I have enjoyed every semester of SDLC.  I feel confident in my ability to have a brief conversation in Indonesian.  SDLC has helped me realize how unique language is.  Before SDLC, I would have had no idea how to study a language like Indonesian.  I especially would not have had the interaction with the culture that I was able to have through Bu Julie and Thalia.  I enjoyed every class and look forward studying after I graduate college.  

I have come to understand when to use “bukan” and “tidak” correctly.  These words are used to show negation.  Tidak is used to negate verbal predicates that are composed of verbs, adjectives, or prepositional phrases.  Bukan is used to negate nominal phrases.  When deciding which word to use, the person who responds must understand what is being asked in order to properly respond.  I have learned how to do this by looking at sentences that have both nominal and verbal predicates and practice negating each predicate.  It has really helped to break up sentences and look at it in sections.

This week, we went to Osaka to eat lunch as a celebration for finishing SDLC.  While at the restaurant, we discussed the food and our week in Indonesian.  Bu Julie discussed the Japanese influence on Indonesia and pointed out items on the menu that are similar to meals that are common in Indonesia as well.  I enjoy going to restaurants and discussing the similarities between cultures.  As someone who has never been out of the country, I enjoy these experiences where we learn about another culture the best we can.   

In order to have a better understanding of the culture in Indonesia, I researched the recent election in Indonesia.  This was a big election year because, for the first time, presidential, parliamentary, and regional elections all took place on April 17.  Results are still being counted, but as of now, the incumbent, President Joko Widodo is leading.  Widodo is seen as a man of the people, while Subianto is seen as a member of the political elites in the country due to his relationship with the Suharto family.  According to many news articles, the economy is one of the most important issues this election cycle.  Widodo has seen the economy grow during his presidency, but some believe he is weakening the country by taking foreign investments from China.  Many speculate that voters will decide not to go to the polls as they feel Widodo has failed to demonstrate the qualities of a good president while Subianto has shown the Islamic majority a lot of attention that other religious groups do not like.  This topic fascinates me, and I think I will use this election in my final presentation for SDLC.

Today, I had a conversation with someone in Indonesian.  One of my friends knows someone who is a native speaker, and he was able to set a phone call up.  Since we did not know each other, we just had a simple conversation about our names, the weather, where we go to school, and where we will work.  I was able to follow along pretty easily and use her sentence structure in my own replies.  Our conversation was only a few minutes long, but I was very pleased with my ability to communicate with strangers in Indonesian. 

This week, I decided to try and make some traditional Indonesian food.  I searched online for some recipes and decided to make satay ayam.  These are basically grilled chicken sewers that usually have a peanut sauce with them.  The dish was not very difficult to make, but it was very tasty.  You start by marinating the chicken in sesame oil, peanut butter, and garlic and then put the skewers on a charcoal grill for just a few minutes.  The chicken turned out great.  I especially liked the sauce.  I am excited to try and find some more recipes that I can try.

This week, I looked into dinner etiquette in Indonesia.  Table manners in Indonesia are very eclectic.  Some places use a knife, spoon, and fork, some chopsticks, and others that require you to eat with your hands.  From what I found about the topic online, it seems that there are several rules that are similar to the culture here.  The guest should always say please and thank you, you should be considerate of others when eating, and you should be respectful of elders at the table.  Some characteristics that are different are that some restaurants do not use chairs, instead you sit on the ground in front of a low table.  Another difference is that many of the places to eat have a more communal setup.  Guests at the table share from an assortment of dishes rather than just ordering your own food.  Another difference is the type of food that is eaten.  In most meals, rice is a basic staple.  Additionally, tofu is commonly served.  Other foods that are common that I have seen in videos are stinky bean, oxtail soup, peanut sauce, and it seems that egg is common as a side for most dishes. 

https://kabar24.bisnis.com/read/20190430/16/917244/imam-nahrawi-sambangi-istana-sebut-hanya-silaturahmi

I have been reading short articles online written by the newspaper Bisnis Indonesia. The above article is an example of the types of articles I have gone through.  I like reading through the business articles because they discuss the cultural events that are happening in the country right now.  Until now, I have only been able to see Indonesian culture from the perspectives of Bu Julie and textbooks, it is nice to have another source that is more current.  The linked article above discusses a bribery scandal that is being investigated by the Indonesian government. 

I had the opportunity to translate an Indonesian passage for my friend.  He was doing a cultural analysis of Indonesia for a business course and the article was in Indonesian.  The article was about a page long, but I did know most of the vocabulary, as it pertained to the culture of Indonesia.  I enjoyed the opportunity to use my language skills to complete a task that will benefit my friend’s project. 

I have learned another negation word.  Belum is used to say that you have not done a task yet.  For instance, if someone asked you if you ate lunch yet, you would say, “Saya belum makan siang.”  This demonstrates that you are going to eat lunch, but you have not done so yet.  In addition to belum, masih belum is another phrase used in negation.  Masih belum indicates that a desired state or event has not yet occurred. 

I have continued to study through Duo Lingo and Drops.  I am thankful for these resources as I will be able to continue using them after I graduate.  Now that school is ending, our conversations have focused on graduation and what we will do after we graduate.  This has further expanded my vocabulary and has kept me interested these last few weeks of school.  I am going to miss this class, as I always enjoyed the meetings.  As I think back to my first class with Thalia, I am amazed at how much I have learned in just three semesters.  I am looking forward to going to Indonesia some day and testing my knowledge.

I have started to read a few articles in Indonesian.  I have mainly looked at newspaper articles.  Some of the vocabulary I am not familiar with, so I have been using an online dictionary.  In order to help my comprehension, I first read through the articles out loud, focusing on my pronunciation.  I then read through the text and scan for words that I easily know.  I do this to try and infer the meaning of the article.  After I have done this, I start to break the article down and look up words that I do not know.  This has helped me expand my vocabulary to words outside of a friendly conversation.  I have learned vocabulary that is common in business, politics, and culture.

I have started to write words down that I encounter that I think are useful.  I have been writing down the words on note cards so that I can quiz myself at the end of the week.  This has further enhanced my ability to recall information.  I have also started watching films that have Indonesian.  This has helped me with my pronunciation.  Finally, I have started to say vocabulary out loud so that I can hear myself and try to correct my mistakes.

Classes are going well.  Since I am the only student learning Bahasa Indonesia this semester, I feel like Bu Julie has made a tremendous effort to help me.  In the previous semesters, I have always learned with other students, all at varying stages of knowledge of the language.  Being able to have one-on-one discussions for the whole class period on my language skill has made me a better speaker.  As Zach and Brad have much more experience with the language than I, it is nice to not have to abstain from conversations because my knowledge of the language is stunted by my inexperience. 

Bu Julie has recommended another language learning program, Duo Lingo.  This program allows for more study time.  I have started to use Drops in the morning when I wake up for five minutes and at night after dinner for another five minutes.  I use Duo Lingo during the day in between classes as there is no time limit to how often I can use the program.  I feel like having all of these resources has helped me tremendously.  I continue to learn more every day and feel like I am not having to relearn old material nearly as frequently as I used to.  I feel like I am really progressing in my knowledge of the language and always look forward to class time.

Bu Julie has started to pull material from an Indonesian language book that she has to supplement my learning.  This book focuses more on conversation.  The book has common phrases for introductions, topics to discuss with strangers, and how to get around Indonesia.  We are still using the book from the SDLC library for cultural information, pronunciation, and grammar.  This seems to work well, as the book from SDLC does not offer as much information on important phrases.  Bu Julie has also started assigning homework out of the SDLC book to help me prepare for the next week’s class.  I believe this has helped me to stay motivated.

Bu Julie has continued to use submersion to help me learn the Indonesian language.  Bu Julie has recommended that I use the Drops application in an effort for me to improve my vocabulary.  I have found the app to be very useful.  The app is sectioned into different groupings of similar vocabulary.  I have started on the food section.  So far I have been able to go through three of the different food sections.  What I like about Drops is that it continues to bring old words back into the mix to help you retain that information as you learn new information.  In class, we have used this vocabulary in our lessons.  Bu Julie will ask me what types of food I like, what I will eat for dinner, and other similar questions to test my recall.  I enjoy this strategy better than previous strategies.  I like knowing what topics we will be covering in the class beforehand so that I can study the necessary vocabulary and practice pronunciation.  This way, when I get to class, Bu Julie can focus on helping me form the sentences correctly.

            This was my first experience teaching myself an entire course on my own.  I found the task difficult, but very rewarding.  It was a long journey to learning just a little bit of Bahasa Indonesian.  Besides learning the language, I also learned a lot about the culture. 

            I found the cultural aspects of Indonesia very interesting.  After doing the cultural presentations, I learned about the influence of different countries on the islands, the current political climate, and what living in Indonesia is like.  The history of the country is filled with occupation, invasion, and differing ideas.  Each island has its own culture that is completely unique.  Together, the islands make up the country of Indonesia, but it is false to equate that to a unity amongst the different islands.  Due to the history of the Dutch trading company and Chines migrants, the culture is unique.  It is a mixture of indigenous ideals and western and eastern philosophies.  In many ways, the country is a melting pot much like the United States.  Different groups have left different impacts on the country.  The Dutch have influenced cuisine, the Chines have advanced the economy, and the indigenous Indonesians have brought their history and culture.  This has led to a country that is very segmented and, at times, antagonistic toward different groups.  I think learning and understanding these differences is as important as learning the language.

            As far as learning the language, the class was extremely helpful in preparing me.  At first, the task seemed daunting.  Trying to learn an entire language is a difficult goal to achieve.  At times, I felt like I was learning the language quickly and easily.  At other times, I felt like I was going nowhere.  The most important aspect I realized was to keep trying.  Whether I was confident or not in a lesson, I reviewed it several times to try and learn a lesson backwards and forwards.  The most valuable characteristic of learning is devoting time.  With this class, I found that easy because I really enjoyed the language, the history, and the culture of Indonesia.  Even when I had nothing to do, I would pull up an Indonesian business newspaper online and try to see what I could understand.  This led me to vocabulary and grammar questions that I could discuss with Thalia.  Using professional, outside resources helped me to put my learning in perspective.  I was able to see what I know and how far I am from being able to function in the country.   

            Having Thalia as a resource as I was learning was extremely useful.  When learning a foreign language, it is difficult to know what is the “book way” to say something and what is the common “slang way” to say something.  There were countless times where Thalia was able to tell us to ignore some vocabulary or some grammar rules because they do not apply to how most people communicate in the country.  Having a native speaker is a huge advantage to SDLC students.  Their guidance, suggestions, and lessons, are all based on our individual learning plans, and it helps the students to focus on a few tasks that are important to them.  Their personal knowledge can only be gained from experience.  In language, this is very useful.

            Finally, it was great to have someone else learning the language with me.  Kevin and I helped each other with questions and worked together on one presentation.  We could learn differently on our own, but by coming together, we were able to solidify our knowledge of individual lessons.  We would meet up and test each other’s vocabulary, discuss previous grammar lessons over dinner, and we studied for the final together.  It was helpful to have a friend who was as dedicated as I was at learning the language.  I am sure I would have been able to learn the language without another student taking the same language, but it was very helpful to have him there.

            I greatly enjoyed my SDLC 105 and SDLC 110 classes.  Taking both classes together helped me bring different aspects to different classes.  105 made me dissect the language and look at it in its simplest form.  It also helped me to draw connections to other languages I know.  110 helped me learn the major points of the language so that I will one day be able to visit the country.  I am looking forward to my next semester with Thalia.  I hope that my basic understanding will grow each semester so that I will be close to fluent by the time I graduate in a year.  I hope to learn more about the specifics of the culture and as much vocabulary as I can in my future lessons.  One aspect I want to bring to Thalia next semester is to create a vocabulary list full of useful words and phrases.  Hopefully we can focus on a section every week so that I can learn the entire list by the end.  The only thing I would like to change is my lesson plan.  I think my lesson plan needs to be more realistic next semester.  After learning how difficult some tasks are, I think I will be better prepared next semester.  

In preparation for my final exam in Bahasa Indonesian, I started to review my notes, the study guide Thalia made, and the study guide that I made.  After seeing how much I have accomplished this semester, I finally feel like I have learned a lot.  When going week by week, it is difficult to realize just how much material I have covered.  This semester, I have learned the numerical system, tenses, grammar rules for specific question words, and vocabulary.  While I do not have it all memorized, I do know a fairly large portion of the material.  I am confident in my ability to take my existing knowledge and add to it in future lessons with Thalia next semester.  I feel that I have found some good study habits for vocabulary, and I have also learned what methods of learning work best for me.  Without using flashcards and recordings of the language, I would be lost in the class.  The semester was difficult, but it is rewarding to see how much I was able to teach myself the language.

This week, we discussed tenses.  In Indonesian, there are several important characteristics to keep in mind.  The three areas are tense, aspect, and temporal marker.  These have to do with time and if the action is completed, ongoing, or yet to be started.  This lesson was very difficult.  Different key words indicate different scenarios.  Sudah represents a completed action. Belum means a continuing action.  Bara saja means recently completed. Masih means a situation is ongoing.  Masih belum means a task is expected, but it has not yet occurred.  These tasks are all accompanied by time markers such as time, dates, months, or weeks.  In Indonesian, these time markers are extremely important to clarifying speech.  Depending on how recent or old an action is also determines what phrase to use. 

This lesson taught me the importance of the vocabulary for time.  Without this vocab, it is pretty much impossible to have a conversation in Indonesian.  Because there are so many terms, I made flash cards to help me memorize their meanings and when to use them.  I am confident in my ability to read and write with the new grammar rules, but I am not able, yet, to fully understand them as I speak or am listening.  This grammar section was very difficult, and I hope to work on it more when I study Indonesian next semester.