Home Activities

It’s been a week since I got to my hometown. Luckily right now is in windy season so it’s not as hot as my few last visits. Not many changes in my hometown. One thing that concern me is the Brantas River. It’s getting shallower each day. We can see several islands emerged in that river. May be in the next several years the river would totally dry up. I remember when I was a kid me and my friends walk across that river carefully because there are several part that are still deep. Those islands didn’t exist that time so crossing the river would takes some time because it was so wide.

My activities here is still related to my departure. Going to see the doctor asking for medical certificate, visiting my relatives because I won’t be able to visit them in lebaran day, nyekar (I don’t know the exact translation for this word) in the cemetery for the same reason as visiting my relatives, packing and learning how to cook. Ow one more thing, I also played with my nephew. My cute 3 months old nephew :D Seeing he smiled while holding my fingers was simply melted my heart. May be I’m a family man after all.

The best thing is I’m at home in the beginning of Ramadan. Moment I haven’t been experienced for the last 6 years. Fasting together during the day and Tarawih pray during the night. Nashukashi na. The masjid near my house where I use to pray Tarawih doesn’t change much. There are several changes like additional fans so it would able to reach entire section of the masjid. It’s lot cooler in the masjid now. One thing that still hasn’t changed is the kids. I thought kids in my neighborhood are all grew up and left this neighborhood. But I still can find kids in masjid during tarawih. Like most kids do they became noisy during tarawih especially during the sermon. Having them around is quite annoying but remembering back then I was just like them, or may be worse :D When I was a kid me and my friends also did what they do during sermon. I remember the Imam and several male jemaah told us to be quite and stared at us with angry looks. Unfortunately, I can’t find my old partner in crimes so we can’t commit the same crime now :D

I'm learning several cooking skills from my mom. Due to differences in the ingredients I’m going to find abroad, so I am just growing my courage to cook and my guts to eat whatever come up as the result of my cooking. Hopefully my skill will improve after condition there force it to.

Most of my EM friends are already in Europe by now. They’re spending their beginning of Ramadan there. Knowing that I’ll join them shortly makes me feel this mixed feeling. Exciting, sad, afraid and nervous. One thing for sure there’s no turning back now.

P.S. I wonder, why do all characters in The Simpsons only have four fingers in each of their hands?