Day 19

Fairy Garden

Today we embarked on our first of many American journeys. The day was kicked off by a beautiful campus tour given by the lovely Kate, after which we were served lunch in a cafe. This was one of the first examples of how our roles as hosts and guests have switched. It was funny to see that today it was the Indonesians that were unsure of what to order and how to choose. It was also really interesting to see their reactions to new foods that are simply normal to us, like pickles for example. 

After lunch, Kate gave us directions to split into groups and to go on a scavenger hunt around downtown Ann Arbor. Gita and I found lots of interesting shops and places to eat while we were searching for "fairy doors" which were unique to the town. We also located a larger fairy village that was made by Ann Arbor's downtown development authority. 

Later in the day, we had the opportunity to have a discussion with a muslim student group from the university and we had a mixed dialogue comparing and contrasting what it means to be a Muslim outside of a Muslim country. After that we also had the opportunity to meet with one of the university's Christian groups as well and participated in a really dynamic multimedia discussion on the values of Christianity and how they participate on campus. 

It's been a really long day and I'm happy to be back in America! Until tomorrow!

--Shannon Cassidy, Lehigh University

 

After two weeks of exploring Jakarta and Yogyakarta, we have returned to the United States. I want to thank both the UI and UGM committees for being so hospitable and accommodating. They truly made it an unforgettable experience even with the burden of having to cope with four sick Americans. 

Back in Michigan, we continued our religious dialogue with the Muslim Students Association and the Harvest Mission Christian Group. After our discussion with Michigan’s Muslim students, I felt as though I had spent the last few years of my life in the dark, blind to the discrimination that occurs every day against minority groups. One Muslim girl explained that there have been times when she was walking down the streets of Ann Arbor and had been spit on, given the middle finger, cursed at, or called a terrorist. Others noted that when traveling they were stopped at least five times by security in one trip. 

Similar to the disputes that arise in Indonesia over religious beliefs, America is also plagued by the evils of prejudice. It possesses some to act in a way that makes you question their very existence. Are some people honestly that hateful? The group proceeded to conclude that though discrimination is present, it is not prevalent in America and they feel accepted almost everywhere they go. This should be the case especially since our nation was founded on the principle that Americans must have the right to freedom of expression, speech, and religion. Why some find it absolutely necessary to express their opinion about Islam by spitting on a Muslim merely proves that they don’t have the intellectual capacity to create an argument justifying their condemnation of this religion. 

This conversation was very enlightening for me because I was never exposed to such cruelty. However, these events impacted this group in a very positive way. It helped strengthen their religious identity. They became more confident in themselves and refused to conform to societal norms. Though they do not have the luxury of hearing the call to prayer to remind them when to pray, they still make sure they do five times a day. Even in inconvenient locations like public bathrooms, they assure their feet are rinsed. 

 Though the quote goes “where ignorance is bliss, it’s folly to be wise,” learning about their experience had the opposite affect on me. I did not want to crawl back into the dark and hide from the reality of discrimination against Muslims. Rather, I was inspired by the way they handled these situations because it revealed the pride the have for their religion. This goes to show that no country is perfect, but we’re working on it.

--Angela Farren. Lehigh University

Our first day in Michigan! ♥

--Anggita Paramesti, Gadjah Mada University