Indonesians can at times be confusing to Westerners. They always want to make sure you are as content and happy as they are, but cultural differences make some of these actions of ensuring your full wellbeing a bit annoying. Don’t get me wrong, as odd as these habits are, I in fact fully respect the Indonesian way of life. They usually just take a bit of getting used to. Some of them are as followed:
- Giving directions – if you need to go somewhere but don’t know how to get there, you can simply ask people on the street for directions. No matter what, they will ALWAYS give you directions. How does every single Indonesian know the directions to everywhere, you might ask? Well the answer is, they DON'T. If an Indonesian doesn’t actually know the directions to somewhere, they will pretend that they do, and they will point in a direction and lead you there, simply just to save face. So expect your destination arrival time to be a bit later.
- “Tambah Lagi” – expect to return from Indonesia a bit fatter. Indonesians love their rice, and when eating dinner, you will be asked to “tambah lagi” (add more) when you are full and have finished your meal. If you don’t add more, it can often look like you are being rude. I have found the best way to avoid adding more rice when I finish my plate is to act as though I am in a ‘food coma’, or push my stomach out and pretend that I am pregnant. The Indonesians will usually laugh and forget to ask you to ‘tambah lagi’ again.
- Getting things done – Everyday tasks in Indonesia take a lot longer than it does in Australia. This is due to the fact that Indonesians like to take things slowly and the concept of ‘stressing’, ‘having deadlines’ and ‘rushing’ just doesn’t translate culturally. They are happy to take their time completing jobs because they know that ‘eventually’ it will get done, and you will enjoy your life more if you take it slow and relax. I like to think of an ideal ratio of days to get things done in Australia compared to Indonesia as 2 hours: 2 days. Prepare to spend more time sitting around and enjoying life than trying to make life easier.
- Asking your life story – ‘Where are you going?’, ‘what are you doing?’, ‘where have you been?’, ‘have you eaten?’, ‘have you showered yet?’, ‘how much do you weigh?’, ‘how old are you?’, ‘why aren’t you married yet?’, ‘why won’t you marry an Indonesian man?’ are just some of the many questions that I get asked everyday. This can take some getting used to, because these kinds of questions can often be very intrusive for non-Indonesians. Try to remember that they are merely deeply interested in your life and they just want to know everything about you.
- Celebrity-like attention – No matter where you go in Indonesia (except maybe Kuta due to the abundance of westerners on holiday there), expect to be treated like a celebrity. During your stay in Indonesia you will be dragged into 50-100+ photos, will be stared at, stroked at, held onto, called ‘cantik’ (beautiful) and ‘ganteng’ (handsome), and called ‘Mister’ regardless of your gender. You will be added on Facebook by tens to hundreds of random people, and have your phone number requested multiple times. I am not that special, but once I am Indonesia I feel like the most special girl in the world.
Dear Indonesians,
Thank you for being you. I hope you understand how welcoming you are and how lovely you make people feel when we are in your presence. Don’t ever change.
Sam Howard
source : aiyepblog.wordpress.com
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