The Day I was Born and My Childhood (I)

The day I was born

I was born on the 17 December 1970. my father’s name is Silahuddin Z.A and my mom’s name is Eny Rasyad. According to my mom she did the delivery at the Cikini Hospital in Raden Saleh area. Apparently my parents named me Arief Rasyad. At that time we lived in Utan Kayu. Sure I didn’t know much of the time, as far as I know we’re such a simple family.

My parents come from the same town in Payakumbuh region, West Sumatra. The fact is my father married my mom who is also his cousin. My grand father from my mom is my father’s mom’s older brother (uncle) in Minang Kabau ethnic culture, it’s called “pulang kabako”

My mom’s father H.Djamarun Rasyad (Buya) was a very respected figure as a head of the village Talang Maur. He has a few wives, he has about dozen children from his three wives and has many grand children and great grand children. He is the oldest son and has a few brothers & sisters and half brothers and sisters. It happened to be some of male siblings of my grand father’s married to more than one wife. And my mom’s mother Jawanis is from Manganti Village, not very far from where my mom’s father lived, so does my mom she has one brother and several half brothers and sisters both from her father’s side and her mother’s side, sure it sounds so complicated rite….

Where else my father’s father Zainul Arifin passed away when I was still a baby and was also a respected figure who married to my mother’s father’s little sister Sailana. He was a “Kadi/Penhulu” Muslim leader or priest in Christian, he was so well known of his firmness and friendliness.

My childhood

I was about five years old, we the family lived in Bukit Duri, Tebet. We lived there for about I think two years. The first year we lived in a house owned by my father’s uncle and the second year we had to move just in the back of the house because my father’s cousin occupied the house. I started my first time school world there in a pre-elementary school. As a kid in general I was quite a fun kid and a bit naughty I guess hehehe.

I still remember the house was always full. All the relatives coming from Sumatra stayed at my house either for a short period of time or for quite a long period of time. It’s my father whom the people respected so much, whom the people admired so much. Too many people stayed at my house, to me they’re all my uncles, aunts, grand moms and grand dads…that’s how I addressed each of them. They respected my father because of his determination, he was very firm, he would never compromise with something that’s against his faith and with something that he believed in, the “family” was everything for him….hold on a second…..family here didn’t only mean me, my mother, my older brother, my two little brothers and my little sister here, but the big family from one degree up to who ever stayed at my house or those coming from west Sumatra living in Jakarta and they might be the people my father knew before or happened to be they were relatives of my father’s friends or acquaintances. Too many times my father always cared with “them” more than he cared with his primary family, the point I was making here is the generosity that my father had was really beyond most people has in general.

My father worked as a so-called manager in my father’s uncle’s Padang Restaurant it’s name “Beringin” which means banyan tree. Padang is the capital city of West Sumatra and it’s very well known for its dish. You will find Padang Restaurants in every corner of Indonesia, even you may also find them abroad. Beside that my father also had a so-called own business of tailor and it was done at the house where we lived, he was really indeed a very multi talented person.

I had a friend of my age he was my neighbor, his house right on the next of my house, but I forgot his name, let’s just call it Ucok since he’s batakness, if I could reckon I went to play to his house almost everyday. One moment that I still remember was we wore policeman or army uniform and we both saluted each other like two real generals. We were both having a very good time, supposedly I could take the time back, but of course that something which is impossible.

to be continued...