My Medan & Aceh exprience

I've been working for Europe On Screen 2007 for the last 7 months and now I finally at the 8th months. We finished the main event in Jakarta and the cities after: Bandung & Medan. I have to travel to Medan & Aceh (the fourth city) to bring the films and give an opening introduction.

I never been in Medan & Aceh before so it's my first time. Medan is so chaos that reminded me a little bit like Jakarta a few years ago (Jakarta is now in the next level of the term "chaos"). I'd been dreaming of Medan for 10 years. It was quiet overwhelmed when I was finally there. But I still feel it is a city I only visited for 3 days and nothing more.

I'm in Aceh now, meeting friends I only met when they were visiting Jakarta. Suddenly I feel at home. It is just amazing how things are going on now in Aceh. So many foreigners, working for NGOs all over Aceh. People here are struggling to make sense out of the drastic changing in their land. After the tsunami, not just they have to regret everything that got lost but also live everyday with the post-tsunami effect in their way of thinking and living.

I'm in Aceh now and I find out what is lost from the spotlight of Indonesian media. I feel lucky that I am here now instead of months after tsunami which is as hard as anybody could ever imagine it would be. The fact that I bring some films as part of Europe On Screen will be the most precious experience than any of my traveling film festival experience.

lulu, Episentrum, Ulee Kareng - Banda Aceh, 17.54, November 11, 2007