Andrian Pangemanan
Graduate School-MBA
Original Country: Jakarta, Indonesia
The Ancient Island Country
According to the history, Indonesia have existed during the Pleistocene period when it was linked with the present Asian mainland. It was during this period that the Homonids made their first appearance and Java Man inhabited the part of the world now called Indonesia (Asianinfo.org). This archipelagic country wih of 17,508 islands stretching along the equator in South East Asia has the five largest islands: Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan, New Guinea, and Sulawesi (Asianinfo.org). |
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The Dazzle of The Mixing of Cultures
Believe or not, the great country of Indonesia has around 300 ethnic groups, each with cultural differences developed over centuries, and influenced by Indian, Arabic, Chinese, Malay, and European cultures and sources (Asianinfo.org). Therefore, Indonesia is populated by peoples of various migrations, creating a diversity of cultures, ethnicity, and languages. The archipelago's landforms and climate significantly influenced agriculture, trade, and the life styles.
I would like pick the culture of Bali from those 300 cultures in Indonesia. On the island of Bali, the major culture is Balinese Hinduism which is a various mixture with gods and demigods. People worshipped together with Buddhist heroes, the spirits of ancestors, indigenous agricultural deities and also with places considered sacred (Wikipedia.org). Those ceremonies will strengthen the belief that the gods and goddesses are present in every thing.
Wikipedia.org has recorded about the Hindu New Year, “Nyepi”--a celebration in the spring by a day of silence. On this day, everyone stays at home and tourists are encouraged to remain in their hotels. But the day before, the large and colorful sculptures of “ogoh-ogoh monsters” are paraded and finally burned in the evening to drive away evil spirits. Other festivals throughout the year are specified by the Balinese pawukon cylindrical system (Wikipedia.org). |
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For me, another interesting thing is the Balinese eat with their right hand instead of their left hand. They believe that the left hand is impure; therefore, Balinese do not hand over things or wave at anyone with their left hand.
My Cultural Experiences
I came to United States when I just graduated from high school. The first impressive thing when I came to USA is the winter sport because we do not have snow in Indonesia. At that time,
I tried skiing and snow boarding with my friends, and we had fun a lot.
I miss indonesian food because there are various seafood in Indonesia. In Indiana, I only can have good seafood in red lobster restaurant. Sometimes, I buy the fresh shrimp in the Saigon market. Believe me, seafood is more than shrimp and lobster. If you have a chance, you should go to Indonesia---a heaven of seafood.
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I also miss the beaches and weather in Indonesia. The beach is clean and pretty; the weather is warmer and nicer.
Now I have my own family here. I appreciated that my beautiful wife brought a little angel for me, and I am learning to be a father. The reason that I want to settle here is because of the good quality of life. For instance, there is less air polution
in the United States. When we go out, we will not have black feet from the dust. Back home, the polution is pretty bad, and it really hurt our baby. Everytime, if we go out with sandals, we have to wash our feet after we come home.
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