My Father, China, and Me

My Father once studied in a Chinese curriculum school in our home village in Bangka. No wonder his Chinese speaking and writing is outstanding better than common Chinese people in Indonesia. Also, he's a first generation of the family that born in Indonesia from the home country, China (at Mei Xian, Guangdong province). In the year of sixties, when he was only at age 12 or 13, he went to the bigger city Palembang to continue his study in the same Chinese School. At that time, our home village has no middle school. But, because of the wipe out of the communist in Indonesia by the Government at that time, all Chinese curriculum school were closed, my Father failed to continue his study.

Being a teenager that has not proper education, I’m sure my Father still learning by himself, he likes Chinese literatures, and good on it. I heard this from my uncle, that my father is a champion every years, and often win the literature competition in school. In his whole life, he’s struggling hard, to raise his four kids until all become someone. He proud of himself as a Chinese, and proud of Chinese it self. He read, watch, speak, and practice Chinese everyday of his life. Now, he had traveled to China 4 times in only 3 years. Beijing, Shanghai, Jiujaigou, Huangsan, even Tibet, he (and my mother) had been traveled.

He also had me, his son -by all his effort and struggling for my education and protection my whole life- now be in China. Although it’s not as huge as Beijing or Shanghai and other big city in China, only in small city in Guigang and Liuzhou; although it’s not a ‘real’ job, only an assignment, only once in a while; I’m here, living a life like Chinese people, working, eating, hanging out, and spending a week-end. When I told her that I’d assigned to China, he was very happy. The second time, and I told him that this would be routine each year, I know he was very proud.

My Father, that has his study discontinued because of our government cut-off the relationship with China back at sixties. Love China, and never stop to learn something about it. He watch Chinese TV thru parabola, instead of Indonesian or western TV. He listen to the Mandarin song, folksong, traditional and modern one. He live his life in such way that represent his loving and proud of China. And he had me here, living in China for a month once in a while.

I just got back from Guigang, a little town. Now, from my hotel room in Liuzhou tonight, I feel glad, that I am a part of my father’s life, my father’s proud. I really hope that he’s proud of me, I know he do, he just probably never say.