Most of you will understand what I mean with the above and that I’m visiting my late dad’s birth country Indonesia. He came to Holland when he was 17 years old with his family and adjusted to his new environment and enjoyed the rest of his life a Dutchie lifestyle with a hint of exotic spice.
So after more than 40 years I feel it’s time for me to find out where half of me has a finger in the cultural pot and find out if there are some hidden exotic spices to be added to my current flavors.
I’ve started in Sumatra and so far I feel very much at home as there are so many familiar things; the food is something I’m used to so when I see the menu I know what most of it is and how it taste; there are still a lot of Dutch words in their vocabulary and signs everywhere which after The Dutch left the Indonesians kept. Many times when I walk around I can see ‘a dad lookalike’ which is sometimes emotional and confrontational but most of the time beautiful and comforting. I recognize many habits of my dad in the Indonesian lifestyle so now I can see that he kept part of his roots during his life. We (the Indonesians) and me both look at each other and know we have more in common than the other Westeners so in return I receive a big smile or they say “you look like us”. I know that learning Bahasa Indonesia would gain me even more credit and access to the locals so I’m trying to get that into my head as soon as possible. In Sumatra many people speak English or even basic Dutch as many of them still have family in The Netherlands and travel back and forwards on a regular basis.
I’ve covered so far Medan, Bukit Lawang and Lake Toba which are three very different destinations but my presence was everywhere very welcoming from the Indonesians and I look forward to spend more time in this country which feels a bit like home….
 |
| Queen of the jungle |
