Staycation (\ˈstā-ˈkā-shən\), noun: a vacation spent at
home or nearby (Merriam-Webster.com).
The thing about living in a tropical country is to have
summer all year round (hence the dream of experiencing snow and winter, and
Frozen is somehow challenging to be relatable, climate-wise). In Jakarta,
Indonesia, the middle of the year becomes particularly pleasant not only
because it is the holiday season, but also due to the city’s anniversary on
June 22nd, that leads to culture festivals and shopping frenzy for
two months straight. But I am not going to address more on the festivities,
albeit I am delightful to see the discount sign everywhere (Hello, Jakarta
Great Sale!).
Since the topic for this month’s prompt include the word ‘home’,
it calls for a bit of personal contemplation.
You see, I have been living in the capital city for the past
two years, since I graduated from college. I am about to have my first work
anniversary in a few days’ time and it gets me a little bit sentimental,
because I never thought that Jakarta could ever be my pond.
I grew up in a considerably
big city because it is also a capital city of one of the most overpopulated
provinces in the country, but the hustle and bustle of a metropolitan was not something I used to experience in a daily basis. However, living and working in Jakarta have its own perks, especially because I live in the heart of the capital city and everything is nearby. Going places (and spending hard-earned cash) is far easier now.
I might have made Jakarta my home, simply because I spend
most of my days in a week living here. On the other hand, I am still officially
a resident of another town, and it is not one of the satellite cities nearby
the capital city. I go to my hometown every a couple of weeks, but these days, the
trips are merely weekend visits.
A place I used to call home for years is now where I would
spend six nights a month at most. The town I used to live in would now welcome
me like another domestic tourist when I come on Saturdays and leave on Mondays.
This is not a strange circumstance as it happens to millions of others, but
sometimes it can make me feel out of place.
People said things like ‘Home is where the heart is’ and ‘Absence
makes the heart grows fonder’. It makes me realise that no matter where one’s
home is, they have to know for sure the ways they have to take to get there. In
the end, distance is not merely a matter of geography, but also a challenge to
meet, so one could keep their loved ones close to their heart.
Therefore, summer at home and staycationing are basically
what I do on the weekends. It means time-off, making it a perfect time to
rekindle. It means the pleasure of taking my family out for lunch or dinner, or
catching up with friends in my hometown. Summertime for me is the weekends with
the sunshine, because without it I would not get my laundry dry in a day. I would
also love to try reading in the park or some afternoon-jogging.
The actual summer holiday in the country, though, if I may
say so, is the last week of July, which marks the festivities of Eid al-Fitr
that is celebrated by more than 80 percent of the country’s population. It has
been regarded as the perfect timing, for many who works places far away from
their families, be it their nuclear or extended ones, to ‘come home’.
These days, people would also spend the one-week break for a
long-overdue holiday, making it a peak traveling season in the country. And that
is what I plan to do this Eid holiday with my family. Details are still
brewing, but I cannot be more excited.
Going on a holiday is particularly refreshing, for one,
because it brings my family together again after mundane daily activities keep
us apart. Also, adhering to the words ‘Home is where is the heart is’, it is
like having your home with you in a different setting, absorbing all the fun in
foreign places with those who are near and dear.