One Month on the Side of Indonesia’s Longest River

To achieve scholar degree, college students must complete all tasks. One of the tasks is submitting the final writing assignment. I was lucky, as one friend of mine also invited me to do the study at her father’s firm. Not at the head office; but at the cold storage firm in Kutai, East Kalimantan, Indonesia.

So, in June 1994, three of us left for East Kalimantan. My topic was a case study about the impact of the shrimp cold storage firm’s operation on the income of shrimp catchers. I must analyze whether the interdependency that links them is giving advantages for each other or just exploiting the shrimp catchers that have weaker bargaining position.

The office and the cold storage unit are located in Sei Mariam village, on the side of the Mahakam River. The cold storage has its own pier. The Mahakam River isn’t only the longest river in Indonesia; but the river also deep enough for ships from Japan to anchor at the pier and then bring the frozen shrimps back to Japan.

It was only one month, but it became one of my unforgettable experiences. We stayed in a beautiful guest house and all people were so helpful. I met no trouble at all while collecting all data (primary and secondary) that I needed. One more thing, I can eat delicious shrimps, every day…