11 months in Bandung, Indonesia
Shaping Cultural Experiences
Travel has been an integral part of my life since I was a young child. I grew up in a multicultural, bilingual home in the Netherlands with a Polish mother and a Dutch father. My
Update & BBC News Link
A brief update: One interview video will be uploaded tomorrow evening. I believe the BBC News One-Minute World News provides well-balanced reporting of news, hence why I wanted to share it. Top stories on May
From Nigeria to Boston
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VNkCazT_T4&feature=youtu.be
When you first meet Oluwagbeminiyi Osidipe, you encounter a very vibrant, friendly, and unique personality. Oluwagbeminiyi or Niyi – as she shortened her name for simplicity – was named by her mother, who had a “very personal experience” when she had her, Niyi explained. Niyi is a Yoruba Nigerian transplant who arrived in the U.S. in 2006. As one of the most densely populated (West) African countries, Nigeria derives its name from the river that spans its land. To the South, it borders the Gulf of Guinea to the Atlantic Ocean. Originally colonized by the British, Nigeria gained independence in 1960. Its main ethnic groups are the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba, who speak English and their own respective languages, while major religions include Islam, Christianity and indigenous beliefs. Niyi shares her story, her views on politics, cultural differences she’s embraced with humor, and what we can learn from each other by expressing curiosity. Her message is simple: travel enriches us through its exposure to new cultures, and enables us to grow.
Mark Twain on Travel
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” (American author Mark Twain, Innocents Abroad).
Have you had the opportunity to travel (extensively, within your country, or even once abroad)? Can you relate to Twain’s sentiments? How does travel enrich us?
Pleasing The Taste Palate
Food has the wonderful quality of uniting us no matter where we are. There is nothing partisan or narrow-minded about food. It simply invites us to indulge, create recipes, and share with others. Two of my favorite Polish dishes (included in collage) are pierogies and barszcz czerwony – a beetroot soup – served on Christmas Eve in Poland. How does food bring us together? What are some of your favorite dishes and why? Can food trigger memories?
Stereotypes: Truth or Fiction?
DEFINING STEREOTYPES: “An idea or statement about all of the members of a group or all the instances of a situation.” (Merriam-Webster). Stereotypes enable bias and preconceived notions to perpetuate, but can also reveal valid
Annual Human Rights Report
“The world changed immeasurably over the course of 2011. Across the Middle East, North Africa, and far beyond, citizens stood up to demand respect for human dignity, more promising economic opportunities, greater political liberties, and
Euro Crisis & Emerging Stereotypes
Brief Crisis Breakdown Since the onset of the global financial crisis, or Great Recession, in 2007, the Eurozone has feared impending growing global debt levels, as well as sovereign debt within European countries themselves. In
Remembering Tiananmen
Today marks the 23rd anniversary of Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests in Beijing, China. Inflation, a lack of career prospects, the fall of Eastern European communism, and political corruption, are all said to have fueled anger
Coffee's Uniting Power
A cup of coffee can bridge cultural gaps. At least, that’s what Gizem Salgicil White, founder of Turkayfe.org, believes. Her organization aims to create awareness of Turkish culture, particularly within America. Gizem is a Turkish native,
Today’s guest post is by Jo of WanderWithJo.com
When I got an opportunity to work in Indonesia, specifically Bandung, I had no idea what I was getting into. I did all kinds of research both online and offline (through a network of people) and found that I had absolutely nothing to be apprehensive about. Bandung is comparatively smaller then the capital city of Jakarta, but bigger than the touristy Bali. I had to plan a lot of things before I went out for my epic one year (almost) to stay there. Bandung has sort of typical tropical weather, which means that the heavens can open literally anytime without warning. So, I was prepared and packed everything accordingly.
My first and foremost concern was accommodation, as I found that rents can go into millions (literally), but then I realized that the currency of Indonesia is pretty weak (US$1= IDR 12,000). I managed to find a nice place to stay a bit away from the hustling city center (traffic is a major problem). Once the accommodation was taken care of, next on my list was food (of course).
Till I actually reached Bandung and started trying different foods, I had no idea how diverse the Indonesian cuisine could be. I had only read about Indonesian food and the verdict was far from being amicable, so I had to try it out on my own. The first Indonesian food that I tried was Baso (Meatball soup) and even though it wasn’t love at first bite, within few weeks, I fell in love with it. It is a simple concoction of well – meatballs, duh – with lots of fresh vegetables and herbs that is prepared right in front of your eyes. You can find Baso stands everywhere in Indonesia, it is one of the most popular local street food, especially just after fresh rains. Fried chicken along with fried rice (Nasi Goreng) is another of my favourite Indonesian food. I would say as an Indian that Indonesian cuisine is pretty much similar to the Eastern Indian food. The people who prepare and serve the food are also very friendly (although they barely know English) and understand whatever you say by just your expressions.
Now talking about Indonesian people – At first, I was a little apprehensive about them as they all kept staring at me and talking amongst themselves. But after being there for a couple of days, I found that local people find it a little difficult to strike up a conversation with foreigners due to lack of a common language. English is not a widely spoken language except for maybe a few places. But, locals do try to communicate with you as best they can, and their expressions can tell you what they are trying to imply most of the time.
Once I got to know them, I found that they are a fun bunch of people who like to hang out and party anytime of the day and year. Indonesians love to have fun and live in the moment without worrying about anything else – this is why the laid back culture prevails. They are also helpful, friendly and trust worthy – at least, luckily, the many people I met and I surely made friends for life.
Apart from these insights, I also found that there is a huge demand for Bollywood movies which was amazing. Hence, being an Indian in Indonesia was a big bonus. Everyone would want to discuss Hindi TV series and Bollymood movies.
Bandung being a student city, there’s also pretty large expat base (thanks to one of the biggest universities of Indonesia) who are mostly exchange students & teaches from Australia, Europe & the USA.
All in all, Bandung is a cosmopolitan city with a twist as once Friday comes along the whole city gets lit up like festive season. Local people from all the nearby cities like Jakarta, Java, etc come to Bandung for the much needed weekend break. With the immense cultural diversity, Bandung can start with a tale of love and hate and end with a nonchalant romance.
Author Bio: Jyotsna Ramani is a passionate globetrotter who loves to let her hair down and maximize her trips. How does she do that ? By traveling on a budget and exploring new places. She travels far and wide (Well, Europe counts, right ?) and then comes back to her blog, WanderWithJo.com, to share her experiences. Pretty nifty, eh? Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram, too.
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