Today is 483rd anniversary of Jakarta. One thing that always happens to celebrate is Jakarta Fair (PRJ). Used to hold in Monas, KM 0 of Jakarta but since few years ago PRJ changes the location in Kemayoran (old airport of Jakarta) where my parents live not so far from that area.
Jakarta Fair is always presenting old and new Jakarta, the cultures, products and foods. Kerak telor is the most favorite among the traditional foods in Jakarta and normally I only could find it during this event. Normally Jakarta Fair is held for 1 month during school holiday. It is like the must attending event for all people in Jakarta, they don’t care about the crowd as long as they could go there, either bny public transportation or by private one.
The other thing is “Ondel-Ondel”, a giant puppet which somehow scary for some children but it parts of Jakarta and it is a symbol of Jakarta.
I remember one song by late Andi Meriem Matalatta called “Lenggang Lenggok Jakarta” in its lyric said “bagai pinggul gadis remaja”, saying that Jakarta is just like a young lady’s hips, which everybody would like to stare and hopefully could touch it.
Jakarta is getting old now, more crowded, more polluted, hot and flooding. It needs the discipline from people in Jakarta to change this not only the government, but somehow it is not an easy way because still a lot of people lack of discipline and littering.
Despite of the crowd, the traffic and flood, Jakarta is still a magnet for people from other part in Indonesia to come and work there. For them it is a prestige and it is a symbol of success that they could live and work in Jakarta but not few of them are failed and become a beggar or do something illegally.
Jakarta… the city where I was born, the city where I went for study, the city where I fell in love for the first time, the city where my family and my friends live, do not give up with all bad conditions. I will still come to visit you from time to time. Happy anniversary Jakarta..!!!
Kabul, 22 June 2010
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