Indonesian dreams

I'm eating a papaya. It reminds me of Bali. In Ubud, I had attempted to stay at a hotel recommended in my guidebook. It was full, but the owner suggested another set of bungalows next door to his. It was recently opened, and I was one of the first guests. Every morning a Balinese woman would bring me breakfast on the verandah. Fruit always accompanied my meal. Papaya was one of several that rotated during the days I spent there.

On the Royal Jordanian flight back from Amman one of the flight attendants was Indonesian. When I asked why she had decided to move to Amman she told me it was a mistake. She had applied for the job when the airline still had a route to Jakarta, where she is from. A friend was applying for the job and cajoled her into applying with her. She got the job; her friend did not. Shortly thereafter, the Jakarta route was cancelled. By then she had already moved to Amman.

She tells me she would like to find a job with another airline, one that flies through Indonesia, but she doesn't have the time to look. Her schedule is booked, and she has only a week or two of vacation. During that time she returns to Jarkarta to see her family and visit her friends.

She asked me what Bahasa I knew, and I racked my brain for the few words I remembered. Selamat pagi, terima kasi, jalan jalan. I had saved one phrase for when we landed, but I didn't get the chance to wish her salamat tinggal, farewell to one who is staying. Posted by eku at June 4, 2004 1:46 AM