For @chris_ronggo, 2015 is annus horribilis, a horrible year. After years spent in an unharmonious marriage, this former journalist finally pulled some strengths to file a divorce. “Due to the children’s pressure.” They are Lintang, Langit, and Sufi, her 15, 13 and 10 years of age children.
Her husband insisted to stay together and created a charade of drama. The whole family was also not supporting this divorce. For them, however bitter, a marriage must be preserved.
Chris persisted. She understood that the step she was taking means she must be brave to walk alone (which she was in dire need to do so anyway!). Chris chose to move away from Jakarta, back to Yogyakarta. Her hometown. “To be honest, I was freaking out. All of my networks was in Jakarta. I had to start from scratch. I prayed and strengthened my will to return to my roots. I strengthened my roots.”
Returning to Yogya with 3 sons was not an easy matter. The house sales, the split of wealth, none of them was easy to handle. “The money from house sales was supposed to be our foundation to start over a new life.”
They paid a monthly rental fee for a small house by the cemetery. Everything was bleak. But education is always the priority, “I did whatever I could. I became a foreign journalist’s fixer, driver, photographer, MC. I brought coffee wherever I go and acted as a Barista for my friends.”⠀
Just like any other detoxification process, all the wounds and poisons accumulated inside the body for a long period of time will start to boil. Chris suffered from severe internal bleeding. There was a cyst in his uterus, “I had no money for treatment. Every day I had to replace my full-blooded feminine napkins for numerous times.”
Amidst this affliction, an old friend bought her house in Jakarta. “No haggling. It was paid in cash. I felt like I met an angel.” The money from this sales was used to finance her surgery. “Six cyst lumps were taken out.”
Chris then started to take care, love and heal herself – something she hadn’t done for years. One by one, the door started to open. The universe conspired and brought her to Trisni Rahayu (Yayuk), who then invited her to open a coffee shop in Museum & Galeri Tanah Liat, in Bantul. ⠀
There is no such thing as coincidence. Apparently, Tanah Liat is the name of Yayuk’s child. Chris’ spirit of hijrah is to return to the roots and to strengthen the roots, “And for that, the universe had given me Tanah Liat (clay). Perfect!”
#PuanIndonesia⠀
#WomenStory⠀
#Yogyakarta⠀
