Wat Wou Je Graag Eten?
"Wat wou je graag eten?"
"Maaf ya, saya gak bisa ngomong Bahasa Belanda, kamu bisa ngomong Bahasa Indonesia?" I replied.
"Udah pasti dong, mau makan di sini atau bawa pulang?"
"Maunya makan di sini, tapi enggak ada tempat duduk yg kosong ya?"
Then an old man who was just finishing his meal offered the seat opposite him, "Bisa aja duduk ama saya, saya udah mau habis minum teh saya"
So I sat with him, and for the next hour or so, had a very good conversation with him. His name is Wat. And he’s been living in the Netherlands for the past 33 years, coming from Ambon back in 1974. It was a good conversation, talking about life in The Netherlands, and of course things happening in South East Asia.
But the most important thing we gained from the conversation, I helped to potray a moderate Muslim view to another. And freedom of speech is not about saying what you want to say, but saying what you want to say responsibly.
Even though he was a Christian, he was impressed with my view that even if you are a Muslim, Christian or a Jew, the basic essence is, each and everyone of us believe in the One God.
I liked to think that I am doing my religion a favour. But, different people have different perception. Whatever it is, it was a good conversation, and it is always good to polish my Indonesian.
Now, if only I can understand more of Dutch to hold a decent conversation… I guessed San sucre correctly as no sugar, but forgot it was French instead of Dutch!
