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

Rotary Club - Yogyakarta

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.
-???

This seems to be the mentality of the Rotary Club of Yogyakarta which we visited this afternoon. Their micro credit and training program to educate students at Yogya Agriculture University is based on an empowerment principle that basically focuses on working with people rather than just changing their situation. This program promotes organic farming and is a model for local farmers looking for more sustainable agricultural practices (rather than relying on chemical fertilizers and pesticides, which are currently overused). The Gaia Foundation that we visited Monday and Tuesday seems to operate in a similar fashion. The Gaia Foundation provides scholarships for street children to attend school and educate themselves rather than just feeding them and giving them a place to stay. Both of these organizations - the Gaia Foundation and the Rotary Club of Yogyakarta - are working to educate the street children and farmers, respectively, in Indonesia rather than just changing the situations in which they are currently living.

This micro credit and training program for farmers is just one of the Rotary Club's many projects; others address poverty, health care, literacy, etc. This project, however, is especially important because over 40% of Indonesians work in the agriculture field, and 60% of the poorest of Indonesians are farmers. Therefore, it is important that there is a program that introduces farmers to organic farming and teaches them sustainable farming practices. This micro credit and training program provides seed, fish, rabbits, goats, etc for the farmers. We walked around this afternoon (right before the mini flash flood) and saw some of the goats, rabbits, and rice fields that were part of the program. Joglo Tani (an Association of Organic Farmers) and Yayasan Kaula Karya (an NGO) also support this micro credit and training program.

In summary, this program is one way that Indonesian farmers in Yogyakarta, who provide vital products for the island of Java, can receive revolving loans to begin organic farms and become educated about farming, which is central to Indonesian culture.

Also, I just lost the game. :)

~Sarah

Lots of Questions, Not Enough Answers.

in bali: oh look at our cute little faces! :)

Oh, what do you know? I get the terrific honor of being one of the first bloggers on this trip, along with Miss Rachel. Pretty exciting stuff -- I love to blog! It's currently miserable outside: dark and pouring rain. In other words, a perfect time for blogging. Currently, GIEU Indonesia is in Yogyakarta, a central province on the island of Java.  After a few days of orientation in Bali, here we are, ready to explore Indonesia's complex culture.

Today, we visited Yayasan Gaia and the Lembaga Ombudsman Swasta. Yayasan Gaia is an NGO that provides scholarships to selected street children to allow them to attend school. These scholarships can be renewed if the student makes the effort to go to class and makes good grades. (Pretty reasonable, right? There are so many children in Indonesia who could use the scholarship money.) We checked out their gorgeous campground which the foundation uses to raise money for their scholarships through team-building and ropes course programs.

Not going to lie, I was terribly disappointed at first. From the earlier descriptions given to us, I was expecting an almost orphanage atmosphere where we could hang out with street children. Literally, my first thought was, "this is... it?" After asking a gazillion questions, I did lose some of my initial grumpiness -- Ari, a short adorable worker, really described the processes of the institution. It was just cool talking to her in general, and communicating in our broken languages about our backgrounds and stuff. They are doing good work with limited resources. Initially, they worked with the Indonesian government with providing housing to street children, but it didn't work out. The kids hated the structure after years of freedom on the streets. As a consequence, Yayasan Gaia shifted its focuses from housing to education, free health clinics, and disaster relief.

It's interesting to note the role of NGOs like Yayasan Gaia in Indonesia. We later went to the Ombudsmen's office -- a group of five people who listen to complaints, investigate, and recommend solutions to mediate problems. There, one of the ombudsmen emphasized the critical tie with NGOs as a way to put pressure on authorities to act ethically. In Yogyakarta, it seems, the NGOs really take an activist role in putting pressure on issues - very much like America. In Bali on the other hand, after a brief conversation with a maternal health clinic's fundraising coordinator, I saw a different side: the NGO as a passive entity, working around the problems rather than attempting to fix the system. The director said flatly that non-governmental groups in the role of advocacy are not effective. I had a problem with that, since I'm all about Action! Direct Communication! Change from the bottom up! -- actions that have been effective in the US.

These two contrasts between islands are very interesting to me. Why is Yogyakarta more activist compared to Bali? Why is Bali hesitant to criticize the system? These are some questions I'll have to think about on the rest of the trip.

Until next time!

- Nina