The Two Eagles

I love Indonesia. I love my country, my home land, and I believe it is the most wonderful place on earth. Other countries can brag higher income per capital or lower crime rate or a more advanced technology standard, but none can match the beauty, sheer wonder and raw richness of Indonesia. The seemingly uncivilized and corrupt officials are not to be proud of, I agree, but even so it is not enough to dimmed the lustrous shine of my homeland. That is why I am on the verge of tears when I saw in our wedding website my fiance has placed my country's eagle, the mighty Garuda, next to his famous Bald Eagle with a caption: Proud citizens of our countries.
To me, it was not just about logo placement. To me, it is his way to tell (and show!) how much he appreciate my country and thus, myself. Almost 68 years from our declaration of Independence, yet I still found foreigners who played land lord (in numerous field/line of work) and treat their Indonesian host/partner/employee as mere servants. It is such a relief to know the man I have chosen will treat me as equal, and both accept and appreciate my patriotism towards my country.
The decision to be with my fiance was both an easy yet difficult one. Easy because I know he is a wonderful man and we love each other very much, difficult because I know eventually I will have to leave my homeland to be with him. But now, I feel relieved. When the time comes for me to leave Indonesia and reside with him, I can be content and cherished my life  with the man who shared love and respect for my country, and knowing one day I will be home again in Indonesia with him. Thank you, my love...

Garuda di dadaku, Garuda di websiteku

Saya cinta Indonesia, negeri saya yang indah dan menakjubkan. Politik dan korupsinya tidak menyenangkan, tapi bahkan keresehan para [poli]tikus elit ini tidak mampu memudarkan sinar kemilau negeri saya. Itulah kenapa saya hampir menangis haru melihat tunangan saya meletakkan Garuda Indonesia bersandingan dengan lambang negaranya, dengan caption: "we are proud citizens of our countries" - (kami adalah warga negara yang bangga akan negara kami).

Bagi saya, peletakan Garuda di website kami menunjukkan betapa ia menghargai Indonesia, bahkan mungkin lebih dari [mayoritas] orang Indonesia. Di saat sekian banyak orang asing yang "menjajah" Indonesia dan memperlakukan bangsa Indonesia seperti pelayan di negerinya sendiri, tunangan saya menunjukkan bahwa saya dan ia setara, bahwa negara kami setara. Dan bukan hanya itu, ia juga menunjukkan penerimaan dan penghargaannya akan patriotisme dan rasa cinta saya pada tanah air dengan captionnya.

Keputusan saya untuk menjalin hubungan dan bertunangan dengan pasangan saya bukanlah hal yang mudah, karena saya akan harus meninggalkan Indonesia untuk bersamanya. Namun saya kini bisa bernafas lega. Saya mungkin pergi jauh, tapi saya akan bersama seseorang yang juga mencintai dan menghargai tanah air saya, dan dengan demikian dapat dipastikan menghargai saya pula seutuhnya. Kedua hal ini adalah sesuatu yang demikian berarti bagi saya, saya begitu beruntung bisa mendapatkan keduanya. Terima kasih, cintaku...

I, Island Girl

My name is Ary Yogeswary, and I am an Island Girl.

Well technically I am an Island girl as I lived in Bali, a small island in Indonesia where beaches are stretch beautifully as far as the eye can see and mountains rose majestically high and fill your breath with wonder. But I'm not the island girl Elton John was singing (Tell me what you wanting with the white man's world) , nor the one Andrew Sisters so persistent about (Native girls all dance and smile/ Help soldier celebrate his leave), nor any Island girl in fact that was so stereotypical in the other songs (naive, innocent, eager to help and please, etc). I will be polite as that is what my mom taught me, but I definitely not interested in celebrating anyone's leave except mine, and neither do I want anything from "white man's world". My world is perfectly fine thank you, that is why the tourists spend their money to fly across the globe just to be a visitor in my lovely world.

Speaking of which, I really couldn't fathom why people still have this illusion err stigma about Island Girl. The harsh reality is, with the over exploitation and uncivilized development of islands all over the world, your so-called big-eyed brown-skinned island girl is most likely had a job at the Golden Arch or busing table in Mermaid CoffeeChain, definitely no time to run carelessly free and "accidentally"run into you at the beach (except she was working in the said beach cafe). Most of them will also not be so dewy-eyed on seeing non-local visitors, and is definitely unimpressed with the western swagger. All this not only because tourists are way too much and losing their charm, but also because of the rise of (mobile) internet. Suddenly speaking with an accent can no longer woo these girls, unless you are Christian Bale or better, one of the Twilight's vampires (ewwwww....)

Of course, sadly, there are still so-called Island girl stereotypical alive and well. But surely, if the girl you just met start asking you to buy drinks for her entourage while expertly batted her eyelashes you will run the other way? Even if she's a naive-looking innocent-beauty island girl. Well except if the man is fully intentional embarking on a quest(s) to pursue the exotic-untouched pleasure; in any case I don't think he would find any due to the reason stated above, and I hope he won't find any due to the maliciousness of the goal. It is a pathetic goal anyway, why do you have to go across the world just to find a woman who adores you? Love is love, but surely you can get those in your home country? The tropical climate and easy life may work wonders on our skin, but kindness and love can be obtained all over the world.

My fiance get that a lot: that I am with him to obtain green card, that I want something from him. As if him being the most wonderful man I've ever met is not good enough reason. When I am alone with him, he'll gently kissed me and called me his sweet island girl. Coming from him, it's a compliment, a gesture of love. Through out our relationship he has acknowledged who I am: my island ways, my spiritualism, what I love, what I dislike, what I honored, my talent and skills, my education and work achievements. We met and fall in love far away from my island, but to him I will always be his island girl: physically (and spiritually) different from his countrywomen but is as honorable and respectable as them. Of course, to him all human are equal, that is the kind of man he is. Thus he came to me not as a conquistador to the "savage islanders" but as a gentleman to a lady, which is the right way because my pride and patriotism wouldn't have it any other way. 

So you see not all island girls are, well, island girls. We possess brains and skills and womanly qualities equal to any other women in the world. Ambitious island girls really should stop "hunting down" foreign suitors and start setting a thorough standard for themselves. A good man is a good man, regardless his race or accent; and being treated like a second class citizen is never an option. My dear ladies, we have people in United Nations making sure all human are treated equal, we might as well start doing that! On the contrary, adventurous love seeking tourists should really sized up. I mean, surely there is something good or interesting (or anything love inducing) about you guys other then, ah, being a tourist? Now be good and be civilized towards your fellow human in this island, and welcome to the 21st century.