Saturday, 27 May 2006 @ 1:05pm.
So much can change overnight here… Here is the posting I was working on from yesterday:
Although there are clearly exceptions, Americans tend to be very particular when it comes to “touch.” We are usually aware of personal space and adapt touch to the level of familiarity with another person (e.g., stranger-acquaintance-friend-best friend-family). One American made a good point when we were on a panel at the Fulbright-AMINEF pre-departure/orientation program: some ethnic groups (e.g., Flores) use touch to establish relationships and get closer to others, while Americans often use touch to express familiarity and existing relationships. In Jakarta and other parts of Java, many people are conservative in the sense that men may touch men (e.g., holding hands) and women may touch women, but opposite sex touching beyond a handshake (and sometimes a kiss on each cheek) in public and with non-family members or new people is frowned upon. That being said, however, given the sheer number of people here, everyone is forced to touch when they are cramped in a crowded bus or elevator. Strangers may also walk up to babies and young children and pinch their cheeks or arms and unlike some American reactions of suspicion, concern, or fear, it’s mostly accepted here.
I had one last lunch with Julie before she leaves for the U.S. today (26 May 2006). We were joined by our advisor and his wife and daughter. We went to Kedai Tiga Nyonya and had a delicious meal. I especially liked the ikan pecah kulit (fish - English name?) and poffertjes (a Dutch dessert of small round pancakes, but with an Indonesian twist - shredded cheese on top). The jus belimbing (starfruit juice) was refreshing, too. I was expecting it to be a lot sweeter because many Indonesians like to add sugar or syrup to drinks, but it was just the plain fresh juice this time. Here is a picture of belimbing:
In contrast to the posting above, here are my comments for today:
I woke up this morning and turned on the news as usual, but what did I see on the television? Not the regular sports, political, or health topics, but rather I saw image after image of the gempa or gempa bumi (earthquake) aftermath in Yogyakarta. The earthquake occurred just before 6am. It is so very, very sad! Some of the video and pictures showed people crying, but most just had shock on their faces. The streets were full as people went outside for safety (buildings can fall apart easily in natural disasters). Reports vary about how many people have been injured or killed. The earthquake is said to have been between 5.9 and 6.2 in magnitude. A new, scary dimension is the fear that many people experienced this morning because they thought a tsunami would follow the earthquake. This has thankfully not occurred so far and everyone continues to hope that it does not. I emailed and texted friends in Yogya and hope to hear from them soon.
