Bud Wichers, Pewarta Berkebangsaan Belanda yang Kagum Pada Surabaya

Bud Wichers, Pewarta, a Dutch national who was amazed at Surabaya

Until Now Didn't Know Who The Original Parent Is

His name doesn't match his face. Bud Wichers, a very Caucasian name. However, once you meet the person, everyone will be shocked. Because, his face is very Indonesian. The 42-year-old man was indeed the adopted child of a Dutch family born in Jakarta.

Hanaa Septiana, Surabaya

BUDIMAN Wichers is an Indonesian name. He was born to a poor family. Because he had no money, his parents left him with an orphanage. Budi, his nickname, was later adopted by Dutch citizens. Until now, Budi never knew who his original parents were. He was difficult to find out because of the limited data at that time.

"Even now I still want to find help with some friends. Including friends from Surabaya, "said the man who loves rice duck.

Budi Kecil was very interested in photography. He often plays with cameras belonging to his adoptive father in the Netherlands. That interest led him to Australia around 1994 to work in several media. Shortly after, he returned to the Netherlands. Then, he decided to explore photography and document the video.

In 2002 Budi heard of a conflict in Palestine. He immediately applied to become a volunteer.

"At first I only wanted to teach refugee children. But, because of my hobby of photography, I also want to capture the event, "said a man who felt more suitable to be called an Indonesian.

Budi also talked about his life as a journalist in a conflict area. Freelance reporters spend a lot of their work in conflict areas. Starting from ISIS territory in Iraq, Palestine, to Venezuela. Who would have thought, Budi previously did not have a journalist education background.

A number of experiences passed. Started to be imprisoned because his visa was exhausted until he entered the area which was prohibited for journalists He was also hit by an Iraqi army incision in 2017. The scars were still clearly visible on his chest. "I was not aware of that. Something was fired near me, but missed. Shortly thereafter, there was a weapon that hit my chest at that time, "said Budi.

As a man born in Indonesia, Budi felt he had to do something for the country of his birth. He volunteered in Indonesia when there was a disaster. For example, the tsunami in Aceh in 2004 and in Palu in 2018.

This year he returned to Indonesia and stayed long in Surabaya. He was asked to teach in one of the private schools. In addition, Budi did not want to miss to capture the five-year moment in Indonesia, namely the general election. He said that many other countries whose people cannot choose directly like in Indonesia. Therefore, he admires the democratic process in Indonesia. "Indonesia is the largest democracy. During this time I was very impressed with the process that was so peaceful and there were no bloody conflicts, "he explained.

During the election, it turned out that Budi was in Surabaya. He had visited several polling stations at several points. Including the Mayor of Surabaya TPS Tri Rismaharini. He also talked with Risma and immediately admired him. "How do I not admire him? Risma is so great that Surabaya can be a comfortable place to live and almost no conflicts occur in this city, "he said.

Indonesian:

Namanya tidak sesuai wajahnya. Bud Wichers, nama yang sangat bule. Namun, begitu bertemu orangnya, semua pasti akan kaget. Sebab, wajahnya Indonesia banget. Pria 42 tahun tersebut memang anak adopsi keluarga Belanda yang lahir di Jakarta.

Hanaa Septiana, Surabaya

BUDIMAN Wichers merupakan nama Indonesia-nya. Dia lahir dari keluarga miskin. Karena tidak punya uang, orang tuanya menitipkannya ke panti asuhan. Budi, sapaan akrabnya, kemudian diadopsi WN Belanda. Sampai saat ini pun, Budi tidak pernah tahu siapa orang tua aslinya. Dia sulit mencari tahu karena keterbatasan data pada saat itu.

”Sampai sekarang pun saya masih ingin mencari dengan dibantu beberapa teman. Termasuk teman dari Surabaya,” ungkap pria penggemar nasi bebek tersebut.

Budi kecil sangat tertarik pada fotografi. Dia sering bermain dengan kamera milik ayah angkatnya di Belanda. Ketertarikan itu membawa dia ke Australia sekitar 1994 untuk bekerja di beberapa media. Tidak lama setelah itu, dia kembali ke Belanda. Lalu, dia memutuskan untuk mendalami fotografi dan mendokumentasikan video.

Pada 2002 Budi mendengar ada konflik di Palestina. Dia pun langsung mendaftar menjadi relawan.

”Awalnya saya hanya berkeinginan untuk mengajar anak-anak pengungsi. Tapi, karena hobi fotografi, saya juga ingin mengabadikan peristiwanya,” ungkap laki-laki yang merasa lebih cocok disebut orang Indonesia itu.

Budi pun bercerita tentang kehidupannya sebagai jurnalis di daerah konflik. Wartawan lepas itu banyak menghabiskan pekerjaannya di daerah konflik. Mulai daerah kekuasaan ISIS di Iraq, Palestina, hingga Venezuela. Siapa sangka, Budi sebelumnya tidak mempunyai latar belakang pendidikan jurnalis.

Sejumlah pengalaman dilaluinya. Mulai dipenjara karena visanya habis hingga masuk daerah yang dilarang untuk para jurnalis. Dia juga pernah terkena sayatan senjata tentara Iraq pada 2017. Bekasnya pun masih terlihat jelas di dadanya. ”Saya tidak menyadari saat itu. Ada sesuatu yang ditembakkan dekat saya, tapi meleset. Tak lama kemudian, ada senjata yang mengenai dada saya saat itu,” papar Budi.

Sebagai laki-laki kelahiran Indonesia, Budi merasa harus berbuat sesuatu untuk negara tempat kelahirannya. Dia menjadi relawan di Indonesia ketika ada bencana. Misalnya, tsunami di Aceh pada 2004 dan di Palu pada 2018.

Tahun ini dia kembali ke Indonesia dan tinggal lama di Surabaya. Dia diminta untuk mengajar di salah satu sekolah swasta. Selain itu, Budi tak ingin ketinggalan untuk mengabadikan momen lima tahunan di Indonesia, yakni pemilihan umum. Dia mengatakan bahwa banyak negara lain yang masyarakatnya tidak bisa memilih langsung seperti di Indonesia. Karena itu, dia mengagumi proses demokrasi di Indonesia. ”Indonesia itu negara demokrasi terbesar. Selama ini saya sangat kagum dengan prosesnya yang begitu damai dan tidak ada konflik berdarah,” terangnya.

Selama pemilu berlangsung, ternyata Budi berada di Surabaya. Dia sempat mengunjungi beberapa TPS di beberapa titik. Termasuk TPS Wali Kota Surabaya Tri Rismaharini. Dia juga berbincang dengan Risma dan langsung mengaguminya. ”Bagaimana saya tidak mengagumi beliau? Risma sangat hebat bisa menjadikan Surabaya tempat yang nyaman untuk tinggal dan hampir tidak ada konflik yang terjadi di kota ini,” ungkapnya.

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