First
day of orientation down! After landing safely in Michigan, Kate (who
has been so patient as we bombard her with questions about Indonesia
ranging from food to language to animals) picked us up and brought us
over to the university for our first orientation classes. Learning the
necessary language for survival was challenging, but definitely fun and
rewarding.
Kate and Dan then gave us some lessons on the basics of Islam
and a little bit about Indonesian politics, which was really
interesting and informative. Dan was so great and enthusiastic and
taught us about some of the interesting social and political movements
in Aceh, Indonesia as well as about different interpretations of Islamic
law. I can't believe I've learned this much already and it's only day
one! Can't wait to see what else is in store for us tomorrow!
--Ellie McGuire, Lehigh University
I
can't believe the first day of our journey is over! After a short bout
of travel, Kate picked us up from the airport and took us back to the
university where we ate a quick lunch as we interrogated her about all
things Indonesia. She had a lot of really useful information about the
food and Mosquitos and other practical issues. After that we had a very
basic language lesson. It was fast paced but fairly easy to pick up.
Next, Kate and Dan discussed the ins and outs of Indonesian politics and
Islamic law. This was a really helpful discussion because it helped to
clarify to what extent religion plays a role in their government. Their
enthusiasm and knowledge made the discussions go quite quickly and after
we were done, we went out to delicious Japanese food with Kate. All in
all, it's been an exhausting day but I can't wait to see what they have
planned for us tomorrow!
--Shannon Cassidy, Lehigh University
When
having told friends and family I would be traveling to Indonesia in
June, the response was always “why?” Why would I want to travel to the
world’s fourth most populous nation? Why would I want to travel to the
third largest democracy? Why would I want to travel to the home of the
largest Muslim population? The question should really be “why aren’t you
leaving sooner?” This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I am
fortunate to be a part of this program.
For our first day of
orientation, we immediately immersed ourselves in the Indonesian culture
by learning the basics of Bahasa Indonesia. Studying their language is
nothing like memorizing the conjugations of verbs as mandated in French
and Spanish class. I enjoyed this because within five minutes, I was
speaking the language without having to
over think every ending of a word. After only one day, I can now greet
you, ask you where you’re from, where you live, how you spell your name,
request that you to sit down, stand up, eat or drink, all in
Indonesian. Terima Kasih Augustina! (Thank you Augustina).
We then
moved on to clarify our understanding of Islam. Indonesia is critical
because it has emerged as a key player in the dominant ideological
struggle of our time: the competition between democratic modernization
and the rise of extremist Islam. With a strong democracy and large
Muslim population, Indonesia demonstrates that the two are in fact
compatible. Moreover, this lesson was especially vital for me because
this is the one monotheistic religion that I know very little about.
This transitioned smoothly into our next topic on the differences
between Islamic and Adat Law. We analyzed the characteristics of
Islamic law and concluded that it is a product of historical process.
The impact of Dutch colonialism explains why Islamic legal systems seem
more attractive to Indonesians today than Adat law.
The journey has
only begun and I already possess a fair knowledge of the Indonesian
language, a respectful understanding of the most important factors of
Islam, and an argument for why Islamic law propels a strong sense of
nationalism in Indonesia. We have only grazed the surface of the
political ideas, religious commitments, and social diversity that shape
this country. I can’t wait to see what’s next.
--Angela Farren, Lehigh University
Welcome to Indonesia! Welcome to Djokdjakarta Yang Berhati Nyaman! Welcome to Universitas Gadjah Mada!
-- Muhammad Edhie Purnawan, Gadjah Mada University
The first day of our Indonesia Partnership adventure was filled with
excitement. The day started bright and early at 7:00 am, when I met
Angela and our Lehigh coordinator, Stacy Burger, at Coxe Hall. We headed
to the Allentown Airport where our group was finally complete with
Ellie and Shannon. Our final goodbyes would not have been complete
without a group picture, which Stacy took plenty of. After checking in
our luggage and going through our first security check of what I can
only imagine would be one of many, we were finally really starting our
journey! While waiting at the gate, the four of us started to share our
expectations, interests, and questions that we had about our trip. We
were curious about the classes we would
be taking in preparation to meeting our Indonesian partners, the details
of our schedule, as well as how everything would unfold. After an hour
and forty five minutes in the air, we had finally arrived in Michigan.
We were warmly greeted by Kate Wright and off we went to start off our
orientation. Soon after lunch, we dove into our Indonesian lessons with
Bu Augustini, our Indonesian teacher. The language lesson was my
favorite part of the day. After only about an hour and a half of
lessons, we were already practicing how to greet people at various times
of the day, how to use terms of address, how to ask what someone’s name
is, how to ask where someone is from, how to make an offer, and many
more! The language lesson was a wonderfully interactive way of learning
more about the Indonesian culture. I am sure that our “survival”
Indonesian lessons will come in handy soon!
After learning some
Indonesian, we were off to learn about the basics of Islam and Islam and
politics- our day was only starting! Kate Wright gave us a presentation
about the basics of Islam. We learned much about Mohammed and his
revelations which make up the Qur’an and his main message. Furthermore,
we learned about the history of Islam, to the different branches of
Islam, as well as the Five Pillars of Islam, Six Articles of Faith,
Sources of Law, Four Schools, and contemporary communities. I believe
that this presentation session was an important aspect of leveling our
knowledge about Islam despite our different levels of understanding
about the subject. After this, Daniel Andrew Birchok led a discussion
about Islam and politics where we investigated the role of Syriah in the
lives of Indonesians. I believe this lesson was an effective way for us
to look at how Syriah plays a role in the daily lives of Indonesians,
while also reflecting on our culture.
Overall, our first day has
been jam-packed with learning! I am excited for Day 2, but first, it is
time to rest. ‘Til tomorrow!
--Theresa Mejia, Lehigh University
Wow, I can't wait to take part of this adventure just by reading Shannon and Ellie's posts and the itinerary given by Zafira. See you all soon in Jakarta!!
--Cindhi Cintokowati, Gadjah Mada University
