The End of the Saga of the Suitcases

It has been 19 months since I shipped my suitcases from Kyrgyzstan to Indonesia. As fate would have it, one day after my suitcases departed Kyrgyzstan the borders to Indonesia were closed and I wasn't able to proceed to Jakarta as planned, an act that set in motion this entire mess.

I will spare you the full story of what happened as it's a long saga worthy of Kafka. When my HR representative from Sampoerna attempted to explain in our meeting today what exactly had happened, she drew a little chart to help "clarify" everything, which is pictured here on this post--and I am sure it will add nothing to your understanding of the events as it added very little to mine. 

I'll jump straight to the ending.  Several months ago, it turns out, my suitcases were disposed of by the Indonesian Customs Agency and are permanently gone. At least I now know what has happened.

A similar thing happened about ten years ago, when I lost all that I owned except what I could stuff into one suitcase, so I have prior experience with losing precious possessions.  When I lost almost everything previously, I discovered that, after a while, I hardly thought about what I had lost, though much of what was gone was irreplaceable.  And even with these three recent suitcases, I have to take time to sit down and recall what exactly was inside them, because after 19 months you move on with your life and that which you no longer have becomes an increasingly distant memory.

I now have closure, which is always a good thing.  I am also grateful that I took the time when I was packing my suitcases in Kyrgyzstan to hold onto several items that I would have been most heartbroken had I lost them and I packed these few items in carry-on bags and always have had them with me--for example, I still possess things like the memory book that my UCA students made for me before I departed. So, though most of my Kyrgyz possessions are gone, I do have a few items to remind me of my life there.  It was also a nice gesture that my current employer, Sampoerna, will be depositing some money into my Indonesian account as compensation even though they are not obligated to do that. 

It's all another reminder of what I learned ten years ago. Physical possessions, though they feel precious, are temporary and can be easily lost, taken from you, or destroyed. It is the love that you carry in your heart from those you care about--and the love you return to them--that always endures.