In 2008, my last year of high school, it was hard to keep up with what was going on in the big city. Taking public transportation to get from our suburb to Medan, the provincial capital, was a tiring two-hour trip. Back then, people in rural areas like ours had even less access to the internet and social media than they do now, when more people have it.
My sister was already in college in Medan, and she often told us about the fun things she was doing. She talked about fun things teens could do in a big city, like trying new foods. One day, she pulled out her phone and showed me a picture of a tasty burger. "I had something like this yesterday!" It made me hungry, and I was looking forward to her promise to take me to a meal like the one she had praised.
After waiting patiently for the right time, we finally went to Rumah Blepots Medan to get some burgers. My sister, who is always sensible, said we should share a burger because she thought getting one for each of us would be too much. There was a strange taste after eating the burger, but it was still tasty. Because my sister kept her word and it was my first time eating a burger, which gave my taste buds a strange sensation.
Friends and I chose to rent a house in Medan when it was time for me to go to college. What I thought it would be turned out to be different. I stopped going to fancy coffee shops and restaurants because they didn't seem as appealing.
How valuable we think something is can be greatly affected by how easy or hard it is to get. It was more fun because there were so many new places to hang out, try new foods, and explore, especially since I didn't have much money at the time. These events don't seem important anymore that I'm getting closer to having more money.
For the Sake of My Dad
Our father's health got worse soon after my sister got married in early 2015. He passed away in July of that same year, despite all of our best efforts. For almost two months, we took turns going to the hospital with Nande, our mother, in the hopes that our dad would get better. I wasn't very involved in my mom's life because I was teaching at two different schools and had just started my second semester of my post graduate. So, I couldn't go to the hospital to see my parents very often.
I was sad all day and night, and I hoped so badly that my dad would get better. During this time, I didn't want to eat much, but I had to force myself to in order to stay healthy and do my job as the only person responsible for the house. I naturally avoided things that would make me happy or laugh because it didn't seem fair to enjoy a tasty meal while my dad had to be fed porridge through a tube and my mom could only eat cold rice.
On one Wednesday, some of my best female friends from LTBI took me to dinner. It was very different from the past, when being in big groups made it hard for me to smile and often made me cry. I knew, though, that life had to go on and that I had to get over my grief. It seemed like I had no choice.
What place did we finally find some good food? Rumah Blepots, you guessed it! When I came here for the first time, my sister and I both ordered the same dish, so I did too. Even though the tastes were the same, something about the whole thing felt off.
After that first bite, I couldn't help but think that there was always a good time to laugh with my best friends over a healthy, tasty meal. I thought that my dad must be looking down and being glad to see his daughter so happy and healthy.
Celebrating Our Pending Success
Fani and I both applied for jobs as civil servants in late 2018. We got the same test scores, which meant we could move on to the Aptitude Test. I chose to work for the Ministry of Religion, while Fani looked for work at the Supreme Audit Agency.
Fani made me a nice offer at this point: she said she would take me to lunch at any restaurant I chose, no matter what the test results were. I made my choice right away: Rumah Blepots. I didn't know why I kept going back to this burger joint that was known for making homemade meals, but I chose to accept her offer.
As expected, the outcome of the selection process could have been better. But instead of dwelling on the setback, we thought about how thankful we were for the chances we had. It helped us remember that every try, success or failure, brought us closer to our goals.
Because of this, we chose a simple but meaningful way to celebrate. To reward ourselves for all the hard work and determination we had shown in our pursuits, we settled for a simple hamburger lunch. Not only was it about the food, but it also represented our unwavering determination to reach our goal.
Food isn't just a dish that ends up in your stomach, it's an adventure that deserves to be enjoyed and appreciated. – Winda Krisnadefa
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