Tracing my roots

Tracing my roots has been lingering in my head for quite some time now. A few years ago, I talked to my brother about our ancestors in the East. My dad was born in Yogjakarta, Indonesia, and all we know was that he came to the Netherlands by boat early 50's as many Indo's did. My dad never told us much about Indonesia as well. He was nine years old when he left the country. My brother and I promised each other that we would fly to Indonesia to discover our roots one day. We made this promise a few years ago.

Two months ago, everything changed rapidly. On the internet, this new social media app was making waves: Clubhouse. Clubhouse is part talkback radio, part conference call, part Houseparty. Clubhouse is a social networking app based on audio-chat. Users can listen to conversations, interviews, and discussions between interesting people on various topics – it is just like tuning in to a podcast but live with an added layer of exclusivity.

My friend Dana was hosting this Clubhouse with her friend Ilse: 'verhalen uit de Oost' (stories from the East). Tales from the East is for anyone who has a connection with / is interested in the East (Indonesia, the Moluccas, Papua New Guinea, the Dutch East Indies, and beyond). Collectively they are looking for the connection in these stories. They host this Clubhouse every Tuesday at 20:00. If you need an invite, let me know! I still have some invites left.

These clubhouse sessions are worth listening to as the subject is fascinating. Like me, there are thousands of other like-minded spirits looking for answers in the East, and with this Clubhouse, some questions I have will answer them. Coming Tuesday will be part III, and I can't wait to tune in.

Other than Clubhouse, I've started a family tree on MyHeritage. My mom told me I had an aunt who meticulously documented our family tree. I contacted her, a within a week, she provided me the first pages of my branch of the family. Once I entered this data in MyHeritage, suggestions came popping up as other people were investing their roots. Within a week, the tree grew to three hundred relatives. I am still missing some key members, but I'm close to sharing this tree soon.

I'm planning to keep my readers updated as well. I realize that my great grandchildren will feel the urge to investigate their roots one day, and hopefully, they will find my articles to help them give some answers.