When we first decided the get in the rainforest protection and replanting business we knew it would be full of adventure and memorable experiences. I have to be honest though, we never expected to be so close to a terrorist bombing, or reassured by a bunch of strangers so quickly after the fact.
On Friday morning we were commuting to our office in Jakarta when our business partner received a call on his cell phone. He was told that there had been a bombing in Jakarta but that he didn’t have any details. As we continued our drive into the city his phone continued to ring with more details. At one point he told us, “It happened near the office, I don’t know if we’ll be able to get in.”
It’s a little hard to describe the feeling of being chauffeured in a brand new Mercedes-Benz through back roads of a developing country toward an office in a completely modern office building near where a terrorist bomb had just blown up. I think it’s the closest thing to the Twilight Zone I’ve ever been. It will stick with me for a long time.
As we moved closer to the office the traffic slowed to a crawl. “It’s unusually heavy for this time of the day.” we were told. The phone kept ringing with regular updates: “Everyone in our office is fine.”, “They think it was the opposition party trying to make things hard for the newly re-elected president.”, “This is really going to hurt Indonesia’s economy.”
Closer still and the police presence increased. It struck me that the police were watching for unusual vehicles and activity, and a brand new black Mercedes-Benz wasn’t considered suspicious in a developing country. This is a country of stark contrasts and we were firmly established as normal in it. When we finally arrived at our office building the our security guards actually seemed a little relieved to see us, and immediately let us in. When we got up to the office the rest of the team was watching CNN. I went to my office to set up my laptop and start sending out reassuring emails to family and friends. One of our associates came in to ask if we felt ok about being so close to the bombing. I asked if we were close enough to see the buildings where the bombing occurred. They opened the blinds and said, “Yeah, it’s those two buildings right there…” they’re less than 1/4 mile away, the windows in my office open directly toward them. Jocelyne and I are pretty tough about this sort of thing but we looked at each other and said, “Oh, Shit!”
We spent the next few hours emailing, Skyping, watching the news and talking with the team about what this meant for all of us. “No body will feel bad if you decide to leave.” we were told. “This will reduce the competition” we half-joked. After a few hours our business partners asked us to sit down in the Managing Director’s office to discuss this seriously. “How do you guys really feel about this?”, “We really will understand if you want to leave for a while.”… We said, “No… If this does affect your economy negatively then there will be even more pressure on the rainforests. If this does scare away investors then it’s even more important that we stay and push forward with this project.” One of our associates thought about it for a few seconds then said, “Thank you; Let’s get some dinner. We should eat close by, their business will be hurt by this. They need our support.”
That simple conversation proved something to all of us. We were all here to help and nothing is going to get in our way. That was the last we spoke about the bombing that day.
Early the next morning the phone rang, “With all the excitement about the bombing yesterday I completely forgot about the wedding today! If you can be ready in 30 minutes you can ride with my sister.” (whose guest house we’re currently staying in) Sure enough 30 minutes later we were on an adventure deep into the heart of Jakarta, with no idea what to expect.
The one hour ride with our host’s sister was incredibly informative. She described in detail the political history of Indonesia and the public’s opinion about the terrorist bombings that have occurred over the years.She described the struggle for political power and the Indonesian public’s yearning for free-market democracy. “We’re stuck between the dream of having full control of our own destinies and a minority who want to control everything and are willing to sacrifice innocent people in order to be heard. The only reason they exploded their bombs in those prominent hotels is because of the press coverage their actions would receive.” She went on to add, “The vast majority of Indonesians want westerners to come to Indonesia. We all know how important their technology and ideas are for the growth of our country. We ALL want that growth.”
The second we walked in the door of the wedding hall we knew we were in for a treat. Girls in elaborate traditional costumes were signing in guests, and insisting on email addresses. Everywhere you looked there we families dressed in what I call “team colors.” Our host gave me another quick lesson in Indonesian culture. “Our nation has hundreds of distinct cultures. Weddings give everyone an opportunity to demonstrate their uniqueness.” The contrast between the families’ attire was remarkable. I was immediately reminded of the idea of a tropical coral reef with schools of completely different colored and textured fish moving in all different directions. “This is a good example of why we’re so accepting of of differences here… Our nation is composed of so many different cultures, we just automatically accept people for who they are.
Even though there we many people dressed in contemporary western attire we were obviously the only westerners in attendance. Jocelyne’s waist length blond hair and the fact that I’m about a foot taller than everyone else in the room left no doubt.
As our hosts began introducing us around it became obvious that people were just as interested in us as we were in them. “Welcome to Indonesia!” followed by genuine interest in why we’re here, where we’re working in the nation, is this our first trip to Indonesia, how were we enjoying our visit? The subject of the bombing, still only 24 hours old, rarely came up. When it did I was a little surprised by the response. There was actually a sense of embarrassment… and apology. “I hope the bombing didn’t inconvenience you in any way.” was the common theme, and a very sincere “I hope you always feel welcome in our country.” As we filled our plates and began looking for a place to sit, it became obvious that the sense of welcome was genuine, even among people we hadn’t met yet. I tend to gauge the sentiment of a culture by what I refer to as “The Grandmas”… in this case the older ladies that don’t speak english, dressed in their traditional dresses. I know I shouldn’t be surprised any more but it was so nice to see their welcoming eyes and the speed at which they offered us seats next to them. The language barrier didn’t matter to either of us… we are welcome in their world.
In our 30 minute rush to prepare for the wedding we forgot our good camera. Unfortunately we were reduced to taking pictures with with our cell phones. I promise we won’t make that mistake again. Our host told us that as we spend more time here in Indonesia we’ll be invited to lots of weddings.
The costumes and pageantry of the wedding was really incredible. The best way to get a sense of it is to check out Jocelyne’s facebook page.”>Jocelyne’s facebook page.
Life goes on here as the authorities try to figure out the motivation of the bombers. One thing is clear in our minds. The Indonesians want us here.
