2013
Many Hellos and One Goodbye
12 October 2013
(Today is the 11th anniversary of the 2002 Bali Bombing - a sombre day for Bali.)
My friends are pouring in from across the sea and across the country. Much excitement to greet them again. And Josh has left late last night for California to see Stacy, on what is a big adventure for him. Has not been to the States since he was 8. Air Philippines via Manilla to San Francisco. It will take him forever, as there is a 17-hour stopover in Manilla and he will have to find a hotel. Got a good deal on the fare. I got back from the opening evening of the festival just in time to see him off in the taxi at 10 pm. Wearing jeans and feeling that he did not look like his normal, (slightly daggy) self! Sad for me to see him go, as being in Ubud to me means being with him and Jasmin. Now I have this huge house to myself up here amidst the rice fields. Mind you I will hardly be here. Off each morning at 7.30 am and not back till well into the night - the last remaining cat, three-legged Misty will be pleased to see me!
My friends are pouring in from across the sea and across the country. Much excitement to greet them again. And Josh has left late last night for California to see Stacy, on what is a big adventure for him. Has not been to the States since he was 8. Air Philippines via Manilla to San Francisco. It will take him forever, as there is a 17-hour stopover in Manilla and he will have to find a hotel. Got a good deal on the fare. I got back from the opening evening of the festival just in time to see him off in the taxi at 10 pm. Wearing jeans and feeling that he did not look like his normal, (slightly daggy) self! Sad for me to see him go, as being in Ubud to me means being with him and Jasmin. Now I have this huge house to myself up here amidst the rice fields. Mind you I will hardly be here. Off each morning at 7.30 am and not back till well into the night - the last remaining cat, three-legged Misty will be pleased to see me!
Before I take you with me to the festival, let me tell you about one of my ‘hellos’. Very old friends from Jakarta are briefly in town, having come here to visit the family of a friend of Kausar's who died recently. Knowing I was going to be in Ubud they arranged to stay overnight here in a hotel. Iesye was in Sydney in 1987 on a 6-month Indonesian teaching prac from the Jakarta International School and taught with me at Sydney Girls High for three of those months and later moved to another school. She also stayed with me for part of the time. We have of course seen each other, either in Sydney, Jakarta or Bali on and off over the intervening years and it is always a joy. Her two daughters now have 6 boys between them!! I left them to go to the festival opening at the Palace and they joined me later for the evening's event at the Lotus Pond Temple in the heart of town.
So, to the show! I joined all the big names and big wigs at the Palace Opening Ceremony - beautiful courtyard setting, gamelan playing and air quite balmy. I found myself sitting with three young Indonesians who turned out to be the writers of the short stories I have just translated for the festival's publication. I always love to meet these youngsters and put a face to the name and ask them any questions about their work that puzzled me when I was translating.
This opening ceremony was different to the many I have been to before. Apart from the usual dances and speeches they had a few special ways to commemorate the ten years of the festival. A slide show, which included tiny video snippets, of photos from all nine previous festivals - having been at them all I gasped with recognition at almost every one. At the end they listed the names of those who had been at the first festival, and were here again for the 10th. Mine was among them. And they brought out a parade of the framed posters of all 10 festivals, which happen to be the same as the book covers of the publications I have contributed to over the last five festivals. Also special was a parade of women as if going to a temple, carrying the insignias of Saraswati, the goddess of wisdom and learning - her palm leaf lontar books, and her musical instrument – as well as offerings made to her. (Photographs difficult in the crowd and later in the fading light)
Later I went to the event at the magical Lotus Pond stage. A tribute to Kartini in talks and performances. Alex, my ex-student, was the MC of the whole evening, introducing each act in both Indonesian and English. She did a great job! I was very proud of her!! Debra Yatim, journalist, poet, writer and translator, gave a beautiful account of Kartini's life and struggles "A woman of Letters", and in turn read us a letter she herself had written to Kartini from a world over a hundred years later, telling her how we women fare today and how much we have to thank her for. It was heartbreaking. I'm going to ask Debra for a copy.
Then a singer from Jakarta sang the words from some of Kartini's letters to haunting guitar playing. There was also a modern dance drama with singing about a feisty woman, that was very beautiful and innovative, but a bit long at the end of a tiring day.
Just got word from Josh! He is safely in Manilla, in some "dive" to rest up till the next leg of the journey tonight.
The sun is up and I am off to join the early bird language learners.