Your experience of culture shock in Indonesia

As a sound English chap, I always eat with a knife and fork - but not any more.
It's normally acceptable to eat rice with your fingers here, something that took a day or few to get used to.
One piece of most important advice - never scratch your bum before a meal.

Another was the handshake. The English shake hands in a harsh way, employing a strong grip. It's very much a show of masculinity as well as friendship.
The first time I met my father in law, I shook hands in my usual way, but watched his face go limp just before the rest of his body followed.
Out here, men shake hands pretty much as women do in England, then put their hand to their heart .
This displays a willingness to accept you into their heart - rather nice.

i am a master student in indonesia .. i was surprised by the fluctuating mood/ behavior towards me .. one moment they behave like they are ur best friend on the next they will make u feel like strangers .... and they take off shoes before they enter in their houses even in the toilets .. and withe commode they use mug instead of Muslim shower  i am really curious to know that how they use mug with commode hmmmmm their are a lot more things which made me paused ....

Biggest cultural shock for me is the attention people pay towards myself and my family.

My Thai wife has been insulted a number of times when out with me

Whilst my English children when out here on holiday were photographed , videoed  and the source of many comments.
Unfortunately my Bahasa is still not yet good enough to understand them all , but I know some where good and some bad.

The photographs and vids are pretty common, mostly with schoolkids, but also with some adults.
Most comments are positive, sometimes too positive, but a few can be nasty.
Racists and bigoted fools are in every country, Indonesia being no exception, but they are limited when compared to the positive.
I've lost count of the number of times I've been selfied with schoolkids in places like old town.
Smile a lot, and let them have their harmless fun.
Positive impressions of foreigners now might well have a lasting effect when they grow older.

So it's something like my first week in Bandung. I'm teaching a large class of 4th or 5th graders in a large private school. So i've got these exercise worksheets to hand out and I approach the student's desk at the top of the row and i lick my thumb and index finger to then leaf through the sheets I need. You should have seen the reaction from the kids when they saw me lick my finger/thumb. It was like I licked a candy off the ground or seomthing.

...People can be very hospitable and yet also treat you like they've never seen a person with blue eyes, someone from another place other than Inodnesia.

stefa_ga wrote:

lick my thumb and index finger to then leaf through the sheets

Did you lick your left hand's thumb?

Aaaaaah!...yes...thank you. I didn't think of that.

Yes, it was with the left thumb/index finger

stefa_ga wrote:

Aaaaaah!...yes...thank you. I didn't think of that.

Yes, it was with the left thumb/index finger

I see you've realised, but I'll explain for any other readers.

Toilet roll is less than popular in Indonesia as the vast majority of the population are Muslims, and the Muslim holy book lays out a way to clean your bum after a trip to the thunder box.
It says you must use water when available, and 'leaf' only when water isn't available, explaining the little hose that are normally next to toilets.
Before the days when the hose wasn't invented, you would splash water with your right hand, rubbing off anything sticky with your left.
Thus, the left is considered unclean.

This is fixed in Indonesian culture, so you avoid passing anything to anyone with your left and, should there be no choice, you say, "Maaf kiri" (Sorry I've used my left).
Of course, modern hygiene and more powerful arse cleaning hoses means this is largely a thing of the past in cities (At least the richer parts), the old bum washing technique is still pretty normal in much of the country.

Of course, that means you NEVER lick the fingers of your left hand.


.

Happily for me I am left handed which causes many people to stop when they see me do things. I also chew pens, talk to myself and always like to shake hands with new people I  meet.
All of which often causes debate and uncomfortableness especially Muslim female Indonesians, but makes me smile.
When challenged over my talking and pen chewing when I teach, I like to explain that the students need to calm down afterall pen chewing is as weird to them as washing up in cold water is to me.

Hi,
From Pakistan now in Jakarta

I don't live in Indonesia permanently but stay for reasonably long periods. What I do find that is much different to home is that the neighbours are so interested in where I'm going , what I'm doing etc. I'm sure they are just curious ,but it's something that doesn't happen here in Australia . Our neighbours here are lucky to say hello ,let alone asking where I'm going? But the Balinese surely are willing to help out if they see me trying to figure something out, which I think is nice. Even the local kids are curious if they see me doing some gardening etc. it's like they think we don't know what we are doing! Maybe they are right😳