How is the Feeling to Meet Family You’ve Never Met [Part 1]

Bear with me, it’s going to be a very long post, but don’t worry, I’ll separate it into some posts. Though it’s still longer than usual post. Let’s travel from home to Netherland. Meeting family is one of my to-do lists on this trip. 

All these times, I only know my close relatives from my father’s side. Though I know some relatives from my mother’s side, I have never known in-depth about it. Sadly, but that’s the reality. My mother might tell us stories about her family, like her dad or her mom, or her lost sister. I never get enough understanding of that. She often said to us that we have a family living aboard, but I thought that probably from my father’s side. 

One day, my mother found her family through Facebook. She found her aunt, who was longing to meet her and her sister. Obstructed by language, she asked me to help her communicate with the family she found because most of them couldn’t speak Indonesian. I then get in touch with my aunt’s son, who literally my cousin. Sadly, it ended up only a couple of texts.

Time flies. My mother’s aunt passed away, not so long after that, my father passed away too. During those moments, my cousin and I texted again. That was the last time we texted.

How is the Feeling to Meet Family You’ve Never Met

Through the years, I got the privilege to visit Europe. On my second visit, I got to visit Netherland, but unfortunately, I did not meet my mother’s family. Of course, my mother, who knew I went there, felt a bit disappointed from her tone, “maybe next time.” And I keep telling her, “next time I will try” (I know that I was probably pretending so she wouldn’t feel sad). 

Then on my other visit, my mother, who knew I was going to Netherland again, kept calling me to make sure I could make it this time. She sent every contact detail to me.

“Will you bring anything for them?” My mother phoned me one day

“Nothing, so that’s why better not to meet them,” I tried to agitate my mother to see how she would respond.

“It’s okay, just meet them, at least you meet them.” I stood while having a phone call with my mother. I have never heard she insisted like this. That time I promised her, “okay, I will meet them for you.”

A family is a family no matter how far they are

“Hello, Jonathan (I still don’t know how to address you), My name is Cindy, daughter of Jerika. I’m in Amsterdam at the moment, and my mom asked me if I could meet the family here, which I still have no idea how. If you received this message, let me know. I tried to reach Jantje by Facebook, but still not getting any reply. Looking for the good news, Cindy,” I sent the message to my cousin that I’ve never met.

I was still in the airport waiting for a reply that felt like ages. It took me two stations until my phone ring and I saw a Netherland number on the phone, “Hey, hello … Apa kabar?” A man’s voice spoke Bahasa Indonesia in Dutch accent (like I know how Dutch accent sound LOL). “I’m Jonathan, son of Louise, your mom’s cousin,” he explained.

“Oh yes, baik. Where are you?” I was answering and asking back. We had a small conversation on the phone and decided to meet three hours later because he hasn’t taken a shower, and it took more than 1 hour from his place to the meeting point.

3 hours later …

“Where are you?” A text popped up on my phone screen

“In front of the station,” I replied back, “Where are you?” I asked again, but this time he sent me a picture of the front of the station instead of answering my text. We met, and there was everything started.

Jonathan is one year older than me. He is the son of my aunt Louise who is a cousin of my mother. This is the first time we met. After a short text a couple of hours before. To be honest, I was a little worried about how this meeting would be ended up. Would it be awkward?

“Helloooo … my cousin … my family … or what should we say about us?” I couldn’t reply to anything but laughed. He was so hilarious, I should make a video when he said that in his style. Jonathan is a super crazy person I’ve ever met.

“cousin?” he kept calling me that, “I think you are uncle, and I’m your niece,” I said jokingly.

“Oh, okay, niece then,” then we burst into laughter together because we couldn’t figure it out. I guess, after all, meeting family you’ve never met before isn’t that bad or awkward like I thought it would be. And there’s when everything began.

Making Strangers Smile with Jonathan

Joon (that’s the way people called him) brought me around the district. Especially the red zone of Amsterdam. I had no idea about this until I caught sight of our surroundings and glared to Joon, who was giving me a naughty smirk on his face.

“Let’s chill out and have a coffee, that’s how meeting the family is,” He brought me to a coffee shop on the rooftop where you can enjoy the sunny day when it wasn’t that bright though.

“Hello ladies, you’re beautiful,” He stopped in front of two beautiful ladies who appeared from Ukraine, and they talked like an old friend being met. I was still trying to figure out what was happening. I think Joon realized that and explained to me that he is in a project to make content about “Making strangers smile,” which I thought that’s an excellent project.

We were sitting and talking about the family things that we still couldn’t figure it out. We ended having a conversation with two people who sat next to us. I also didn’t know how it started, but yeah, that’s traveling. Our discussion seems connected with their conversation LOL.

Eat, talk, walk, talk, and take a photo.

The project did not end there, while we were walking around because Joon wanted to treat me a dinner with Chinese food. The best Chinese food in Amsterdam was what he said when I kept telling him to eat Dutch cuisine: “Dutch food? There is nothing good about Dutch food. Let’s just eat at this Chinese restaurant. This is a famous one.” He mumbling A to Z about not having Dutch food. And yeah, we ended up eating the Chinese food, of course still talking with the strangers he met along the way.

We filled our day with laughs every time it comes to family talk as we were trying to understand the line, but we ended up making another line.

One day is not enough for Joon.

“Don’t forget to bring your luggage.” A text popped up when I was packing for Berlin’s trip. I was going to store my big luggage in Joon’s house before I headed to Berlin. And of course, meeting this super crazy cousin is just never dull.

“Same place.” Though this is the second time I met this super crazy cousin, it seems we already have a favorite meeting place. Joon texted me that we were going to catch up in the same place we met before.

One hour later …

“Hello, super cool cousin … or niece .. or whatever it is. Apa kabar?“ Joon appeared with his phone filming me on his Instagram story.

“She is not cool.” A sudden attack from a beautiful girl behind me that obviously distract Joon, “She is cool.” Joon kept continuing filming.

“No, I’m cooler than her,” then she laughed, and we laughed. “Of course, you’re cool.” She stopped, and we praised each other as, “all of us are cool” We talked and laughed in the middle of nowhere. Oh, it wasn’t really nowhere, it was in front of the central station LOL. We exchanged Instagram id and ended the conversation with a super fast and crazy photoshoot in the street.

That’s not the end. We stood up in the middle of the street while having pictures, then Joon, like, “Do I know you?” In Dutch to a Dutch girl who passed us. This very cool girl approached us, Joon and her talked in Dutch, you probably able to guess what next, there was a photoshoot in the street, of course with this very cool girl, I would love to take their picture. There would be more like that happened after that. I guess. Dutch people are charming people. 90% person we met would love to stop and talk with us. Of course, there would always 10% who did not want to do that.

We went to have some coffee before my trip to Berlin. On our way back to the station, we met an Indonesian guy who traveled alone around Europe. Of course, Joon was excited as he would show off his Indonesian language.

Going to Berlin

That day I went to Berlin, while my luggage stayed in Netherland. But the story of meeting the family does not end there. While I was in Berlin, I kept in contact with my other cousin. We arranged a meeting once I return to Amsterdam.

Though it was a short trip to Berlin, I got a few things for you to read if you plan to go to Berlin on How to travel by public transport in Berlin.

To be continued…

Language note:

Apa kabar means How are you?; 

Baik means fine