Authentic

“Bumi Pasundan lahir ketika Tuhan sedang tersenyum” – Brouwer

Bandung (Bumi Pasundan) breathtaking view

Just about last month, I took a way back home from internship using one of the online transportation. Along the way, the driver always said that he doesn’t like Indonesia, especially the people. I could only nod. He seems a bit weird, so I kept silent.

When we went through a narrow street,
a motorcycle accidentally hit the driver’s rearview spion,
but the person in motorcycle didn’t apologize at all.
My driver tried to pull out his safety belt, opened the car’s door,
and he wanted to chase the motorcycle – in anger -, but the traffic light already Green.
I felt afraid of him, I thought he would be mad to me,
so I said to him, “I’m really sorry, sir. He hit your rearview spion because we took that narrow road.”

He replied,
“No, no. Don’t be afraid, ms. I’m really upset with that person, he didn’t say sorry at all. If he can’t fix it, at least please say sorry, then I wouldn’t be mad of him.”
He continued,
“You know, ms. Bandung is someah (really friendly) in the past. Just when the outsiders come here, Bandung has became very different since 4 years ago.”

He’s not totally wrong.
Bandung, where I born and live,
well, already different since I was 13.
The air is not as crisp as 10 years ago everytime I woke up at 5 A.M.
My housing area is not as dead as 10 years ago, where there were no coffee shop, no restaurant, no minimarket, no doctor, and even only 1 school.

But different doesn’t always mean bad.
I saw Bandung has been growing lately,
especially since Ridwan Kamil titled as the Mayor.
He’s really good at urban planning, I can see it from the decorations around the place where KTT ASEAN held in 2015.
He also built places for millenials to be creative,
to collaborate, and to explore themselves.
As Bandung growing, the ousiders starting to look at Bandung,
they interested to have businesses here, they interested in investing,
they also interested on exploring cultures and arts.

Well, Bandung is still Bandung for me 🙂
where Chinese and Sundanese meet together here,
friendliness everywhere,
tourists come here every week,
where I could find many breathtaking views,
and it’s a blessing to feel every bit of Bandung side.
Even though many things change,
but many are good too.
Change is meant for a better Bandung,
so I think I don’t have any reason to not loving Bandung.

 

Pic source: author’s private collection