(((My Reflection)))
(pic belongs to me)
Nation: Negara Kesatuan Republik Indonesia
Name: Nesia Pertiwi Annisa Ingkiriwang Notonegoro
Gender: Female
Appearance Age: 20-23; early twenties
Hair Color: Black; looks a bit brown under sunlight
Eye Color: Dark brown, passable as black
Height: 158 cm
Weight: 58 kg; fluctuative depending on the country's situation
Appearance: Nesia has a slightly round face with big, dark brown eyes that often glint with curiosity. Her nose is small and her full lips always form a smile. She has brown skin -- often described as sawo matang/like a ripe sapodilla -- and long black hair that represents her rainforest. Nesia usually ties it in ponytail, though she does style it differently sometimes for other occasions. She keeps the fringe short above her eyebrows, and parts it in the middle if it has grown longer. When she attends a party, a flower shaped hairpin (jasmine or orchid) is present on her hair. Nesia has an hourglass-shaped body. Her body fat is distributed evenly so it accentuates her curves. She eats and moves a lot, so her limbs have noticeable muscles under the fat, yet she still falls on the chubby side because of her large landmasses. In formal/military events, she can be found wearing the police or army uniform. All her clothing choices are colorful, modest and cover most of her body. She likes her attire light in weight and allow her to move freely - some traditional outfit use heavy accessory, however. There are faint scars on her body, always covered with her clothes. The biggest one is on her lower back, starts from the right side of her lower back and ends on her spine between the shoulder blades. A round burn mark as wide as her palm is located on her left shoulder. They are fading as time passes, but sometimes the skin around them feels itchy around the date when she received the scars.
(((Know Thyself)))
Personality:
Selayang pandang
Nesia is a reserved woman who looked younger than she appears. First impressions of Nesia are usually friendly and cheerful, albeit shy sometimes. Her rather small stature and always-present smile emphasize the cheerfulness. An avid listener and enthusiastic person, Nesia seem eager to listen to everything you talk about, especially about your own self. She is quite curious, so people often surprised when she asks so many questions during their first meeting, especially when they are not in a professional atmosphere. Do note that she does that to know your social standing so it will be easier for her to interact with you. In return for those questions Nesia will tell you first about herself, hoping you will do the same. She also thinks that information may bring her luck in the future, as little it might be. Once she feels comfortable with you, you will hear her talking about stuff from her home country. Mention that you like an aspect about Indonesia and Nesia instantly considers you as a friend. Remember that she uses that term loosely; even acquaintances are counted as friends in her dictionary. Same with family. Except when she is really curious, she mostly avoids eye contact. Even if she did, usually it was brief and lasts no more than a second.
Sports, spiritual beliefs & superstitions
Since her early years, Nesia is physically active. Running barefoot in the wild, climbing trees and wrestling with human children were her hobbies. She is not afraid with getting dirty -- dirty clothes can be washed, but an opportunity to have fun may not come again soon! Moving her body swiftly helps her focus. It is not rare for Nesia to enter the trance state in dancing, training or sparring. Nesia also likes challenge, be it challenging someone or being challenged herself. She will answer it, even though she knows her opponent is way better than her. Her energy seems endless, yet it does have a limit. You usually can find her resting in the nature. Being surrounded by trees recharges her energy.
Nesia believes in superstitions. She can see the ghosts/spirits in her house and sometimes in other people's as well. The advancement of technology and science don't stop her to believe in such things. There are unseen beings around us, in the trees, in the house, everywhere. Knowing that not everyone is used to them, Nesia chooses not to mention it if she sees a ghost or similar being. They are her people's ancestors or spirits who have been living in her land for hundreds, if not thousands, of years; hence she treats them with respect. Nesia can use 'magic' but what others perceive as magic is actually those creatures lending their power to her. In the modern days, she does not rely on them as much as she did in the past. Her old predecessors practiced dynamism and animism, which are still strongly present in some areas. When other religions made their way to the islands, the beliefs were either infused into them or still alive deep inside her people's heart.
Communication
Polite and tend to use a lot of euphemism, Nesia is a person who prefers to maintain the harmony in the atmosphere. Creating a strife or confrontation is something to be avoided. Rather than saying her disagreement openly, she does it subtly. Her explanation gets long and not really going to the point, but the other way is too blunt to her liking. Bluntness is sometimes mistaken as rudeness, making her sugarcoats her intentions with carefully chosen words so she will not hurt their feelings accidentally. Whatever they are talking about, Nesia will try not to anger the other person and make them lose their face. Raising her voice in an argument is also rarely done, though arguing itself is not something she wishes to do openly. If she had to deny a request, Nesia would make up excuses and hope you catch her meaning. Miscommunication is bound to happen if you used to say everything bluntly. But online interaction gives her a partition to hide, hence Nesia feels a less need to maintain her polite appearance. She is more prone to argue or debate against anyone in social media too.
When she is working, however, she forces herself to be a little more blunt than usual. It is necessary sometimes. Nesia always addresses people older (or who look older) than her with Mr or Ms before their name. Even though Nesia is insisted to drop the title, she might refuse and continue to do that to confirm her position before others. Calling someone just with his/her name is impolite in her society, unless Nesia is sure that they are equal (in the same age or a close friend). She loves social events and any chance to mingle with new people, believeing it would open new opportunities for her and broaden her network.
Sharing the culture
She is very proud of her culture and will be more than happy to accompany a fellow nation traveling in her country. Once she starts talking about it, it's hard to stop her. So if you want to ask her a question, proceed with caution and prepare for a high speed speech. Nesia also likes to share her stuff with friends and acquaintances, which means if you are her guest, you will get free delicious food fresh from her kitchen. She wants people from all over the world to know more about her culture, more than just the prominent ones. Nesia believes that most people don't know her much (except Bali, to which they often ask "is Indonesia near Bali?"); despite her role in global affairs. That also explains why Nesia is happy when her country is mentioned in the media.
Trust & familiarity
Nesia is very wary towards strangers, sometimes believes that they hold bad intentions towards her. The woman is a tad superficial, judging people from their appearance and behavior. She will refuse to meet a stranger alone, unless it's unavoidable. But befriending her is rather easy. Open up and say things about your family, then she will do the same. Once you get into the friend level, she will start to trust you. Close friends and family are the ones she trusts the most. She believes almost everything they say and also what her social media say. Depends on the circumstances, she will even believe what a stranger says if he or she declares themselves as an expert in a particular area of study or has heard about a piece of news from a 'trusted source'. Because the source seems to be trusted, Nesia rarely checks if such news is true or not. If it is believed by so many people, then it must be true. This trait makes Nesia easily persuaded as well, especially if you approach her from her emotional side. She has been trying to change this, but it is still a long way to go.
Modesty
She is rather modest and conservative compared to the majority of urban western culture. Her clothing choice is always loose, and cover most of her body. Showing too much skin in public place is indecent for her. But when she is at home alone or with someone she feels comfortable together, Nesia sometimes does wear clothes that a bit revealing than her everyday ones (and it's hot at home too). Often she can't resist showing off her handicraft stash, so on appropriate occassions she will wear her best clothes and accessories.
Relationships
Nesia favors the emotional connection before the physical one, and sees her relationships as platonic acquaintance/friendship. She likes making everyone around her feeling comfortable. To people close to her, Nesia is always ready to cheer them up and lift their mood. She isn't picky in making friends, although she would develop a little disliking towards the rude ones or people who breaches her private space. Her loyalty is quite unshakable, and she will stick to her loved ones through thick and thin. When it comes to romance, Nesia usually waits the other person to make the moves. She also develops crushes easily, and it's not uncommon for her to have crushes on several people at once. Physical intimacy always come later than the emotional one. It's not impossible for her to initiate it first after she reached a certain degree of closeness. She will unknowingly act more spoiled around her lover, asking for cuddles and calling or sending text messages often. The "L" word will be dropped both directly or indirectly sometimes. Nesia is also a jealous person, but instead of explicitly shows it, she'll drop subtle hints as usual... unless she can't hold it anymore. But seeing public display of affection embarrasses her, which she usually cover with an awkward laugh or pretending that nothing happens. Forgetting about past lovers is hard to do, because when she does have a feeling for someone, it is strong and lasts for a long time, more so if it's reciprocated. Add her tendency to avoid conflict and you'll find out why she is bad at ending relationships. If her current one goes bad, Nesia will appear nervous for days and beats around the bush to indirectly show her loss of interest. If she and her lover had used to physical interaction during their relationship, it would start to occur less often, as well as the frequency of her call and text.
Emotions, interest & grudge
Sometimes having such a huge interest in many things have a down side. Nesia finds it hard to focus on something, unless it's really exciting for her. She constantly moves from one thing to another, seeking for the same excitement. The only things she could focus on are the ones she enjoys doing or important for her. While her emotion is usually easy to read, it also tend to switch quickly from being sad to happy and vice versa.
Nesia doesn't dwell much in the past mostly, and quick to forgive people who had hurt her, but she'll never forget their unjust deed. Or rather, that's what it seems. Contrary to what she believes, some things are harder to forget, perhaps because they are tied closely to her history. Depends on who you are and what you've done to her, she is either completely forgive you or keep a grudge on you. As time passes, sometimes the grudge is forgotten. If she plans to take a revenge, it is either by pulling a lot of strings so you can't trace it back to her or punch you in the face directly. If you apologize to her, chances are she no longer feels a need to take revenge. But she will feel a bit wary of you.
Role model & staying perfect
It feels satisfying when the younger people look up to her as a role model. For her, being a good example means that she must maintain her behavior. Showing a slightest hint of bad attitude is simply unacceptable. Nesia feels other people would not like her as much as before if they find that out; they might even hate her. She doesn't want to make them disappointed either, so she'd rather pretend that everything is okay than revealing that she has a problem. Nesia believes everything she does must be things worth mentioning, things that would make people amazed. There is no need to give news to family if it's not good enough. All the ugly stuff must be swept under the rug and nobody shall speak of it anymore. God knows what one might find under said rug...
Anxiety & laziness
She tends to over-thinking things, mostly about other people's opinion about herself. This trait makes her appear as anxious and neurotic. She often spend more time worrying over a task than doing the task itself, and also known to come late to appointments. She is actually able to act diligently, but she only do it in emergency cases; for example, if she is the only one who can do a particular task. Her motto is 'live for today' after all. Why do something that can be done tomorrow? The huge responsibility as a nation actually frightens her. She had a long childhood, about fifteen centuries, which she spent to travel across the islands to learn from the numerous old kingdoms. Nesia missed being free of responsibility like in her past, so it also fuels her laziness. When she gained independence through a chaotic process, almost all the systems she knew were legacies of the colonial era. Because of the lack of a better example, Nesia uses the method of trial and error often, which resulting in more errors usually. It also makes her appear as indecisive, fearing that she might choose the wrong thing to do. Strangely, her optimism makes her believe that eventually all hardships will be gone and things will be better. Eventually.
Self-doubt
Nesia often feels intimidated by other people who is more talented, more beautiful and more skilled than her. To keep herself from not improving her skills, Nesia secretly marks a person as a rival, so she'll feel motivated to surpass that person's skill. This one-sided rivalry sometimes becomes too overwhelming, making her envious over said rival's achievements. She may also starts copying what the other person do, how they do it, and even their appearance. If it works for them, surely it will work for her too, right? And rather than trying something new, she'd prefer doing something that has proven to be good. Nesia has low confidence, believing that her looks or ability are less than others'. She often perceives others as better than her in many aspect. This condition stems from the colonial era. She was constantly told that her people were the 'lesser ones', and their culture was considered as savage and backwards. In modern times, she tries her best to ignore this feeling, but it often returns and makes her doubt her own capability. She acknowledges all her bad habits, admitting that it is hard to change them. But Nesia is also very proud of her achievements since they make her trust herself more. Lately she realizes that she does have big potentials to be better than her rivals and other nations, so she has been working hard to achieve it.
Manipulation & chaos
Because of her laziness, Nesia prefers to achieve or acquire things with as little effort as possible. If she has to, Nesia will not hesitate to manipulate people to achieve what she desired. She will feel bad about it, but the more she does it, the less remorse she felt. Breaking rules is not something strange for her. Still, it doesn't mean Nesia only takes advantage of people around her. The woman upholds fair trade. If she had done a favor to someone, Nesia expects said person will return it to her and vice versa.
She isn't fond of order and prefers her surroundings to be organized in a chaotic way. While to outsider's eyes it may look cluttered, Nesia does remember when she last saw a certain item and where to find it. For her, it is not messy if she still can find things easily. But she does lose several stuff sometimes.
Conflict solution & violence
She prefers to stay away from conflicts and chooses the quickest win-win (as she likes to believe; which may looked different according to others) solution to end it; as long as it doesn't involve her personally. Nesia will do anything needed to ensure her own safety. This also applies to other people she cares about, like her close friends. She will protect them, whatever the consequence is. But sometimes there are fights which she couldn't win, especially if the other person had better weapon or greater strength. Escaping is the wiser option in this case. On the other hand, if the problem involves her personally Nesia would not back down until she wins. There's a chance that her emotion will explode, especially if there is physical violence involved. Nesia is the type who bottles up her negative feelings towards people. Usually she channels it out by talking to a friend or ranting in the social media, but sometimes it's not enough. Nesia need to scream, need to display her anger properly. Thus, her surroundings become the target of her wrath, often by destroying things within her reach or throwing things at the object of her anger. Nesia understands how destructive her raging self can be, so she would immediately leave the scene if her rage is about to explode. Nesia has no qualms about hurting or injuring people once her anger shows up, so it is advised to leave her alone until she calmed down.
Possessiveness & punishments
So, let's return to the rug, shall we? There are 'monsters' hidden underneath, like her greed and envy. These are sometimes shown in her actions, her love of money and expensive things owned by other people. Making cheap duplicate of luxurious accessories or DVD does not feel illegal anymore. Contrary to it, Nesia can be very possessive to an unhealthy degree which resulted in several catastrophes in her past. She still has it, but she has been trying to control her actions better. Those past events, however, have tainted her hands red. My oh my, they are numerous. If you wonder why you never heard any of them being mentioned, that is because Nesia guards the rug closely. Very, very closely. See, for a long time she sees other people capable to do cruelty and violence to her, and most of her attempts to fight them are ended badly. If someone has experienced violence being done to them, surely they would not do it to anyone else, right?
Wrong. As long as she has a reason to justify her actions, then she can do it. It doesn't matter whom she is hurting, even if they are her own family. People obey her more easily if she forced them to submit. Enforcing rules or command brings faster result than any other ways of implementation. No questions asked. It is effective, so why changing it?
Of course, often such decision wasn't sufficiently thought through. Sometimes it only ends up adding more red stain to her hands. She knows that she is guilty in this matter, despite her believing that her reasons are legitimate. Admitting that those are wrong and that she does it knowingly is hard to do. Because of that, Nesia chooses to sweep the problem under the rug and convinces herself that she's not entirely guilty. That someone else persuaded her to use an assault to solve a problem - which isn't entirely wrong either - or blame somebody else altogether. The line between truth and lies becomes blurry as time passes. Although her conscience wants to re-analyze the facts to find the truth, she finds it easier to keep it hidden away from everyone else's knowledge.
Last words
Changing yourself is not an easy thing to do, especially if you have done the same thing over and over for decades. Nesia is an optimist, so she believes if she takes small steps every day, eventually she could be a better person and a better nation. The storm shall pass and the sky shall be clear again.
Likes:
★ Food -- If you dive your hand into her bag, there is a big chance the first item you grab is a kind of snack. Keeping herself (and her people) fed properly is her first and foremost priority, because no one can work when they are hungry. Starvation and the lack of food are also the roots of evil, among other things, according to her. See, if a family is deprived of food then its searching becomes their first priority above all else. Their kids might leave school to help the parents' at work, resulting in their abandoning formal education altogether. So Nesia wants to make sure everyone is well fed. And contrary to popular belief, she does eat other carbohydrate sources beside rice; like sago, sweet potato and cassava. As a predominantly Muslim country, Nesia only consumes pork (and other animals listed as forbidden in Islam; omnivores and carnivores mostly) in a small amount. Too much consumption will make her feel terribly guilty. Her alcohol tolerance is also low, so if she is given alcohol as a guest, Nesia will only take a sip or two so as not to disappoint the host. Despite her love for food, she has no problem with fasting.
★ Free stuff -- Ooh who doesn't? If it's a gift, expect her to give you a gift sometime soon.
★ Social media -- Endless chatting, endless socializing, what a dream! No more feeling lonely and miserable. Whenever she is bored, Nesia will take out her phone and starts checking one of her many social media accounts. It's also a great tool for networking and promoting stuff. God bless the internet.
★ Traditional dances and martial arts -- It is hard to tell which one comes first, for the two intermingled and often indistinguishable from each other. There is beauty in martial arts and lethality in the dance. Performing a dance or demonstrating her fighting skill before foreign guests aren't something she rarely do too.
★ Tea and coffee -- Both drinks are not originated in Indonesian islands, but after spending centuries trading and growing them in her house, Nesia is fond of them now. She likes them sweet and cold, perfect to cool herself in her hot tropical weather.
★ Drama and romance -- Those are cute and sweet and Nesia could spend a whole day marathoning a romance series. Asian drama and Latin telenovelas are her personal favorite. When watching one, she'll be too absorbed and sometimes might suddenly crying over the leading character's misfortune or angry at the antagonist's evil scheme. While she does enjoy the ones with good plot and character development, Nesia watches the bad ones for the sake of laughing at the bad script, bad acting and ridiculous plot twist.
★ Ghost stories -- Horror gives her thrill she needs. Nesia is always curious about the 'others', despite being able to see them. It's also somewhat satisfying seeing younger kids cower in fear after listening to her stories.
★ Relaxing -- Her idea of relaxing is taking a nap, having a warm bath or simply sitting in a café with a cup of coffee for three hours to download stuff with the café's wifi. Enjoy the moment, the weather and the good companion. No need to rush things, there's always tomorrow to finish everything that needs to be done.
★ Shopping -- When Nesia travels somewhere, she will buy a lot of gifts for her family and friends. As a saying said, she is someone who gets lapar mata/eye hunger easily.
★ Learning about new things -- Nesia is a curious person. Almost everyone she already met had experienced her never-ending questions about themselves. She also enjoys reading, and her taste ranged from cheesy romance novels to scientific journals. Going on a culinary adventure is her favorite pastime.
★ Motorcycle/scooter -- Cheap and small, so you can go through narrow alleyways easily. But if it's raining suddenly, better look for some place to park your vehicle.
★ Flip-flops/going barefoot -- You can see your toes wrrrriggling on the grass or sand. It tickles! Nesia loves wearing no shoes when she fights too, that way her toes can take small objects from the ground.
★ Money -- It can't buy you happiness but it can be traded with food, clothes and proper shelter. That is the simplest form of happiness.
★ Smartphones and tablets -- They intrigued her; what's been improved from the previous version? Why people are going crazy over them? Nesia is no technology geek, she simply curious about the feeling of holding a new gadget. She would just use it for the basic stuff--phone calls, some games and internet--and when the newer version released, she'll trade her old gadget for that.
★ Singing/karaoke -- Nesia likes singing sappy love songs. And dangdut. Expect some dancing with that.
★ Badminton/soccer -- These are her favorite sports. She's better at badminton than in soccer, though. Usually she plays soccer with kids from the neighborhood, especially when it's raining. Incredibly fun!
★ Handicraft -- All the pretty, shiny stuff! Nesia knows how to make countless of craftworks (though the quality might be lesser compared to the ones made by the real maestro). Her creativity helps her in this field.
★ Her plants and animals -- A lot of Indonesian species are endemic and can't be found anywhere else in the world. Nesia believes they have their own role in keeping the balance in nature. The plants are beautiful and have hidden benefits waiting to be discovered. Who knows, perhaps one of them is the key to cure cancer.
★ Nature -- Being around the nature is great: the smell of grass, the sound of waves, and the soft wind... everything. Nesia feels more closer to the other beings when she's surrounded by nature. The jungle is her favorite place to seek solace. Somehow the old trees and sounds of the jungle dwellers calm her anger. Nesia can survive well in the wild by herself.
★ Cold places -- She dreams to live in a cold place sometimes. Preferably surrounded with snow. Too bad she can't handle the cold temperature. The only snowy place in her land is Jayawijaya Mountain in Papua province. For some reason, Nesia rarely visits it despite her wish to go there.
Dislikes:
✖ Wasting food -- There’s a saying in her homeland, that if one throw away an edible food, the person can hear them speak and sobbing. Every grain of rice, every slice of meat, every vegetables and fruits uneaten lamenting their unfortunate fate. And it’s not just food that is thrown away; it is also efforts and works of many farmers, merchants and cooks wasted for nothing.
✖ Too high/low temperature -- Living in equator with average temperature made her body can’t stand weather that is either too hot or cold -- desert and snow temperature are nigh unsurvivable. Nesia would complain more often if the weather is too extreme to her liking.
✖ Being rushed in tight schedule -- Seriously, when do you stop to catch a breath? Won’t your brain goes overheat from all the jobs that have to be done in such a short time? All Nesia wants when facing a very tight schedule is turn her back and go napping instead. And it’s no fun at all planning everything you’re going to do for the next 72 hours.
✖ Traffic jam -- What if when you are stuck in a traffic jam you need to use bathroom? Oh the horror.
✖ Money -- It's the root of all evil, the main thing that push people to corrupt themselves.
✖ Rules -- She considers these as restraints that block her freedom rather than something that make her life easier. Nesia follows the rules, but often not without complains.
✖ Rule breakers -- Corrupt businessmen, people throwing trashes into a river, disobedience of traffic law. They're putting other people and themselves in danger.
✖ Disasters -- Nesia is used to the natural ones, but she would like to prevent the man-made ones from happening. Stop littering would be a good start.
✖ Seeing her culture dying -- No. Just... no. When the Tambora volcano erupted in 1815, its ashes buried two nearby kingdoms, Sumbawa and Pekat, and destroying their languages -- leaving none of the speakers alive. Nesia is afraid a similar disaster would happen and eradicate another culture. Or the younger generation forgetting their ancestor's old culture in favor for the modern one.
✖ Smoking -- It's bad for your health, it gives people cancer, it makes you addicted! It doesn't help at all that cigarette ads are done amazingly. Many families give up other necessities like healthcare and education just so they can smoke every day.
✖ Her procrastination tendency -- Especially when deadline is approaching.
✖ Physical contact with male stranger -- Being physically close with a man she barely knows makes her uncomfortable. If a man suddenly touched her, whether it's just a friendly pat on the shoulder or a sudden hug, Nesia would flinch and slowly inches away. She only tolerates handshake and nothing past that. On the contrary, Nesia is okay being physically close to other females, even though she just met her that day.
✖ Being unable to access information -- Nesia will feel sad, anxious and lonely. She will constantly wonder about what is happening in other places and what her friends are doing.
✖ People who destroy the nature -- Ah, this is a battle long going. Her neighbors Singapore and Malaysia suffered from the smoke coming from her burned forest. The endangered animals' habitat, like orangutan and Sumatran tigers, are reduced because of human interventions. The deforestation rate is high, seemingly unstoppable.
✖ Other people claiming her culture as theirs -- Oh how dare you. Indonesia has a lot of culture, so it's a long way to go to document them all. Not to mention that there are copycats as well...
✖ Losing -- Whenever she loses a sport match (especially against her beloved neighbor/kin Malaysia), she will sulk and insist that it's not caused by her team's performance. "Malaysia must be cheating!"
Fears:
☣ Drowning -- What she fears isn't just drowning in water, but also in contaminated/dirty water, mud or quicksand. Recent studies reveal that some areas in Java Island are sinking in a dangerous rate per year. Coastal cities in the western shores of Sumatra are drowning slowly, one by one. If people keep digging deep and pumping ground water without doing a sinking-prevention act... the waves would claim the land in no time. And during rainy season, it is certain the rainwater would flow to lower lands, flooding the area that actually lower than the shore level. Despite her fear, Nesia has no problem swimming in calm water.
☣ Losing her identity -- -Indonesia has more than 300 ethnic groups speaking 700+ languages uniting under one nation. They have their own language, habits, traits and culture. And for centuries under colonialism, those pieces of identity were either crushed or labeled as uncivilized. Many have perished and nobody even remember their culture once exists; for the younger generation sometimes ashamed to acknowledge their own culture that they deem as ‘old’ and not ‘cool’. Nesia afraid it would happen to her someday, which makes her always seeking the proof of her past civilizations either under the ground or in ancient texts. But with the advance of modern technology, culture-exchange is incredibly easy. Now she is also afraid her people would be too familiar with foreign cultures and feel alien to their own. Because if that happened, she’s no longer Indonesia--she’s nobody, completely swallowed in identity not her own.
☣ People finding out her bad habits and things she hides -- That will ruin her image badly.
☣ Separation -- Indonesia was once hundreds of states coexisting who chose to unite under one nation. She also believes that it's better to be united than being on their own. It's stronger to be together after all. What if a region separated from her and triggered other regions to do the same? Would she survive?
☣ Being colonized again -- The phrase kita masih dijajah/"we are still colonized" is often heard these days. It means that even after being independent for decades, her people are still no more than servants for others; that her rich natural resources are still used to thicken other nations' wallets without filling hers, that her people prefer to learn about other culture and forgetting their own, that her markets are where the items made by Indonesian workers sold with high price after a fancy label is glued on them. These conditions mean that Indonesia is not fully independent yet, for indepence means she should be able to support herself without relying on anyone's help.
Secrets:
♦ Smoking -- It's a great stress reliever. Don't tell her boss, though. Nesia always hides to smoke, away from anyone else. Smoking women are looked down even more than the male ones. Her favorite cigarette is kretek, a local type made from tobacco, clove and other flavors.
♦ Despite her people's conservative nature, Nesia admits that she is curious about things labeled as taboo by the majority of her people. There is no harm in knowing such things, right? She has no intentions to do them; she merely wants to satisfy her curiosity.
♦ Once or twice a year, Nesia checks her endangered languages by speaking to herself in front of a mirror.
Strengths:
+ Martial arts -- Pencak silat, the main martial arts she mastered, teaches its practitioners to use their surroundings as weapons, following the philosophy tak ada akar rotan pun jadi - if there's no rattan roots can be used. She also applies this philosophy to her everyday life. Her preferred fighting styles are two contrasts: swift and deadly, or cleverly hidden like a guerrilla operation. The first style is symbolized with spear, its long reach compensates the disadvantage of her small stature. The second style has her own knuckles or accessories as weapons, although sometimes she uses a short dagger too. Aside from them, Nesia can use other weapons as well; like sash and wooden/steel fan. Her agile movements helps her in dodging and delivering rapid attacks. Her strength and stamina might not be top-notch among the nations, yet it does not make her less deadly among the seasoned fighters.
+ Agriculture & Cooking -- It is no secret that the array of Indonesian cuisine has been attracting culinary afficionados from all over the world. While in the western world hers is less known than Chinese or Indian food, Nesia plans to expand her market and eventually opens Indonesian restaurant in every countries. Not all her food is tongue-scorching, but perhaps the spices and ingredients themselves tasted so foreign and intense for people who is not used to eat them regularly. As a country situated at the Ring of Fire, Indonesia gets natural fertilizer -- volcanic ash -- quite often, which she used to her lands. Her land is quite fertile; even a planted stick will grow into a tree without any human intervention. People said if you throw a seed randomly on the ground, it will grow on its own too.
+ Creativity/multi-talented -- Nesia is very good in handcrafting iconic items and trinkets worthy to adorn every palace in the world. Even international high-end brands have factories in Indonesia; if you check such merchandies in one of their luxurious store abroad, there's a big chance that its label says "Made in Indonesia". She's also quite skilled in making cheap imitations of said luxury brands. Her traditional fabrics earn worldwide acknowledgement in terms of design. They are more than just a piece of clothing; they also have hidden meanings, stories and philosophy weaved and dyed within the threads.
+ Sincerity -- When Nesia helps other people, she does it without expecting any reward. She is also faithful and loyal to her friends and families.
+ Supernatural affinity -- Nesia can see ghosts and any other beings normally unseen to normal human eyes. She treats them as fellow inhabitants of Indonesian biosphere, hence Nesia rarely ask for their help -- especially in the 21st century -- and she only do so as a last resort. For example, if her life is in danger, Nesia can ask them to possess her, enabling the nation to channel their power through her combat abilities. But there will be a price to pay, hence she prefers not to ask their help. Human spirits however, are more willing to help her without any rewards in return for their aid. She can also see creatures in other people's houses as well, but often Nesia chooses not to mention it.
+ Optimism -- Ease will come after a hardship. Too bad it makes her seem to underestimate a serious situation. Nesia is the type of someone who can smile even though disasters keep hitting her one after another. She believes positive attitude helps her rebuilding and improving her life.
Weaknesses:
- Low stamina -- Nesia gets tired easily. She’s a sprinter, not a marathon runner. While she does certain her stamina being low is not caused by her age, she guesses it happens because of corruption in Indonesia that seems endless, unbeatable, destroying her people’s moral and now begins to eat her body inside-out. Oh, stopping? Stopping is hard, isn't it?
- Underestimating herself -- She is used being oppressed and told that she can’t do anything at all by herself. Until modern days, Nesia still doubts her own strength sometimes; she would refuse if someone asked her a favor and recommends someone else instead. If she does succeed, Nesia will be amazed by her own achievement. The woman is also someone who focuses on her weaknesses, so they blind her from seeing her strengths.
- Have no sense of time -- Nesia is too relaxed in doing activities. She looks lazy and rather likes to procrastinate a job--which makes her rushing in last minute to finish it later. If you make an appointment with her, make sure you told her to show up an hour earlier than the designed time. Failed to do so only will result her showing up two hours late--that if she does remember having appointment with you.
- Lack of planning -- She often fails to see past grandiose plans she does make. A good plan will not come to fruition unless the people running it are capable in their fields. Which is why she improvises quite often.
- Laziness -- Why do something now when you can do it later? No need to rush everything.
- Money -- As someone used to say... money does make the world go round.
