Jony Wong: From Pontianak To Ningbo

It's not everyday you hear about a friend who's still living in your hometown getting a job in China, so I was happy and also quite intrigued when I heard the news from my friend Jony. It was like, wow, that was impressive. How did he get the job? What would he think about China?

But before we go further, let's have a proper introduction about Jony first. Good looking and popular since school days, Jony is a well-known MC and EO in Pontianak for the past 20 odd years. We got him to participate in our reunion as well in 2018 because who could do a better job than the local celebrity of our generation?

Jony the MC.

The story of Jony's journey to Ningbo began roughly two years ago, when a China company called Deli expanded their business to Pontianak. It happened that our friend Hendry, who's also one of Jony's closest buddies, was the main distributor. Thanks to the relationship, any Deli events organized in Pontianak were entrusted to Jony. The success were eventually recognized first by Jakarta and then China. 

Then came the day when he was asked to host an event at Deli's headquarter in Ningbo. Of all the possible candidates from Indonesia, the one from Pontianak was selected! It was almost unbelievable. So you could imagine how excited Jony was. But then... How about language? Did he need to host in Chinese?

He got a ticket to ride!

Luckily the organizer confirmed that Bahasa Indonesia was the main prerequisite. English and Chinese were good to have. So off he went, after he finished doing a meticulous preparation. In fact, I got to know about this because he asked about a couple of things related to his preparation. I informed him about the internet data and told him that he could ask Gunawan further as we just came back from China earlier this year. 

And the hype was built. When Jony posted the good news on his social media account, those who knew him were supportive. It was his first and farthest overseas job to date! And from Pontianak, Jakarta, Shenzhen to Ningbo, it was far indeed! When the event finally took place, Jony got by with a little help from Google Translate. Speaking Chinese was unavoidable!

Traveling to Ningbo.

But result was good. While he was there, Jony was offered another job in Jakarta. He texted me about it as I arrived in Tanjung Balai Karimun. Good for him! But of course I was curious the most about how did it feel for a fellow from Pontianak to see China for the first time ever?

And Jony witnessed another myth busted. The gossip about how dirty and smelly China had been around forever, but Jony encountered nothing like that. To be there himself was an eye opener. It also certainly helped to convince him to work harder, save more money and bring his family to travel and see the world!

Exploring China at night.

Jony Wong: Dari Pontianak Ke Ningbo

Tidak setiap hari anda mendengar tentang seorang teman yang masih tinggal di kampung halaman anda tiba-tiba mendapatkan pekerjaan di Cina, jadi saya turut bergembira dan tergelitik untuk bertanya lebih lanjut ketika Jony memberi kabar. Saya merasa terkesan, penasaran tentang asal mula cerita dan apa pula pendapatnya tentang Cina. 

Akan tetapi, sebelum kita membahas lebih jauh, mari saya perkenalkan sedikit dulu tentang Jony. Teman saya ini tampan dan populer pula di zaman sekolah. Selama dua dekade terakhir, dia juga dikenal sebagai MC dan EO di Pontianak. Di tahun 2018, kita juga mengundangnya untuk mengisi acara reuni, sebab siapa lagi yang lebih cocok kalo bukan selebritis lokal dari generasi kita sendiri? 

Jony sang MC.

Nah, kisah petualangan Jony ke Ningbo ini bermula kira-kira dua tahun silam, ketika perusahaan Cina bernama Deli mulai ekspansi ke Pontianak. Seorang teman bernama Hendry yang juga merupakan karib Jony ini menjadi distributor utamanya. Berkat hubungan kerja ini, acara Deli di Pontianak pun dipercayakan pada Jony. Suksesnya kemudian bergaung, pertama di Jakarta, lalu ke Cina. 

Lantas tibalah harinya di mana dia diminta untuk memandu acara di markas besar Deli di Ningbo. Dari sekian banyak kandidat yang berbakat di seantero Indonesia, yang terpilih justru yang berasal dari Pontianak. Jadi bisa anda bayangkan betapa terperanjat dan senangnya Jony. Tapi bagaimana pula dengan kendala bahasa? Apakah dia harus bercakap-cakap dalam bahasa Mandarin sepanjang acara? 

Siap bertugas!

Pihak perusahaan meyakinkannya bahwa Bahasa Indonesia tetap merupakan syarat utama. Inggris dan Mandarin cuma nilai tambah. Jadi berangkatlah Jony setelah persiapan yang matang. Saya sendiri tahu kabar ini karena dia menghubungi saya untuk menanyakan beberapa hal tentang Cina. Saya ceritakan tentang data internet dan berujar bahwa dia bisa tanya Gunawan untuk tahu lebih lanjut karena kita baru saja ke Cina awal tahun ini. 

Dan kabar tentang kiprah Jony pun berhembus. Sewaktu Jony pos di akun media sosialnya, para kenalan sangat suportif dengan prestasinya. Ini adalah pekerjaan di luar negeri yang pertama dan terjauh baginya! Dan dari Pontianak, Jakarta, Shenzhen ke Ningbo, perjalanannya sungguh jauh! Ketika tiba hari-H, Jony mencetak sukses dengan sedikit bantuan Google Translate. Bicara Mandarin di Cina memang tidak terelakkan! 

Perjalanan ke Ningbo.

Tak disangka hasil yang baik ini membuahkan kejutan lain pula. Selagi berada di Ningbo, Jony juga ditawarkan acara lain di Jakarta! Dia memberikan kabar saat saya berlabuh di Tanjung Balai Karimun. Sekali lagi saya ikut bersuka-cita. Namun saya juga penasaran, apa sudut pandang orang Pontianak yang melihat Cina untuk kali pertama? 

Apa yang dialami Jony adalah mitos yang terkuak. Telah beredar sejak lama bahwa Cina itu kotor dan bau, tapi Jony tidak melihat yang seperti itu. Berada di sana dan melihat sendiri adalah satu hal yang membuka wawasan. Selain itu, Jony juga tambah yakin bahwa dia perlu bekerja lebih keras dan menabung lebih banyak lagi untuk membawa keluarganya melihat dunia! 

Jalan-jalan malam di Cina.