Not Speaking English? That’s Rude!

Few days ago, as I was reading the local newspaper; fed up with news about war, crimes, natural disaster, and a sick old Austrian bastard and his little secret family, I read the ‘Dear Abby’ column for a change. There was a letter from a lady who appear to have a daughter in law mentioned as Carmella. This lady complained that Carmella and her family always talk in their native language in front of the lady and her American family. She thought this is rude and asked for some suggestions. 

Before we judge this lady as a snob ignorant bitch, let’s pause for a while. Imagine you’re visiting a country you’ve never been to nor speak their language. Wouldn’t you speak in your native language with your family or friends who come along with you? Did it ever occur to you that the local people might think you are being rude by not talking in their language?

Different example. A paranoid coworker of mine said the main reason she’s hesitant to go to a nail care center runs by Vietnamese (or other Asian ethnicity; but mostly Vietnam) was because, “Well, they talk in their native language to each other while they’re doing my nails. I think they’re talking about me.” I usually give her a big ‘Geez!’ whenever she complains but I think if I were her, I’d feel the same way too. 

When my mother and brother were here visiting from Indonesia, I tried my best to be a translator for the big family conversation. My parents-in-law were present too, and it’s kind of hard to try to translate everything my Indonesian family said into English, cause sometimes it’s just not that important to translate. Like for instance, my mom was commenting on how cute the dessert cake was to me. And my in-laws were like, “What’s that??” Then again my mom made a comment about a painting hanging on the wall, and again my in-laws jumped right in and said, “Hmmm??? What’s that?”  

So yeah, I did speak in Bahasa with my mom here and there when it’s just a casual talk.  I thought it’s more convinient since she doesn’t speak English fluently. I tried to be extra careful when somebody else’s around (not necessarily strangers), I’d translate too. I did not get any remarks on being rude at that point, but would they say it to me anyway? Or would they write to ‘Dear Abby’ instead like Carmella’s mother-in-law? Is it fair to expect people to speak the national language of the country they’re in at that moment? Then by golly, the French is not so snobbish after all!

Bandung Kota Indie

Kenapa yah, saban denger lagu ‘1969′ by Smashing Pumpkins jadi keinget kota Bandung? Apa karena Bandung itu kota musik yah? Lebih spesifiknya lagi, musik indie/alternatif. Waktu grup musik /rif masih main di kafe, belom bertaraf nasional kayak sekarang ini, gue pernah nonton mereka *di mana lupa* bawain lagu ‘Govinda’ dari Kula Shaker. Wadoh, heboh banget…

Sekarang, jauh dari Bandung (jauh dari Indonesia), tiap denger lagu indie/alternatif, ingatan melayang ke Bandung. Jalanannya yang mayoritas satu arah, pohon-pohon besar, kafe musik alternatif, anak ITB, Cihampelas jeans, juga makanan enak.

Kangen Bandung, euy…

‘Dokter Kecil’ or Indonesia’s Little Doctor

Woke up this morning with this weird childhood song in my head. Then I found myself reminiscing the lyrics while still lying down on the bed -gathering my soul before jump into the shower. While scratching Max’s -my big puppy- ear, I sang the song I used to know when I was still in 5th or 6th grade.  This is not a traditional Indonesian children song. For some reason, I was almost certain that this song was more known among schoolchildren who were ‘Dokter Kecil’ or Little Doctor. It goes like this…

Aku anak sehat, tubuhku kuat
Karena ibuku rajin dan cermat
Semasa aku bayi, slalu diberi ASI
Makanan bergizi dan imunisasi

Berat badanku ditimbang slalu
Posyandu menunggu setiap waktu
Bila aku diare, ibu telah waspada
Pertolongan Oralit slalu siap sedia

I Google’d ‘Dokter Kecil’ and came up with this. I remember wearing funny white tops during the specific days I was serving. I remember being bossy telling my other friends or some 3rd graders on how to brush their teeth correctly. I remember falling asleep during the mini convention. I remember getting a certificate and was so proud to present it to my Mom. And now the Unicef made a feature article about it. Neat.

I wonder if that song that messed with my head was really a ‘Dokter Kecil’ song…

Happy [Indonesian] Mother’s Day

Assalamu’alaikum Mama sayang,
Ini putrimu yang tinggal jauh dari Jakarta.
Selamat Hari Ibu.
Terima kasih untuk semua yang sudah Mama lakukan buat kami.
Nggak gampang membesarkan anak tanpa suami, yah Ma?
Aku yang sekarang ini adalah karenamu, baik juga buruknya aku.
Nggak ada penyesalan, nggak ada dendam.
Semua tahu, sulit menjadi orang tua sempurna tanpa pasangan hidup.
Terima kasih untuk semua pengorbananmu.
Kepinginnya, aku ada di sana untuk merayakan Hari Ibu bersamamu.
Adik-adik bikin something special buat Mama nggak, hari ini?

Miss you always, Mom…