Tango. India. Fanta. Alpha.

Tifa. Yup, that's my name. Simple, easy and very Indonesian. It is a percussion instrument from Papua, the eastern province of Indonesia. It is small and long. To play it, you place it between your thighs and simply beat it. More or less, like this picture below.

Photo is taken from here

Although I bear the name of a Papuan musical instrument, I don't think I'm of Papuan descent. Well, at least my parents are not Papuans. M is a Javanese and D? I'm not sure of his ethnic group, but he doesn't look like a Papuan either. [I'll explain more about some of the ethnic groups here  in Indonesia in my other post]

When I was in elementary school, I asked my parents why they gave me that name. M said it was D who insisted on that name if the baby were a girl. D said that he has always liked the name.

So what if I were a boy? What kind of name they would give to me? He said that he was thinking about Russian names, like Sergei or Dimitri. Or a hero from the Javanese wayang stories, such as Bhisma.

Boy, am I glad to be a girl. Not that Sergei or Bhisma are bad names, but Tifa sounds more original to me. It can also be considered a short from Latifa, an Arab name meaning tender or gentle or pleasant.  Um, but most people who had known me for years would say I don't have all those traits. So I guess D made a right decision to name me Tifa, not Latifa. Ha! 

The strange thing is, although I'm currently living in Indonesia, people here always find a way to misspell it. Sometimes people change Fanta into Voltus, or Fanta into Soda, or Tango into Delta. Sometimes there are two Fantas. Oh dear.

Anyway, here I am. An Indonesian girl who will blog (or bitch) about life in the equator. Should you find this blog interesting, please tell a friend. If you don't, you always know where the exit is.

Oh, one more thing: Happy New Year!