Kota Ambon & Waai

After two days in Jakarta it was time for us to head onwards to Ambon. We booked a nightflight with Batik Air and at 6 o’clock in the morning we set foot on Pattimura Airport. Driving into the city of Ambon I felt at ease. It’s hard to describe what went through my mind. This has been something that has been on my bucketlist for ages; to go back to the islands that used to be home to my grandparents. To go back to the place that has my roots.

Ambon City is a bustling city; busy roads with a lot of traffic and a lot of people everywhere. I will be honest, it was hard for me to adjust to this city. The first day here really got my head spinning, how are we going to get around here, where can I find everything and is it always this busy everywhere you look? Luckily we have some family living here so that makes it easy to get around and go and see places, they were so kind to take us around the city.

On our second day here in Ambon we decided to go to Waai, a small village on this main island. Waai is where my grandfather is from, it’s where he was born and raised. Going to this place means a lot to me. It is literally the place that holds my roots.

In the morning we organized a driver to take us to Waai and pick us up again in the evening. Driving towards Waai a lot went through my mind, again. It is weird to pass and see places and villages that you once heard about. It is weird to be there, the place you heard about but have never seen in real. It is weird to actually experience this place that is actually a part of me. An undiscovered part of me that is about to be revealed.

As we got closer I texted my cousin to tell him that we are on our way. I had never met my cousin before besides on Facebook but it didn’t feel that way. When I texted him he said he and the family would be waiting for us. Isn’t that amazing? Driving into the village it said ‘Selamat datang di Waai’, which means ‘Welcome to Waai’. And at that moment my inner body started to cry. I am here, I am here now, I am home.

Ofcourse I had absolutely no idea where to go and where my family lives exactly so this was just one big guess. So I quickly texted my cousin again:

Me: ‘Kita bilang driver kemana?’ (Where do we tell the driver to go?)

Cousin: ‘Aer Morea!’

So I told the driver to go there

Cousin: ‘Sudah lewat rumah! Dengan mobil hijau ja?’ (Hey, you’ve already passed the house. You’re in a green car right?)

Me: ‘Shit, nanti djalan kembali dulu.’ (Shit, I´ll walk back a little bit.)

Cousin: ‘Balik ke lorong, saya di depan djalan.’ (Come back, I’ll be on the road.)

As we got out of the car we walked back a little bit and there was my cousin waving at us. So amazing! I’m in this beautiful village, a place to call home and there is family waiting for us. The family house appeared to be closeby and there was more family waiting for us over there. I was so happy to be here! The entire afternoon we spent together chatting about our familytree and about a lot of other things. How beautiful is it to be at the place and in the house that used to be home to generations before and is still ours. We walked through the streets of the village and visited the newly renovated church which looked huge and amazingly beautiful.

It is amazing to feel so connected to a place and people I had never met in real before. We share the same blood and come from the same familytree. We live so far apartand in totally different worlds, yet we are so close. I guess a sence of belonging would be best to describe what went through my mind on this day.

I have set foot on Waai; I am at home and I can’t wait to see all of these people again in the next few days and spend more time together.