Don't talk to strangers... or foreigners?

Well, it's been over a week here in Indonesia, a surprisingly large island nation. So, when we finally had our first beach day yesterday, it was a pretty big deal! The ocean was so much more than I could have ever expected! I personally have limited experience with oceans, so to see waves that might easily have been twice my size was very exciting. Although a clearly marked sign (in English!) read "Dangerous, no swimming", of course Mas Bam Bang (our trusty Jogja travel coordinator) disregarded this altogether and jumped right on in. Now, at this particular beach, "jumping in" really meant trekking out far enough that the waves were still bigger than you are, and waiting at the breaking point for it to either push you over, under, or in. So in essence, we didn't really ignore the sign, because it really would have been quite difficult to "swim" at this particular beach!

One aspect of the beach that surprised me was the amount of trash that littered the sand and clouded the water. With each crashing wave a few pieces of trash would float past you, and there were rarely repeat offenders. If it managed to hit ground without being sucked back in with the next swell, it would end up as just another rotting decoration on the sand. Never in my life have I experienced such a lack of concern for the tidiness of a beachfront. Either at lakes or oceans I have visited, there are always plenty of trash cans available, and usually at least one personnel in charge of keeping up appearances, we even have grooming equipment to rake the sand! This really brought to mind how much of a difference there is between the states and Indonesia. In this culture, it seems that aesthetics are rarely attended to. It is very likely that most people/companies simply do not have the funds to do this, but on the other hand, it seems very much like the people are concerned with the functionality of a store more so than how it looks. If this were not the case, it seems that many stores might go out of business, which is something I have not noticed in my short time here. All of my speculations may be completely inaccurate, but I will be interested to get to know the culture more in order to determine the nature of some of these differences. It makes more sense to me that businesses would exist for functional purposes rather than as a result of marketing of the brand or the aesthetics of the stores.

Another difference I have noticed here is the fact that our group of 15+ "bule" (the term used for foreigners, although the word actually means white, or white people) draw so much attention and fascination. This goes beyond feeling like you're being watched, to actually being approached by groups of school children and asked to take photos, or even to sign your name! It's a huge ego boost for us, we are all getting a taste of the celebrity lifestyle. But on a more serious note, it really points to the ingrained cultural differences between the United States and Indonesia. The people here have been incredibly friendly and patient with us, and always seem to notice us, even if we have broken off into smaller groups. In the U.S., I can't say that I have ever had this reaction about a "foreigner", in fact, it has never even crossed my mind that I might want to take a photo with a group of tourists! Why would I want that? I don't know these people! But here, in order to know someone, you might only have exchange a smile and say hello! This friendliness is such a concept to us, I will certainly carry it back to the states with me. Unfortunately, the difficulty there is that in the U.S., almost anyone could be foreign. To me, a "foreigner" is someone that does not live in the United States, but obviously this is a hugely varying term and a source of controversy in itself. Regardless of the chosen definition, there are many cases in which it would be almost impossible to pick out a group of visitors or tourists by only their appearance because of the variety of nationalities we have in the States. Being the friendly, outgoing person that I (think) I am, I much prefer the genuine and natural interactions in this culture. People want to know who you are, and they aren't just asking to be polite! This is such a strange thing to encounter from a perfect stranger, and so great!

After all of these great experiences in Yogyakarta (and still more to come), I am getting more and more excited to meet Ketut Liyer (the medicine man mentioned in Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert) and see what my future holds! This book is an amazing journey through one woman's self discovery, and because 1/3 of it takes place in Indonesia, I loved it that much more! I found myself relating to and understanding her experiences because I finally was able to say I had been to an international destination worthy of publishing in a book!

All I can say is that she is definitely not lying about the motorbikes!
...and Ketut accurately predicted her future.

- Jenny