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.
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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.
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.
Korea has a lot of television entertainment program which are distributed by JTBC,MBC,KBS and SBS. 아는 형님 is one of the most popular television entertainment program in Korea right now. The concept of 아는 형님 explores the high school concept where the cast members act as students in a classroom while the guests would come as newly transferred students which is really interesting to me because I know that Korean have really strict rules about how young people should treat elders. However, in this show, they treated each other just like friends at the same age regardless of their real ages. And expect this, the format of this show is also interesting. It is not only a talk show. The cast members will also play games with the guests and give them opportunity to show their talent. A lot of K-pop stars, actors, and singers say that they really like this show. So, I think instead of always mentioning running man, I should also introduce some television program with new concept in contemporary society.
The March First Movement also known as Sam-il (3-1) Movement( 삼일 운동) was one of the earliest public displays of Korean Resistance during the rule of Korean by Japan from 1910 to 1945. The name refers to an event that occurred on March 1, 1919, hence the movement's name, literally meaning "Three-One Movement" or "March First Movement" in Korean. This is the thing that my language partner tell me in the class. And she showed us a statue of Ryu Gwuasun. 유관순 was the organizer of March First Movement and became one of the most well-known participants in this movement, and eventually, a symbol of Korea's fight for independence. I learn that Match First is a really important day in Korea so I think it is important to know the background information of The March First Movement.
