Posted abroad

Posted abroad

When Mr Okuno (not real name) was a high school student, he
used to have daydreams about a tropical country known as
Indonesia. He imagined a country of eternal spring (Japanese Toko
Natsu no kuni) of coconut trees swaying in the tropical breeze
and sandy beaches glittering in the sunlight, of the most
friendly people on earth and so on, so much so that Mr Okuno
decided to specialize in the Indonesian language after finishing
senior high. Imbued by this Indonesian dream, he diligently
studied Indonesian for four years at the University of foreign
languages.

When the company which imports wood from Indonesia dispatched
Mr Okuno to Indonesia, because of his skill of the Indonesian
language, it goes without saying that his happiness knew no
bounds. Everything went according to plan, or so Mr Okuno
thought. However there was one drawback, namely the company's
regulations were very strict and his wife was not allowed to
accompany him.

In the beginning, Mr Okuno was very moody and morose to be
parted from his wife. So severe was his homesickness and
lovesickness that he used to phone his wife everyday. His
colleague who lived in the same house took pity on the lovelorn
young man.

With the purpose of consoling Mr Okuno, his colleague took him
to the city karaokes and nightclubs. Bit by bit, Mr Okuno lost
his nostalgia for his wife when he became intimate with the
pretty girls of the night clubs, so much so that his telephone
calls to his wife ceased altogether and his visits to his
girlfriends became more frequent.

Due to the high rate of the yen, Mr Okuno had much rupiah to
spend. As Mr Okuno had no trouble in conversing -- he spoke
Indonesian almost without any foreign accent -- he became more
and more attached to this country and he regarded Indonesia as
his second homeland. The Japanese expression of living in a
country forever, is to bury one's bones in that country. Anyway,
this freewheeling lifestyle went on for a while, until his
colleague was recalled by the company's head office and another
came here to replace him. The successor was apparently an
ambitious man who was bent on becoming the chief representative
of the company. Apparently, the newcomer wrote to the head office
saying that Mr Okuno neglected his work and spent too much time
and energy on entertainment, because not long there after, Mr
Okuno was instructed to return to Japan. I personally believe
that the clique system prevails in every company of the world,
and as it so happened in this instance the newcomer was the boss'
protege.

A. DJUANA

Jakarta