Ivan's Journal - THE GLASS TOWERS

The first time I went to Karawaci, a tall building made of glass quickly caught my attention. You could see the building right after you got out from the highway. There’s a symbol of an eagle spreading its wings on a book embed at the top of the building. I used to call it the glass tower. Next to the tower, there’s a three stories building that has the same symbol like the one at the glass tower. The complexes were huge and spacious, equipped with basketball courts and many barren lands surrounding it.

Karawaci is actually a big place. It had its own real estate, a mall, a Siloam Gleneagles hospital, and many other facilities. The roads are long and much less crowded than any other places in Jakarta. There’re many empty places filled with grass and empty lands. The campus is located near the mall where it’s easy to find parking spaces and the mall soon became our second campus – if you know what I mean. It’s also quiet and suitable for people who like to relax and value calmness.

That was the campus where I used to study called Pelita Harapan University. A place where my knowledge grew, my first love blossomed, and my character shaped. It was a place where I tried to balance study and fun. It is also the place that breaks the term that say high school is the best moments for most people. I say college is a lot better. It’s time that you can freely manage your time for your own advantage. “Free” is the keyword here, as you can hear in Braveheart movie by Mel Gibson when he yelled, “Freedom!! “

Something, or should I say, someone brought me here, a friend named Dennis. He was my classmates at LIA foundation, an English course taken when I was in high school. He was the one who introduce me to this university. Being one year older, he had experienced the campus life before me. I took the same major as he was, Industrial Engineering, and he became my senior classmates ever since.

Karawaci slowly became my second home. A place that is so familiar in dreams and reality. It is a place where I found freedom and life, though not so far away from home. I decided to live there while I study at Pelita Harapan University. I went home to my parents’ house on Friday – usually at dusk, and went back on Monday at dawn. What I enjoy most was the ride from home to the campus at dawn or vice versa. It is a long ride without traffic jam, where you can push your car to the limit. I don’t care whether it’s rainy, windy, or hot, as it's still the best ride you can ever experienced.

It is not hard to find my favorite spots around the place. The library soon became one of them. It’s maybe because I fell easily in love with books - although I seldom finish reading a book till the last sheet. The library made my mind rest but also easy to wander for ideas. Not to mention many girls walking around looking for a place where they can find boys like me – I mean someone who enjoys meaningful and good conversation. I quickly made friends with the librarians and the staffs – all except one, the head of the librarian, who happens to be an old woman who didn’t like her job – at least that’s what I had in mind. Anyway, that’s not a big problem at all.

The mall – Supermal of Karawaci became my favorite when it’s time to loosen my feet. It’s not so big, but enough for short walks and good views for my eyes. The mall had a concept of a family mall.

The game center became my favorite hangout place at the last semester of my study. We used to play Counterstrike until midnight. It is a simple game for simple minds, just run, point, shoot, and kill. “Boys and toys.” That’s what most girls said about me at that time. But hey, I enjoy it.

The canteen and the cafeteria was not a place to be forgotten too. It’s fun if you can see different people every time you had lunch, and have a great conversation with them. Although I had my own circle of friends, I usually talked with one new person once every three or four days.

I couldn't mention many other spots that had memories of their own. If I see the spot, I’ll have flashbacks of what happened at that spot when I was there. Every places, every spots, had its own memories and moments.

Four years went by fast. I had finished my studies and graduated. Suddenly I found myself packing and preparing to go back home, for good. I was no longer living there because many things awaited me back home. I’d surely gonna miss this place. “Do you miss me? I’m sure you do”. That’s what I said when I step into my car for a ride home. Suddenly, I had flashbacks of all the people, activities, places, and everything about this place. “Someday, when I return, I will bring someone who loves me. That’s my promise.” I stepped on the gas and went back home.

Ivan the Freelancer