A Journey to the past

I remember the day I was invited for a job interview to a place called Karawang. Someone said it lies in the east of Jakarta, 2-2.5 hour by bus trip from Bogor. The name is actually big as the biggest rice farming and rice producer, but physically I never know how the place looks like. For me, the name was sound hot and tough.

Then, I know it was the paddy field as far as I could see. Sometimes, there’s a tunnel with the smoke at the top. Green scene with a hot-humid weather. The factories and care were the modern part of this city.

It was about an hour trip but I felt like a never ending road. It’s it the middle of nowhere till I found the board sign written as “KIIC”, phew, I just made it J. No. it’s not over, the tol gate will be about 3 more km and I have to take an ‘Ojeg’ for another 4 km which was cost 2000 Rups.

I ever said in myself that ‘I might not choose this company, even if I am accepted’…but it was counter clock wise to my life, here I was for about one and a half years. The place I spent my every day with my friends and also the Japanese person in the top management. I spent the day from 800 hours to 1700 hours, went to the office together with some friends by using car- ‘mobil jemputan Bang Erik’ and went back home with the same car.

I spent the night with some friends to go out for a dinner in Mie Pangsit BNI, Bakso Atmo, Café 77 KP or just buy common food in Lima Dara dan Kantin Hijau Malabar. No KFC or Pizza Hut at the time, if we want just hang around, we can go to Matahari Mal…the biggest and the only at the time.

Sometimes Redy, Ruslan and me went to mbak Nia flat and we watched some movies-as we were all new employee at the time, none of us had any AV set in our room. On the weekdays, I’d rather went back home and watched TV in the living room with the other flat-mate, had laundry at 9pm before went to sleep.

Sometimes we played Badminton in Karawang or in UKI, the master Pak Suprapto, my mates in learning Redy and Rudy, the invisible Ruslan, the powerful ci Alan and the fire burner Inge, the smiley hit ci Evi, the caring grandma Yani. Sometimes the double specialist mas Trisno also join us or the only once performer pak Ricardo.

In this ‘almost rejected by me’ company, I learn so many things. If someone said that your first boss will shape your leadership and ways working, yes I felt it. To lead is to make someone you lead become a leader…meaning for the teacher-ships. To lead is to make those subordinate as your friends in the same value of respecting each other.

The place that let me learn about how friends were really important to your life, how understanding was the must have attitude, where patience was the weapon of success and how helping others was the way you helped yourself, where friendship is endless, timeless and space less.

All those stories has been left since end of August in 2004 …today January 2006…I am walking in Karawang and try to remember all the happiness and the struggle. Make me smile in each object I see. ‘By Pass’ bridge are still there, Mal Matahari are not the biggest now, there are Mal Karawang, CFC and Dunkin Donuts has got the new competitor in fast food, KFC and Pizza Hut has come down town Karawang. ‘Angkot’ still very flexible to make the router, and the money now is 2000 for go around Karawang by Angkot.

Just like walking to past, energize myself…

Jakarta, Jan 7th 2006, beside the sleeping beauty