Semarang

You know, having loyal friends is all that I needed. Living in Semarang as anak kosan altered me. Without
the people I knew, I never become the way I am now. Formerly, Semarang is just another city in Java Island, nothing special. It is the capital city of Central Java, with its large 144.27 sq mi and the population around 2 million (based on Wiki). I could add me as one of its people 4 years back. In my 18 years of lifetime, I can count how many times I visited Semarang. Extremely rare. I never thought it as one of my travel wish lists, like ever. Perhaps just passing it by when we want to visit Malang or Surabaya or even Bali. Yet, Semarang actually has some icon that you can visit to (you can Google it if you’re curious). Frankly, it’s not the talk about Semarang’s tourism sites, it’s something about the feeling and memories I left behind in Semarang. It’s a place where I left all of my adolescence stupidity, modesty, and nasty. Faith drove me there.

It was my first time living in a boarding house. Still fresh in my mind how I was scared of living alone, in a house with its people I barely know, going to a place I’d never been, getting know new people and trying to make them so-called friends. I cried in my room the day that my family left, 4 days before the first day at college. No, I didn’t show it. I didn’t wanna make them worried, I was (trying to be) strong.

I didn’t get back to home very often while in college, at least only 2 times a year. So that, friend role in that situation was so helping. My parents barely called me, I didn’t have any relatives in Semarang, I sometimes felt alone but free at the same time. I’d ever shared about my adventures with my best pals in this blog, yet it’s just a very little bit of everything that we’d had. My closest girlfriends are very touchy and melancholy about many things, yet some others are very firm even towards themselves. I also had boyfriends who are really hearty and home-felt. I didn’t have curfew, in some moments I stayed for a night in coffee shop until dawn with my boy pals, having deep talk and commenting life. Talking about friends is a never ending story. I thank Allah always for giving me super normal and inspiring people. 

When it comes to farewell, nothing beats the sorrow. Semarang isn’t just a city with Lawang Sewu or Sam Poo Kong or Bakpao Mega Jaya, or Paragon Mall or Ayam Bakar Madu, or Nasi Goreng Padang anymore. It moved me, formed me, and lifted me. I know that the Earth keeps spinning, the clock keeps ticking, and as long as the heart still gets the power to pump bloods, I live. Living means keep fighting. And fighting means keep forwarding. The day I left was the saddest moment, indeed. Even I had already booked train ticket for executive class, in order to make me sleep throughout the trip and forget about the farewell. Unfortunately, it failed. Sometimes, there's just no way to hold the river. I hardly stepped my feet off into the Bekasi station ground. *deep breath* I never thought that I could be so attached with Semarang like this. Thank you for welcoming me warmly (or hotly, it’s the climate) 4 years ago.

Semarang, Nadia’s signing off. See you in another occasion.

Goodbyes are not forever. Goodbyes are not the end. They simply mean I’ll miss you, until we meet again!