Homeward Bound
Posted on July 22, 2010 by Joe
After a few quick days in Denpassar I’m again flying halfway around the world, but this time I head East instead of West. Once again I’m adjusting my clock by 12 hours, but backwards, meaning I’m facing 30 hours of travel that begin and end on the same day. Remarkably, I’ve been upgraded to business class again for my return trip. Before this trip I had never before flown anything but coach. Life is good.
All in all, Indonesia was a great learning experience and a much-enjoyed introduction to Asian culture. From my previous experiences abroad, I was correct on several of my expectations, but there were also many unexpected surprises along the way. In my first blog I touched on my expectations for Indonesia. As I return stateside with ample time to reflect, here are my thoughts two months later:
1. Expectation: Indonesia is a collective, relationship-based culture.
This one really surprised me. The Indonesians I met, although very friendly, are actually quite self-motivated and entrepreneurial. This is one of the few countries where microfinance is primarily focused on individual rather than peer-based loans, and with a low default rate at that. This reflects a culture where people are self-reliant and often trust their own capabilities over those of others. The capitalistic mentality of a “self-made man” is prevalent here, and more accurately reflects an American ethos instead to my experience in rural Africa.
2. Expectation: The food will be exciting and new, but nothing will be better than hot wings and Mexican food once I return.
Ok, the food was exciting, but the majority of meals were served goreng, or fried in oil. After eating fried noodles and rice breakfast, noon, and night I’m ready to give it a break. Now that I’ve returned, Mexican food and hot wings are not on the top of my list either. I crave eating something healthy for a change, like cereal for breakfast instead of greasy fried chicken pieces.
3. Expectation: I will make a few cultural blunders, but learn as I go. It will be apparent I’m not a local and folks will generally understand it’s not intentional.
This one certainly held true. For instance, both pointing at people and pointing the sole of you shoe in the direction of others is considered offensive, and I caught myself several times. However, the people I met were remarkably friendly and understood that I was not accustomed to the local culture.
4. Expectation: Things will get lost in translation. I will learn at least one new word or phrase daily, but I will certainly wish I could better communicate in the local language.
While my vocabulary improved every day I was abroad, again this expectation held true. Many of my meetings were twice as long as a result of language barriers, and while Ririn and Melly did an excellent job translating I feel I missed quite a bit due to the lack of common language. This experience made me appreciate my Peace Corps experience even more, where my two years in Kenya provided ample time to learn the native language.
5) Expectation: Indonesians will be welcoming and friendly. I will make lifelong friends and walk away with a better understanding of the world around me.
Even with this expectation I was not prepared for how genuinely kind and hospitable the people were. I leave Indonesia with respect and appreciation for the way I was treated, and I hope that someday I will have an opportunity to see how other Asian counties compare. While the distance may hinder lifelong friendships, the world is much smaller with Facebook, Skype, and e-mail, and I certainly intend to stay in touch with several of the great people I met and worked with during my time in Indonesia.
6) Expectation: I will see and experience things that surprise me daily.
I’ll say this was half true. I did encounter surprises in my travels, many of which I have written about in this blog. Regardless, another surprise was how routine and normal things became after my first month on the ground. I didn’t realize this until now, but my previous travels abroad went a long way towards preparing me for other developing countries.
7) Expectation: I will contribute towards a project that will make a profound and lasting positive impact.
I am confident this will be the case. Mars has affirmed my belief in the value of private sector sustainability initiatives, and I believe the work Mars is involved with to improve the water quality of Indonesians will be hugely successful. Although my project was primarily focused on gathering information and laying a framework, I am excited to see where things go moving forward.
8) Expectation: My summer will fly by, and I’ll be on my return flight before I know it. Indonesia will be missed.
As my previous blog attests, I will miss this experience. As for time flying by, it’s amazing how long individual days could feel at times, yet how it feels like just yesterday I left for Indonesia.
9) Expectation: It will be great to be home again with family and friends, and I’ll have lived an experience that will better prepare me for whatever life has in store next.
With a stopover in Washington, DC I’m still a few days away from returning home, but I’m certain this will be the case.
