Ten of The Quirkiest Things Indonesian Find Normal

Hello people! Today I just wanted to talk about 10 unique things that us Indonesians do.
Some of it is a part of our culture which means that it has been passed down generation to generation. And some of it is just what us Indonesian millennial are doing. Some of it is plain weird. In fact, most of the tradition that’s been passed down from our great-great grandparent’s are pretty weird. Some of it just doesn’t make sense but we do it anyway just for the sake of tradition.

Now it is really hard for someone to point out and see something as weird just because they have seen it going on ever since they were born. I think it's really important sometimes to step out and see things in a bigger picture. For someone who have lived in different countries, it’s always interesting to see and take note of how the gist of things actually work in certain city or certain country.

Disclaimer: I’m not trying to shame anything that we Indonesians have as tradition. I think cultures are really interesting and I’m just telling it to the world. So please don't get all butt hurt.

Number one

We Indonesians, whenever we see an older person what we do is we usually greet them with kissing their hands. This is called “Salim”. We do this to almost everyone older than us, for instance our teachers, our mother, our father, or anyone that is older than us to show respect. My mother always taught me that you have to actually kiss the person’s hand or you just sniff it. For some people, they put on their forehead but apparently that’s not the most polite thing to do. If you want to show your utmost respect, you can simply sniff or kiss the hand.

Number two

Everyone here has a title so we call everyone by their title. This is pretty different from the Western culture. Western folks would call their parents by name. I probably would get slapped if I ever did that to my parents. You don’t call someone older than you simply by their names. Also even for younger siblings (we call them Adek) or older siblings (we call them Kakak), you don’t say their names.

Number three

It is totally normal here to eat with our bare hands. I think probably this also goes for some South American countries and in India. It’s okay here to eat with our hands and it’s not barbaric or anything. We do have frickin’ spoons, knives, and forks but sometimes when you’re eating chicken you just get all the grit and stuff when you are using your hands.

Number four

This is pretty weird but funny. We always wash or wipe our butt and our private parts every time we go to the bathroom. That is why when you come to Indonesia and you go to the malls here or any other place they will have either a bucket and a scoop or something like a sprayer. That’s because here every time you have used the bathroom you have to spray. And it’s not common for places here like restrooms to have tissue paper. You may find it funny because this has become like a joke. I know in the Western culture you don’t do this.

Number five

Now this is not really a tradition but it’s more like a subculture. We have this term that we call “Alay” people. It’s equivalent to chavs in England or it’s like the Jersey Shore of Indonesia. So the whole deal is when you are “Alay” then you just can’t hang out with us.

Number six

Everyone here in Indonesia wants to make themselves known. For example we’re very, very social people so we use this application called Path (prior to IG invasion). Essentially it’s an application showing people where we are. What we are listening to and what we are thinking of. You can post pictures as well. I used to use it religiously back in the old days, I’m not gonna lie.
Another thing also that it is totally normal to walk around the mall or on the street looking at their phone. My friend from the US came here and she got so frustrated. Because every time she wanted to talk to someone they were still on their phone. And they’re telling her: “I’m listening, I’m listening…” But they are not making any eye contact. And it’s totally okay to sit with 5 people around you and everybody is just playing with their phones.

Number seven

It is totally okay here for you to have a maid. We call our maid with “Mbak”. She does everything. Sometimes she doesn’t even have a contract. So a family would hire a maid and she would live with you. She would do the laundry, do the dishes, sweep the floors, clean the windows, everything. She would also cook and she doesn’t get to go home every day. Well, some of them do go home but some them just live with us. They are like an extra member of the family. It’s normal even if you’re from a lower middle class family.

Number eight

Another thing that seems like a super fancy is that to have personal chauffeur or driver is normal. It’s typical for you even if you come from a lower middle class or middle class family to have a driver. It’s not because you’re trying to be fancy-shmancy but because it is totally okay and so normal for you to have a driver here.

Number nine

Us Indonesians don’t walk a lot especially if you live in big city like Jakarta. Unlike people who live in New York for example who walk a lot. I used to live in an apartment central Jakarta and then I wanted to go to a convenient store and people said: “What are you doing? Why are you walking? That’s so far away! Why not use a motorcycle?” And I said, “Dude, the store is so close from here”.
We don’t walk a lot perhaps it’s because we don’t have sidewalks. I think that’s the main factor. It is so hard to find a decent sidewalk here in Indonesia, in Jakarta at least.

Number ten

Because transportation is hard here, almost everyone has a motorcycle. Everybody uses motorcycles everywhere because it’s easier to get around the traffic and second people can easily afford to buy a decent motorcycle so you will see many people own motorcycles. Also It’s totally okay for one motorcycle to have four passengers on it.
Okay those are all my points. I hope you learned something.

Please remember I’m not trying to bash my own culture. I love this country. I love Indonesia. There’s always something different and quirky in every culture, every place, and every country.

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