Shelly Goes To Bali: Orientation in Java

Day 1 of Java:

We attended a lecture on Buddhism at the local University in Indonesia. The professor gave a 45 minute talk and expected us to know everything. Luckily I have had a Religions of the World class at Wofford and was able to follow along easily and form questions. It was interesting that he described things in Sanscript but we were very confused.

He had several interesting quotes including, "We are all very different but we believe in the power of love"

We then had a lecture on etiquette in Java. In Bali, it is rude to point, or look into someones eyes for longer than a second. You also learn to not touch people of the opposite sex or the hair of someone you are not close with. You must always shake or hand things with the right hand because the left is considered dirty and is used to wipe after using the restroom. (Indonesians do not use toilet paper).

Indonesian "family" includes father+mother+children+grandparents+grandchildren+nephew+niece+cousins. It includes everyone. The professor said if she has late lectures, its okay. she knows her children will be taken care of. They live n the same compound. They share houses, responsibilities, and food. It is a lot like the Strickland Family. Living on land next to each other and sharing everything. I must say the Strickland compound is much bigger than the houses they live in.

In Java we are spending the first 3 days in a hotel. This is not a Hyatt but a hotel with small beds, a fuzzy tv, and a toilet. I opted for the extra mattress on the ground because the comforters on the beds had lots of stains. I can tell I have already changed a lot. My standards are very different. For example, I am not comfortable in the hotel... But I can deal with the unworking air conditioning, crack in the door, and holes in the walls. It is a typical Java hotel. The floor is considered a wet floor because it doesn't separate the shower and toilet but all the water goes on the ground into a drain.

Day 2

We arrived at the University, practiced our Bahasa Indonesian and then met in a large room to have a forum with other students in Java. The topic was American and Indonesian Youth Culture, Politics, Religion, Immigration, Education, Public Health Care, and the Environment. We sat in front of professors, graduate and undergraduate students, and reporters and presented our topics. Mine was Immigration and Tourism. After our talks we had a question and answer period.

I believe the forum allowed for some understanding between all of the students.

Since Java is largely Muslim, we were questioned on the view of Muslims in America since 9/11. I stressed the overall acceptance of Muslims in America and the unfortunate misunderstanding of relating terrorists to all Muslims. They appreciated our honesty and were interested in our personal opinions on our government practices in America. For the most part, we all remained unbiased and pointed out positive and negatives about many parts of the United States.

We then had lunch where we were interviewed again and mingled with local students for several hours. They were very interested in our lives, America, and our interest in Indonesia.

We have another forum next week on religion. After spending several weeks with a Hindu family and an upcoming week with our Muslim homestay families, it is interesting to observe the acceptance of religion in Indonesia.