Why I love Indonesia

So, you wanna know why I love Indonesia so much? Well I'll tell you
^.^ in fact there are soo many reasons why I love your country..

Firstly, Indonesian people are so friendly, in Bali, or even in big
cities like Surabaya and Jakarta.. Here in Australia, people are less
friendly, they really don't appreciate things as much as Indonesians
do.. Sometimes here, you could look at a young man the wrong way, and
then he'd say "what are you looking at, idiot".. But in Indonesia, the
people are so friendly..

I’ve talked to people on the street, in
shops, orang yang jual bakso (wkwk), taxi drivers and anyone else!
It makes you feel like they welcome me to their country.. Here, Aussies
aren't like that, they see Asians, Black people or even Muslims, and
they say to themselves "I wish they would go to their own
country!"/"they don't even speak English!".. It's really rude of them,
doesn't make me proud to be Australian.. But, we must remember that
there are a lot of nice people here, that encourage Australia to
become multicultural.. The government supports it to, so in many ways,
I still believe Australia is one of the best places to live on this
earth.. Every country has good and bad things right?

Secondly, why I like Indonesia so much is because it's so rich in
culture and tradition! Bigger cities have less culture, but places
like Bali & Jogja, they have unique Traditions, landmarks and people..
I know there are so many other places in Indonesia that I haven't been
to yet, but are surly very rich in culture, like places in Sumatra,
Kalimantan and also Maluku.

Anyway, Australia is such a new country, the ancient
living aboriginals who lived here have been here for thousands of
years, but the white Australians only came here in 1770! (if I am
correct).. We have no culture, only culture of how white Australians
are unique.. No culture from the past people of this country.. Or no
religious traditions.. But yes, we have Christmas and Easter, but
these days, people forget the meaning of these events..

Ok, lastly why I love Indonesia is because I have met soo many nice
people there! Friends that make you so happy!
I like all my Indonesian friends; I hope I can make much more, and that
the friendships last for life!

Oh yeah! I love Indonesian girls! Semua kan cantik dan lucu sekali!
Wkwk! As you may know, I always
dream of marrying an Indonesian woman, and bringing her to my
country :) wish me the best ok?

Thanks again for reading guys

Joshua Schmidt

Go away, your bule!

Nearly 90 percent of Indonesia's 240 million people are estimated to be Muslim, making it the largest Muslim population of any country. Does this make the people of Indonesia perfect in every little sense? It is just bule who act badly in Indonesia right? Bule are bad people, always looking for free sex? Always getting drunk?

I have constantly been told by Indonesians, “Bule are so nakal! Selalu cari bercinta, yang nakal, dan cheating on their girls!” Some people who have NEVER met me, have said about me “This bule is only looking for sex, I would not meet him or trust him”, or some people refuse to marry or date a bule because they think they are nakal. Yet all of the people who have said this, have never been to a bule country, have never been dating a bule guy, maybe they have never met a bule guy face to face. How could they know about bule culture? It’s not written in books, it’s not shown on a movie, it’s in the people and the country, you must experience it to understand the culture, it cannot be taught.

Many of these people who say this don’t know how it feels to be judged in such a negative way. For someone to not be your friend, or not talk to you because you are bule? It is really frustrating.

Example: How do you feel if people don’t want to go out with you because you are Muslim? There are some extreme Muslim in Indonesia, correct? Now, how would you feel if I said “Sorry, I don’t want to go out with you to the mall” OR “my parents don’t want me to be friends with any Muslims”. Would you feel happy about this? Or would you tell me “Josh! Not all Muslims are bad, don’t judge us like that! Please!”? Of course you would, I think it’s unfair to be judged like that. Don’t you think that too?

(I don’t think bad of Islam, this is just an example)

But, after saying that, bule are still judged in such a bad way. It doesn’t matter how unfair it is, but they will always be judged. Maybe by writing about this, some Indonesians who read it can understand what I’m saying, and maybe not judge bule like this. But I know there will always be people who judge like this. So, to all Indonesians who judge bule in a bad way, I would like to mention something about Indonesian culture, that I never hear my friends talking about.

As I mentioned about Indonesia being the largest Muslim populated country, wouldn’t that make you think Indonesia has no nightlife for people who like to drink/take drugs/free sex etc? Those things are strictly forbidden in Muslim religion, but thankfully you won’t be beheaded, since Islam in Indonesia is quote modern.

Cities in Indonesia are home to over 1000s of clubs. I've read on websites/blogs written by intellectual Indonesians and bule who have experienced these things that Indonesia has drugs, hookers, free sex, happy ending massage ++, people getting drunk, strippers, corrupt police, corrupt government.

But yet all these things still happen. Does that make Indonesian people bad people, like bule? No, it does NOT mean that Indonesians are bad people. That is because the percentage of these Indonesians do NOT represent the whole population of Indonesia.

Saying that, if it’s bule who do that, people think bule are BAD people for doing those things? How can people say that bule are bad doing those things, but Indonesians are still good? Indonesians do those things too. It’s not fair! Curang! They have no right to make a comment about western culture.

So, for you who have read this, next time you are about to judge someone, just think of how it feels first, and if it is fair to judge like that.

Emang ada bule2 banyak yang baik di dunia, mungkin kamu belum pernah kenal

Joshua Schmidt

Introduction

Well, my first post.. Finally I've made a blog!

Now that I have, I can write about all the things on my mind and maybe explain some things about bule culture to Indonesians..

I have travelled to Indonesia many times, and I've learnt a lot about the rich culture - mainly about the relationship between Bule and Indonesians. It really interests me a lot, and since I am Australian, I am lucky enough to understand both countries & both cultures very well.

Also, I have learnt about the language (Bahasa Indonesia), and I believe that speaking the local language to Indonesians really can earn trust and allows you to have a real understanding of the culture & people. I believe it's much better speaking it yourself instead of using a translator.

So, throughout this blog I will be writing my opinion about anything to do with these countries and the culture, both good and bad things.

Topics including:

• Relationship between Australia & Indonesia
• Religious Culture in Australia & Indonesia
• Relationships between the people of Australia & Indonesia
• Leisure & tourist activities in Indonesia
• "Bule in Bali"
• Indonesia's 'underground' culture
• Australia's opinion on Islam Religion
  
• Tips on how to find friendly bule friends/girlfriends/boyfriends
• Any a lot more other things!

So, I look forward to writing about all these topics in the future, and thank you if you will read my blog :)

P.S: For non-Indonesians "Bule = Westerner"



- Joshua Schmidt