After 'Lebaran' comes the blues<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): We must admit that the past two weeks have been
\nunusual for everybody, for those who celebrate Idul Fitri as well
\nas those who do not. For the second group, life may be unusual
\nbecause of their servants' mudik (exodus to home villages).<\/p>\n
Every housewife knows that her servants need a break. But why
\ndo they all have to go at the same time? Employers warn them
\nabout the traffic jams during the exodus, they remind them that
\nthey always get car sick, they tell them that it is much better
\nto go home during quieter times, but no, servants are determined
\nto go home for Lebaran. They are willing to brave the traffic and
\nthe difficult traveling conditions, especially while fasting.
\nThey cannot be bribed with money, or a treat to Ancol or the
\nSafari Park in Bogor. No, go home they must.<\/p>\n
And so, you are left alone in the house and decide to roll up
\nyour shirtsleeves. First, you do the shopping because food has
\nthe most importance. Most people seem to think the same thing and
\nthat is why the supermarkets are very busy.<\/p>\n
Shopping can bring happiness; meeting old friends you haven't
\nseen in years. There was, for instance, Professor K. and his
\nwife, Mrs. K., who was carefully selecting what she was going to
\nbuy and giving it to her husband. He arranged the shopping
\ncarefully in the cart. That was how he had always taught us,
\n\"arrange all your data carefully, then make your conclusions.\"
\nAnd here he was, applying his own methods to shopping.<\/p>\n
In another isle I met my two bachelor friends. They had a
\nshopping list and a menu for the whole week, except for two days.
\nThose were the two days they would go to friends houses to wish
\nthem Selamat Lebaran. They are familiar with Indonesian
\nhospitality and know that food will be offered. In case they miss
\na meal, they had stocked up on some instant noodles. Easy cooking
\nfor a hungry day.<\/p>\n
I was a little ashamed because I was heading for the ready-
\ncooked food counter, where delicious food was on sale. On the
\nway, I met the proprietor of the store, who said: \"Welcome, just
\nhead that way, we have everything for the busy and the lazy
\nhousewife.\"<\/p>\n
\"Do you have something for the bingung (confused) housewife?\"<\/p>\n
Yes he had and he led me to the canned food isle. No, no
\ncanned food for me because last year my can opener broke and I
\nwas stuck without food. He then showed me a counter full of
\nmarinated food. \"Just put it in a wok and stir-fry it a bit and
\nit's ready to be served.\"<\/p>\n
I was so happy he had his store just around the corner from my
\nhouse. I did not have to buy much because on the day he reopened
\nthe store I could come back.<\/p>\n
I would meet different friends every time I went there and we
\nwould stand there, complaining of our trials and our sufferings
\nbut also boasting about our achievements. And then we would tell
\neach other how happy we would be when the servants came back.
\nThat was a must, because missing your servants is a status
\nsymbol. It means that normally, you do not do menial household
\njobs, like tidying up the house, doing the laundry or the
\ncooking.<\/p>\n
As the week wore on, the store was getting emptier as servants
\nstarted returning home. I would also receive calls from friends
\nto tell me of their joy that their servants were back. But I
\ndidn't mind that mine were not back yet. Thanks to the store, I
\ncould get up every day, prepare the breakfast, do the laundry and
\nhousecleaning on alternate days and then go for my exercise,
\nwhich was a walk to the supermarket to buy food. I was beaming
\nwith energy.<\/p>\n
I was fine until last Sunday morning. I did the same thing as
\nthe previous day and even bought food. \"The servants may be back
\ntoday,\" I thought, \"but they may still be suffering from travel
\nfatigue because that is what we usually feel when we come back
\nfrom holidays.\"<\/p>\n
But that Sunday evening after dinner, my maid, who had come
\nhome a few hours before, immediately took the dishes to the
\nkitchen. I was free! But instead of joy, I felt lethargic and
\nwent to bed immediately. I think I was suffering from post-
\nLebaran blues...<\/p>\n
-- Myra Sidharta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/after-lebaran-comes-the-blues-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }