We wrapped up the main highlights of Jakarta today, going to an outlying town called Bogor and seeing the last few places where my father had called home.

Family Houses in Bogor

After a few days in Jakarta, one of the first things I noticed in Bogor was the air. With just a slightly higher elevation, the air is a touch cooler and less humid; one small step for a thermometer, one giant leap for my comfort! Here in Bogor is the second house where my father grew up – just down the street from the uncle we came to visit today. Oom Tik Tjeong is a man small in stature but big on personality. It was interesting to listen to he and my father talk about the family history, especially when it came time to visiting the houses. The family house here in Bogor has been turned into an obstetrics hospital (hospital for expecting mothers and newborns), and thanks to Oom Tik Tjeong, the hospital staff let us walk around inside. Amazingly, other than some small renovations to one of the wings of the house, almost everything else was still in original condition. From the tiles on the front patio, to the stain glass windows, the doors and gates, the home still looked much like it did when my father was six years old. We tried to visit another house – this one going back three generations of grandfathers. The house itself has been abandoned, but inside there are supposed to be pictures of tombstones that help to depict the family tree along with the history of the towns, villages, islands and regions where my family is from. Unfortunately, today we were “without luck” and the person who holds the key to the house was out of town. Maybe a reason to come back another year… I have to admit this has all been somewhat of a surreal experience. I wasn’t quite sure what I was expecting to see, but so far everything has been well worth the visit.

Brawns, Brains, Guts & Luck

Seeing the last of these few houses has added a new perspective to where my family has been and what it has been through. This whole experience has shown a side of my family that I’ve only heard about, but now seen first hand. I come from a large family with diverse personalities, a family with people that have faced hard times, but made it through with a little luck, along with the brawns, the brains, and the guts to seek out and pursue opportunities when the opportunities presented themselves – smart business people are littered throughout my family. It’s a good source of motivation to remember these roots.