Foreigner At Home

Well, now, I've put this one off for too long now.

Truth is, I don't fancy writing about being home. Why? Because it'll only serve to remind me how lonely I can get once I'm back in the real world. Not lonely in the social sense, but bereft of the comforts and love I receive and have established here. From being with my family and friends, where most of the faces and skin tones are similar to mine.

Then again, home is but the place one's heart resides...and even here I feel a subtle yearning for the solitude and peace of the great green yonder on the Australasian plate border. Not to say I am not enjoying my time here; it's just that it's no longer the home I remember it to be. And as much as I'd like to deny it, things have changed. Quite a lot, I may add.

For one thing, I seem to be a bit more distant to members of the extended family I used to be quite close with. Lack of words on both sides when face-to-face, the complacent "I'm sure he/she's doing quite well" thought flitting through our minds. Of course, I'm only here for three weeks (this one's my last, oh dear), so I wouldn't expect anything other than what I've gotten (that's the complacency on my behalf).

On the other hand, my connections to my immediate family has become a lot tighter for the most part. Specifically, my brother and cousin.

It amazed me a few months back when I saw my brother when the family visited. Now that I'm here and finding out more about him, he surprises me even more. I guess the distance did help; if before we were sick of living with each other for all these past years, now we're more like old acquaintances re-learning each other. He's started seriously thinking about relationships with women, is far more skillful with the guitar than I remembered him to be (venturing forth into songwriting, as a matter of fact), and also a bit wiser to boot. We still crack jokes at each other and appreciate all those dirty jokes, which is good. But the fact that I can now talk to him for a bit longer than three minutes is even better. Ah, and he managed to turn vegetarian. Always was a stubborn one, my brother.

My cousin, 'R', changed similarly to my brother. Well, not so much, come to think of it. I've always had an easier time talking to him rather than to my brother, but now our topics are those I wouldn't have conversed about just a year ago. Last year the main topic was his affair with basketball and highschool intrigues. Now it's still about basketball and highschool drama, but with the addition of tertiary education, work, and politics. And occasionally rubbing in the fact that I'm still single after all this time (thanks for the support, R). He's no longer a kid, he's a teen now.

The city, however, has changed quite a bit. Some places are still pretty much the same, but others are...well, changing for the worse.

With development increasing, any empty lots that could've been potentially used for even the most minute rain catchment has been/are being wiped out. The first day I was here it rained quite hard for a few hours. Trapped in my car during a traffic jam, I found myself transfixed by the sheer amount of soil just flowing out in the gutters. Amazing. The next thing I noticed was how quickly the water level was rising. Within the first fifteen minutes to half hour, it was already ankle-high (wish I had a photo to show for it). And some people say it's because of global warming? Try shoddy city planning. Or shoddy national policies, for that matter.

And that's the interesting part. Everything is interrelated, more or less. People, development, poverty, 'natural' disasters, policies, and so forth. For instance, the slow development in other provinces (especially those beyond Java) has led to people moving into the cities, especially the capital for work. Because there are more people than there is living space and work, you get a surplus of labour which ends up becoming a burden on the rest of the city. How? By occupying space that could otherwise be used productively, and generating more waste (even if it's not in plastic, people still generate bodily wastes daily). This results in slums (or at least kampungs) and waste that cannot be readily disposed of in an environmentally safe way (i.e. as in developed countries - I doubt our landfills and incinerators are adequate enough as is). The slums stop water from infiltrating into the ground, the wastes clog up the waterways, gutters, and sewers. End product - flooding.

But mind you, that's only an extremely simplified example (textbook, almost). Other factors, such as the permeability of the ground, the increasing amount of development and roads, and *sigh* climate change are also part of the equation. And not just for floods, I might add.

Next up, the Busway. In an ideal world, the Busway is a wonderful idea. It's an effective and (somewhat) punctual way of getting throughout the city on public transport. And it would be so, if society followed the rules associated with it. Hailing buses and *shudder* minibuses from the side of the fucking road when the bus/minibus in question is on the farthermost lane still seems to be far more effective than having to wait at a designated stop. At least the average person around here. There's the increasing number of people driving and riding motorcycles (helmets and common sense optional), as payments have become surprising cheaper. Add to this the fact that the Busway takes up one lane of the normal road to become a pseudo-Autobahn. If anyone said that you'd spend most of your time in a car when you live here, they may change it to 'you'll spend the rest of your life in a car if you live here'. Oh, alright, it's not that spectacularly FUBAR-ed, but it's still bad. And getting worse.

I'd also put in a little rant about the new governor, who's apparently got his dirty, stubby fingers in a lot of profitable little pies, but I simply don't have the strength or will to. The other candidate was also reputedly crooked. Lesser evil? All the same. Just like Dubya winning the elections twice, you've got to question the ability of the voters to judge who should be a leader. And at the moment, I doubt the majority of the voters are looking at anything other than their next paycheck, so it shouldn't be too surprising that they'd vote for someone who can *ahem* donate to them. Oh well. This should be interesting to see from a safe, comfy spot on the other side of the world.

Aaaand...that's a wrap. Sorry to disappoint anyone looking for anything substantial or wholly enlightening here. It's a blog. Whaddaya expect?

[End Transmission]