Tong Koei See, Place to Back Together

Hello mates! Long time no see, hehehe, to busy with several college activities and assignment is not good for my blogging activity. Well Thanks God, in this early October I could have a lots of free time and wish I could manage my time to make my blog "alive" again :)

Well in this October too, on first week, my Friends from China, named Cherry who was worked with me in ROAR Project AIESEC UNDIP last year, coming back to visit Indonesia, she said she really damn missed with all of Indonesian-thingy, hehe, well then the story goes as she arrived in this city after having a lots of amazing experience in Bromo, and suddenly contact me to meet up with her in Simpang Lima. Then while meet up, after several sharing time, they asked me to take them to the interesting place in Semarang, since Cherry bring her friends together with her Chissy, who never visit Semarang before. Then yes, we decide to Masjid Agung, but before that I rememmber that I need a chinesse to translate a historical sites named "Bong Bunder", a chinesse graveyard who the story beside it still mysterious, then they agree to help me, then yap! They got a city tour and I got a translator :D

My friend, Cherry and the grave who all
person who re-buried here have a "Ho"
surname

Then we arrived on the sites, both of Cherry and Chissy, looks so surprissed, seeing there's an ancient chinese graveyard, looks so old, even cherry said that it must be from Ming Dynasty, seeing from the shaped and letter that used in the inscription. Then they start to translate it to english, a little debates occurs between them because its really hard to translate this letter who were in Traditional Chinese, while now in daily they used Simplified Chinese. 

According to them, this graveyard are mass grave, more than one person are burried in one grave. One of the grave are grave for Cheng Ho descendant, WOW! Cherry argue it must be grave of Cheng Ho followers then their descendant since in the surname they used that name. And the others grave are mass grave, but its not written in the "bongpay" (chinese gravestone) its not contains any name. 

There's an inscription in a rectange-form stone that stood in the northern side of sites, and from that inscription can be seen, that this is was a mass grave from several grave that moved here from their old place, also the cost that spent to built this, the name of the person who burried here, and also the year. The year are in the chinesse lunar calendar, then Chissy took her i-phone and convert it into the gregorian style, and yap we got the year, its built on 1804!

Another grave which is not specificaly
mentioned the name.

Its really helpful, and now I've a clear story after it. Before they translate it, I just know its story from a local newspaper that this site are built to be a mass grave from the chinesse graveyard that demolished in the Petolongan, an Arabic settlement near China Town. Its moved because of the Dutch authority want to built a new settlement over it. But the story confusing with another story that mentioned that it was a mass grave of the victims under japanese ocupation during pacific war, anither story mentioned that it was a grave of famous chinesse tycoon that coming from Semarang city, that is Oei Tiong Ham. Everybody knows that Oei, is buried in the luxurious grave in Simongan Hills ( but now is already gone, and turn into a settlement)

Well, thanks for Cherry and Chissy, thanks for coming back! And also for helping me to translate all of this chinesse letters, zai jien! :D

Karyadi Bunker, Tell Me Your Stories...

The Karyadi bunker, newly discovered from the excavation on 2012

Accompanying my Dad's doing his healthcare on Karyadi's hospital, remind me about the newly discovered bunker in the parking lots of Karyadi Hospital. Its made me so curious, since there was a lots of story about bunker. Peoples in Semarang city, most of them must heard about the story of bunker that connecting, Lawang Sewu  to HBS Mugas (Now SMA Negeri 1 Semarang) or the story of bunker that connecting from the Willhelmina Zikenhuis (Now RS Bakti Wira Tamtana) to Lawang Sewu also, and another story that still until now there's no evidence to proof all of that stories.

I curious then I walked to find out where is the bunker is, then I found it, its situated near the parking lot in the backyard of the hospital. Its still in the construction area of a project to build the new building inside the hospital. After asking for permission to the wokers, then I could enter and exploring the bunkers. But unfortunately, its under my expectation, the bunker itself only have a length less than 4 meters. Hmmph, is it any further extension behind the wall, could be, but I belive there's an extensions behind it.

As we know, post World War I [1914-1918], the government of Netherlands Indies prepared the breezing of Pacific War, as the Japanese threaten. They prepared their militaries in the colonies well, they strengthen their armies, their armouries, radars, also the shelters. We could see the examples in Jakarta, Surabaya, Medan, etc, in the major cities of Indonesia they have thier own bunkers, as shelters to the Japanese air raid.

But its couldnt have any significant role while Japanese commanded by Admiral Takeo Takagi with their quick invasion capturing Philippines then Tarakan and finally crush the Naval of Western power coalition( Dutch, British, French, US) well known as Allied force on Java Sea, 27th of February 1942, one's of a major naval battle of the Pacific theatre of Second World War. Then, the Japanese landed their military in Java, and forced the General Ter Poorten, as the commander of Allied force in Java to surrender. Then the Japanese occupation of Dutch Indies begin.

The bunkers as seen from the west side.

Inside the bunker, I believe, there was an extension
behind it.

Geef Mij Maar Nasi Goreng, an Homesick Song

Mornin! Still morning and the only one that we could do first is taking breakfast right? The popular breakfast menu for Indonesian people is Nasi Goreng (Fried Rice), and its become likely a uniqueness about the breakfast practice, even its inspired Dutch-Indo Artist, Louisa Johanna Theodora "Wieteke" van Dort (born in Surabaya, May, 16th 1943) to compossed a song titled Geef Mij Maar Nasi Goreng (Just give me a Nasi Goreng). I know this song from the talent show in the Television, a cuple years ago, when one of the contestant performed its song. I’ve got very surprised, its so unique song for me, because its dutch song but contains bahasa(Indonesian language) also.

Wieteke van Dort ( source: wikipedia.org)

Following the high tension between Indonesia and Netherlands in the 1957, due to West Papua conflict and the government spread the anti-western sentiments, Wieteke and his family, flee to Netherlands, forced to left her home in Indonesia and started a new life there. In Netherlands she got stressed with the climate condition and culinary in Netherlands, thus she wrote this Geef Mij Maar Nasi Goreng song, to express her homesickness with Indonesia. And, this is the song and the lyrics of Geef Mij Maar Nasi Goreng itself,

Toen wij repatrieerden uit de gordel van smaragd

( when we’re arrive from Indonesia)

Dat Nederland zo koud was hadden wij toch nooit gedacht

( we never know if Hollands is so cold)

Maar 't ergste was 't eten. Nog erger dan op reis

( the worse one’s is its meal, even worst than we got in the trip )

Aardapp'len, vlees en groenten en suiker op de rijst

( pottato, meat and vegetables and rice with sugar)

refrain :

Geef mij maar nasi goreng met een gebakken ei

( just give me a fried rice with an omelette)

Wat sambal en wat kroepoek en een goed glas bier erbij

( with a sambal(special Indonesian sauce) and krupuk (Indonesian chips) and a glass of beer)

Geef mij maar nasi goreng met een gebakken ei

( just give me a fried rice with an omelette)

Wat sambal en wat kroepoek en een goed glas bier erbij

( with a sambal and krupuk and a glass of beer)

Geen lontong, sate babi, en niets smaakt hier pedis

( there’s no lontong(rice cake), pork satay, there’s no pedis/pedas(spicy) taste)

Geen trassi, sroendeng, bandeng en geen tahoe petis

( there’s no trassi(dried shrimp paste) , srundeng (fried coconut grater), bandeng (milkfish), and tahu petis(fried tofu with petis, an extract shrimp paste))

Kwee lapis, onde-onde, geen ketella of ba-pao

( kue lapis (lapis cake), onde-onde (ball shaped cake with sesame seeds), there’s no cassava or bakpau(chinesse bun))

Geen ketan, geen goela-djawa, daarom ja, ik zeg nou

(there’s no sticky rice, there’s no Javanese sugar, so I said: )

(back to refrain)

Ik ben nou wel gewend, ja aan die boerenkool met worst

(but now I’ve been adapted with cabbage and snaps)

Aan hutspot, pake klapperstuk, aan mellek voor de dorst

( hutspot, with a coconut grater and milk)

Aan stamppot met andijwie, aan spruitjes, erwtensoep

( stamppot with an andijwie vegetables, spruitjes, erwtens sup )

Maar 't lekkerst toch is rijst, ja en daarom steeds ik roep

( whatever it is, the rice is the best one. So I always said: )

(back to refrain)

The Early Hospital in Semarang (Part II) : RSUP Dr.Kariadi

The main hall of Centrale Burgerlijke Ziekenhuis (CBZ)  in 1929. (Photos by: Troopenmuseum)

If you think good health is expensive, then try ill health, because If you are sick, no matter how rich you are, how powerfull you are, everything you have would be going nothing. A proverb that show us how the healthiness is so important even its the main things in the human's life. Related to this the healthcare facility is so important, and now i'll continue my story about "The Early Hospital in Semarang" , which is before i've post about the St. Elizabeth hospital, now i'll share the information about Centrale Burgerlijke Ziekenhuis (CBZ) or now known as RS Dr.Kariadi (RSDK).

The main hall of RSUP dr.Kariadi in 2012

In the 1919, a doctor name N.F Liem who worked in Semarang, have an ideas to merged the City Hospital (Stadverband Ziekenhuis) which is located in Old Town with the City Auxiliary Hospital (Hulp Stadverband Ziekenhuis) who located in the town square . The plan itself is to build the central hospital in the outskirt of Semarang city. Anyway, dr. N. F. Liem, who born in Muntok, Bangka in 1872, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy in Indonesia book, written by Myra Sidharta and Claudine Salmon, is the first Chinese Indonesian doctor in Western Medicine. Back to the story of establishment of RSUP Dr.Kariadi, then after several surveys, its choosed the location for it in Kalisari. It takes five years to built it and officialy opened on September, 9th 1925 and its named Centrale Burgerlijke Ziekehuis (CBZ). On that time the CBZ could accommodated 500 patient who were takes care in the big ward contains of 45 patient. Beside that its already served the specialities is already exist, like the internist, surgery, obstetrics, ophthalmologist, dermatologist and many more, strengthening the name of the CBZ itself to become the leading hospital in Semarang city. The complex of CBZ it also designed compact, so its make the nurse, doctor, and the hospitals employee could take the quick action, related if there’s emergency condition. Considering the medical personel are so rare, so its built a drom and office for the medical personel of CBZ around the CBZ itself. Following the Japanese occupation of East Indie on 1942, this hospital changed its name into Pusat Rumah Sakit Rakyat (PURUSARA). Then when the revolution for independence declared on 1945, this hospital also become one’s of the republican based for struggling.

The Pavilion of "de wachtdokter" or the waiting doctor on CBZ in 1929 (Photos by: Tropenmuseum). 
And the picture below is the current condition, currently used as cafetaria and stationary. 

The famous story related to this hospital about revolution for indepence is the story about dr.Kariadi, which later his name immortalized for the official name of this hospital in 1964, from Rumah Sakit Umum Pusat (RSUP) Semarang into Rumah Sakit Dokter Kariadi (RSDK). Dr. Kariadi is one’s of the doctor who’s in charge in PURUSARA start from 1942, right after he finished his duty to become medical personel in the city of Martapura in Borneo(Kalimantan) island. In PURUSARA he’s in charged as the head of malaria laboratory. Following the surrender of Japanese into Allied force in August 1945, there was an status quo in East Indie because there was vacuum of power. The tension between the republican militia and the Japanese force who’s refused to hand over their weapon are continuously happened and make the city condition getting worst. Then on October 14th 1945, there’s happened the massacre of Japanese force in Boeloe prison by the militia, and its make the Japanese force in anger and respond this brutality with others brutality, they burnt down the Pandean Lamper and Tegal Kangkung kampoong. Then there’s a rumours that the Japanese poisoned the Siranda Reservoir. It’s an extremely dangerous action if its ignored so Dr. Kariadi, accompanied by militiamen from the Tentara Pelajar Corps, with a car goes to checked about the truth of that rumour. Unfortunately, the Japanese army killed him together with the militiamen in the middle of their way to Siranda. The dead body of dr.Kariadi are abandoned in the hospital for two days because of in the following day there’s happened the clash between Japanese and the Republican Militia, known as Pertempuran Lima Hari Lima Malam. On October 17th 1945, finaly the body of dr.Kariadi finaly buried, but its in the yard of PURUSARA, considering the hard situation. On the 1961, the remains of dr.Kariadi dead body, moved into the Giri Tunggal Cemetery, and re-buried with the military ceremony.

Now the RSDK become one’s of the leading hospital in Semarang. With the extensive development, this hospital now served more than a thousand of patient every day and also projected as the international hospital.

The Bust of dr.Kariadi in the main hall