Our Love Among Corona

Application From Germany

We surfed the internet until late at night. Even Vavan decided to stay in our apartment because there is still a lot we do with the idea of the campaign Love is not Tourism and Love is Essential. We managed to contact people who have started this campaign in Indonesia and in other countries.

We signed a petition in Change to demand an exemption for couples or families who are being separated by this pandemic. We are spreading the petition and asking the networks and people we know to sign it. Publication in the form of other materials, posters, stories and so on. Maybe there's not much we can do, but it's always worth trying for hope.

Luky called and expressed his intention to propose to me, despite going online at the moment. Although this conversation has been discussed before with our respective families, there is no official event. For him the most important thing is to express his serious commitment to our relationship. There have been many tears of struggle during the separation because of this Corona. We cry and strengthen each other, especially our love language is pyshical touch where it aggravates the situation. It's really hard for us because we want to be together soon.

“Apply me to my mentor. That's the first thing you need to do, after that, just apply me to my mother” I said to her as she expressed her intention.

“Why mentor you?” tanyakanya.

“I've had previous experience in PHP-in guy in my life. I challenged him to talk to my mentor before proposing to my family. My mentor waited and gave me time, but he never came. I lived overseas with my mentor all along, the one who had been taking care of me like his own son. Fulfilling my educational needs and sending me on an adventure to different parts of the world. People who know me better than my own family are bloodier than me. The person who was always there, listening to my heart when I fell in love or lost love” I explained to her that the position of my mentor in my life is very important. Without his help overseas, I might not be able to survive through the rigors of living in the capital or abroad even once.

“Okay, no problem for me. I'll do it” Luky replied that without any burden at all.

I'm proud of Luky's seriousness, he who doesn't play with his words. I remember a long time ago, there were many friends who often said, be careful dating Caucasians, because they just want sex. They'll never be serious, let alone with a German bule. You be careful, like the Germans, they are very easy to throw us out, my friend said one time. Maybe before, he or other friends had experience with Caucasian men whose behavior often dumped Indonesian women. However, it is not good to generalize something, it is unfair for others who fight for relationships seriously and then do not get a chance.

The promised day has arrived. Luky, me and my mentor made a video call. Luky introduced himself well and explained the intention he wanted to propose to me as his wife. My mentors were warmly welcomed and they chatted like old friends who had just met. I was stunned by the conversation that flowed between them.

“What makes you so sure that Vashla is the right person for you?” ask him to Luky.

“As Friedrich Nietzsche said, a German philosopher, he said that marry your best friend or someone who makes you comfortable to discuss. I think you did what a philosopher from your country recommended. I see that your relationship has a strong foundation of friendship. I said, if you two have decided to make a decision to live together, build a household, do not look back. Make a decision with 100 percent confidence and then move forward. Remember, love or ***, there will be a time when it will fade. But comfort, togetherness with a good friend who always accompanies at once is our own partner, is the expensive price of a relationship. Fight for people who are able to give us this sense of comfort and security, because there are very few people who have relationships like this” message that we will always remember.

The three of us had such a good time discussing with my mentor. Now it's time for me to bring Luky to see my mother, brother and sister. Luky will propose to them, this is because I have no father. Luky will bring his parents to join me. He's spoken to my family several times, but not to an official proposal before.

The promised day is today. My mother, brother and sister crammed into the screen to prepare for Luky's proposal. Luky and I became translators. Luky became a translator from German into English, because one of his fathers or stepfather Wilhem could not speak English. While I was translating it from English into Acehnese, the language used daily by our family. After the introduction of both families. My sister asked the question we had expected before.

"You chose to convert to Islam, because of your love for my brother or because you chose to become a Muslim yourself?" he asks.

"Because of your brother. I love your brother and that's the condition your family gives us to live together. I only know your brother, I don't know Islam. So for now, because of your sister. However, I have opened my heart to learn more about Islam, to learn about Islam and your family traditions. All I need to do is slow down. I was born in a family that has no religion, unlike you who from childhood have become Muslims" Luky answered my sister's question.

That's the right thing. He knew Islam through me, never learned anything before about Islam. But he had the intention to learn more about Islam, it had made my family understand his condition. Because he basically knew nothing about being a Muslim. But he studied slowly, learning about the creed, how Muslims pray, fasting and so on. My family welcomed Luky warmly. My mother was happy to accept him as my future husband.

"Welcome to the family" my mother said. The same thing is said about Luky's family.

Luky is not yet a Muslim. However, it is happy to see my mother, my brother and my sister have given our blessing to our relationship. The process of shahadah will be carried out before kabul ijab. The question now is when we can all meet and have our marriage. Indonesia and Germany have not yet opened their borders. Our love is caught between Corona, and so is our marriage that was swayed between the uncertainty of regulation during this pandemic.