Live outside of the big city

Before writing this message I decided to re-read my previous messages and while doing so I realized actually I still feel the same things I felt when I just arrived in Indonesia. The people here keep on surprising me every day. This weekend I visited a traditional Javanese village and some of my ideas on Indonesian people were definitively confirmed but also some were lessened a little. I already knew that Indonesians are friendly people, but not really social. By that I mean that their definition of social and family lives seems to be very different from the western one. Two other girls from the Netherland joined me to this villages, which was the hometown of my Indonesian friend. We visited several houses and everywhere we were welcomed and got lots of foods and drinks, but never the familiy joined us. They said hello and then left us with the food. We felt a little uncomfortable because we felt like we only ate at their houses, but this was the way they liked it; the more we ate the better. Even for dinner, when we asked the family if they wouldn't join us they told us they had already have dinner. We were so confused. Why not eat alltogether? Indonesians eat fast and without any social character to it. Having multiple courses, having nice and long discussions during dinner, having some drinks afterwards...nothing of this. I my family in the Netherlands we have dinner together because it is the one time of the day we are all together and we like to talk a little bit about our day and to enjoy the food peacefully. So this is something I miss over here. What also surprised me in this village, but in a positive way, was that the people were very nice but didn't stare at us too much or scream at us. Living in a big city I already was feeling like everywhere I would go there would be somebody screaming, but in this village I felt so much better in that respect. Maybe the people outside the big cities are more modest? Well, to round off, it was a very good and definitively interesting experience.

Update

So, after being in Indonesia now for six weeks I thought it would be time for a short update. Still, the things that surprised me when I first arrived here surprise me now. All the attention I get on the street is not less anoying, but I learn how to deal with it (mostly by just ignoring people who scream at me and responding to people who say 'hello miss' or something like that). At this moment I feel better being in Indonesia now that I am more used to the situation. I am better used to the noisyness, the heat and the habits and in this way it is also easier to be able to see the beautiful aspects of this country like the kindness of the people , their sincere interest in you as a foreigner and the beauty of nature over here. More and more I am starting to appreciate this country and enjoying my stay here.

Annoyances, surprises and laughes

Well, I can definitively confirm the part about the immense attention. I have been in Indonesia now for 2 weeks and every time I walk the streets I am shocked again all by these people talking to me and calling after me. Still I am not quit sure whether I should answer and talk back or just ignore them. The last is tempting because I feel like, as said before, somethimes there are also making fun of me or they are curious only because I am an European woman. The 'hee mister' actually makes me laugh. That is probably the only thing they can say in English. Furthermore, the crowded and chaotic streets scare me a little; side walks are not yet invented over here, so it seems and I miss that because I love to walk but that is a little dangerous over here. Then, the musqito's, how horrible. I feel like I am the only one they bite since nobody else, at least the locals, seems to be bothered by them. I wanted to buy a musqito net, but they are actually hard to find. Amazing in a country so full of these annoying animals! Another thing I tried to find was earplugs. That was quit impossible. Nobody seemed to understand what I was talking about. Indonesion people are very noisy, also in the very early morning, and then we have the praying at 5 in the morning, which also wakes me up. I need a lot of sleep so that is why that seemed a good solution to me, but unfortunately...no such thing.
Now lets make a positive remark, because I actually like to stay here. The people are so friendly and interested in you. The stimulate you to speak some Indonesian, which I would like to learn so that is good. I will still be here for 2,5 month so I am curious what other experiences will follow.

Talk to the Friendly Stranger

Spending few days in Indonesia few weeks ago really makes me miss to talk to the "friendly stranger".
Been staying quite some time in abroad, really makes me can't ressist to have a light chit chat with stranger like they way it is in my hometown.
I do always enjoy to have a quick conversation with a cashier in a small supermarket near my house & start it only by saying "How's today?? Many people shopping here??".
It's definitely not a common situation in the country I'm staying right now.

It would be easier to write this comment tree months ago, when I just arrive and everything was so different and shocking to me! It could take half an hour for me to get enough courage to cross the street, I could spend hours wandering between shelves in the supermarket looking at products I would never guess that exists. How can people eat dried little fish as a snack, drink boiled aloes with strawberries flavour or use whitening cream? It was so exciting to discover those new things. I thought I would never get used to it and I don’t even know when it happened that all started to seem to be normal to me… Now I am still often surprised, but not like at the beginning. I can walk calm even if I see a rat or cockroach, people calling me: misterrr doesn’t annoy me any more (I get mad only if I hear Sir!), I can cross the street without having a hart attack. Now I started to enjoy more the differences, trying to understand the way people live here, different culture, different tastes, smells, the variety of tropical fruit that I can find here, so many things! At the beginning I thought it would be difficult for me to find friends, I couldn’t accept the attitude people often have in front of ‘westerners’, racism is so common here and Indonesian seems to treat me differently only because my skin is white! Their attitude is something between admiration, enviness and sometimes making fun of me…

For the person that likes privacy it can be difficult to live in Indonesia as You are always in the centre of attention, that is also because of the colour of the skin, people are curious, want to know everything and questions like: where do you go?, where do you come from? are heard hundreds times a day. Some people like to feel like a move star but not me and honestly speaking all the attention I get is tiring for me.

Luckily I did find friends, maybe not many but they are unbelievable, strong characters, interesting people that I will never forget. We can talk for hours and it is so interesting to discover how differently we look at some things, it opens my mind so much, I don’t consider Europe the centre of the world any more, now when I look at it from other’s people perspective.

Surely being in Indonesia is an incredible experience for me, the things I learned here will be useful no matter where I go in the future. I am stronger, more tolerant, more open minded and maybe also more patient :)

-AGA-

Next Thursday is Lebaran/Idul Fitri Day, in Indonesia even we're not moslem we still visit another moslem friends/relatives/neighbours to celebrate and congrat them. I think this the beautifull part of this day.

Jadi dengan segala kerendahan hati saya mau ngucapin:

Selamat Hari Raya Idul Fitri

1 Syawal 1426 H

Taqabbalallahu Minna Waminkum

Minal Aidin Wal Faidzin

Mohon Maaf Lahir dan Batin Atas Segala Kekhilafan

....Aidil Fitri...

Since 30 fasting days is approaching to the end...
Since some of us are muslim...
Since Aidil Fitri is coming...
Since we realize that as friends we made mistakes to each other...

I would like to say...

"HAPPY AIDIL FITRI "

I DO REALLY APOLOGIZE FOR THE MISTAKE I HAVE MADE

Lebaran and Mudik

In Indonesia the feast celebration is named Idul Fitri (or we called it Lebaran Day). Sometimes, there are different statements on when the day falls, especially between Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama, because people use different techniques to determine it. Almost all of the people follows the government of Indonesia's statement and the different times have never sparked any riots or protests. This event is recognized as national holiday and starts a few days before Idul Fitri and lasts some days after it. Schools also have different schedule for the holiday as many Islamic schools usually make it a longer holiday.
Another Idul Fitri tradition in Indonesia is mudik that usually applies to urbans who came to Jakarta from Java or other islands in Indonesia. Before Idul Fitri comes, people will go back to their hometowns where their relatives, sometimes including their parents, reside. This event often causes crowding in airports, seaports, and bus stations while some who are travelling by car are trapped in the traffic jam for hours. For little children, asking for money as well as forgiveness from relatives is common to motivate them. Many, especially in the cities, also use the term angpau for the money just like Chinese people do.

(wiki)

Fasting Month

For my moslem friendsGood Luck for your Ramadhan month