Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Mount Wayang
I met different kind of people in mount wayang area. They seem more innocent and hard worker. I saw that it felt so peaceful there. They keep working as usual, got some fresh grass and feeding their animals. Most of them never stop us like people in Klaten and Bantul did. They met us and give us big smile and say hi. They build the tents and sharing a joke to each other. We saw them mostly always laughing.
We had awesome view during to go to the top of Mount Wayang (approx 2300 m). The air was so great and I can smell what a great scent of fresh air and grass there. Even the smell of the earth!
And it was so sad to see how damage their house there. Mr. Wahyu from Crab told me that they build their house by head. They brought one by one of bricks to the top. It need years to build one and small house. And after it s already had done, all nothing now.
Leaving the mountain when the sun was gone… Darkness covered all the way that we passing trough. I can see now how the differences if we met that victims at night. It’s quite dark there. They build their tents near the roads and they can’t do anything but sat together with their family or may be with many other families. I heard they say “dag dag” or bye bye to us, still with their lovely smile. Our cars, two big Cherokee jeeps, one Landover, and CJ7 jeep, became kind of wonderful cars for them (me either actually :D ).
I laid my hand and give back my biggest smile to them. Hope that one day I can back there again, and can do something more for them.
Sam Family...Still have many hopes







Mr. Sam actually assistant of Mr.Muji, the tapper who usually work for my dad. He has two daughters and two sons. He n his family living near to Bantul Stadion. A little far from Mr. Muji and others.
Not only his house that damage, but also his mother’s house was damage. And as Warsono did, he also tried to protect his little daughter when quakes coming. Fallen walls and roofs hit him. Luckily he was fine and it was like miracle that he was safe and nothing happened to him.
One of his daughters who just finish her junior school already decides not to continue her study to her high school. She told me that she felt sad about this disaster and she didn’t want to make her daddy got more problems.
When I gave the money to Mr. Sam, first he couldn’t talk anything. Speechless. I knew he tried hard in order his tears not falling down. He just looked at the sky, hold his little daughter tightly. Then he speaks slowly, said thanks and told us about his dreaming that one day he really want to rebuild his house.
There were two quakes coming again when we talked near his house damage house. I was screaming and run away…everybody there were looked at me, staring at me like wondering, “What u afraid of? We all here had the worse one…It s just a small one and nothing if compares with what we had face …”. I felt so embarrassing.
We leaving Sam family with big happiness…The sun almost go down and I knew the dark soon would covered that village. But I m sure…They heart more lighter than we knew… Their optimistic even starting filled my heart, made my soul just like a beautiful butterfly…Flying free and know where they will stop by.
Learn from Warsono Family






Mr.Warsono actually is a carpenter. He helped my dad a lot when my dad needs someone to fix anything about wood or put same door or window frames in our houses. My daddy said, he also known as Dalang or leather puppet storyteller. But of course, as a carpenter or Dalang, he didn’t earn money much. As I remember he got one daughter and two sons.
When the quakes coming, his little daughter still in bed and dream about her little doll. Mr. Warsono tried to protect her daughter from fallen walls and roofs but unfortunately not did well. His daughter’s head got crash many fallen roofs. She got many injured on her head but luckily not too awful. But of course its danger!
They build a simple tent on the back yard. They didn’t get any help until almost the fourth days. Luckily, Mr. Warsono still has other relatives who living in the same area and gave his family some temporary help (in the fact, actually he is still relative of Mr. Muji).
The bad thing for Mr. Warsono family right now is his wife has TBC. Can you imagine how terrible it was for their family? Living under an open tents which cold and not healthy at all for someone who got TBC. But what made me amazing of them was, they never show that they were sad or in problem. With a big smile, these family shaking our hands and share what happened exactly in their family. Words “grateful” was mention many times when they talked to us. Oh God, look at them…they never regret for what have done to them? May we all can learn from their hearts….
Met the lovely couple






How could the neighbors there didn’t care about them? They are old couple who need more than them who younger. What a bad neighborhood.
He actually was not on our list to get some cash donation. But considering what happened to these old couple, I had been thinking that they deserve to get that donation.
Didi and I still remember well that even tough these old couple (sorry I didn’t remember their name at all) didn’t have a “proper” house anymore, they keep thinking that they should always watching out their “house”. There was nothing there but couple old and black pot. But these old couple thinking that pot still valuable then they must keep surrounding it in order no one could steal it from them. I was smile at myself but then I realize… that pots were the only things that they have now. Finally, Muji’s aunty decide to let her husband came along with us to Warsono “house”, where we were sat together there and have the money to them. After got that money, the “Mr. calm” just went home soon… I can imagine how he was surprise and cant wait to see his wife to let her know that they finally got sympathy from other people… from USA named Dalila and Robert.
Didi, my dad, and I went to Mading, Bantul, when the sun almost disappears from the sky. First we went to Muji house. His house not that terrible likes others. But I was felt terrible when I saw his uncle’s house was damage. Muji’s aunty almost died when the quakes coming. She was on the kitchen and thanks God nothing happened to her. She event didn’t get any injury. But what a sad view when Didi and I realize that old couple didn’t got any tent or mats from the base camp or neighbors. When other people were staying under good tents n mats, they just were staying under simple tent, which Muji’s uncle made of simple zinc roof. That’s “tent” was made near cow’s cage.
How could the neighbors there didn’t care about them? They are old couple who need more than them who younger. What a bad neighborhood.
He actually was not on our list to get some cash donation. But considering what happened to these old couple, I had been thinking that they deserve to get that donation.
Didi and I still remember well that even tough these old couple (sorry I didn’t remember their name at all) didn’t have a “proper” house anymore, they keep thinking that they should always watching out their “house”. There was nothing there but couple old and black pot. But these old couple thinking that pot still valuable then they must keep surrounding it in order no one could steal it from them. I was smile at myself but then I realize… that pots were the only things that they have now. Finally, Muji’s aunty decide to let her husband came along with us to Warsono “house”, where we were sat together there and have the money to them. After got that money, the “Mr. calm” just went home soon… I can imagine how he was surprise and cant wait to see his wife to let her know that they finally got sympathy from other people… from USA named Dalila and Robert.
Mading, Bantul, June 3rd 2006







The second day when I was in Yogya, I went to Bantul. Dalila, my friend, and her husband Robert, asked me to spread some cash for the people who we known well that they need some helps. So, my mind just flew to the the guys who usually worked for my daddy to build or fix our houses. They were Muji family, Warsono family, and Sam family. I heard from my dad, that their house was damage.
There s no words can explain how terrible I was when we saw their house. Nothing left. But the amazing one, they keep smiling to us and said that everything just fine. What a great guys. They were in problem, but they still grateful for what they have now.
Their story almost the same. Mostly of them still lying in bed when the quakes coming. They spontaneously covered their kids from the fallen walls or roofs. All happened in a second and suddenly they were in strange world. The earths felt like moving around, up and down. They can’t do anything but thinking about their kid and other member family. Less than one minute, they only saw that sky was dark, and their house just like a big smoke. Nothing left.
Until now, they still got trauma about that quakes. They prefer to stay under then tents than go back to the building (if they have).
When I gave the money from Dalila and Robert, with a short speech that it was a sign that there were a foreign couple in USA who really care about people in Indonesia, I saw many tears was dropping from their eyes. They said thank to all of us and hope that one day they can pay back for our kindness. What a touched day.
Muji family, his uncle family, Warsono family, and Sam family, maybe not really special for other people but gave me many lesson… All just happened for a reason. When it’s happened to us, we can run away. We just need to be patient and optimist that we can pass trough all of this. We don’t need crying a lot, but a smile would make this world much better…
Many supports from other countries




It s felt good to know that my country got support spontaneously from other countries. The day when I was leaving Jakarta to Yogya, June 2nd, I saw many teams that ready with their equipment. Mostly were medical teams. And when was at Yogya airport on June 6th, again I met many foreign medical teams.
During in Yogya, I often saw many ambulances or cars which was I recognize from Arabian countries, French, and many others (which I didn’t sure where it was came from). But all describe how awesome if we all just united in one mission, peace and for one.
Sometime I was wondering, why we looked in one path when we got problem? Should we wait until many disasters came to us? we shouldnt.