My childhood as Ambonese

I was born in 1984 in Ambon, and grew up there. For little me at that time, Ambon is a big city. Before i was teenager i almost never go anywhere in the city without one of my parents because i was too scared to get lost. I was around 13 year old when i was brave enough to take the public transport by my own. I had no choice at that time because the school is no longer walking distance from home, but by public transport.

Both of my parents are Ambonese. They got married when they were very young. My mom was born in 1965 while my father 1963, they got married 2 years before i was born so you can figure it out how young my parents were when they married and got the first baby - me (little hint: my mom is only 18 years older than me). 

My young parents never have any fix job. With their unfinished school, they can't really got any office work like other parents do. They sold clothes (door to door), my father sometimes helped people to construct the house to win some money, they sold food, my mom sometimes made the Christmas ornaments and sold it, my father made some wooden decoration and sold it, etc. When i started primary school, i was shamed when the teachers and my little fellas asked what my parents do for living. I was often lie, proudly told bullshit about my parent's job according to my imagination. Well, now i am ashamed when i think about it, hahahaha. The problem was most kids in that school are my neighbors so they know me and my parents too. 

I was living in a big house, where my paternal grand parents lived. My grand mother died long time before i was born, while my grand father died when i was around 4 year old. My grand father suffered from stroke and couldn't stand or walk during more less 4 years until he died - my mom said. I only have one little memory in my mind when he was alive: i played with my other little cousins; run around him in his chair, laughed while he tried to pull our hands towards him. He got our hands, so we screamed and cried, so he gave us all 100 Rupiah each to stop us cried. My other memory is in his funeral: i remember that i had to wear a pair of shoes that are too big, so my mom stuffed my shoes with some paper so that it could fit my little feet.

Since i was born, we were not the only family living in the house. My grand father was there until he died, one of my youngest auntie, two single uncles, and one of my divorced aunty with her 4 kids were living there too. We were quite a lot in that house. I enjoyed played with my cousins, but sometimes there are fights between us, and the parents too which i think is normal. My father has 9 brothers and sisters. After they all got married, they moved out from the house but sometimes they moved in again with their family. They fought so they moved out again, and sometimes moved in again and out again. Us, my father little family and my divorced aunt with her 4 kids are always remaining living in that house. Around our house there are houses where all the related family of my father living. Brothers, cousins of my grand father and their children and grand children were all living in the same area. 

Ambonese are quite religious. Our family are Christian, and the happiest moment in my childhood were Christmas time. Family reunion, new clothes and shoes (for me i don't know why my parents always bought too big pair of shoes), food were everywhere, sweet cakes, and treats without limit, Fanta and Coca-cola were so luxury for me and my cousins at that time and we could drink until we believed we got drunk only during Christmas.

Although most of the kids played outside, my parents not always allowed me to play outside everyday because they didn't like to see me get dirty skin and clothes with the sun and dust. They provide me with so many toys in the house, and i enjoyed played alone while watched others from the big glasses window played outside: climb the trees, run around, laughed, cried, etc. Some people called me princes of the bottle because i rarely play outside. Turned out i was really not a social person when i was kid. I didn't have confident, always shy, and people were thinking that i am a very good and calm little girl. I didn't talk much because i was shy because i guess i was not used to it because i often played alone in the house.

Fortunately, time goes by, when i was 16, there was religious conflict that made me moved to Jakarta, lived there during 10 years, then moved to Bali, met so many people, and i slowly but surely gain my confidence and able for being social.