My Hometown – Real or a faded memory?
When I was studying cultural tourism they say that people are more likely to visit attractions outside their area. If they were to choose to spend time other than shopping they are more likely to go to somewhere else. It is true in some ways for me, my parents took us to Singapore before I set my foot in Jakarta Old Town in my early twenties.
Although to be fair to my parents, we did also go a lot to the Ragunan Zoo, which was around 10 minutes from our house. We go at least one Sunday morning in a month. There was a Gado-Gado lady we always go to near the entrance, we alway s get extra Krupuk. Yumm. We always visit the Orang Utan that my dad calls ‘Ua Aung’, Ua means older uncle in Sundanese. I still believe that my dad actually taught Ua to clap and do sommersault before he gets the bread my dad brings. Hahaha
They also took us to Ancol beach, in Java we have been to Pelabuhan Ratu, Jogjakarta, my mum’s hometown Bandung, and many other places. But we have never been to Sumatra or Kalimantan.
So now I try really hard to see a lot of where I live, go to the local museums, enjoy England, see and do as much I can.
What is funny about this I think, is when I talk to people they have different stories about and perspective of the area we live in. I love London in the Summer, people hate it, they say it stinks, but it is because they spend their time underground. 🙂 But that is their experience and memory of it so who can say it was eitherwise.
This thought leads me to the work I have been doing with museums that does Oral History for WW1 where people even the people are in the same area at the same event all have a different story. Each person have their own different angle and memory which makes it interesting.
You know that theory right, about people’s memory? That it is very feeble and it remembers what it wants to remember. We also know that memory can be manipulated by the people around us, and the media, it can easily be exagerated.
So what I remember to be my dad that taught the Orang Utan to do sommersault, it might have actually been the zoo keeper or my mum or even your dad.
Anyway I am going off in a tangent, my point is that I want to ask people about what they think, perspective and memory of their own hometown. Where would they go? Why are these places their favourites? I think it will be interesting. I have already asked some people, I am so excited to read and share their memory with you.
Meanwhile, have you got a memory that you realise later on in life that it was false?
I was born and raised in Jakarta, of course Jakarta is my hometown, or perhaps “was”? After leaving Jakarta for so long, I feel lost when visiting the J town. I don’t recognize the city anymore. Is it possible a person to have more than one hometown? I feel attached to the city I live in at this moment. I can’t imagine living in other city in the Netherlands except in Rotterdam. I do wonder if I can call Rotterdam as my hometown too 😉
Interesting topic!! I guess all my memories are real… but Im still not sure if when I was about 7 years old I saw the spirit of my grandpa or if it was only my imagination. Kind if weird I know… it seemed real though, and I wasn’t afraid of him!
That is the thing I was sure that my memories was too, but when I speak to my brother or my sister they remember differently especially the details. Ooh that must be fun, although it could be a dream too, some of my dreams are really vivid that I forgot sometimes whether or not they are real. 🙂
Yess I do the same with my sisters and they have different memories, so interesting!
Must have been! My dreams are veeeery real too, sometimes it scares me! 😀
I wish you a wonderful week!
Hope you too have a wonderfull week.
Thank you dear 😀
what a coincidence, my mum’s hometown is also Bandung, so when i was little we would always have our holidays there at my late grandmum’s place. 🙂 just like you, i also have never been to any other islands in Indonesia than Java (where i’m from) + some of the thousand islands and Bali. well, and i had a transit once in Batam, but that doesn’t count. :p
back when i was little, i guess it was just quite expensive to go around Indonesia (there wasn’t Air Asia yet in those days!), so even if we would’ve wanted to visit those places, we couldn’t. we did have quite a numerous time of roadtrips around Java though, that was fun.
as for the most fave place of my own hometown, i would have to say Blok M. 😀 from the days of roller skates (used to tail my older sister to the skating arena there), getting my very first cassette tape (oh, the ’80s!), getting our SEGA games, hanging out at midnight with my closest group of friends just to talk about anything & everything, getting to and from the second bus when going to my first work place, to buying fabrics… they all happened there. 🙂 yes, it still holds a special place in my heart.
Blok M, My older sister went there to ‘ngeceng’ buahaha in front of Melawai Plaza.
susah kayaknya lihat tmpt kampung sepeti dlu