What is this? Is this a return to a project I appeared to have abandoned months ago? Why yes it is! (For newer readers, check out this post about the A Country a Month project and then hop back here.)

When I last left this project, dearest fellow travelers, I was working my way through books and articles on Indonesia, having read up a bit on Australia and New Zealand. I’ve returned to the materials on Indonesia, and I’m currently reading two books aimed at the same audience: the overseas business executive. It’s so strange to read books written for someone who is living in a foreign country because they’re arranging corporate bank accounts or building factories or whatever. I protest against the decisions these people make all the time, and I will never live the wealthy kind of life they do. But that seems to be the market for books on how to assimilate into foreign cultures, so we’ll work with what we’ve got.

The first one is Culture Smart! Indonesia by Graham Saunders. This is written by a Brit and that may be partly why it reads like an exercise in colonial noblesse oblige. Everyone has servants, try your best to put up with the strange native ways, etc. It is also much slimmer than the other guide, and only aims to convey basic information without explication or nuance. It seems to expect the reader to be staying in Indonesia for only a short time, or to ensconce herself in the expatriate community and stay there, and so there isn’t much about forming lasting relationships or gaining a deeper understanding of the country.

Culture Shock! Indonesia by Cathie Draine and Barbara Hall, on the other hand, seems to be premised on the idea that the expatriate has moved to Indonesia permanently, and thus there is much emphasis on integrating into the culture, learning the language, and understanding how things are done beyond a surface level understanding. Obviously I prefer this approach, although there are still some wincingly condescending moments, like when they talk about the “superstitions” of some of the villagers, or how “servants know their place and are happy with it.” But overall, they make an effort to introduce Westerners to Indonesian culture with respect and affection; they expect the reader to love their adopted country as much as they do. Also, they have line drawings that are straight out of my Rise Up Singing songbook, which is adorable and shows the book’s age (written in ’86, updated a decade later).

So what have I learned for my expatriating ways?

1) Don’t talk loudly or gesture wildly when speaking. This comes across as hostile and I will be avoided like the plague. If you’ve ever heard my speaking voice, you will know that this one might be a bit difficult for me.

2) Status is crucial and manners essential. Status is mostly conferred by age, so I will probably not have much with most of the adults I meet, but if I follow my host’s lead, bring gifts when I visit someone’s home, and avoid criticizing anything directly, I should be okay.

3) A few things I already knew were reinforced: don’t touch children’s heads, don’t eat or pass food with my left hand, dress modestly, and do not expect traffic to follow any of the expected rules.

I have a couple more history/literature books to browse for Indonesia, and then it’s onward to Singapore!