The custom of politeness in Indonesia is very different from the manner that politeness is expressed in the United States, so for this cultural post I investigated the etiquette of Indonesia and how to express respect and politeness within their culture. I learned many very interesting things, such as the fact that the left hand is considered dirty and shouldn’t be used for anything. I don’t know how much this extends to, because I feel like using only one hand throughout my daily life would be incredibly difficult! This makes me grateful that I am right-handed though. I was curious about the reasoning for this, which is that the left hand is used for wiping in the bathroom… isn’t that the point of washing your hands though?
I also learned that it is considered impolite to point to things or people with your index finger, and in Indonesia they usually use their thumb. Upon learning this, I tried for five minutes to see how pointing with a thumb is possible. It seems to me that this is a much more subtle and less direct way to point at things, so it is probably based on the Indonesian value of subtly and equanimity. It is considered very impolite to show anger or call somebody out in Indonesia. An article that I read summarized this value wonderfully: ‘In Indonesian culture, the fact that you’re not okay with a situation is spoken by your calm refusal; you don’t need a show of anger to make your point.’ I really appreciate this value, because I don’t like embarrassing people or being embarrassed, and I think that not showing anger and remaining calm in all situations is also good for personal emotional control, which is something I hope to continue to develop throughout my life. However, learning that putting ones hands on their hips is considered an aggressive posture… so I am going to have to change the way I comfortably stand if I stay in Indonesia! I am CONSTANTLY putting my hands on my hips when I don’t know what else to do with them.
Saya suka budaya di Indonesia, tapi budaya indonesia sekali berbeda daripada berbeda amerika. Artikel ini berbicara tentang ketenangan di Indonesia. Biasanya, saya tidak suka memalukan orang atau memperlihatkan marah. Saya mau pergi ke negara dimana saya tidak harus marah untuk didengar.
Di budaya indonesia, tangan kiri kotor. Aku lega bahwa saya menggunakan tangan kanan! Saya tidak memahami bagaimana kamu menggunakan hanya satu tangan! Saya menjadi sekali lambat. Artikel ini mengatakan bahwa orang indonesia mengunjungi sampai sebelas malam. Aku berharap itu banar, karena aku suka tidur awal.
I also learned more about the clothing etiquette in Indonesia, another aspect I would have to adapt to avoid offending people in Indonesia. Although I certainly don’t wear skimpy clothes, many of my clothes would still be considered too revealing. The aspect of headscarfs in Islamic culture particularly fascinates me, and I have accepted it as something I will probably never understand but will certainly respect. I just love my hair too much, so I need to learn how to wrap up my hair without getting it in a big knot.
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A similar occurrence happened to me once I would unknowingly move my leg during a presentation while in Korea and the presenter stopped to tell me to please stop moving my leg. It was initially really embarrassing but I then learned that culturally it was a very rude gesture and that it also signified I would die or have bad luck. It was shocking but don't worry people are very understanding and they know that as a foreigner you cannot know all their cultural norms.