South Sulawesi is known as the island of the most notorious and legendary seafarers among Indonesians. From Australia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Cambodia, all the way to Africa, the ancestors of Bugis people were historically known to have set their foot there and forged trading links with these coastal communities many centuries ago. Sulawesi is also the birthplace of pinisi, a traditional wooden sailing ship that has been a pride for Indonesia. Legend has it that the vessel was first builtRead more
It was only a year and five months ago when I first stepped my foot in KL, with nothing but my luggage, a tourist visa, and the hope of getting a job. After only a month, I landed myself a job in a middle-sized IT company and tried my best to build my life here from scratch. At that moment in time, my journey in Malaysia had – more or less — started. I have to admit though — itRead more
A friend once told me, “Their language is the same as ours. Their culture is similar too. Why do you still need to adapt?” Ooooh, yes! I still need to adapt and I’m struggling with it. Culture shock is inevitable, even for a person like me who have lived in 6 different countries across 3 continents. Living in a new country is like starting your life all over again from scratch. Finding new friends. Getting acquainted with a new culture.Read more
Who have never heard of a Saudi royal by the name of Prince Alwaleed bin Talal? If you're not familiar with his name, let me give you a brief introduction about him. Prince Alwaleed is the nephew of the current King of Saudi Arabia and the grandson of the founding King of Saudi Arabia. He was born to Prince Talal bin Abdul-Aziz and his Lebanese wife. Although the father has been trying to push for reform in his country (andRead more
When I went to an Indonesian mosque in Den Haag to break my fast, I was left with astonishment. I was told to sit in a room designated for children and youngsters — there were perhaps 30 pupils or even more crammed into a small room! Few minutes before we broke our fast, suddenly a guy (whom I knew) led us to recite salawat and a number of short surahs from the Qur’an. I saw from little children to youngRead more
I actually don’t really know this country that much. After all, I’ve only lived here for less than 4 months. And I haven’t been able to travel around the Netherlands (yes, I still haven’t been to Amsterdam. Who cares, seriously. LOL). I’ve only seen fake windmills not inside the country, but in Belgium. I haven’t seen any tulips around — either because I was too ignorant and didn’t pay attention to detail or because it’s just not here! But allRead more
So I went to Riyadh for the first time in almost 20 years living in Saudi Arabia. Riyadh is the capital city, but it does not seem to be an interesting place to go for most Jeddah residents, as Jeddah is a fun place to hang out where you will find many sources of entertainment here… (compared to other cities in the Kingdom) and it’s indeed the Bride of the Red Sea. Even the Saudis living in other cities seeRead more
Read the first part of this posting. I remember one day at a hotel in Jeddah, there was a group of Indonesian Hajj pilgrims chatting and sitting in a lounge. I was walking towards the lounge, when suddenly Haifa Wehbe‘s video clip Ya Hayat Alby was shown on TV (watch it! so you know what I’m talking about 😛 ). I saw everyone watching the clip with a SURPRISE look. One of the men commented, “Oh my God! Do ArabsRead more
People in Indonesia have a common misconception about Arabic music. They think that Arabic music is always composed for religious use. This is not true. Like Indonesian and Western music, Arabic music is composed of various themes, including love (mostly!!). Speaking of Arabic music… well, my childhood life was basically surrounded by Arabic music. Both of my parents — having to live in Egypt for 11 years — are fans of classical Arabic music. And honestly, that’s the only musicRead more
In Indonesia, we must respect people who are older than us, especially the elderly. We are expected to kiss their hands whenever we meet them, bend our body whenever we pass in front of them and talk politely to them. We cannot call them only with their names. We have to attach Mr, Mrs, uncle, auntie, et cetera in front of their names. These unwritten rules are applied to most Asians as well, e.g. Koreans, Malaysians, and Japanese people. SimilarRead more
When I first arrived in Australia, I was quite surprised of how friendly people (read: strangers) could be. They would greet me on the street and said, “Hi, how are you?” even though we never met before. They would also engage in conversation when waiting at the bus stop, train station, etc. They would ask me about my country, religion, and my purpose living here as if we know each other! They would tell me about their experiences, views onRead more
