I was so young when this happened, wondering why we were ushered to a cramped hotel with many, many relatives. It had the vibe of a CNY gathering for the kids, and the adults let us play all day as long as we promised we wouldn’t go outside. The streets were crowded, and dad didn’t come with us. We couldn’t afford to flee the country, and I never did understand why I should circle “non-pribumi” on school forms. Not until I was much older.
Thank you for writing this.