death in facebook status, and folks keep singing his songs while crying. It’s something amazing for me who don’t have any idea about Michael Jackson career.

Immediately, I searched about Michael Jackson and I found his profile and his story of career in Wikipedia. I also downloaded several of his songs which were so familiar in my ear but I didn’t know that those were his songs. Afterwards, I understand now that he deserves to get it all. He is great singer. He influenced plenty of global musicians. He is such great guy who broke the paradigm of Afro-American, and indeed he is the hero of his fans. I also admit that his songs are very incredible songs which are so meaningful. I am little bit jealous because I couldn’t really see Jacko in his top career.

I just heard some of his songs frequently since his death several days ago. And as you can guess, I do love it. Even I am listening to his music while writing this blog. I really like to listen to Heal the World, We are the World, She’s Out of My Life, Earth Song, You Will Be There, and You are not Alone. I like it not only because it has melody, but it also has very good lyrics and message for the better life in this world. Even though I am late to be his fan, but I am happy and proud to know his songs now.

Salute to Michael Jackson! Your songs will always be alive in your fans heart.

Prior to going in Germany, I had thought that I would face a lot of things that would make me look stupid there. And it’s really happened when I was there. The followings are the weird things that I did there:

Since I got accident two days before departing to Germany, I could not walk well. I got little surgery in my feet so I used walking stick (cane) to help me toddle. During in the airport (Adi Sucipto, Cengkareng, Changi, and Frankfurt Int Airport) I was being assisted by the airport officer and sit in the wheel chair. When I arrived in Frankfurt, (maybe because I was too excited) I forced myself to walk around the city with my cane. You know, my cane was an old cane (so traditional and out of mode, lol) so everybody starred at me, moreover I only wore shocks without shoes, hahaha…..!!!! Probably those German people thought why that such old cane was still exist???? Ahahahahaa……

In Thuringen experienced day, I decided to join with a group that was going to Eisenach. It is little city but so beautiful, the place where you can visit Bach house and Martin Luther King house, besides you can visit a Wartburg castle on the top of the hill that is protected by UNESCO as one of world heritage sites. Actually at that time I was not 100% okay, I mean I was a bit ill. And actually the weather was very good, shiny though still cold (for me). That’s why I had prepared my proper cloth before I joined with the group. Eventually, I wore my thick jacket, hat, and double gloves. I just realized that I wore weird cloth when almost everybody in the group asked me, “Do you feel cold?” and “Where are you from?” They said that people in Germany would only wear my cloth style in the winter. Hahahahaha…I just laughed at myself suddenly and put my glove and my hat off even though I still felt so cold.

As if winter, but it's nearly summer, heheheh

Yeah, sometimes look different is okay, but don’t make yourself look so silly. However, you can get famous when you are different from the others. Everybody will star at you and ask you everything, lol!!!

Recently, I just found my new hobby, collecting postcards. Actually, long time ago when I was on Junior High School, I collected stamps but now I lost all my collection since I moved to Makassar (capital city of South Sulawesi). I am interested in collecting postcard since last year when I participated in a work camp in Prambanan Temple. I worked with international volunteer from USA, Belgium, Germany, and France. In the end of work camp, usually we share something as keepsake. Then, I got two postcards from my Belgian friends with Brussels Atomium and Grand Place background theme.

Since that time, I found that collecting postcard is a unique hobby since not a lot people does it. Above and beyond, I do like the portrait in the postcard that usually shows the beautiful places or something exclusive in certain place. Also, it’s not easy to get various kinds of postcards because the picture is unlike from each other; the image depends where the postcard is printed. So I am quite sure that you will not find any Borobudur postcard in any other place except in Yogyakarta or Central Java. So, it’s fairly challenging for me to collect postcard from all over the world. What's more, postcard is important as we can know how a city looked at a particular time in history as well as social history.

Besides, it would be more meaningful if you say hi to our friends through postcard even though instantly we can send by email and I can say that saying something through postcard to your girlfriend or boyfriend is more romantic (even though I never give it to my ex-gf, lol) Don’t you think so??? Just compare if you receive a letter through e-mail and by mail (postcard). I believe that you will be more interested in reading and keeping the postcard.

I also have a special mission to amass postcard; I wanna go to every single place that’s printed in the postcard all over the world. That’s my big passion! Because the only things that you can do to get postcard from another country is going to that country or just ask your friend to send you a postcard from their country. But it would be more memorable and fantastic if and only if we can get a postcard by ourselves, meaning that we go to all countries and grab its postcard. Yeah!!!

I am a bit lucky because I have got German and Singaporean postcard that I got by myself. Yes, when I went there, I spent about 10 euro to purchase postcards. I hope I will get occasion to go off to another country in order I can obtain postcards again… (Strongly wish!!!)

Some of my collections

While enjoying my new hobby, I also never overlook to search about everything related with my hobby. I’ve asked Mr. Google and find that my hobby is called Deltiology. It comes from Greek, deltion and logia. Deltion means writing table or letter, and logia means science. It’s remarkable to learn about deltiology since it can bring you to the times of yore when you look at the old postcards that enclose old pictures.

What I am doing now to add my postcard collection is join postcrosser. It's a project that allows anyone to receive postcards (real ones, not electronic) from random places in the world (see http://www.postcrossing.com/). I also ask to my friends who live in abroad to exchange postcards. It’s the only thing I can do now because going to overseas is not possible to do now, heheheheh…lol

For that reason, if you guys want to exchange postcard with me, just contact me and I will give you my address and send you Indonesian postcard as soon as possible. Anybody wants to prove that receiving postcard is more romantic and meaningful?

Going to Europe really open my eyes about my country. The differences that I saw realized me as an Indonesian that I am so lucky born and grow up in Indonesia. In ISWI, my nationalism is more than I considered before :) Here also I found that even though Indonesia is not as modern as Europe, I still love my country so much…mmmmuuuaaahhhhh!!!!

International Brunch. Indonesia delegates and others

In ISWI 2009 that I attended last month in Ilmineau, Germany, there was an activity called International Brunch. It started in the morning til afternoon. That’s why we named it Brunch, breakfast and lunch. In this motion, all the ISWI participants were asked to perform something regarding their country’s culture. Besides, each country was given a space to make kind of exhibition of each nation culture or whatever.

I was so excited I could participate in International Brunch. It was fun and interesting since we can know other country’s culture. I could see how African dressed up with their traditional clothes and be surprised when I looked Egyptians wore their special dress that I thought they were Cleopatra’s family, heeheheh J

Indonesian participants, including me, believed that it was the right time to promote Indonesia as a beautiful country that’s very rich of culture. So, prior to come to ISWI, we had already arranged some traditional performances that we were going to carried out on the stage of ISWI, in the center of Ilemnau city, such as Saman dance (traditional dance from Aceh province), Sunda Dance (from West Java), Java Dance (from Central Java), and Angklung musical instrument (from West Java). Do you know what? When we performed those shows, everybody was like amazed (it’s according my opinion, aha) although we only practiced it all less than a week. So do the other delegates from another country. They performed their traditional dance (mostly dance with free style) even though I felt Indonesian dances were more interesting, heeheeh….

All Indonesian delegates wore traditional dress and clothes and so do the other participants from another country. I myself wore a traditional cloth from South Sulawesi, special hat with sarong and jas tutup, typical of Makassar). I was so proud and happy to wear that cloth because all people surrounding the area invited me to take picture together. “Can I take a picture with you?” that’s the people used to say to me (really, I don’t lie) lol :) Even in the next day, my picture was published in ISWI newspaper (it’s true!). But I don’t know exactly why they want to take a picture with me, whether they liked my style or they just looked me weird but wonderful with my outfit, hahahah!! (At least it can increase my nationalism and also my narcissism, lol) Anyway, you can assess it by looking at my picture below :)

It was published in ISWI Newspaper

Mean while in our Indonesian stand, we served up a lot of Indonesian snacks, such as dodol garut, cassava chips, pineapple chips, emping, manisan, banan chips, jackfruit chips, dempo durian, kacang telur, and various Indonesian souvenirs like wayang (Javanese puppets). We allowed the people taste it all and take the souvenir as a keepsake. Most of them asked what durian is and how we could take all these things. They were also astonished with Angklung, the musical instrument from bamboo. You can guess how our stand is! It was extremely crowded and it was like press conference since we had to answer a lot of question regarding Indonesian culture. By and large, what they found in our stand was something new for them. Indeed, we got a lot of compliments from the people who visit our stand, yeah! Bravo Indonesia :)

In the middle of the activity, I was curious to witness the other country’s stand. So I was out from my stand and walked around with my friend to glimpse the others. What I expected before was I could find something new from another part of world, such as the foods or beverages. Unfortunately what I wanted was too far. Mostly, another stands just served up the people with a wine or beer from their own country (that I guess the taste of wine is same wherever it comes from) and some biscuit and chocolates. Some of them also introduced their country through postcard and some pictures. Ya…ya…ya….I found it’s so-so because what I found was not something new. I could discover them even in my country actually. It would be very amazing if I could sip special beverages and munch typical snacks from another countries stand.

Another stand

After got back to my stand, I nodded while saying to myself, “Oh God, I am so lucky become Indonesia!!” I don’t scoff at another countries and I don’t say that they are awful. I just more aware that what I have in my country cannot be compared with another country. I am so thankful because what I have in Indonesia is not exist in other countries. I am proud that Indonesia has more than hundred beautiful dances, it has a lot of traditional foods that’s much more delicious and has unique taste, and it has very rich culture that’s much interesting. No wonder Indonesian stand was overwhelmed by the visitors!!!

Indonesian stand

Indeed, we realized that our home is much more comfortable when we visit our neighbor. Sometime, we will love our home when we are not there. Now I can strongly say (in my mouth and my heart) that I love my country ssssssoooooo muuuuuccchhhh!!!

Do you find the same with me? Or do you have other experiences that boast your nationalism? Let’s share!