A Perfect Wife

Hello my friends, this is Yuyun again. Today I am going to talk about some of the cultural differences that you will probably notice here. The people are definitely different and may I say friendlier. You will see broad smiles everywhere you go. I do think that Indonesians generally must be somewhat gullible. Recently there was a man arrested after he took money from many people after demonstrating that he could burn a 1,000 Rupiah bill and turn the ashes into a 100,000 one. Then there was an insurance company that pretended to sell insurance but just kept the money and never really insured anyone or paid any claims.

If the television ads are anything to go by, seems like you can sell people anything... so-called slimming tea that, if you drink some, you can eat whatever you like without ever putting on a single gram; energy drinks that, even if you are falling asleep, will give you instant energy that will have you running and jumping: perfumes, that will have every member of the opposite sex falling all over you etc. They push children’s drinks that are supposed to give them mental and physical power far in excess of their peers. It appears that there are no regulations concerning what one can claim in TV ads. Recently they have started pushing instant foods which they present as having a wonderful taste...probably because they are all laced with Monosodium Glucomate (MSG), considered in many quarters to be a worse poison than mercury, something that they omit to mention. There appears to be some laws concerning cigarette advertising inasmuch as they have to show a warning of the dangers of smoking but obviously there is no stipulation as to how long it must be displayed. Thus the advertisers flash it on for about one tenth of a second to ensure that nobody can actually read it!

Here you will see many houses with caged birds hanging from the eaves or on tall poles. The people believe that having a bird in a cage at their homes will keep evil spirits away. Many people visit so-called paranormals who are the Indonesian version of fortune tellers. If someone does something to them that they don’t like they will hop off to the paranormal to put a curse on the perpetrator. There is a totally black chicken breed here called Cemani. which is considered to have magical properties. It is believed that the blood of this bird will cure almost any disease. My father really believed in paranormals but I don’t. He used to think that they would cure his stomach pains and often brought home “magic” stones. Last year he died of cancer!

When anyone here buys a new car or motorbike they have a little ceremony to ensure that they will not have any accidents. This does not appear to do much good as 82 people die on the roads each day!

You probably know that Indonesia is a mainly Moslem country. However it is a very moderate one. There are no religious police roaming the streets like in Saudi Arabia. As I probably mentioned before there are several other religions here all living in relative harmony. Unfortunately the Western media has not shown Islam in a very good light. Some of the blame must rest on the few fanatical groups that we have here but hey, there are fanatics all over the world. My husband tells me about Western groups like Klu Klux Klan, anti-abortion and animal rights that he says are fanatical. The media always like to display sensationalism so they pick on one small episode and make it seem like it is rampant. Generally life is extremely peaceful here. Virtually all our friends and clients who visit here don’t wish to leave. My husband tells me that, compared to Indonesia, the UK is like a police state. There they have speed cameras, sales tax, TV and fishing licenses, parking attendants, compulsory insurance etc. Riding in the back of a pickup is not allowed; neither is more than two people on a motorbike. Nothing like that here!

So now you know some of the difference that you will find here but when you come to think of it, virtually everyone in the world despite cultural differences wish for the same things...a family and a happy life. This you can obtain here easily.

Until the next time...Very best wishes...Yuyun