A nod to Indonesia

For its size, I always feel that Indonesia is poorly recognised. It’s the world’s largest archipelago, largest Muslim country and fourth most populous country. Yet I remember at school when someone checked where her jumper was made and the label said Indonesia, she pronounced it ‘Inna-donna-sayer’.

If I was going to live in another South East Asian country after Cambodia, I would probably choose Indonesia. Living here would give someone great diversity of landscapes and food, a language that could be picked up relatively easily and the ability to form friendships without quite so many cultural barriers between nationals and expats.

Working alongside Indonesians is not always simple and the styles of Brits and Indonesians can often seem at complete odds to each other. Should we measure the success of a working day by diligently clearing an inbox but having less face-to-face interaction, or by reaching agreement on a project obstacle by spending all day discussing it in a smoky haze, but not answering urgent requests from other colleagues? Both have their value for the smooth implementation of an organisation’s work, and we probably need to meet in the middle more.

Today is Indonesian Independence Day and I travelled inland from the Bornean coast to meet with a colleague, Ema, who is on maternity leave, to download her thoughts about project activities we’ve undertaken in recent years. This is the view from Ema’s house. It’s a snapshot in miniature of some of the competing land uses in Indonesia – livestock pastures, banana plantations, buildings for birds’ nest harvesting, homes for a growing number of humans and forested hills.

I received the most hospitable welcome from Ema and her husband, cooed over the baby, got the information I need and also helped to make some inroads into the leftover snacks from the recent long Idul Fitri holiday.

Well worth the journey.