The trip to Singapore
Last month I had the opportunity to go to Singapore to watch the Lion King musical performances. That was my first visit to Singapore. The first day in Singapore I used to walk the road and visited a mall called Bugis junction. Chocolate candy and various food products from Singapore makes me forget it was at 12pm in Singapore time. Ah, I stayed in a place called little India, where I can get a cheaper hostel in Singapore. It was called little India because Indian people lived there in significant amounts. I’ve been warned about “the smell” of Indian people. Because they eat curry food a lot, their smelled like “curry”, but it was okay for me because I love Indian food.
The second day is a day of visiting the museum. We arrived at the museum in the right time because there is a group which just about to start, of course with the tour guide. We should pay 10 dollars first before the officer allowed us joint with them. The tour guide waited and he asked from which country we came. I said “we are all from Indonesia…” and the tour guide said “well good, so we have, Germany, English people, and Indonesian”
So, we followed the tour guide enter the building.
The tour guide in the group is a middle-aged man. The first stories he told us is how the history of Singapore as an island which had lost for 200 years from “the story of history”. No people, no activity….just gone. Probably because there is no history that can be told, along the following explanation is how the Singapore island discovered by Raffles as an explorer from England, then how Singapore became one of the world’s modern cities.
I feel bored. My friend and I instantly gossiping “Huh pay 10 dollar and do not get any story?” half of the road way at the museum me and my friend just gossip how great Indonesia with thousands of historical stories.
Almost an hour long tour of the history, until finally we see the man of the tour guides would finish his “lecture”, tedious for joy this tour will end I took a position at the front in the circle of the group. Suddenly, the tour guide man said, pointing at me ;
“You see, Singapore has no water naturally, but now, we never run out of water. Totally different in Indonesia right? (pointing at me) They have a lot of water but not all the water you can drink, right?
What the *fuck*! I shouted to myself, why he should have to compare Indonesian water with Singapore water, his job is how to explain the history of Singapore, which is no connection with our waters!! I really really really angry! Unfortunately I could only smile bitterly because it was too angry to talk. When the group disbanded, my friend approached me and asked how I feel about what was the tour guide said, I said, I wanted to hit his face. Without asking again he walked toward to the tour guide, and we followed him. We will protest. This is what we say to the tour guide:
“I am sorry to say this, but you don’t have to compare your country with mine. That’s not polite. You can say anything about how good your country without comparing to other country like Indonesia, and you know what, we still drinking our own water without import from another country, even you said our waters is dirty…we just fine!”
The tour guide man apologized repeatedly with hands that like to worship. He did not say anything other than “sorry…” After we finished what we like to say, we exit the building. We decided having our lunch and will continue talk about what happened in there. I was angry because I don’t pay 10 dollars just for listen how Singaporean insult Indonesian like that, but the other feelings of mine said, maybe he just try doing his job, maybe he doesn’t really mean to insult, and some questions appear, how is his feelings now? Is he sad about what happened? Or what?
One thing that I realized, Indonesia is a big country with all the bad and the good side, so that’s why we should proud of it. I do not feel like a hero. I just do not get people talking about my country like that.
