Another Do's and Don'ts

Have you read my "Local Custom and Ettiquette Guideline"? I'm adding some Do's and Don'ts when you interact with Indonesians.

Dining
When you're going out for lunch or dinner with Indonesians, when the waiters do not serve food altogether, Indonesians politely won't eat and prefer to wait so they can eat together at the same time. And Indonesians usually will say "selamat makan" or "Let's eat" before eat.

Exchanging Business Cards
A lot of Indonesians follow the Japanese, when we are meeting with clients, we start it out by saying "Hai/Hi", handshake and introduce your name and what division are you working in, then exchanging business card by holding it with both hands and bow just a bit, remember a bit, no need to bend 90 degrees

Casual

When we are meeting old friends in mall or public area, we will do the handshake and then kiss both cheeks. Not kiss with lips though more like touching our left and right cheeks with theirs.

Use of The Left Hand
Being "kidal" or left handed surely not a problem, but in many occassions, handshake and hand something to someone, we use right hand, some people would think that is rude if you're giving something using the left hand. But it's totally understandable if your right hand is occupied, just tell them, "Sorry pakai tangan kiri ya" or "Sorry I had to use my left hand".

Burping
It is unpolite to burp in public, unless you are an attention stealer then you burp as loud as you can.

The Word Bule
Bule is how Indonesians call Westerners (Caucasian), the word itself means White. It's not a bad word or rude. And Bule is not 100% use to call Caucasian, when someone has fair skin (mostly Chinese), we would call them as Bule as well.

Safety
"Is Jakarta or Indonesia safe?" I even lose track about how many times this question has been asked by fellow foreigners, I heard this question too often, and my answer is YES!. Get robbed, pick pocketed, accidents would happen in many ways wherever you are. Agree? Terrorist bombing was not happened only in Indonesia, if I'm not mistaken, even UK got bombed more than us. Right now, Indonesia rank #67 as the safest country in the world (I got it from local online news), FYI, USA #83. Do not worry too much, we all have been affected by media frenzy, media loveees bad stories that's why foreigners only watch tragedies from Indonesia. Media won't cover "Dog bites a Man", "Man bites a Dog" instead.

Bad Luck Numbers
1. #4. Why? Because 4 in chinese word it's called "Shi" that means death. You won't see this number in elevator. We skip 1,2,3,5 and 12,15. Building management avoid this number because, if they have, no one would rent/buy on 4th floor or another 4-related floor.
2. #13. Same reason as you guys. Also this number is disappeared on elevator buttons.
So do not think that we miscount the button haha..

Friday
Friday noon, male moslems have to do "Sholat Jumat" or "Friday Worship/Pray" in mosques from 11.30 until 12.30 continue with lunch, so probably back in office around 13.30.

Read also Local Custom and Ettiquette Guidelines

Local Custom and Ettiquette Guidelines

Diversity
It is made up of over 17,500 islands (6,000 of which are inhabited) which are home to over 300 local ethnic groups, each province has its own culture, language and beliefs, other major ethnics are Chinese and Indian. Although Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world it also has a large number of Christian Protestants, Catholics, Hindus (in Bali) and Buddhists (mostly are Chinese). Major ethnics that live in Jakarta are Javanese, Bataknese, Sundanese, Padang, Chinese and Indian.

Meeting and Greeting
A handshake is the most common greeting accompanied with the word "Apa Kabar (How are you?)". Many Indonesians may place their hands on their heart after shaking your hand to show our respect. Many Indonesians, especially those from Java, may have had an extremely long name, which was shortened into a sort of nickname for everyday conversation. There are several ethnic groups in Indonesia. Most have adopted Indonesian names over the years, while some retain the naming conventions of their ethnicity.

Gift Giving Etiquette
Gift giving etiquette in Indonesia heavily depends on the ethnicity of the receiver..
Here are some general gift giving guidelines:

Gift giving etiquette for the Chinese:
It is considered polite to verbally refuse a gift before accepting it. This shows that the recipient is not greedy or also known as "Basa Basi", so don't take this either way. Gifts should be wrapped up with nice paper and not opened when received.

Gift giving etiquette for Indonesian (local ethnic):
Any food substance should be "halal" - things that are not halal include anything with alcoholic ingredients or anything with pork derivatives such as gelatine. Halal meat means the animal has been slaughtered according to Islamic principles.

Gift giving etiquette for ethnic Indians:
Offer gifts with the right hand only. Wrap gifts in red, yellow or green paper or other bright colors as these bring good fortune.Do not give leather products to a Hindu and food substance also has to be "Halal",ingredients are not contain beef meat.

Dining Etiquette
Dining etiquette is generally relaxed but depends on the setting and context. The more formal the occasion the more formal the behaviour. Below are some basic dining etiquette tips.
1.Food is often taken from a shared dish in the middle, to take out food from the shared dish use different spoon and fork that placed on the shared dish.
2.Informal occasions Indonesians love to use their hands to eat but this also depends on what kind of restaurant. Fine dining? of course not, more likely on restaurant that serves Padang or Sundanese food or event Kentucky, McDonald's. They claim it is easier to use hands to eat Chicken. Point taken.

Business Cards
Business cards are normally exchanged after the initial handshake and greeting. Business cards should display your title. This helps enhance your image and credibility and also could change the way people treat you. Well unless if you are Caucasian, suddenly the credibility just popped out. Give/accept cards using two hands with a little bow and examine a business card you receive before putting it on the table next to you or in a business card case. If you were in a big meeting with several participants, try to placed the business card on the table accordingly to where the participants are seated. This helps you not to forget their names, trust me Indonesian names are freakishly long and hard to remember and we are using first name basis.

What to Wear?
Business attire depends on what industry are they in of course for banker business attire is formal, shirt with a tie and a blazer, creative industry such as advertising, publishing, are more casual, some company allowed their employee to wear jeans.

Communication Style
Indonesians are indirect communicators. Dealing with someone face-to-face is the only effective way of doing business. If you offend them, they will mask their feelings and maintain a veil of civility.

Business Meetings
Initial meetings may be more about getting-to-know-you rather than business. Do not be surprised if business is not even discussed, this was how I get 60% of my business deals, through cups of coffee. "Jam Karet" (rubber time) describes the Indonesian approach to time, thanks to Jakarta awful traffic that is unpredictable. Please aware not to put business meeting on Friday noon, male moslems have to do "Sholat Jumat" or "Friday Worship/Pray" in mosques from 11.30 until 12.30.

Source: http://www.kwintessential.co.uk

Climate, Clothing and Cuisine

The Climate:
Indonesia’s equatorial tropical climate has only two seasons, the dry season between March and October, and the rainy season from November to January. Heavy rain and thunder storm mostly happened from December - January, sometimes part of North Jakarta area are flooded during those months.

The average daily temperature in the lowlands is about 30-32 degrees Celsius, the lowest temperature 24 degrees Celsius

Cuisine:
Aromatic spices and a variety of hot chili peppers are the essence of most Indonesian dishes. Rice is an important part of the national diet for most of the archipelago, but in the eastern islands corn, sago, cassava and sweet potatoes are more common. The enormous wealth of the surrounding seas and oceans, as well as fresh water fisheries, provides an abundance of sea food which can be traditionally served in a number of exciting ways, including baked in banana leaves.

As the population of Indonesia is predominantly Moslem, pork is usually not served except in Chinese suburbs area (North Jakarta, some in West Jakarta and Kota area). An extensive assortment of tropical and sub-tropical fruit and vegetables can also be found year-round to tantalize your taste buds.

If you are a Muslim, please ask the restaurant whether they serve Pork. Many restaurants tend to be quite liberal with the word “halal”. During our visit to Indonesia, Jakarta, many restaurants say that they are halal even though they serve pork. However you have to be cautious of the word Halal and No Pork, there's a quite difference between those two claims, Halal means no Pork at all, No Pork sometimes most restaurant do not serve pork, but still using cooking oil or ingredients that contains pork.

Clothing:
Dress is normally casual and light clothing is advisable due to the hot, humid climate. Trousers or slacks and shirts are generally considered appropriate but a jacket and tie are required formal occasions or when making official calls. For some formal occasions, long-sleeved batik shirts are acceptable.

Travel Tips - Metric Measure

Metric Measures
Indonesia follows the international metric system. Temperatures (Celsius), rainfall measures, distance (km or meter), weights (kg or gram), velocity are expressed in metric units.

Measurement	Unit	Approximate Equivalent
Length	1 kilometer	0.6 mile
	1 mile	1.6 kilometer
Capacity	1 liter	1.06 US quart
	1 US quart	0.95 liter
Weight	1 kilogram	2.2 pounds
	1 pound	0.45 kilogram
Mileage Conversion	20 mph	30 km/h
	30 mph	50 km/h
	50 mph	80 km/h

All About Jakarta

Jakarta is the capital city of the Republic of Indonesia, a country composed of more than 13,000 islands with a population of over 180 million. Comprising more than 300 ethnic groups speaking 200 different languages, the Indonesia population exhibits marked diversity in its linguistic, culture, and religious traditions. As the Capital City, Jakarta is a melting pot of representatives from each of these ethnic groups. Jakarta is a special territory enjoying the status of a province, consisting of Greater Jakarta, covering of 637.44 square km area. Located on the northern coast of West Java, it is the center of government, commerce and industry and has an extensive communications network with the rest of the country and the outside world. Strategically positioned in the archipelago, the city is also the principal gateway to the rest of Indonesia. From the Capital City, sophisticated land, air, and sea transport is available to the rest of the country and beyond.

Geographically
The Province is geographically located on 6012' South Latitude and 106048'- East Longitude. The government administration is set into 5 regions South Jakarta, Central Jakarta, East Jakarta, West Jakarta, North Jakarta and 1 regency/ administrative city, namely Thousand Island regency. The largest city is East Jakarta (187.73 sq km) and the smallest is Thousand Island regency (11.81 sq km). The average rainfall is 1,916.8- 924.50 mm/year. The temperature is between of 22 C - 33 C.

People
Indonesians are known as friendliest people in the world towards foreigners and most tolerant towards their manners. But there are few things, which are not done among Indonesia. They consider the head as something sacred that must be respected. Patting on the head is not done among adults. Calling someone by crooking the index finger is considered impolite and giving or receiving things with the left hand is no - where acceptable. The handshake accompanied with a smile is common among men and women greeting or welcoming somebody.

Not less 9 million people live in Jakarta representing nearly all the ethnic groups in the archipelago. The major groups are Sundanese, Javanese, Chinese, and the native community is Orang Betawi (people of Betawi). The other large groups are the Minangkabau people, the Bataks, the Manadonase, and the other people from Sulawesi and the Ambonase. Orang Betawi emerged in the 19th century from a melting pot of races, ethnic groups and cultures. They have their own culture distinct from other ethnics' cultures. In 1923 they founded an organization called Kaum Betawi, which was in fact a statement about the existence of the Betawi ethnic group. The majority professes is Islam. But it does not mean that Indonesia is an Islamic state. It is a Pancasila state. And one of the principles of Pancasila, the state ideology, is "belief in the one Supreme God". This means that the various belief systems must be respected and respect each other. This explains the ubiquitous Moslem prayer houses in the city beside many churches and a few temples.

In Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (Beautiful Indonesia in Miniature Park), the prince Diponegoro Mosque is juxtaposition with the saint Catherine Church, the Hallelujah Church, the Pura Penataran Agung Kertabumi Temple, the Aria Dwipa Arama Monastery and the Indonesian Mystic Convention Hall, symbolizing the motto: Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity In Diversity) in matters of religions and belief - systems.

Betawi
Indonesia's cultural diversity is celebrated in the national motto, Bhineka Tunggal Ika, meaning "Unity in Diversity." One manifestation of this tenet of Indonesian national identity is the government's efforts to give equal precedence to the development of traditional art forms from each ethnic group. In Jakarta, Orang Betawi, the natives of the city, are considered to be the hosts of these cultures, having emerged from the melting pot of races, ethnic groups and cultures of Indonesia in the 19th century. Today they constitute one of the city's main ethnic groups along side the Javanese (from Central and Eastern Java), Sundanese (from West Java) and Chinese.

Culture
To see for themselves what and now those Betawi art forms are, we can go to any travel agent and ask for tour to a " Betawi Cultural Institution "to catch a glimpse of the real thing". Or we can visit the Jakarta pavilion at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (Beautiful Indonesia in Miniature Park) which has long been showing Betawi ceremonies such as the Betawi wedding ceremony, the circumcision procession, the baby head - shaving ceremony etc. As mentioned before, the Betawi group emerged in the 19th century from the melting pot of races, ethnic groups and cultures. Today the Betawi culture has a distinct personality of its own, but one can discern the various influences of other cultures by looking or listening to its art form.

The Tanjidor orchestra is certainly inherited from Dutch land - owners and the Gambang Kromong and Cokek dance originated in the residence of wealthy Chinese traders and merchants. The Betawi Cokek dance shows Balinese influence in the movement of the dancers and the style of playing the gamelan. This style of playing the gamelan can also be observed in the gamelan orchestra accompanying the Wayang Kulit Betawi show. The Portuguese speaking community has also left its inheritance, the Kroncong Tugu with its popular songs Nina Bobo, Kaparinyo and Kroncong moritsko is said to be the origin of the popular Kroncong orchestra of to day.

The Javanese presence since the 17th century has left its mark too on the Betawi music, dance and theatre; Wayang Kulit Betawi and Lenong are examples of this influence. A major influence on the Betawi culture is Islam, the religion of the majority of the people. The Rebana orchestra, the Gambus orchestra, the Zapin or Japin dance are Islam inspired art forms. The Betawi traditional art is developed and accepted well. Not only Betawi people, but also other ethnic groups are fond of this art. For example, the traditional drama-Lenong and Topeng Blantik (Blantik mask), the traditional dance - Tari Topeng (Mask Dance), Ondel-ondel, Ronggeng Topeng, etc, the traditional art of music - Sambrah, Rebana, Gambang Kromong, Tanjidor, Puppet - Betawi puppet using the Malay-Betawi dialect

Basically the marriage system used by Betawi people is the Islamic law. To whom they are allowed or have not allowed to get married with. The young people are also free to choose their partners. In spite of this, the parents` role either from the man's or woman's side are very important to approve the marriage, for the parents are involved in holding the marriage party. Before getting marriage the man and the woman are introduced to each other and when they both have agreement, the man's parents will propose the girl. After the two parties reach an agreement, they decide the time to hold the dowry delivery ceremony which is usually represented by another party, such as the relatives of the man's and the woman's sides. The marriage ceremony is held on the agreed day. After the marriage contract ceremony both the man and the woman go back to each their parents (their home). A few days later a ceremony of parents-in-law relationship is held and the bridegroom goes in procession to the bride's house. Before entering the bride's house, the bridegroom's side holds the question-answer ceremony by using the traditional poetry rhythm and it is accompanied by tambourine/rabana music with the welcome / marhaban songs. Then, the bridegroom is allowed to enter the house to meet the bride. They sit side by side for a moment. After that the bridegroom joins his parents and companions who escort him to the bride` house. When the ceremony is finished the bride may come with his husband to his house.

Language
The official language is Bahasa Indonesia and English is the most spoken and understood foreign language. In convention hotels they have translators for English, France, Dutch, German, Japanese, Mandarin, and even Spanish. The native Betawi people speak Betawi Malay, which is different from standard Malay. There are variations in the language according to region, the Betawi Malay of the centre and that of the periphery. There are also socio - cultural variations. The older people born and bred in Jakarta speak the traditional Betawi Malay, while the younger people and migrants speak the modern version of the language. In the language, various influences from other cultures are apparent, Balinese, Sundanese, and Javanese influences are there and words derived from Arabic, Dutch, Chinese and Portuguese are easily recognizable. Betawi Malay is spoken not only in Jakarta, but also in parts of Bekasi, Tangerang and Bogor, which belong to the province of West Java.

(taken from www.indonesia-tourism.com)