Language Study

I can’t believe I haven’t written a blog post about my language study yet!  I have been studying Bahasa Indonesia for the past 4 weeks.  It’s a small class made up of 4 YAMENers (young adults from places other than Canada and the USA) and 4 SALTers (young adults from Canada and the USA).  We are called YALTers and we have volunteer placements in Java and Papua, Indonesia.  Language class is every weekday, 8 am to 12 pm. However, it is normal for class to start late.

We have class at our language teacher’s house.  His name is Mbas Putut. His wife is also a language teacher and they have 2 adorable children.  When the YALTers arrive at 8am (or after) some of us are very sweaty from the bike ride.  The first 10 minutes after arrival are dedicated to cooling off with a fan.  Then we start the day by reviewing vocabulary. 

Five weeks is not a long time to learn a new language, but there has been much progress. When we first started language study, Mbas Putut had to give directions in English, but now he speaks mostly in Bahasa Indonesia. He doesn’t say “open your book and write down your answer.”  He says “baca buku dan tulis jawab.”  You cannot let your mind wander, because every moment requires translation and frequent responses in Bahasa Indonesia.

Learning a new language is demanding and tiring, but Mbas Putut isn’t a drill sergeant.  We have frequent breaks and eat snacks, sing, dance, exercise, etc.  We have gone on many field trips.  We took public transportation to a coffee plantation, swam, visited the market, sang karaoke, visited a small factory that makes peanut squares, and played badminton.

What motivates me to keep on studying the language is connecting with Indonesians that do not speak English.  I live with 16 university students in a dorm and many of them don’t speak much English.  I still cannot understand what they say to each other because they talk so fast, but I often can understand when they talk to me.  My level of language is still basic, but being able to communicate simple things like how many siblings I have and my basic needs/wants is exciting.  I like hearing what my host sisters are writing their undergrad thesis on.  Several of my host sisters have helped me flip through flashcards and they laugh at my silly language mistakes.  The best way to connect when there is a language barrier is to use humour.

            YALTers and Mbas Putut (he is the one just above me making the silly face)

Important update: I have 1 more week in Salatiga and then I will fly to Jayapura, Papua with 1 other SALTer.  In Jayapura I will live with a host family (2 parents and 4 siblings).  I will begin volunteering at P3W, a women’s empowerment organization.  I am excited to finally meet the community I will be living in for the next 9 months.  However, I will miss the MCC team in Salatiga and my host sisters in dorm.

Photoshoot?

On September 20^th, after church the YALTers and several Indonesian host family members went to a parade in Salatiga.  Little did the YALTers know that we would become apart of the parade. The parade started 2 hours late, but we were not just waiting around in the shade, we were posing for pictures with strangers and talking with undercover cops.  Several ordinary looking men approached our group and started asking questions about us.  An undercover cop took a picture with Valarie and I while making the joke that he has 2 wives.

The parade finally begins and I breathe a sigh of relief because this means that I am done being in pictures.  The military march in wearing camouflage and face paint while playing various instruments. I thought I knew what to expect, but what happens next still bewilders me.  The parade halted and some YALTers walked up to them (in the middle of the street) requesting a picture.  I tried to hide so that they wouldn’t pull me into the picture.  I didn’t want to take a picture with them because I feel uncomfortable smiling and thus approving of whatever it is the military does.  Also, the pictures are not my property.  I don’t know if my image will be used to promote things I don’t approve. After the picture I sat down on the sidewalk, but the photoshoot continued for another 15 minutes.  At one point, an officer eased his way between Valarie and I on the sidewalk to get a picture.  YALTers were in high demand, posing for group photos with the military and with fellow bystanders. Finally, the parade mysteriously begins again and we saw some very intricately designed costumes.

I am still adjusting to being a foreigner.  I often don’t like the attention from strangers.  But I have to realize that sometimes, Indonesians are just excited to see a foreigner because some of them can’t travel as much as I can.