Seeing

One of my favorite things to do is reading blogs or stories written by people from abroad who visit my home country. It is interesting how they see things differently and it is amazing how they are trying to describe what they see in their own language, i.e. English. It shows how I often take for granted what I see, how I do things, how I move, what I ride, etc. And of course, that would only be revealed when I am exposed to differences. The more I see differences, the more I got to think about what something means and how something is of values, to me. Seeing differences does not have to make me agree on everything, but it definitely brings to my senses that there are different ways of seeing.

(Translation, bring it on, BM!!!!)

Below are some examples of how people describe their "Indonesian" experiences in English.

RONDE: this guy spends his day rolling around neighborhoods rolling and ringing a bell to let people know he is around. He makes a sweet soup that is very delicious.
(courtesy Jonathan F.)

BATIK: Batik, a traditional and very meticulous and time-consuming fabric. Hot wax is applied to the cloth and the waxed cloth is submerged in dye. layers are added carefully to create beautiful patterns (courtesy Jonathan F.)

ON RICE: Rice, the staple food, is served with every meal. Usually, it's white, except on birthdays (then it's yellow, made with saffron and coconut milk). But, in this mountain-top cafe, the rice is always red/purple. Life is different, never dull. (courtesy Katie S.)

COCONUT AND ORANGE: Fresh coconuts (yes, they're yellow) and oranges (yep, they're green) - courtesy Katie S.

ARISAN? : This is a dinner where a group of women would gather and play a game that appears to be similar to gambling, but it actually functions as a savings group. Each (month?) they contribute to a pool of money and pick a winner. The winner of the previous month pays the next month's (usually very elegant) lunch or dinner. In the long run, you get back what you put in. If there are 10 people, with a pay in of 20, then on every 10th month, on average, you will get 200. meanwhile it serves as a great social bonding group. (courtesy Jonathan F.)