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Journal from the Ground
by Saiful Mahdi
1:55am (local time) arrived at Terminal 2 of Changi airport, Singapore.
The airport was very much alive although not as crowded as usual. Some
sections are so quiet with many people sleeping on chairs or floors.
Spent time checking email and news. Transfer booths were not open yet.
Took time to rest and refresh but did not want to sit. Well, 19 hours
sitting on limited economy coach should be more than enough, I thought.
3:15am. Went to Terminal 1 where Silk Air base is and where it flies
from. It’s a short morning exercise as the between terminal tram doesn’t
start until 6am. My flight to Medan was confirmed for 7:30pm that day,
way too long to wait at the airport. My plan was to try to switch to the
earliest flight, 8:40am. Otherwise, I have to make half day stay at
Singapore useful, maybe buy supplies or print more big scale satellite
images, something I won’t be able to do in Aceh or even in Medan.
5:06am. A cup of coffee and a cranberry muffin from CoffeeBeans for a
hungry stomach. Some parts of Changi are still very quiet. Spend more
time on internet and reading last updates from friends and news.
Especially what critically needed supplies to purchase in Medan or in
Singapore if I cannot get an earlier flight. Not very clear yet as
sources said that supplies were already there at airport warehouses but
no effective distribution.
5:30am. A Silk Air transfer booth was open. I asked, well…, actually
begged, to get the earliest flight instead of my confirmed flight which
will require another ten hours of waiting. The ground attendant was very
cooperative, especially after I told her that I am going back home to
tsunami destroyed Banda Aceh. I don’t usually like to do this, but I did
show her the letters like the one from Cornell ISSO mentioning my
intention to find family members in Banda Aceh. Still, as much as she
wanted to help, she could only put me on stand-by status for a no-show
seat. She asked me to come back at 8:10am to find out. The flight is
scheduled for 8:40am.
6:00am Some airport stores start to open. Look around to see what is
needed from my lists. A digital camera and a cell-phone maybe. An
Indonesian Red-Cross volunteer has been asking for the camera so he can
update friends all over the world with pictures from destroyed areas and
shelters. I need a tri-band cell phone myself to update friends in
Ithaca that have been so generous and supportive.
8:00am. Stopped by the transfer booth to find out my status. The lady
said there are seven seats left, but is not sure whether she can give me
one just yet. Need come back at 8:10am.
8:10. The lady called my name and told me to rush to Gate F30 for
immediate boarding. When I was running, I wished I could run faster and
had better endurance. Yikes! The transfer booth was in section E and my
flight will soon depart from F30. It is almost half of the terminal! Off
I go running with luggage that seems to become heavier, passed the
security check, send a short note to friend of a friend in Medan from
the last computer in waiting room, and rush to the plane. Just to find
out that at 8:50 the pilot announces that Polonia airport in Medan was
still so crowded, our flight from Singapore has to be delayed by one
hour. That is, our flight will not fly until 9:50am Singapore time and
passengers may not leave the plane!
Spent time reading local news papers on Tsunami Summit in Jakarta and
trying to sleep again. I hope friends who I contacted to pick me up at
the airport in Medan are granted patience with all the confusion about
my flight and delays. Growing concerns on security made me cautious
about the exact info I can give about my arrival with the Aceh Relief
Fund
donations. I have US $9,800 in my bags!
9:50am Departed from Singapore, will arrive 10:00am Medan time or 11am
Singapore time (1 hour time difference).
9:50 (Medan time) We were approaching Medan’s sky, about ten minutes
before landing. UN-Singapore Airlines (SilkAir is a Singapore Airlines
subsidiary) is circling a donation tin for tsunami relief works to
passengers. Wow! I was so impressed that I asked one of the flight
attendants if it is possible to announce a “thank you statement” from an
Acehnese on board. I wanted to thank the UN, Singapore Airlines and the
passengers for taking the seemingly small but powerful initiative like
donation tin on air! Again, to my surprise, they did it by telling
passengers my name and seat number and my intention to fly back half the
globe to find out about my family! Soon, I got people looking at me…and
an Australian journalist approaching to interview and took my picture.
Well, although that was not my intention, I decided to go ahead and told
the journalist and people around me what I know.
The best part, however, was when another flight attendant told me that
there were some volunteers on the plane who wanted to go to Aceh but
have no idea and no contacts whatsoever to help them get through. And
they were so happy to hear that there was an Acehnese on flight and
asked for help to enter Aceh. I told the stewardess that I would only
help in my capacity and would not be able to guarantee access as they
wish. That was how I get to know Joyus Thomas, a 69 year old nurse from
London who decided to go to Aceh to volunteer after seeing unimaginable
images on the news about the tsunami in Aceh. More on the ‘magnificent’
Joy later!
10:10am. We were still circling above Medan. The pilot announced that we
could not land right away as the airport below us was very busy. I did
see some jets around our plane very close to each other, leaving and
approaching Medan. I know from the news that Polonia airport in Medan
has quadrupled its services from around 100-150 flights a day to more
than 400 flights. It now operates 24/7. So, for anybody to visit Aceh
via Medan, be prepared for delays and even cancellations.
10:54am. At last….we landed in Medan.
11:10am. Somebody waved a small banner with my name on it. Yes, a
courier of Mr. Bambang was there to pick me up. Mr. Bambang himself was
waiting outside the arrival hall. He is a friend of Mas Yoyok’s brother
whom I’d never met before. A middle age man with sincere heart and a
wide network in Medan. Somebody you can count on in the chaotic
situation in Medan airport.
11:20am-12:50pm. Helped out Joyus Thomas who had never been to
Indonesia, let alone Medan and Aceh at this difficult time. Also help
out the journalist who interviewed me on the flight who wanted to go to
Nias, an island off west shore of North Sumatera that also hit by
tsunami. There was also Rita Hayati, an Acehnese woman married to an
Australian man who brought supplies donated by their neighbors including
a bag full of medicine. After Joyus, aka Joy, had her visa on arrival
settled, we went into the arrival hall to find a crowd from all over the
world. A group of Korean volunteers, Australian air force, groups of
Indonesia volunteers from all over the archipelago, representing various
kind of organizations, ethnic, religious, political, cultural
affiliations. Everybody seemed to be on the way to Aceh.
1:05-1:30pm. Went out to find lunch, but ended up at Mr. Sudiro’s home
as some restaurants we wanted to go to were closed for Friday prayer
(North Sumatera, a province next to Aceh has a 50:50 population of
Muslim and Christian. Medan is its capital and it is the most functional
city closest to Aceh.)
1:30-2pm. Rusdi, my brother, came with Dian’s brother and sister in law
and the rented minibus. I can directly tell that my brother is in a very
stressful condition. You could hardly see him as a middle manager banker
of the biggest state bank in Indonesia. When I asked him some questions
about our missing sister and brother and other family members, he could
hardly speak. Rusdi is considered tough in my family, but I could see
tears around this, my very beloved brother. I tried to hold myself as
strong as possible so I did not make him feel more helpless. I assured
him that we would do this together from now on. I feel so angry at
myself for giving him the distressing task of finding our missing loved
ones.
2-2:30pm. Helped out Rita and her husband who apparently could not send
their donated supplies through Australian Air force as they planned. I
told them before, that I can have the supplies channeled directly to
victims in Aceh through my network. And that’s what happened in the end.
They have to give up expecting the Aussie Air Force to take their
donated supplies as this will require lengthy red tape and much paper
work. Rita called me from her hotel and wanted me to take the supplies.
Thanks to Mr. Sudiro who called one of his company’s box-truck to pick
up the supplies and drop them off at our Medan-based NGO partner. I saw
the supplies arriving two days after that in Banda Aceh myself (see
pictures).
Rita Hayati (29), an Acehnese woman with donated supplies from
her neighbors in Australia. She wanted her supplies to be
delivered directly to the victims of the earthquake and tsunami
in Aceh without having to pass through extensive red tape. Rita
was on the same flight as Saiful from Singapore to Medan on
January 7. |
We transported Rita’s and her husband’s donated supplies from
her hotel to KKSP (a local NGO) in Medan (1/7, around 2pm). |
Supplies unloaded at KKSP office and warehouse. Donated and
purchased supplies keep the volunteers busy everyday. I saw the
supplies arriving at our warehouse in Banda Aceh the following
day after this picture was taken in Medan (7/1 around 2:30pm). |
2:30-7:45pm. Visited CofSA (The Coalition
for Save Aceh) office and warehouse in one of the busiest streets in
Medan. This is a group of Acehnese students in Medan and other cities in
Indonesia setting up a warehouse and office to buy and stock supplies to
be delivered to Aceh with trucks. We donated some money here to buy
supplies and rent a pick up truck and chipped in the rent of a bigger
truck. (See pictures)
Saiful (left) handed some cash donation from Aceh Relief Fund to Taufik
Abda at CofSA when he visited the office and warehouse of this
NGO right after he arrived in Medan (7/1). Taufik handed him a
receipt in exchange. The cash will be used in three shelters
along the road to Krueng Raya, Aceh Besar (Neuheun, Ladong,
Lamreh). |
Volunteers loading supplies we purchased in Medan (7/1) into the
pick-up truck that we rent with donations from Aceh Relief Fund. We also
donated some cash for CofSA operational cost. Volunteers here
told me that they do not use any donated supply or cash for
themselves unless it is specifically said to be used for
operational costs. |
Joy (right) divided supplies and donations from Aceh Relief Fund into various
categories as we get ready to leave by road the next morning at
Mr. Sudiro’s place (7/1). Sudiro and his family helped things
out by hosting and facilitating volunteers and IDPs. Joy is an
experienced nurse from London who wanted to volunteer treating
the sick in Aceh. Told that she has no contact whatsoever to
enter Aceh, I feel obliged to facilitate her with whatever I
have on the ground. Thanks again to Mr. Sudiro for letting her
stay with me at his place. |
8:30-9:00 Picked up 3 friends coming from
Jakarta. They are my classmates during middle schools and are from the
same boy scout group. Firdaus, S. Gade and his uncle came from Jakarta
with supplies I had asked them to buy when I was still in Ithaca.
9:30 – 11:30pm Waited for my luggage coming with my initial flight from
Singapore. After several delays like the flight in the morning, I got my
luggage that I checked through Syracuse airport. A long and tiring wait.
Even worse, was when the customs officials started asking for
explanations for the supplies I brought. I did not have any problem with
that, but I did not see others having problems like this when we arrived
this morning. After arguing and showing all the paper work I can think
of, the higher ranking officer let me pass with all the luggage.
The night ends after we pack our supplies for the next day travel to
Aceh. It is about 12:45 when we adjourn for the day. The rented trucks
have already left, and by suggestions from friends, we will travel by a
rented minibus the next day to be more safe.
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