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February 09, 2005
Gong Xi Fat Cai & Ash Wednesday
Gong Xi Fat Cai everybody. We wished you happiness and health this coming year.
In my family we’ve never really celebrated this day. My brothers and me never got angpao from older relatives. It’s just another day. Being borderline Chinese is hard, what I meant by that is, just like my family, we don’t speak Mandarin or Cantonese, I called my big brother Mas instead of Kokoh, we are not really pure Chinese (I’m the 9th generation Chinese from my Mom’s and unknown from Dad’s side, comparing to Didi , he’s the 3rd generation Chinese, his grandparents from his Dad’s were from Mainland China, still fresh from the oven…hehhehehee). That’s why Didi considers me as a pribumi, not Chinese.
But I’m not a pribumi (native Indonesian) either. All the native Indonesians consider us Chinese, and I remembered when I was little, they used to harass/tease me and called me names, like: Amoy, Cina, Encik, Sipit, etc etc. And I hated it. I’ve never felt welcome, even in my home country. Also we lived in South Jakarta, and went to school whose most of the pupils are native Indonesians; sometimes I lied and told them that I wasn’t Chinese, made it easier to blend in. Therefore until now I have a lot of non-Chinese friends.
But now, living in the US specially San Francisco, I love it. This city is so diverse and so many cultures mix together. So being a Chinese is not a problem at all. But truly, deep down, am I Chinese or pribumi still linger in my mind. Anybody can help??
Apart from Chinese New Year, today is also Ash Wednesday, and I decided to give up Seafood and…sigh….(after long and debating consideration) Alcohol this Lent, for 40 days, yup 40 days!! Oh God, please bless my soul!!
Given up Seafood I don’t really care. Being pescaterian (just eat seafood and vegetables) for this past 7 years, make me get tired also with eating seafood. When we went out, most of the times I’d prefer just vegetables or tofu. However, given up alcohol is hard, because we drink occasionally, and definitely on the weekends. I know it’s gonna be hard, but I’ll just have to try.
I couldn’t go to Mass during luncheon because we had deadline today, but I went to St. Patrick after work with Anton. He suggested that I’d given up vegetables instead and eat meat….hahahhaaa…that’s funny!
Posted by hamdani family at February 9, 2005 03:50 PM
Comments
interesting ruthy...i never knew you have this feeling about being chinese. i'm a mix of indonesian and chinese, and i consider myself as an indonesian (not pribumi or chinese). indonesia itself is diverse. to feel like you belong to a certain ethnic group is significant, but the truth is, what lies underneath the skin is much more important. and you are truly one of wonderful people i've ever met. *wink wink*
Posted by: purr at February 17, 2005 04:53 PM
selamat tahun baru
better late than never kan
btw,skg tahun chinesenya apa sih?
Posted by: Sefa at March 11, 2005 11:26 PM
tahun ayam tuh sekarang
Posted by: Ruthy at March 11, 2005 11:28 PM
Gong xi Fa chai....
are you gonna give ang pow to peoples arent u?!....can i have one!?!? =P
Posted by: Idan at March 11, 2005 11:29 PM
yea....this year ...we have to quit chikening around... =P
jeheheehhehe
Posted by: Idan at March 11, 2005 11:30 PM
well what is your bank acc#......????...hahahhaaa joking....
Posted by: Ruthy at March 11, 2005 11:30 PM
Thats sucks that you felt like you didn't belong to any race. I felt that way too when I first lived in America. I got teased from Chinese kids who were born here, so I hung out with Filipinos instead who were a lot more accepting. haha. But yeah, if you are ever curious or want to know more about Chinese New Year, feel free to ask me :) I'd be happy to keep you knowledgeable about your ancestors', if not your, culture.
Posted by: Riana at March 11, 2005 11:32 PM
Thanks Ri, so you know exactly how I felt.....
Hey, we should hang out together oke???
Posted by: Ruthy at March 11, 2005 11:33 PM
hmmmm from the photo it looks meaty. but who would've guessed it was all veggie meats! when are u going to invite us over for dinner?
Posted by: Novi at March 11, 2005 11:33 PM