Smiles Around the World
Our absolute favorite part of travel is coming in contact with the people of the different countries (and even U.S. cities) we visit. Long ago, we learned that the quickest way to connect with people is to learn a single phrase: Thank you! This immediately brings a smile to everyone's face. It also expresses our appreciation for their hospitality.
In Indonesian, "thank you" is terima kasih to which they reply sama sama. On our last day in Bali, we learned the Balinese suksma which they follow with suksma mewali (literally giving thanks in return).
With that phrase securely on our tongues, we immediately delved into learning other phrases, and most importantly, the sounds and cadence of the local language. Learning these phrases and sounds is a mashup of various sources: Phrase web sites, Google Translate and, of course, asking people to take you on a journey through their language and the nuances that cannot be found on the Internet.
The process usually starts by getting comfortable with the alphabet. Fortunately, Indonesian uses Latin letters and, for the most part, the letters sound very close to English. Unique sounds emerge when combining letters, or placing familiar letters at the end of the word. They trill their "r's" (much to Tim's chagrin) and use the backs of their mouths for several letter combinations (ng and ny). There's a melodic tone that rises and falls as they speak.
Our basic phrases include "please," "good morning/afternoon/evening" and "I/we would like" (we always learn coffee and beer to go with the last one :). Finally, we slowly absorb numbers; it always elicits excitement when, while taking a picture, we say satu, dua, tiga!
In Indonesian, they told us that the grammar was very easy. There is no tense, and from our limited exposure to the language, little-to-no conjugation. Saya ingin and Kami ingin mean "I would like" and "We would like," respectively.
In Bali, we learned that there are two versions of "please" (Indonesian speakers, please forgive us if we get it wrong). When someone asks to take something from you, such as your plate, you say silahkan. When you want someone to give you something, you say tolong: Tolong minta bon. "The check, please." Interestingly, we encountered silahkan on our hike up to Mount Batur. When asking to get past slower hikers, our request of permisi was met with silahkan, presumably allowing us to take their place on the trail.
With all the efforts to learn, and enjoy, Indonesian, we really appreciated that the vast majority of Indonesians we encountered in Jakarta and Bali spoke English. We discovered, when speaking to our guides and many of the hotel staff that they learned English in school and aspired to become fluent.
To all that we met in Indonesia:
Terima Kasih and Matur Suksma!
