Semalam di Cianjur (See the World in BW)

Earlier this year, friends from Wiken Tanpa ke Mall (or WTM, @wikentanpamall) executed the idea of giving away family photos. For free. I agreed to join the trip. This is a serious matter: who would have had thoughts of having family photographs when rice is the top priority of all?

Off we went to Cianjur. Bolang drove, Umi served as navigator. Budi, Hanum, Eep and moi acted as, what else, passengers. It was Friday night. Ahead of us was a car with three friends from SCTV inside. They will tape us! we'll be on TV!, said Umi. I quickly combed my hair.

In the morning, it rained. It was 05.30. We were lost in the middle of a tea plantation. I approached a bunch of elderly womyn to inquire direction. I was all amazed. They pointed the direction, smiling--their lips en rouge! Yes they, all five of them, wore red lipstick, the reddest lipstick, even before the sun rose! You need to feel good at work!

I love the layers

 les monsieurs. il etait 6 heures du matin

An hour later we arrived, then ordered hot tea and instant noodles. much relieved. We later prepared things and cooked at the rented house. It was a medium sized house, all build of wood and bedeck, elevated a meter off ground. We had the broadest cutting board in the world, which was the wooden floor. of course we cut vegetables on it by carefully layered it with actual cutting board and some banana leaves. Hanum and Budi cooked sour soup aka sayur asem, Eep took water from the well, Umi and I prepared other meals. I had the idea of making sambal matah. Friends from SCTV joined the fun. Bolang slept. We forgave him for we can’t drive car!

mes amies  

In the afternoon the rain came. We split into two groups. I went along with Eep, Budi, mas (?) knocking from door to door, asking for their kindness to come to the rented house the next day for the photoshoot. Some did not understand my Indonesian. Eep showed the biggest patience in the world by speaking in Sundanese. The most polite Sundanese.

Later at night we ate and ate. we then slept until the phone rang endlessly. It was Firman, Hamok, and Hamok’s love interest (sorry sister I forget your name!).

Came morning and we rose to our feet and prepared the photoshoot. At 09.00, people were coming. We were delighted to see them wearing their best clothes. I saw friends were doing their best organizing the photoshoot. Me was more than happy to be the stylist.

 

“Bapak, get closer to Ibu, please. You could please put your hand on her shoulder. Yes, that’s it.” “Could you please smile? Don’t be serious. Ah yes.” “Can you please show off toothy smile?” “Could you please hug your wife please?”

It was tiring yet fun. I learned once again to “keep the customers satisfied”. One thing made me sigh in relief: I learned how and when to utilize “peluk” and “rangkul”, each meaning “to hug” and “to embrace”. It seemed that people here like “rangkul” better. I wish I had used the word instead of “peluk” which whenever I said it, they looked confused.

 

The photoshoot was over and we climbed up the hill. It is the biggest megalith site in Southeast Asia. The stones are big and unbelievably heavy. Yet they were carved simply, beautifully. The literature and the guides couldn’t explain the phenomenon. One suggested that it was some kind of place of worship. I gazed at the stones and kept wondering why people of ancient times labored hard to build the site. Never mind, it's just wonderful to see it.