DREAMS OF MY CHILDHOOD
Reza Fitriyanto, contributor at beritagar.id

Everyone has a dream, no matter what culture, religion, race, or economy class they belong to. Children dream of what they may be once they grow up. When they may settle and where they may transform into what they’ve always longed, free from any boundaries.

Jakarta has become a harbor for millions of child dreamers from across the nation. Limitations and inequalities in their hometowns are often the underlying reasons for their move to Jakarta. Dream catchers who are now adults must leave their hometown, hoping to find what they’ve always dreamed of.

Take Captain Nengah Sumerta for example, an Indonesian private airline helicopter pilot who has achieved his childhood dream after moving to Jakarta. The man, who was born in Singaraja, Bali, couldn’t believe that his dream has come true. “When I was a boy, I’ve always looked up to the sky and see planes hovering above our houses. My friends and I would go running after the planes, screaming at the top of our lungs, hoping that one day a plane would land for us,” he said, reminiscing fragments of his childhood.

Junko Agus, an international certified pole dance instructor from West Kalimantan, has the same sentiment. Junko, who is of Chinese descent, had realized what he always wanted to be ever since he was small. He wanted to be a public figure. Time went by and he was introduced to pole dancing when he moved to Jakarta as soon as he graduated high school. “I came from a small village in West Kalimantan. Through pole dancing, I could be what I’ve always wanted to be, which is to be watched and cheered by many,” he said.

Captain Nengah and Junko are only a glimpse of those who succeeded in reaching their dreams in Jakarta. They believe that moving to Jakarta is the first step to make their dreams come true. Perhaps their stories would have been of a different kind had they stayed in their respective hometowns. Those who have reached their dreams teach us about persistence and hard work. After all, we only reap what we sow.