Interview with Lai from Lake Toba north Sumatra Indonesia

I wanted to talk to someone from Sumatra about the recent disasters up there and one of the employees at Internet Outpost in Kuta, Lai is from there. This is what he had to say.

Baliblog: Okay I am sitting here with Lai (real name Mansur) from Lake Toba Sumatra.

Baliblog: What village are you from in the Lake Toba area?

Lai: We live in Bersiah.

Baliblog: Lai how old are you?

Lai: I am 23 years old.

Baliblog: How long have you been in Bali?

Lai: I have been in Bali around 3 years.

Baliblog: Why did you come to Bali?

Lai: I came to Bali just for work.

Baliblog: Since you have been in Bali what jobs have you done?

Lai: First I worked in a restaurant and now I work in Internet Outpost on Poppies Lane II in Kuta.

Baliblog: What job do you want to do?

Lai: Better than now. After I finish working here I would like to make a business. Perhaps something in the surfing business. I would like to have Japanese customers.

Baliblog: You can speak good Japanese yeah?

Lai: Yes I do.

Baliblog: How did you learn Japanese?

Lai: I learned Japanese 3 years ago in Bali, in a Japanese course.

Baliblog: Lai what do you like about living in Bali?

Lai: I like living in Bali because there are many tourists, many different people here.

Baliblog: What do you not like about Bali. Orang Balinese? (laughing)

Lai: Actually I like everything but Balinese is something like, in Japanese they say wagmuma (laughing).

Baliblog: And how do you say that in English?

Lai: Agois.

Baliblog: I do not know that but anyway. When you meet orang Balinese, because you are from Sumatra how do they treat you?

Lai: Sometimes good sometimes not.

Baliblog: See for me they always treat me good because they think I have banyak uang (much money), so I think they treat people differently.

Lai: Yes like that.

Baliblog: Anyway how many brothers and sisters do you have?

Lai: I have 2 sisters and 1 brother.

Baliblog: Are you the eldest?

Lai: No I am the second one.

Baliblog: Now your family in Lake Toba are they Muslim or Christian?

Lai: They are Muslim.

Baliblog: And you are now Christian?

Lai: I am not Muslim but I am Christian.

Baliblog: Why did you change?

Lai: I changed 2 years ago in Bali because I like Christian.

Baliblog: What is the thing that you like about it?

Lai: I love Jesus.

Baliblog: How long were you here before you changed?

Lai: 1 year.

Baliblog: What made you think you wanted to change?

Lai: Because I learned about Christian from elementary school until senior high school. Always learning about Christian.

Baliblog: Now for me, I go the other way. I become Muslim, not because I love Mohammed but because I love my wife.

Lai: For me its different, I love Jesus. I do not want to change my religion because of my girlfriend, but because I love Jesus.

Baliblog: There is a church you go to here in Bali yes?

Lai: Yes.

Baliblog: What is the name of the church?

Lai: GPDI and its Penticostle.

Baliblog: It is in Kuta or Tuban?

Lai: Its Tuban street.

Baliblog: Jalan Raya Tuban.

Lai: Yes.

Baliblog: Do you go there on Sundays.

Lai: Every Sunday, 2 times in 1 week.

Baliblog: Most of the people who go are they orang Indonesia or orang bule?

Lai: Mostly orang Indonesia.

Baliblog: Are they Bataks?

Lai: No Bataks, its mixed and GPDI receives everyone.

Baliblog: Do you get tourists going there too?

Lai: Sometimes yes.

Baliblog: Its okay for tourists to come?

Lai: Yes but we need a translator sometimes.

Baliblog: Because the service is in Bahasa Indonesia?

Lai: Yes.

Baliblog: In Lake Toba what do your family do?

Lai: They are farmers.

Baliblog: And what do they grow rice?

Lai: Rice.

Baliblog: Do they have banyak sawah ( a lot of rice paddies)

Lai: Banyak.

Baliblog: Did you work before in the sawah (rice paddy)?

Lai: Yes of course. I am a strong one.

Baliblog: I am from the city and have worked on a farm in Australia and in Germany, but not in England.

Baliblog: Anyway Lai tells us what you like about the Lake Toba area.

Lai: I like Lake Toba because it is my village, its a green and beautiful place. For me Lake Toba is friendly, the people there.

Baliblog: Its Batak people there right?

Lai: Yes, maybe its like that for me because I am Batak. Everyone understand about me.

Baliblog: In Lake Toba do you get a wet and dry season like Bali?

Lai: No just normal.

Baliblog: The temperature there is it hot or like up in Kintamani?

Lai: Depends on the area. In my village its sometimes hot, sometimes not really hot.

Baliblog: So its cooler than Bali.

Lai: Actually yes its cooler than Bali. We have to use a blanket everyday.

Baliblog: Is your village close to the edge of the lake.

Lai: Yes it is close, but its jungle. My village is built on the steep side of a hill that leads down to the lake. It is 1km higher than the lake.

Baliblog: The houses in your village are they traditional Batak houses with the pointy roofs, made of bamboo, or are they modern?

Lai: A long time ago they were traditional and now they use concrete and cement.

Baliblog: What do you hear from your relatives about the tsunami in Aceh and the earthquake in Nias?

Lai: I hear all about that.

Baliblog: What did they say?

Lai: In my village in Lake Toba I did not get any news because I have tried to call but cannot connect there, but I hope everything is going to be okay. I am more worried about my family in Sibolga because I have relatives there. I did not get any news yet from yesterday. I tried to call but cannot.

Baliblog: When are you going back to Lake Toba?

Lai: Maybe when I have time, I go back next March.

Baliblog: For tourists who want to visit Lake Toba are there plenty of guest houses?

Lai: We have guest houses but also hotels because they are not so expensive there.

Baliblog: What would 1 night in the Toba area cost?

Lai: I am not sure because I have never stayed in the hotels there. My friend told me some of the hotels go for 250,000rp or maybe you can gets the cheapest one for 50,000rp.

Baliblog: For tourists can you go fishing or rent a boat?

Lai: Of course. You can do everything on Lake Toba, fishing, boat, sailing.

Baliblog: I have spent a week at Lake Meninjau and only passed by Lake Toba on the bus going from there to Medan. I only drove around part of the side of the lake.

Lai: There is many jungle there.

Baliblog: Why do you think Sumatra has so many disasters?

Lai: Maybe because Sumatra has managed to do something dark.

Something like Aceh has war, but in Nias I do not know why because I think Nias is really good.

Baliblog: Do you think the things that the people do can influence things that happen.

Lai: Maybe.

Baliblog: Do the Batak people make offerings like the Balinese, putting the offerings (canang) on the floor to ward off evil spirits?

Lai: In Batak they used to have it a long times ago because of the religion. So sometimes they had offerings, but now I think we will never see it again.

Baliblog: The Muslim religion says that you cannot place offerings right?

Lai: Yes.

Baliblog: My wife Ika is Muslim, but in Java they still have the black magic and they still place offerings but they do not want anyone to see.

Lai: Sumatra also has black magic, but not many.

Baliblog: Do you think the government is going to help the people in Nias and Aceh?

Lai: I think they are going to help because its Indonesia.

Baliblog: Do you think the new president is good and he will do a good job?

Lai: I hope but…?

Baliblog: What do you think?

Lai: I think its good, I hope its good (laughing).

Baliblog: Me too, I think its good too (sarcasm).

Do you hope to go return to Sumatra after Bali or stay here?