My First Month in Indonesia

*The content of this website is mine and mine alone and does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Government, the Peace Corps, or the Indonesian Government*

So I’m wrapping up my first month in here in Indonesia. All of the Peace Corps volunteers in my cohort are in pre service training, so we’ve all been staying in different villages in Kediri. I am in Ngronggo! There are a lot of things I’ve noticed and experienced, so I’m going to break this entry into a couple of sections.

1- Culture Shock or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Mandi

So of course part of moving to a new country is learning about the cultural and the social norms of the place you are staying, and Indonesia and America are very different. The two things I’ve noticed most are the traffic and the sense of community. Kediri traffic rules are like the Grease street race rules; the rules are, there are no rules. Fathers will drive around with three kids on their motorcycles, while smoking, weaving in and out of traffic, swerving into the wrong lane to pass people, etc. The kids literally look bored while this is happening, it’s wild. I've seen moms with babies in slings riding motorcycles. I was even hit by a car the other night! Walking down the street, listening to a podcast, minding my own business and

S M A C K! Everything falls out of my hands to the ground. I was totally fine, the driver pulled over to check on me and so did everyone in the area who saw it! The Peace Corps was also very responsive, I spoke both with the doctor and the security team. But it was definitely scary and a good reminder to watch my surroundings. The other huge difference is how insanely welcoming everyone is. Every time I visit a volunteers house, their Ibu has made, like, a five course meal. Even if they don’t know they’ll be having guests, they are prepared to feed you on the fly. Not only am I always fed, I’m also always sent home with tons of delicious food. People are genuinely happy to see and talk to their neighbors too, it’s not just a bule (slang for foreigner) thing. If someone they know is walking by, that person is also coming inside to eat and talk, regardless of what their plans originally were. It’s very different from America, where most people don’t even know their neighbor’s name. We also would never dare to force someone to be late to something by trying to talk to them-there’s this weird understanding in America that whatever you were doing first takes precedent, even when it shouldn’t. I wouldn’t invite an acquaintance into my apartment if I saw them walking by, I probably wouldn’t even wave at them if I’m being honest. In Indonesia, it kind of feels like you don’t operate on your own schedule, you adjust your schedule to what’s happening. In America, it’s more like your schedule is your own and your boss’. It’s hard to explain, maybe I’ll be able to expand on that when I’ve been here longer. Also, a mandi is a shower, and everyone here takes 2-3 a day. Mandi=life.

2- PST and Language Class

Learning a new language is hard. This isn’t news to anyone but its worth repeating because omg, it is so hard. Even when I start to feel like I’m getting the hang of something, I am reminded of how little I actually know when I try to speak Bahasa Indonesia to someone. My host family has been so great with helping, and we all laugh hysterically when I get something wrong. I am normally pretty easily embarrassed, but that reaction has somehow made me more comfortable trying. Like, knowing they have zero expectations makes it easy to get a win if I get one word or one phrase right. People at stores and restaurants have also been so nice and accommodating to this struggle, both by letting me figure it out as I speak and by not freaking out if I take too long or hesitate or mess up. It’s really comforting knowing they want to help and are excited to teach, instead of being annoyed by my lack of knowledge. It’s also interesting as someone who gave oral English tests to ESL students to now be on the other side of it. I had respect for the students before and I have even more now. It’s super intimidating, even when the stakes are low. Also, we have really long days during training, because we are taking culture classes, language classes, medical classes, safety and security classes, and teaching English in Bahasa classes. I guess this works both as a way for me to brag about being busy and as a way for me to slip in an excuse for not staying in contact enough. But seriously, a normal day is 7-4:30 not including homework, English camps, facilitating community events, etc. Those events take training and usually a written response too! This next section is the last one so if you made it this far please hang in there!

3- Whiteness in Indonesia

So, I am a very white person, and its never been more apparent to me. This is no claim of any sort of oppression or mistreatment, but actually the opposite. People want to take pictures with me just because they see me, a white person, walking down the street. And when one person has the courage to do it usually three or more follow. Sometimes they are afraid to ask so they just take pictures/videos of me from a distance. It’s a very interesting dynamic, and I’m not sure exactly how to handle it. With kids, I usually let them take a picture with their phone, because its easiest, they’re cute because they’re kids, and they cant understand why its uncomfortable. But with adults, I am sometimes tempted to push the conversation further, but have a hard time because I am shy and because of the language barrier. People will tell me my skin is pretty, or that I’m beautiful, or once even that I’m lucky because my skin is beautiful. I wish I had the capacity to have a conversation about how white doesn’t mean beautiful. And certainly not everyone here feels that way, but it seems to be a somewhat widely accepted idea. I’m hoping with some more time, language, and cultural skills, I will figure what my role is in that regard and how to handle it.

So, that was my very long first blog post. I had to fit in a moths worth of experiences and observations, and didn’t get to include some really cool stuff like the English camp we had or the first community event I attended with my host family. From now on I am hoping to make a post once a week! This Friday we find out our permanent site placements (sooooo exciting) and the following week we will be visiting! I can’t wait to find out and see a little more of that the next two years will look like. Sampai Jumpa!!