Bandung Chronicle – Part 4 Of 6

This is the fourth installment of the chronicle, a journal of my year end trip to Bandung at 500 words per piece.

… the humming got louder and louder.  All of a sudden, there was cracking sound from different directions, like the humming of the bees – cracking sound that sounded very human, incoherently human.  I woke up sitting straight, grasping for breathe.  The galloping sound was on my face and soon I realized: it was praying time for the Muslims.  The sound came from many speakers nearby.

Next morning, over breakfast, mom (my mother-in-law) told me that her house is surrounded by at least five mosques.  Each mosque has someone or a group of people singing with devotion and conviction, starting at 4 in the morning, five times a day, all on different tunes, different prayers.  Such conviction so very early in the morning.  A fierce competition due to the proximity of the mosques and the ever growing power of the electronic speakers?

One special evening, I slept through the 4 am morning prayer.  Next morning, I blurted out in excitement, “Did they oversleep this morning?” Mom broke down in a paroxysm of hilarity and said, “They never oversleep!”

Edit: After I returned to Singapore, I shared my experience with my Indian colleague.  He told me that in Egypt, there was used to be mosques broadcasting prayers just like what Bandung does today.  Soon, the Egyptian government felt that it was not appropriate to have different mosques broadcasting different prayers jamming the ‘air wave’ in that manner.  Since it is even more inappropriate to ask her people to stop praying, they have an Imam – one who has a very divine voice as I can imagine – to lead the prayer on a local radio.  And the mosques simply tune in during their praying session.  Personally, I think this is a jolly good idea.  I shall write to SBY again.

8. Children, They Orbit

“Cynthia had a fun time trying to catch Felicia for a family photo.  Their mother, Julie, also had a fun time trying to get Nathaniel to stand still.”

When children are young, before they can walk, we the adults orbit around them.  As soon as they learn how to walk, then run, they orbit around us.  Round and round and round non-stop.  They laugh, giggle, fall down, get back up, and continue the orbiting ritual.  That was exactly what I saw when Cynthia and I met our niece and nephew – Felicia and Nathaniel.

It is quite impossible to catch Felicia.  She keeps on running and running.  I think she will make many boys go crazy when she grows up.  Nathaniel on the other hand is relatively calm and steady.  He is like a boss, commanding this and commanding that.  Tidak boleh (means cannot), he would say.  His elder sister would follow.  Soon, the entire time spent with them is full of tidak boleh.  He does not move as much as his elder sister.  One time, he took up an exercise book and asked, ini apa (what is this)?  I would say, seven wheels.  Ini apa? Ten oranges.  Ini apa? Three houses.  It went on and on until mom and Cynthia turned and asked, …

• Continue to Part 5