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Correspondent Luigi PRALANGGA

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Until then, I am just one of those bunch [of lonely people]

However, I am not going to feel too happy that the fact – I am far and away from the family and home. Until the time and moment, this two hands are able to hug and kiss the family back home and further to be with them for good, I guess I am just one of those bunch of lonely people. Life is a matter of choice, and Insyallah I will make the best and correct choice this time ahead.“”

There are hundreds of sayings and expression that people make to describe the rhythm of life, some some in such powerful expressions and meaningful quotes, and I happen to learn a lot from them. The family, office colleagues and those close ring for friends out there, has been tirelessly giving me tons of advise.. from stuffs that they had learned in life and things that happening at present. They all have given me so much tips and short-cuts on how to be smart and safe in going through life and navigate them correctly.

As time passes by, I may not even able to count exactly the number of times I have been taking a glance to the wall calendar hanging up at my bedroom, the desktop calendar at the office and on this wrist-watch. One thing I know for sure that time is running faster than my heart-beat and no matter how fast I can overtake, still the race against time – I may not be able to outsmart it.

This is just an overview of how I see things from the time I got this foot landed on Liberian soil, .. no! – actually, from the time I left home – working overseas.. then up to the present as the dial on this watch is ticking forward.

Joining the peacekeeping mission with the United Nations, there has been an abundant things I’ve gained positively, the added capabilities, the extra-strength to endure hardships on the ground, the in-depth understanding on global issues as well as the particular details on contributing further to the success of the peacekeeping operations, all of those – you name it!. I guess I can say that it has been a great blessings.

Exposures, namely – geographical, are one among many benefits of having been involved in this kind of field. Most people working in peacekeeping operations may have been traveling extensively, from their place of origins to the mission area, as well as the regional countries. Secondly, new contacts, built-friendships, newly found best friends are then created, sharing values and learning lost of cultural, morale, and professional values are then poured, enriching the mind like food to the soul. One is then becoming a wiser, culturally sensitive and perhaps obtaining new perspective on how to see and navigate life further ahead. Those are just some among many others of positive gains.

Having said the above, I have to say that I am happy with all the opportunities and the ability to grasp all those man making me becoming who i am today as it was a giant leap towards the life I have been like in the past. One of those courage that had fueled me to take the step further, stepping outside the comfort zone, from living in New York and working at the UN Headquarters to embark by joining the weapons inspection mission in Baghdad, Iraq back then in 2003 and further continued to another tour of duty to Liberia, is the family.

Striving for excellence, ensuring the family’s future – I’ve been blessed with their prayers and concurrence that all of those had made me successfully go through all this time in one-piece and stay in safety. I guess, being far and away from them is one of the cost in securing a better future. Occupational hardships, apart from the real-clear-and-present threat, like deteriorating security on the ground, severe diseases, and growing pressures from work, and all others have all becoming a regular menu of the day, and with all the family’s blessings – have shielded me from harm’s way and able to keep my sanity in place… and still able to feel happy in going through the days.

I am happy that I have been able to dedicate my best to the organization, I am happy to be able to actively contribute my capabilities toward the peace process to the mission I am currently serving.

I am happy to have known and befriended of all new friends I’ve met and got acquainted with, I am happy to be able to enjoy those parties I’ve been in to and all those birthday parties they had made for me on my birthday, etc.

I am happy to be able to learn positively on my mistakes done along the path..

However, personally – I will never feel too happy from the fact that I have been far and away from the family. Until the time and moment, this two hands are able to hug and kiss the family back home and further to be with them for good, I guess I am just one of those bunch of lonely people. Life is a matter of choice, and Insyallah I will make the best and correct choice this time ahead.

For Alif, Abigail and Bunda, my heart and love are dedicated to you only and I love you all more than anything. From the coast of West Africa.. to you all my friends, I thank you very much for reading this though.

by Imeza Saraswaty at 2 December 2007, 22:19

A´, you are indeed far and away from family and home. Longing to be with them for good, longing to hug them endlessly,… I can understand. Life is a matter of choice, please make the best of it and chose your choices correctly from this time ahead. There is nothing much lovelier than to be together with family you loved. Before everything is too late and you loose everything…Time ticking faster than our heart beats, indeed. Life is a matter of choices, chose the choices correctly… I love you, Fenty, Alif and Abi. God be with you all. Hugs and kisses from North Netherlands.

by ambar at 3 December 2007, 03:03

The job you did is splendid and cann’t be compared in terms of money. The contribution you made is enourmous.Have enough strenth to shoulder the responsibilities and i hope u can maintain good family bondage as you have will power.May Allmighty showers His infinite mercy and blessings on you.Good day.

by Lt Cdr Iftekhar (Bangladesh Navy) at 3 December 2007, 03:24

Being a staranger to you I m pleased to know details about you job in the UN.Actually man survive by his deeds that is 100% true in your case.Allah Has given you the courage and strength to perform the task in humatarioun grond where have nots are more.It may be a suggestion for you to cintinue with the tempo and have a better family life which can bring ultimate peace in the life.Amin.

by Enrico at 3 December 2007, 06:00

Smoga Alloh tetep paring yang terbaik buat mas Luigi dan keluarga. Semoga usaha mas utk dapat penempatan yang bisa boyong keluarga tercapai :) Salam2 buat istri dan anak2…

by didut at 3 December 2007, 08:28

selamat berjuang!! :D

by Efi Nur Handari at 3 December 2007, 09:42

Salut and seneng baca articel tentang live supportnya mas luigi dari Liberia…..

peace-love and respect from Bali:)
Regards,
Efi

by shanty at 3 December 2007, 13:49

terima kasih kembali cinta luigi,
kamu punya banyak cinta untuk semua orang, dan kamu dapat banyak cinta juga dari semua orang, walopun jauh dari keluarga :)

by Madeliene Segall-Marx at 3 December 2007, 14:51

That’s really lovely, Luigi. Thanks for sharing you pictures and your thoughts. Be sure to tell me when you are back in NY (do you know when that will be?) so we can get together.

Best to you Fenty and the kids…
Maddy

by coni at 3 December 2007, 20:19

There is season for everything yah…so we shall make the best use of it. Btw, Alif, Abigail and Bunda would be proud of you and missing you a lot. Apakabarnya di negara bau kelek?? hhehehheh

by Lulu Flint at 3 December 2007, 22:59

Someone said, no matter how poor a man is, if he has family, he’s rich.
I wish you and your lovely family the best.
And may your arms be around them soon.

by Vivi Ocktavia at 5 December 2007, 14:48

Dear Lui,

I will pray for you on your new assignment, semoga dpt ditempat yg bisa bawa keluarga gimana klu ke Kuwait aja hihihihihi. I might not know you a lot in the past krn gw nggak punya banyak waktu bergaul waktu sekolah dulu, emak gw galak man pulang sekolah hrs langsung pulang kecuali klu pas ada ekskul (PMR or pelajaran tambahan) trs waktu sekolah kan loe udah 1 thn diatas gw and Imez. That time I only knew you as Maiko’s older brother. Anyway if you want to and if you let me I could try to get to know you better and try to be a good friend for you. I value a good long last friendship kayak sama Imez, she is practically a sister yg nggak pernah gw punya. I would die for her. So if you need anyone to talk to or anything you know I will be here.

Once again I will pray for you and your family so that for your next assignment, kalian bisa sama-2 and hope that oneday you will knock on our door and stay with us for sometimes.

PS.: Klu soal bau kelek sih disini juga sama, apalagi para PAKIDESHIN alias the Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Indian. bukannya rasis man tp emang baunya ane kagak nahan heheheh.

cheers & selamat tugas,
Vivi

by Mayor Marinir Sandy M Latief at 5 December 2007, 15:47

Dear Kang Luigi,

Tabah dan Sabar sampai akhir, insya Allah ada jalan keluarnya yang maslahat buat akang sekeluarga. Apalagi kalo usaha yang sudah akang kerahkan teh maksimum, cag tinggal pasrahkan sama Allah SWT soal hasilnya. Sandy mohon maaf kang kalo ada kesalahan dan kurang santun dalam bertutur kata, dan mohon ijin pamit untuk pulang kembali ke tanah air setelah tugas pemantauan UNIFIL-1 selesai sudah. Team Konga UNIFIL yang baru sdh tiba di Lebanon, Saya rencana leaving NY pada 11 Des 2007 yang akan datang. Mohon do’a restunya, karena kita sudah menjalin silaturahmi akang always welcome utk kirim email,curhat dll atau on board ke Korps Marinir TNI-AL tempat Sany bertugas selama ini.(looking forward for continuing e mail and news from pralangga.org) Sandy mengakui kang, tulisan2 akang teh sangat expresif dan inspiratif (semuanya udah di bundel sama sayah kang). Terus,kalo boleh menilai : akang dapet out standing nih dalam hal survive tinggal di mission area dg selalu positive thinking in mind ngalahin tentara yang paling lama bertugas di mission area 1-2 tahun saja. (Cocok nih jadi pemimpin UN masa depan).

Ok kang Luigi, sekali lagi Sandy ucapkan terima kasih yang sedalam-dalamnya (maklum TNI-AL) atas attensi dan respons nya. Talk to you later kang wassallam wr wbr.

Mayor Marinir Sandy M Latief
UNIFIL-SMC
Watchdesk Officer
UNDPKO-Sitcen
UNHQ-New York.
mobile: 1-917-774-4832

by Bakha Sharipov at 6 December 2007, 01:08

One can read it just as an article and say that’s interesting, but those being the same ones of the ‘bunch’ may have a crying heart – of the lines drawn from the heart of Pralangga…

I am pretty much sure YOU ARE PRIDE of your ALIF, ABIGAIL and BUNDA, no matter who you think you are!

here’s the beauty “THEN” stands for: as soon as it comes, calendars, wrist watches do not matter any more and… heart-beats run in line with time (you can’t to slow it down either though :) –
bon voyage Mame!

by fiona at 7 December 2007, 08:57

Luigi, wish you & ur family all the best… may the coming years will enlight all your paths and you can meet ur lovely ones soon.. keep safe & warm regards from jakarta..

by Khin Aye at 7 December 2007, 20:17

Dear Luigi,

Finally I reach here by the grace of God. I miss you for sure. In here photographing is prohibited. But I try to send you some of my pics later on. Hope everything is fine in there. I know you are enjoying always. How is your family back home. Kindly pass my regards to them.

Miss you

Regards

Mark @ khin
c/o. United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS)
Khartoum – Sudan
Ext:190-5813

by Uncu Syahrial at 14 December 2007, 20:30

Dear kang Luigi,
Hidup itu pilihan, dan pilihan itu tidak semua orang bisa mendapatkannya. Pilihan yang tepat dari kata hati, karena kata hati tak akan pernah berkata bohong. “pergilah kemana kata hatimu bicara: itu kata tanamao, novelis dari Itali. Memang keputusan yang telah kita ambil punya resiko, minus plus pasti dala dalam hidup. Jauh dr keluarga memang sulit buat kita orang asia yang kekerabatan dan kekeluargaan nya yang kuat. Jauh dari mereka, anak istri dan keluraga suatu penyiksaan yang akan menjadi penyakit kambuh setiap kita pergi bertugas. Kerinduan yang begitu mendalam merupakan suatu penyiksaan yang lebih dari sembilu yang menusuk diri kita. Tapi Bila kita selalu berdoa kepada Allah, karena kerjaan kita mulia, dan kita masih dibutuhkan banyak orang. Itu suatu Jihad….Insya Allah selalu melindungi seorang kang Luigi. karena kang luigi seorang ayah, suami dan teman yang baik dan bertangung jawab. Jadikan segala yang Kang Luigi lakukan ini merupakan ibadah. Banyak yang salut dan bangga pada Kang Luigi, bukan hanya keluarga tapi juga teman dan bangsa Indonesia. Selamat bertugas dan hidup memang pilihan….

by olva patriani at 17 December 2007, 09:41

life is a matter of choice .. yes
is a matter to keep walking on =D

Hasta la vista!!

by ummil at 18 December 2007, 02:59

Anggaaa..
gw cuma bisa doain lo yang terbaik aja..
karena, semua pilihan yg kita buat dalam hidup itu pasti ada baik buruknya.. dan semoga, pilihan yang lo ambil ini, jauh lbh banyak baiknya daripada buruknya.. ;)
emang yaaa.. hidup bersama keluarga itu adalah yg terbaik.. dan itu keinginan semua orang, tp klo sampe saat ini Allah masih “nyuruh” elo buat kasi hidup lo untuk kepentingan orang banyak, mungkin itu adalah yg terbaik untuk saat ini…[inget ya, niatnya harus karena Allah..;p ]
Tetep berdoa aja ke Allah, semoga apapun yg lo lakuin dan lo ambil keputusan, itu adalah yg terbaik buat Lo dan keluarga, kita semua doain Lo.. [krn ga banyak yg bisa berbuat hal yg sama dengan yg lo lakuin ini… ]

Love u.. , semoga Lo selalu dalam rahmat dan lindungan Allah..

by Djeeto at 19 December 2007, 16:28

Assalamualaikum bro … mudah2an masih ingat ngan saya, Djeeto, Jogja. Gmana kerjaan? Lancar? Bila nak balik ke Indo? jaga diri dan kesehatan baik2 ya bro! Kebahagiaan itu akan selalu menyertai perjalanan hidupmu dan keluarga. Amiin. Wassalamualaikum. Regards, Djeeto (+62818 263 777)

by IMIS 343417 at 20 December 2007, 04:51

Ntar nama kang lui saya panggil dari lantai 32 kang, mudah2an atas Ijin Allah SWT bisa segera merapat kesini. Masih banyak tempat yg harus kita jelajahi.

by Falva at 26 December 2007, 05:31

assalamualikum hallo mas lui…..boleh kasih komentar……i love this story…….
well. memang ngga mudah,untuk mengetahi jalan hidup kita,seperti yang kita tau hidup ini adalah pilihan,karena pilihan yang membuat otak dan hati kita bekerja,..n..you’ve choosed..it,..apa yang menurut hati dan pikiran mas lui adalah yang terbaik sejauh ini, kalo ini bukan pilihan i,m sure….mas lui dan teman teman disana ngga akan bisa bertahan sampai detik ini.Yang pasti pilihanmu tidak salah memberikan diri untuk dunia….(berjihad)……Dan ALLOH tidk akan menutup mata,…usahamu,jerihpayahmu,pengorbananamu…semua akan mendapatkan balasan.
well…saya terus mendukung ,dan mendoakan…semoga.paling pasti,mas lui dan rekan rekan disana,selalu bisa mengayuh roda…yang telah mas lui pilih ini,menjadikan inspirasi untuk mas lui dan keluarga sendiri, atau untuk scup yang lebih luasssss, adalah…semua manusia.
….semoga bisa selalu amanah dalam tugas dan mudah mudahan bisa selalu berkumpul dengan keluarga tercinta…..amiin..
good luck sir………anda telah menentukan pilihan yang terbaik dalam hidupmu……..DON’T GIVE UP……SEMANGAT
wassalm…

by Arina at 4 January 2008, 13:41

Kang Luigi,
Alif dan Abigail pasti bangga sekali punya Ayah spt Kang Luigi…. Rasa bangga itu tidak akan pernah hilang sampai mereka dewasa… Apa yang kang Luigi lakukan saat ini, akan menjadi “bekal” paling berharga bagi hidup Alif dan Abigail…

Terima kasih utk cerita2nya ya! Sebelumnya, Saya benar2 tidak mengetahui ada kehidupan spt yang Kang Luigi jalani… mata saya jadi punya sudut pandang yang lbh besar skrg….

Selamat bertugas!
Inget, koin di tempel di udel dengan band aid, biar gak mabok!..hehehee…