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Back to the Zoo

Monday, March 3, 2014

It was my first day working in my former campus. I did not apply. I would never, of course. Graduated in 2011, I never came back to that place, not even paying a visit except taking Castaneda books from someone I respect, who works there, still. And it was him who asked me to help as his secretary as he just got a position he did not apply, probably he would never. It was a crucial, high position in the faculty.

My brother in law took me there with motorcycle. The first sign I got was a falling wet stem on my shoulder, from a tree. That stem looked old and weak. Never confuse between Taman Ismail Marzuki and Institut Kesenian Jakarta. That is like one whole thing, but I'll let you know, the feeling around TIM is different with the one in the campus. Medium trees and the lazy breeze, an open space, unfortunately it's not really a park (taman), just a parking lot with street-style cafes on the left side. Nostalgia can not be escaped, and the funny thing is, why is this area has more nostalgic effect on me than the campus itself, where the real war set in?

I saw the campus has changed, so much, physically. What surprised me is the dry feeling. It is dry, like a hopeless ground. This whole Jakarta Institute of Art is about to fall like the old stem. Film Faculty, especially, the new building looks ugly, I can't believe it's an art school! If it's not for the sake of helping someone I respect, I WOULD NOT BE HERE. Corruption has eaten this place to its soul. My body could not remember any creative thought ever emerged here, yet in the Ismail Marzuki Park, I've done a lot of creative process, alone or with dear friends. A wave of memories, so delicate.

Went straight to the office and nothing to do, really. In a million staff, only few or let's say one, who could help to tell me my job description. So actually I won't deal with administrative stuffs, but I am in charge of the students progress to their graduation, babysit them to get their S.Sn (Sarjana Seni, Bachelor of Arts). It was not shocking that I met friends of the same batch with me, we were freshmen together and until 2014 they are still roaming around as students. One of them joked about me being the secretary. Of course it was not a real joke, but more like mocking, as if only jobless losers would take my position, why don't I just write loads of TV scripts, instead of being here?

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