Job Discussion Forums

[Gamushara84]

Hey guys (and gals?):

It looks like I'll be traveling to Indonesia to teach (pending interviews, ha!) and I just had a few questions. I'm sure they've been covered somewhere before, but a lot of the posts that I searched were from 2003, and I really want to get some updated information.

1. How would you say expat women are treated in Indonesia (specifically, Medan) with regards to dress and clothing? I'll admit, when it gets hot, I'll throw on some capris, sandals and a t-shirt. I realize that I will be teaching in a largely Muslim country, and it doesn't bother me to change my clothing to fit the culture--I just need a few tips figuring out what is kosher.

I know that I will be wearing dress slacks and (normally) a short-sleeved blouse (or the school clothing) to work. No problem there. I've looked online and tried to scope out Indonesian fashion, but I can't make heads or tails of what is appropriate. I guess somewhere in between conservative and "all out". What do you think?

2. How does drinking go over in Indonesia (especially in Medan). I'm not a huge drinker (those days are long gone) but I do like to occasionally have a glass of wine or sip a beer on my front porch in the late afternoon. Would you say this is culturally inappropriate? I could move indoors, of course, not a big deal, but I would like to know what other peoples' experiences have been with this type of thing. Is there a huge stigma associated with alcohol?

3. I am a vegetarian. Do you think this would be hard in Indonesia (again, especially in Medan). I have no problem changing my diet and will probably do so to try some Indonesian dishes, but is meat a huge item or "main dish" here?

4. Forceful opinions. Would you say being forceful is considered rude? I know very little about Indonesian culture, but would rather hear your first hand experiences than read some outdated web page from 1995. Have you found that Indonesians find you rude because you speak your mind or know what you want the moment it's asked? Have you found that Indonesians are unable to relate to you because you are too straightforward? I dislike the generalized tone of this question, but it's the only way I know how to ask, so bear with me.

5. How is Bahasa Indonesia?

Thanks for all your help! If you guys have any questions for me (lol) don't hesitate to ask.

Also: random shout-out to Amani.

[Atoms for Peace]

[laughing_magpie06]

I would think unless you were going to cook your own food vegetarian dishes will be hard to find. They are not huge meat eaters and huge steaks are uncommon but fish, chicken and smaller beef dishes seem the norm.

Drinking in major cities seems okay. The hardest thing is to find a really cold one when you need it. Minimarts seem to have beer on the shelf (nice and warm yuk) but easier to go to an area with a bar.

You can speak your mind, you will mostly just get odd looks if they don't agree with you.

[malu]

The very fact that you're asking those questions and thinking about all those issues suggests to me that you'll get on in Indonesia just fine.

I also think Medan has a lot going for it as a home base.

[Amani Renas]

[Gamushara84]

Thanks, guys! I appreciate the comments. If you can't tell, I'm probably going to be in Medan.

ETA: Capri pants, "capris" are:

Short



Long





Pretty basic.

[malu]

What I meant was that I think Medan is a very liveable kind of place. Sure, you don't see photos of downtown Medan on many holiday postcards and the nearest unspoiled white sand beach with swaying palm trees is some way off - but the truth is the holiday paradise type of environment isn't always a conducive place to live and work long term.

Medan has plenty of good places to eat and shop, the infrastructure is fairly coherent and transport connections to the rest of Indo and Malaysia are pretty good. It doesn't quite have the urban sprawl of Jakarta but at the same time it has clean a/c cinemas where you can catch the latest Hollywood films and supermarkets where you can buy a decent pot of yoghurt and a box of breakfast muesli if you really want it.

[Amani Renas]