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9/29/1952 - My Friend Omah by Boyd R. Compton

NOT FOR PUBLICATION INSTITUTE OF CURRENT WORLD AFFAIRS My FriendOh PAr Walter S Rogers Institute Current World Affairs Fifth Ave New York New York Dear Mr Rogers Perhapsyou willrememberhearingaboutMohdh theIndonesiansailorand about world I San rancisco Friday Omah again spent three talking about Indonesia after years eacquaintance enjoyable taken several compartments Indonesian society before Omah spends Djakarta withM lovely Sun bride _with mother Pasar Kemis village thirty miles After Friday morning double onsgadget laden Djakar Djatibaru Over Djakarta covered closely packed settlements kampongs Djatibaru hidden awayhdefade western style homes shops which sprawl along Djakar We dismountedatOjatibaru sbounandpusheduwayt nrough theneat which kampong At white bamboo cotge Alley greeted smiles thusiasm relatives neighbors In nutes auntdserved oneporch retired their AfterhisdeportionfromtheUnidStashc ameelytosco house DJatibaru where accepted igaryf yhospitality several weeksbeforegoingontosmother shome PasarKisTtwasfomonsago obvious still occied place gaered porch He Indonesian group or_hers wearg tical Indonesian dress sarongs topis H wasfrs tinouishsdbyhisAmericanwatch amondringandRe onlighter WhileOh niscedinEnglish theothersspokepolitely meaboutprices Dtchpity theweatherinIndonesian Thelanguageconglomerationwashless yedwhen MissSa aseventh esmarried ocbelle joinedthegroupandsrdme Sundanese lessons We switched sweet coffee endedon through group children watching fromelane incressed Miss Saleh tried valiently perfect pronunciation several Sundanese words romance It Dimmerwasservedineneighbor perhapsbemuseithadanicerbedroom forms eating Omah filled peppered meats several mixed dishes tropic vegetables ppers assorent fruit finally coffee watermelon wifeamoe worked kitchen About later forks aside maers stiliDutch ignored finger clovespiced Javese cigarettes Krek cause crackling noise BRC I As afternoon Omah talked seriously about problems readjustment In opinion seventy better under Dutch could tolerate Djatibaru unsanitary habits after San Franciscoand New Yo He still embarrassed kampong public toilet winding canal feels obligated repriwand friends about spitting pavement floor Most oppressive privacy In Djatibaru never alone Eating sleeping playing working constant contact other members community He wonders regain communal attitude which formerly pleasant physically compressed society Shortly after arrival Omah received public speech adventures America He point necessity But Omah money running think working himself His ideal which driver operate accumulate money which relatives culivate In meantime mother little making dresses Singer family principal piece capital equipment The house light breeze which entered rustled yellowed mosquito netting double flapped paper pictures Presi Sukarno famous mosque finally dowless cottage We walked Alley through kampong Djatibaru rectangle almost solid bamboo hardwood sunlight ground narrow alleys Its curvin backbone narrow canal which receives sewage washes laundry There unpretentious wooden mosqUe scarcely larger average cottage On broadest alley score oftlnstalls orange cigarettes sweets general merchandise Fruit vendOrsdisplay their bananas mangoes papayas others SeLl peppered dishes sweets wrapped neatly green bamana leaves fastened tothpick At kampong passed brothel quiet We Djatibaru southern border where kampong gives racket Tanah Abang Djakarta sdozen major market places It almost afternoon lecture I thanked betcha bicycle rickshaw The afternoon I Alley watching Omah enjoy local expert foreign lands problems democracy porch Tuan Minin moder atelyprosperousownerof thebuildingmaterialsshoparoundthecorner ileOmah proved airfor metaphor generalization mixed group neighbors listened attentively Tuan Mining excused himself sunset prayers nearbymosque Omah spoke extemporaneously younger people about Youth Freedom Indonesia After covering American Revolution ashington Lincoln Dutch tyranny ndedwith thought adults Allah willing childrenplaying front house wouldsomeday pated education skill Tuan Minin returned question period started confection crushed coconut cinnamon syrup banana leaves young twenty checked sarong stage Omah spoke about aboron progresssince breaking cOBSI communist federation He asked reserve opinions about Indonesia until today child older agreeing Omah today problems might solved future millions children school For thing speaka national language To illustrate asked listen children shouting Jabbering outside clear Indonesian For almost everyone porch Indonesian second third language still spoken effort His optimism future however balanced disgust prevail moral standards Djakarta He definedthis dishonesty largely disease upper classes officialdom veterans In opinion I could trust simple people Djatibaru better guard against disrespectful loving students university Omah seconded conservative analysis condemning standards those classes whose social economic revolutionized years independence applauding people kampongs before It already outside Down badminton match starting under lights between local champ challenger kampons Time relax neighbors Next student reading newspaper aloud young friends A block according Omah information young pickpockets starting night operation It leave DJatibaru enter different world students dormitory Promising return I wallet started Alley The morning early Omah I Pasar Kemls mother On Omah apologized vigorously Pasar Kemis especially I would receive It seems cousin married there before Omah invited guests pounds seven goats quantities tables peppers The supply wedding memorable We talked twenty miles turned paved bumped along through countryside passed sections thick Jungle rubber groves fields vegetables expanses being cultivated month rains People everywhere walking working resting villages could Well Omah There house sight We headed strewn volcanic boulders bamboo grove through dense growth bananas mangoes finally market square surrounded single I00 houses entered largest mother haired faded sarong Half packed floor space porch ether divied several rooms eating cooking sleeping The porch crowded neigh smiled shook hands Sundanese manner settled bamboo couches against walls After apologies their village Jungle women disappeared several began asking questions about crops seasons houses animals America The others fluent Indonesian quietly The entrance local constable military police corporal interrupted conversation He accepted chair began about Pasar Kemis He pegged population unbelievable number these houses described landownership completely private rokerage hands resident Chinese defined itself essentially market The Pasar Kemis means Thursday Market market Monday roofed market place which dominates village The village children cated either People School Islamic Arab School While talked usual youngsters stared street In later conversation I found spoke clear precise Indonesian children Djatibaru Inside their parents speaking Sundanese accent generous admixture Sundauese Before dinner wandered field behind Omah house A shinnied brought green coconuts quench thirst drank walked banana hacked three machete With naivete temperate zones I comented nothing approach banana picking learn banana little three months usually bears Back house children chasing dinner tough ahity little chicke In confusion quack ducks racing laughing people Inally caught kitchen In frying corner Over several pounds boiling spherlcal brass cauldron Iext double opposite corner paring coconuts machete stopping hanging sarong cradle ceiling On first ulcers Omah mother moved lightly nspectng household activities We walked again through village surrounding fields after dinner Beyond thirty found Omah remaining wedding suitably named Merdeka Independence Sekolah School Back square bought three cents worth candy several manent merchandise stalls found clustered youngsters accept sweets In field other village dozen women harvesting As watched brown velvet stopped sweep toward horizon It country He mentioned lived briefly New York The afternoon thunderstorm already coming south stroll short hurried goodbyes village From appearances might returning almost nation countryside Pasar Kemis bundles frdit vegetables noisy chicken Back Omah explained solemn showing claiming feels stranger Passr Kemis DJatibaru He admitted feeling homesick San Francisco talked fondly minutes union scale cleanliness education He Joked about bringing American Min Hin already accepts inevitable proposed seriously return San Francisco Until things progressed little moire Indonesia I promised least about America entrance DJatibaru Three atypical Indonesian typical Indones_an setting basis conclusions Indonesian society Except perhaps around Djakarta friendly frank society which welcomes strangers warmth religion communal tradition require Yours sincerely Boyd R Compton Received New York