June 10, 2013 This morning i looked out the window and i havé décided if you can drive in Jakarta you can drive any where. Motocyclistes are to Jakarta as bicycles are to Japan. They are everywhere!! Back to back, side to side they fill the streets with sprinkles of cars and buses in between. As Hemingway might say it is a moveable feast for the eyes. Today we went to visit two schools. We traveled in a mini van. While looking out thé window everday Life in Indonesia Began to unfold. The streets are flooded with scooters. Some riders with helmets, however Most did not. This is certainly thé Most popular form of transportation as it is less expensive than a car. Everyone rides scooters from young adults to thé seniors. However, i was surprised to see so many Children on scooters with their parents. Children usually rode in front if they were toddlers and in thé back if they were primary or older. They certainly have skill on their scooters. I saw countless scooters with 3 to 4 riders on a single scooter!! Later on in thé day i queried some of thé teenagers that were touring me during my school visit and they told me that it was certainly thé norm in Jakarta. The school visits were awesome. The first school was an hour from the hotel. When we stopped at the meet up i was greeted by 3 students. They became my tour guidés/ translators for thé day. They were so much fun!! Their English was gréât and they were so open in sharing their lives. They even made à hello vidéo on thé fly for me in thé first 20 minutes. As we entered the school I was surprised at the style of the architecture. It reminded me of a villa style home. It was U shaped with a playground in the middle. The students waved shyly as we passed by. The welcome by the principal was warm. She had prepared à traditional snack box for us. In thé box were three delicacies that were signature snacks to thé région. I cannot remember thé names but they were delicious. After this visit, the rest of the group went to visit other schools in pairs. I went alone to a different school. I will journal about it and post tomorrow!!!! God willing that I have internet as I am leaving Jakarta for Cimahi. Yesterday, I visited the cultural site Taman Mini Indonesia with other educators, and the principal of school in Jakarta. This cultural site was a revealing introduction into culture of Indonesia and the role that globalization has taken in shaping the economy. First a few facts about Indonesia. Indonesia is comprised of more than17,000 islands (of which 6,000 are habitable) and 300 ethnic groups. Each province has is own language, history and ethnic-makeup. However, despite the diverse ethnic groups, there is an official national language– Bahasa. The diversity does not cause strife in interpersonal relationships as I would have suspected. In fact, Indonesians embrace their diversity, which is clearly evident in their National Motto: Unity in Diversity. This layer in their culture enables them to celebrate differences and embrace the diverse traditions that exist among its people. Traditions and Globalization The cultural site Taman Mini nicely unfolds some of the history and traditions of Indonesia. In Indonesia, place, tradition and time determine when a wedding occurs. Wedding garments speak to the significance of the couple being married and their beliefs. While most of Indonesia is Muslim, there are strong Hindu influences. Weddings take place in temples, where offering are made. There are only three types of offerings made: flour, fruit and water. These influences may be tied to the relationship that people have with agriculture being a staple of their economy. However, globalization has had an influence in the economy and lifestyles of Indonesians. The technology revolution of the 90s continues to shape and define how cultures interact with each other and the rest of the world. This is certainly true for Indonesians. As I walked through the mall near my hotel, I noticed technology was everywhere. You did not see many people on their phones texting in the great numbers that you find in the states. Nevertheless, there were a few. Most of the cafes and restaurants offer free wi-fi as well. The access to information is certainly having an effect on the youth in Indonesia. Many have access to the same MTV, rap video culture that American kids are engrossed by and it is affecting their worldview and their aspirations. While talking with our tour guide, he mentioned that it has become more difficult to get the youth to consider farming as a profession. It has become poorly considered as a profession because it is not lucrative. What is more, Indonesian youth prefer to live in the more urban areas, as those places have the greatest opportunities for good employment. Currently 70% of Indonesian are farmers. I wonder how this will look in five years, considering the urbanization issues that they struggle with in Indonesia. More land is being used to create urban areas leaving insufficient land for farming. While this may appear as progress, it just means that they have less land to produce their own agriculture, which has caused a rise in the importation of staple foods such as rice and coffee. This brings all sorts of questions about sustainability when I hear this. It appears that the youth of this generation wants to embrace more of the opportunities made available in more developed economies which is greatly influencing the urbanization of the land. This evokes all sorts of questions for me like: · How will this effect culture long term? · Indonesia floods all of the time, perhaps moving to produce less agriculture is not such a bod thing, however, do they have any other industries that can move the GDP forward? · How are they going to move literacy forward to meet the demand of the youth that want to embrace more global and modern lifestyles? · What about the lack of a solid middle class and low numbers of college educated Indonesians? In some ways, I am reminded of the youth on the Navajo reservation. A few years ago, I did a Funds For Teachers fellowship that enabled me to spend some time on the Navajo reservation. While there many of the elders complained that it was becoming increasingly more difficult to get the youth to stay or return to the reservation after school. Many felt that the practices, traditions, and ceremonies of their ancestors were no longer relevant in the world today. This disposition by the youth over time has created a generation of kids that do not read or write Navajo. Also, many traditions and skills like weaving are being lost. While there are Navajo boarding schools enrollment continues to drop. The Navajo worry that in a few generations their culture will be lost due to globalization. This leaves me reflecting on these questions: Is technology becoming an abandonment of culture? Is there any way to balance the two? Solomon and Jael are sharing thier adventures on the gkids page.
After a 14 hour flight from Los Angeles to Hong Kong, I boarded the flight to Jakarta. This one was only 4 hours. By this time, I am too excited to be tired. The longest part is over and I am closer to experiencing the wonders of Jakarta. The adventure has begun!!! . As soon as I descended the plane in Jakarta, warm dewy weather greeted me. I felt like I was in Florida but as I advanced through the airport, it was evident that I was not. Signs directing me to customs were written in English and Indonesia. However, this was not even necessary as our greeter was not more than 50 feet from the door to welcome I and the other educators and direct us to baggage. After collecting baggage we went through customs, which did not take more than 60. Chicago takes forever. As i left customs, smiling faces and waving hands motioned for me to come hither. Yes!!!! It was the currency exchangers. There were four windows through which fingers waved at me to come here "no commission." However, this is not quite the case. Each currency exchange offers rates based on the domination you are exchanging. Exchanging small money denominations, such as 20 dollar bills does not yield the best rate. I wish I had known it when I obtained cash at my Hyde Park bank. Nevertheless, the teacher in me investigated more than one window. Thank God I did, I was able to get a better rate with the second window than the first!!! The exchange rate was 9500 for $1.00 rather than 9300 for $1.00. Not dramatic but worth the two extra steps to the left to get it :) Lesson: When traveling to Indonesia exchange at the airport. The rates are better than the hotel. Also, bring large bills such as $100 dollar bills as the Indonesians prefer it. |
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Margo Martin is an award-winning educator that immensely enjoys inspiring kids to cultivate their minds and become global citizens who can compete in an ever changing and competitive world. Archives
March 2017
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