Job Discussion Forums

ghost · Joined: 30 Jan 2003 Posts: 1693 Location: Saudi Arabia

Selamat malam folks

I'm currently studying Bahasa Indonesia at the Puri Bahasa Language school in Yogyakarta, Indonesia (www.puribahasa.net)

Jl Purwanggan 15, Yogyakarta 5512, phone: 62-0274-555 407
Fax: 62-0274-555 408
e-mail: [email protected], [email protected]

It's a good introduction to the language and the country as this is my first time here. Yogyakarta is a good city for 'Bules' because there is a very nice convenient area called 'Prawirotaman' which has dozens of cheap hotels and guest houses. I'm paying 70,000 per night for a room at the Metro Hotel, which has a pool, and breakfast is included. Good deal.

Hotel/Guest House Metro, Prawirotaman 71, Yogyakarta, Tel: (0274) 372364

Learning Indonesian is fun, and the teachers at 'Puri' are good, and the book is very useful, and only costs 50,000, but you get it free if you do around 50 hours at the school. I'm paying $7 an hour for one to one tuition. After a few days, all of us are already ready to write a short essay in Indonesia about who we are and what we are doing. Decent levels can be attained in about 1-4- weeks (3 hours per day).

Nama saya 'ghost' - saya dari 'ghost land' - saya orang ghost. Keluarga saya di 'ghost land' Dan saya masih sendiri, saya belum menikah....

This language is very user friendly, and if you practice what you learn in class, progress will be very quick. Learning other regional Bahasas is a different matter, though, and Bahasa Java, for example, is much more complex.

Learning Bahasa Indonesia is almost like learning an adapted language in which joining vocabulary together is enough to make coherent sentences.

More soon.

Ghost in Indonesia

Nabby Adams · Joined: 08 Feb 2008 Posts: 215

Nice post Ghost.

So what are your first impressions on the country that you have been umming and rring about for so long? Worth taking a pay cut for?

Would that Bahasa school be able to sort out a visa by chance? And how much would a full time study course cost per month?

MrMrLuckyKhan · Posted: Sun Feb 24, 2008 11:24 am Post subject:

Bagus!!!!!

Glad you pickin up the language pretty easily!! That makes it a lot easier to get into a conversation with the local, even if you only know a few words!!!!

METRO GUESTHOUSE!!!!! That place is awesome!!!! I stayed there about 3 weeks ago!!!!! I LOVE the view!! I stayed in room 7 overlooking the pool, with the HUGE volcano in the background!!! Also, go to the rooftop near the pool, great view of the city! And there are those funny guys next door that are ALWAYS shaking their pigeons from their rooftop too, haha!!!

Also, there are always those becak drivers hanging out front there, but I got the cheapest (and fastest) transport by asking them to take me on a bike, and they would!! Always tryin to get me to go see a damn 'silver factory, lol.

And I noticed that large bintangs cost 15,000 at almost all the places OFF that main road. A cool place to eat/drink for cheap is that bamboo/tiki looking place on the left BEFORE you get to the main road when leaving Metro. I also met some English teachers there too that go there often. They worked at EF, but told me that Real English was looking for teachers..

Here are 2 pics from my room

Here is a panoramic shot i made of borobudar (sp?)

Shot from the top of borobudar

Random shot from the bottom of the volcano. I walked up one of the lookout points where you are supposed to be able to see a great view, but it was too cloudy;(

ghost · Joined: 30 Jan 2003 Posts: 1693 Location: Saudi Arabia

Bagus,

I swim in that pool every day, before or after class. Nice pics.

I also go to the Bamboo Hut, where there are many ex pats, some of whom have lived in Yogya for years - and are eccentric but interesting.

Bamboo Hut - banyak orang 'bule'This enclave (Prawirotaman) is very convenient, even though eating here is more expensive than other parts of Yogya. Kemarin malam saya makam nasi ayam (15,000).

The owner of the Metro is a 'Haji" and is very intelligent - he likes 'Bules' - "Dia orang pandai sekali."

I will keep you updated. "Saya senang di sini!"As I am here for two weeks, I am renting a bike at sepuluh ribuh (10,000) setiap hari (per day)

I have a flight for Bali, Adam Air - Yogya to Bali (Denpasar) for just Tiga Ratus Lima Ribuh (305,000) next Jum'aat....dua puluh sembilan Februari (29/2) - pesawat di Indonesia - mura, mura!
Ghost in Indonesia

MrMrLuckyKhan · Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 9:32 am Post subject:

That sounds like a pretty sweet deal on a bike you got!!!!

Sounds like you already know quite a bit more Bahasa than me, and I've been in Indo for 4 months already, lol...

keep us updated!!!

guruengerish · Joined: 28 Mar 2004 Posts: 424 Location: Australia

Try BOROBODUR.

You mention bikes at 10,000 per day, You didn't say if that was a sepeda motor or a plain old sepeda. aka trundly/push bike/bicycle.

How about a decent safety helmet too?

The reason is that we'll be there in a few weeks, and looking for motor bikes and helmets to hire.

malu · Joined: 22 Apr 2007 Posts: 1344 Location: Sunny Java

Andror · Joined: 01 Sep 2006 Posts: 34

ghost · Joined: 30 Jan 2003 Posts: 1693 Location: Saudi Arabia

sherlock · Joined: 30 Jan 2007 Posts: 72

Ghost, thank goodness you have come to terms with how much it actually costs to live here.

You sound like you are enjoying your course, great - It kind of reminds me of when I first started learning.

ghost · Joined: 30 Jan 2003 Posts: 1693 Location: Saudi Arabia

Sherlock - you are right about what you say, with regard to Indonesian. To reach a high level would, of course, take a while, but I think someone with good study habits, motivation and the desire to practice, could achieve relative fluency within 6-8 months. Reading the newspaper, though, would be the real litmus test - and that, I suspect, would take considerably longer. At the language school I study at (http://www.puribahasa.net) - things move quickly, and after just 5 days of study we (the students) are expected to write short essays in B.I.

Example of essay: Kegiatan sehari-hari
Biasanya saya bangun pagi jam 7. Lalu saya mandi dan sikat gigi. Sesudah itu saya makan pagi. Kira kira jam 7.30 saya berangkat ke escola, Puri Bahasa Indonesia. Saya mulai belajar Bahasa Indonesia
jam 8 pagi dan selesai jam 11 ....etc..

As a speaker of several other languages, I focus on listening and speaking and am very receptive to what people say. Yes, the Indonesians may speak slowly to us, but if I watch t.v. I can already understand and guess a lot of what is being said. There are also a lot of cognates in the language. Really, this language is not that challenging and with moderate effort, even, anyone should be able to make good headway in a relatively short period of time. The fact that one can read Indonesian easily is also a major boost. When studying Mandarin or Japanese, for example, there are thousands of characters to master - not so with B.I.

I find Indonesians, in their vast majority, to be decent people. I think they are very tolerant with 'bules' and really do cut us a lot of slack when it comes to lifestyle and behavior. I was originally somewhat apprehensive about the way they view 'infidels' (in the muslim majority areas), but even in the muslim 'kampung' I was touched by the hospitality reserved for 'bules' - you will visit so many homes and be offered snacks....heart warming. It is a country that grows on you, despite the pollution and less redeeming features...in many parts.

I was planning to go to Medan, but enjoy my language course in Yogyakarta so much, that I have decided to stay in Yogya. Internal flights are very cheap, also. I will fly to Denpasar from Yogya. for the modest sum of 305,000 rupiah ($34 u.s) - a trip that would take close to 24 hours by bus.

Ghost in Indonesia.

wailing_imam · Joined: 31 Mar 2006 Posts: 580 Location: Malaya

Bset of luck on your cheap flight. Life is cheap on Indonesian planes.

MrMrLuckyKhan · Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 11:14 am Post subject:

Llamalicious · Posted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 3:31 am Post subject:

Oh, that and crashing into the sea.

ghost · Joined: 30 Jan 2003 Posts: 1693 Location: Saudi Arabia

So far in my 18 day trip to Indonesia, I have used Lion Air from Denpasar to Surabaya (397,000 rupiah/$44 u.s.) and Mandela Air
from Yogyakarta to Denpasar (305,000 rupiah/$34 u.s.) - both flights were fine, but of course, no food or drinks included for that price.

In Yogyakarta, cost of living was much cheaper than Bali. In Yogyakarta, my hotel (Metro Hotel, Prawirotaman) cost a mere 70,000 per night ($7.78 u.s.) with a nice breakfast included (roti, te, tellur, banyak buah). The hotel had a nice pool (12.5 metres in length) where I could continue my daily exercise regime, as well as jogging on the small jalan

In Bali, on the other hand, I have managed to find a hotel at the limit of my price range for 150,000 per night ($16.67) this is the AA Hotel in the Tuban area of Kuta, near the Airport. Also includes breakfast - tabi tidak tellur....

In Kuta, meals are hard to find for under 20,000 if you eat where the tourists eat, and the costs are more like 30,000. But I go to the pasar where basic meals cost 5000 rupiah - and I usually have two dishes...total 10,000. You can also get an excellent fruit plate for just 6,000 on the beach in Kuta. Not bad.

Overall, I think I would rather live in Yogyakarta compared with Bali - because I get tired of being accosted here with offers of 'massage, massage..." by all these ladies, many of whom look rather obese - no wonder as they just lounge around all day.

Hari ribu, saya berangkat pergi ke Korea, Jam satu, siang. Saya senang di sini, tabi kerja di Korea. Banyak uang di Korea....masa depan pentang,

Ghost in Indonesia.