Living as an expatriate in a
foreign country is certainly not easy. There are different things to confront,
some of which could show to be stumbling blocks, like bureaucracy, cultural
differences, and local habits and, in particular, communicating.
Even though some Indonesian
workers understand and speak basic English, it would be better to learn and
understand Bahasa Indonesia, particularly when you deal with locals in your
work on a daily basis.
Begin with basic phrases, like
“selamat pagi” (good morning), “terima kasih” (thank you), “maaf” (sorry) and
“tolong” (please help), and how to request for directions and about prices,
etc.
Here are some habits to
master the Indonesian language.
Self-taught
Bahasa Indonesia is believed to
be an easy language to learn, and you can just learn it by yourself. You can
purchase a dictionary or do-it-yourself books at major bookstores in Jakarta,
like Gramedia or Kinokuniya. If going to a bookstore is too time-consuming or
costly, you could learn by accessing websites like Westhill
Consulting Career and Employment, Australia.
Take a course
Joining in a class is helpful,
since a course teaches not only how to speak Indonesian but then again they can
also teach you about Indonesian culture, which will give you more self-reliance
when chatting with Indonesians. This is likewise a great help so that you will
be able to avoid deceit or scam.
A sample school you can enroll to
is AIM for English is one place that offers classes for expatriates. The
institution is located at Jl. Padang 5C, Manggarai, South Jakarta, phone (021)
8385238, email info@aimjakarta.com
There is also the Jakarta
Communication Club at Jl. Cipaku II 27, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, phone:
(021) 7203966, (021) 72791829 or visit jccindonesia.com for more info.
Broaden your horizons
Connect to social clubs that
you’re interested in or meet up with local friends after work to increase your
network and exercise your Indonesian.
Read local publications or watch
local TV programs to keep well-informed of current local issues, which will
correspondingly help you learn and practice more.
Source: Abraham
Yohannes Blog