Setting aside our social biases and prejudices, opening-up and appreciating others' culture, and integrating into our own lifestyle the social norms and practices of Indonesian locals without losing our own Filipino identity will always be an amazing and beautiful metamorphosis of migration.
Learning and being able to speak Bahasa Indonesia is the start of migrant adaptation. If the enumeration here in Heart to Heart became a part of your lifestyle now as an expat, you definitely became an 'orang Indonesia' by heart.
1. Krupuk becomes a part of your meal. You even pack them for lunch later.
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| meal with krupuk |
2. You have this mighty 'mortar and pestle' in your kitchen...
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| ulekan batu |
3. You can name the variety of sambal served on the table, and you can concoct your own.
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| Photo Credit: Goshio Arago, Quora Site |
4. Tempeh goreng with sambal and hot rice,eaten with bare hands, is now your best meal ever.
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| A bountiful meal of tempeh goreng, nasi hangat and sambal |
5. Your spices for cooking are not only limited to garlic,onions, ginger, and onion leeks, but your kitchen is now filled with varied herbs.
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| Photo credit:30019654-Indonesian-spices-on-mortar-Stock-Photo |
6. The green bottle in your medicine kit is no longer rubbing alcohol -rather a sizeable amount of minyak kayu putih.
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| Green Cross and Cap Lang bottles |
7. You normally wear 'inside slippers' at home. Now, you realize that barefoot is way healthier.
8. You used to shop at Avon, now-it's Oriflame.
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| Avon & Oriflame Cover Brochure |
9. You know that these words are coined: buber, jablai, baper, ,telmi, lemot, warkop, and many more to mention.
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| Indonesians love to coin words. |
10. The throng of motorbikes along the road does not amaze you anymore.
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| Photo credit: Fabio Magnan @ The inertia.com |
11. You know that peanut sauce goes with fresh lumpia and kare-kare. Now, you love smearing peanut sauce on your pecel, gado-gado, and satay.
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| Photo credit: pecel@kelilingnusantra.com; satay@mum'spantry.com; gado gado@taste.com.au |
12.You have a multitude of batik clothes and you wear them on special occasions.
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| Photo credit: delviastore.weebly.com; Senada Batik Bali |
Indeed, after living for a few years here in Indonesia, we have definitely adopted some of its culture. We even call it our second home. 😃On the other hand, there are also practices that a Pinoy expat would probably never embrace which I will be sharing on my next blog. Till then!
8. You used to shop at Avon, now-it's Oriflame.
