Since it was Saturday, Putri had to go to University before joining up with us. So Dini and I mapped out our day - each with a goal in mind. Dini had to get her wireless fixed and I was on a mission to find a cat.
Dini's wireless took a lot longer than either of us expected. Nearly two and a half hours passed and we were coming up with nothing. We took a break and decided to look into finding me a kitten. We were told by a vendor in the basement of the mall to take a taxi to a certain address.
We were fortune to find a taxi, however our taxi was lacking in common sense. That's putting it nicely - he was an idiot. Even with Dini speaking Bahasa and giving directions, the man was adamant that he knew where we were going better than we did. He ended up getting us lost and we had to ask for directions three separate times (racking up our taxi fair). Finally we convinced an ojek driver to guide us (for a small price of 10,000 rupiahs - 1 USD). He led us to the "cattery". We paid our fair of 21,000 rupiahs and entered into a whole new realm of human life.
As we walked up the mucky clay drive, we were graced by the presence of two rare albino monkeys that were fighting in a cage. Keeping monkeys in cages and selling them here is not illegal - but it is not ethical either because they are animals that should be left in their natural habitat.
As we approached the house (which was rather ritzy for the part of town we were in), we found many children slaving away in the muck, working on an addition to the house. There was a foreman yelling at them pushing them around. Dini and I were wide-eyed and shocked at the lack of respect for human life (especially a child's) here. Dini told me that they were most likely trafficked children and not paid anything for their labor.
Dini and I smiled and waved to them. They were so excited to see us and waved incessantly to us. It was as if they had not seen even the slightest bit of kindness. It was heart wrenching. How can people live this way? I guess if they don't have a choice, they don't know any different - but this is not how it's supposed to be.
We were ushered in to a "show room", which was an ammonia smelling room with about 35 cats of high-end breeds. Some were well kept but most showed signs of abuse and reproductive exhaustion. There was one kitten that followed me around. He was precious. If I stopped he stopped and tried to curl up against me. I picked him up and immediately could tell (without being a professional) that he was malnourished and was slapped around as he winced at the sight of my hands.
I then found a kitten that I fell in love with. It was a few months older than the rest and was extremely playful and cuddly. It wasn't like the demon kitties I met the day before. I was convinced this would be the perfect kitten to bring into my house.
Then the owner came in. He was an Asian-American and quite snobby. He was told me a lot about the cats and their breeds and then he started talking about prices. Holy shnikes! My kitten was 5 juta (which is the equivalent of 500 dollars). I loved that kitten - but not enough to pay 500 dollars for him. I carefully put him down and asked a few more questions. I found out that basically the "cattery" was a kitten breeding mill of high end cats and that most of them were not vaccinated or had papers.
I thanked him for his help and told him I had to do "more research" about what I was interested in before I made a decision. Surprisingly the answer seemed acceptable to him - thank goodness. Then he began asking questions of what Dini and I did for a living. We told him we were teachers. He found out that I was an American and that Dini was Australian. Immediately he ignored Dini and began talking my ear off about the "American way of education" - whatever that means. He yelled for his five year old son to join us in the show room.
He asked me to consider teaching his son so that he could be released from his (rich) Singaporean school. He wanted his son to speak English with an American accent rather than a Singaporean accent. His son came sobbing and clinging to his nanny. Then the man informed me that he was severely punished for not wanting to practice his math skills. His son was terrified of even coming close to his father or me.
I talked with the son for a few minutes, in a very consoling and soft voice. He seemed to stop crying and actually responded to me. The man told his son that I may be his new teacher. I looked at Dini and was mind-boggled. I didn't agree to that or even infer that I was the slightest bit interested. He asked for my number so he could contact me further about the cats and teaching his son. I gave a made-up name and wrong number, knowing that I could never work for a man who treated children (even his own) like crap (and not to mention the animals).
Dini and I somehow finagled our way out of that hell hole. We were shell shocked and at a loss for words. It was a sight to see, that's for sure. Talk about an eye-opener. Neither of us had ever seen something quite like what we experienced. Not once did we feel our safety and wellbeing was compromised, which was a good thing, but to see the things we did makes my stomach churn. I will never (as long as I live) forget this.
After catching a taxi and going to Ratu Plaza, we met up with Putri and told her all about our nightmarish adventure. She couldn't believe it. We spent the rest of our day dwelling on the disregard for human life that some seem to think is okay. Even as I sit back at home, typing this, I am overwhelmed that this really happens. Sure I've learned about illegal breeding mills and human trafficking, but I have never experienced it first hand until today.
In Asia this is a very common problem and one of the most booming (illegal) industries world wide. Human trafficking makes more money than the drug trade. I ask all of you readers to keep this in your prayers.
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