Jakarta

Do you think Jakarta has gotten any better over the past ten years?, suddenly the question popped into my mind when we were on our way to get lunch somewhere in Blok M. He then answered 'yes' with such an oddly enthusiasm. I said odd because he usually gets enthusiastic - and nostalgic - whenever we talk about his very hometown, Bandung - and he gives an entirely different response regarding mine. He then elaborated on his answer. Isn't it obvious? Jakarta has more progressive development than any other city in Indonesia. Especially when it's compared to Bandung. Despite all the paucity it has, the transportation is way better provided here than in Bandung. Then he went on talking about how different it is even when the first time he moved to the city six years ago, and even pinpointed what the government has done for the past years.

But other than that, do you have any specific thoughts about how Jakarta has gotten better for you on a personal level? I asked him again. But before he answered, I explained to him what I meant. As for me, I grew up without recalling anything from the city, as if it never held a special meaning. I was not too fond of the town when I moved back from Bandung after graduating from college - and even more when I returned from taking my master's, despite my short stay, which was only fifteen months. But it was different the last time I moved back to the city when I finished my doctorate. For the first time I could remember, I finally felt like the city was my home. I told him it was probably because I finally understood that home is where loved ones are. My family and friends are here. My workplace feels more familiar to me. I speak the same language as the people here - even in Bandung, sometimes I still have language barriers as I do not speak Sundanese. And we have our little nest that is, to me, the most comfortable place where I can rest with him after a long-tired day at work or spend the weekend binge-watching Netflix. And the fact that we are now together without being apart by the distance is adding more memories to the places we visited in Jakarta. Like when we go around the city together to visit a new hangout space or eat at our local favourites. 

I have also grown my liking towards the city, he said. If only the city had a cool climate and superb street foods like Bandung, I would like it better here than there. But despite those things, Jakarta has shaped me into a strong-willed, more disciplined, and persevering person than I was used to. The city forces its people to be fast-paced, which suits me better than Bandung. He also talked about his admiration, especially for the city's skyscrapers along Sudirman, from the very first time he visited the city even up to now. He joked about it and said he was like a country bumpkin. I said I agreed with him, and we laughed. But then I told him that even though I was born and raised in Jakarta, I also admired the view of the street (when there was no traffic, obviously), the spacious pedestrian (I think it's one of the very few properly built pedestrians in the city), the modern bus stops and MRT stations, and other things that I might forget now but probably come up later. I also told him that when I was younger, I dreamed of working at one of the buildings and dressed up like the mba - mba and mas - mas SCBD. I did not know when I realised that kind of job, place, and life was just not for me. 

At the end of our conversation that time, we admitted that despite the city's heat that most of the time feels unbearable, despite the air quality and the traffic being named the world's worst ones, and despite our tiredness of living in the city sometimes; and even though we have always had a love-hate relationship with the city, we both agreed that Jakarta, indeed, has shown its progress to get better from time to time. And it is also the very reason why we still have some hope left for the city.