LIVING IN INDONESIA

HISTORY Tasikmalaya, a small town in West Java, Indonesia, where I was born, has been renowned over many generations for its payung geulis handicraft (payung means umbrella, geulis is beautiful) as well as its batik. Payung geulis is not an umbrella in the traditional sense. Rather, it's a source of pride for the Tasikmalayan people and a symbol of their town, so there is no question of using this special umbrella when rain falls. Moreover, this particular payung is made from thick paper so if used during the rains, it will damage very quickly and disintegrate. In Tasikmalaya's olden days, payung geulis used to be part of a young woman's fashion accessories. At that time most women wore kebaya (traditional costume with long sleeve blouse and long skirt) to accentuate their beauty, adding payung geulis as an accessory to protect their beautiful skin from the sun. The term "payung geulis" came about as a result of this habit; with the payung protectin...

Great People, it's just only to complete my earlier post in regards with Visa and Work permit process , you may feel that it sounds complicated to do, but that's the real things that I manage to wrap up  during my work as expat management consultant, on what kinds of docs should comply with beside visa and work permit. In order to ‘work’ in Indonesia, you must obtain a work permit entry visa  and then obtain a Limited Stay Visa or KITAS (Kartu Izin Tinggal Terbatas), as well as Foreign Worker Recruitmen Permit or IMTA (Izin Mempekerjakan Orang Asing). Please note that these are documents that your Agency will normally organise on your behalf. Please note that a Business Visa does not allow a visitor to ‘work ordo any training’ in Indonesia, rather only attend meetings. These approvals will be processed in Jakarta prior to your arrival. It should be noted that your work permit will normally be issued based on where you are working geographically. In the e...

GREAT PEOPLE, You may have been in Indonesia and came across finding some situation that you did not  know when you interact with Indonesia people. the following is a little knowledge to equip you mingling with local people. hope It will develop your confidence in speaking Bahasa, SALUTATION In most polite situations, use the honorific ‘Mas’ or ‘Pak’ or ‘Bu’ or ‘Mbak’ (pronounced emba) before a person’s name. ‘Mas’ (sir or brother) is a friendly term for contemporary males; ‘Pak’ is formal for males of position; ‘Bu’ is for a married female; ‘Mbak’ is for young unmarried females, e.g. Mas Bayu (young male); Pak Mulyawan (male, formal); Bu Kartini (married female); Mbak Elita (Ms. Elita). While for married females the honorific ‘Ibu’ does not often change. You might also hear ‘Bapak’ (father) when a young person speaks to a male who is clearly older or has higher position, which can also be the case with Ibu for females, e.g. a middle-aged per...