Week+5,+Prue+M

Unfortunately, due to having a nasty case of the cold, Prue M was unable to come to our DKU class on Monday. Luckily, she was able to answer some questions from Mrs J, so have a look at the information I have collected!

When asked what her experience and connection was with Indonesia, Prue told Mrs J about how every year when she was a child, she would travel to Indonesia with her parents, and feel in love with the people and country. In High School, she studied hard in her Indonesian language lessons, and while studying in Indonesian at Deakin Uni, she got a scholarship from the Australian Government to continue her studying in Indonesia. She studied in Indonesia for nearly two years, before returning to Australia to look for jobs. She got one at a five star resort, and worked in Indonesia for seven years. While she spent all that time over in Indonesia, she got to realise all the differences between her home country and the country she was in. She said practically everything was different, the language, the religion, climate, and the clothes. In Indonesia, it is considered rude to wear sleeveless tops, and females and men aren't allowed to wear shorts, only boys. Women have to cover up, trying to not show a bit of skin, including their hair. Another main difference is the food. Rice is eaten for all meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner, and it is up to the family to pick what goes with these foods. Prue explained that locally, around 583 languages are spoken, depending on what part of Indonesia you are in. Prue told Mrs J about how indirect Indonesian people are. It is considered rude to show anger in public, and you aren't allowed to put down people, embarrass people, or make people ashamed. Indonesian people don't speak honestly, and they hide their feelings. Some major events in Indonesia are New Years Eve and the Proclamation of Independence Day, which is on August 17th. All holidays for religion are a National Holiday.

Since everybody already knows about Indonesian climate, I will only touch on the fact that they have two seasons, that the altitude changes the temperature and that Indonesia is mostly tropical weather. Same with religion, the main one is Islam and enough said.

In Indonesia, in the poor districts only about 66% go to school, and most stay home to help their family with cooking and caring for the other members of the family. In the wealthier districts, most children go to school, like most Australian kids.

For major sports and activities, Indonesian people love their sports. The main sports they play and watch are soccer and badminton.

If any one of us were to go to Indonesia, Prue told Mrs J about seven important historical sights in Indonesia. The first is Candi Borobudur, or Borobudur Temple. This was thought to be built between the start of the 7th and the end of the 8th century A.D. The second place is Candi Prambanan, the largest Hindu temple in central Java. It is also one of the largest in South-East Asia. After that comes the Masjid Raye Baiturrahman, which is a symbol of Acehnese religion and culture. It also survived the 2004 tsunami intact. Next comes the Istana Bogor, which is a palace. It is one of six Presidential Palaces in Indonesia, and the gardens have an area of 284,00square metres. The Monumen Nasional is the fifth historical place. This is a tall tower representing Indonesia's fight for independence. The second last place is the Pura Besakih, which is over 100 years old. It is also the greatest of Balinese santuaries and temples. Last, but not least, is Keraton Yogyakarta, which is another palace. It tells a story of culture, and Keraton means where the King lives.

Prue told Mrs J about the most common food in Indonesia, and how they purchase their food. Rice is the main meal, but foods vary from islands to islands. People buy food every day when the sun rises at the supermarket, because most people don't have refrigerators. They slo buy their food buy carts. People go around the streets selling different foods in carts, and each food has a different bell.

As you can see, Prue has told us heaps of fabulous information about Indonesia, and has shown us just how different Indonesia is to Australia!