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Important Notes to All of Our Members
We need you to go to the site and register your blog by yourself. I sincerely apologise that I cannot do this for you since you have to submit your own details there.
Hope to see you there!
It’s been a quite long time since our last post. Not that we have abandoned this site, but because both Andie and I are ‘cooking’ and preparing the new website for us. At the same time both of us have moved to our new houses (a.k.a blogs) respectively and have been busy tidying up and developing them. So we sincerely apologise for long delay.
The new website is still under construction and we will let you know when we are ready to receive guests – you’d be the first to know!
SUGGESTIONS (email to finallywoken.blog[at]gmail.com)
We have pretty much big picture what we are going to put there, but it’s no harm to ask you, our loyal readers, what sort of information you would like us to find, or what kind of information you would like to share in between readers. Let’s say you think that finding a good local Asian grocery stores is important, you could let us know. Or you think we need to find information about the cheapest ticket to go back to Indonesia. Or anything you can think of. Please do not hesitate to email me at admin[at]finally-woken.com.
COUNTRIES FACTS, NEED YOUR HELP (email to finallywoken.blog[at]gmail.com)
On the previous post Andie has asked us to help her to gather all countries data. Since then we have got quite good responses from all of you, willing to help us out. Apologise for not responding quickly enough but in general here is what we need:
- Country: [pick the country you want to brief]
- Location: [Asia, Africa, Europe, etc.]
- Government: [republic, kingdom, etc]
- Language: [i.e. Indonesian (official) 70%, Javanese 20%, English 5%]
- Religions: [i.e. Islam 70%, Catholic 30%)
- Ethnic Groups:
- Number of Indonesian living in the country: […] people
- Indonesian Embassy: [address]
- Indonesian Consulate: [address]
- Indonesian Association: [i.e. student groups, religious communities, etc.]
- Indonesian Communities: [ book clubs, ‘arisan’, luncheon, etc.]
Please email the information above to me at admin[at]finally-woken.com. Your help is very much appreciated.
OTHER INFORMATION
Regarding the new website, below are quite important information for you to know in advance:
- We will close this wordpress blog as soon as the new website is running
- We will move all posts to the new website – however we still don’t know whether we could move the comments as well.
- If you have ever submitted your post(s) here and would not want us to re-post them in the new website, please let us know. Otherwise we assume it is okay for us to republish your submitted post to the new website.
- To all of you whose blogs are registered here, please re-register in our new website. In it you will be asked for more information before you are able to list your blog.
- Those who just submitted their blogs, we apologise that we can’t list them now. Please wait until the new website is open so you can resubmit your blog.
The reason why you would have to register individually, is because we have many features there, not only blog list. We can’t reveal too much here, but we assure you that if all of use participate and contribute actively in the new website, all of us will find many benefits from it.
We are sooo excited that finally this new website will be running very soon. We know you are too. So, see you very soon, in a new house!
Love from granite city,
Finally Woken
]]>We are currently planning on expanding the Forum, so for the mean time, we would like to ask for your help in getting information on your country of residence. It would be something like a country factsheet – preferably shorter and easier to understand than Wikipedia.org (which, by the way, is an excellent source). It would be great if you could add some “personal touch” like visa, residency issues, what to do on weekends, where to buy groceries, school for children, etc. If you can get some photos, that would be great.
These informations hopefully can be used to help a lot of other expats, who most of the time are clueless and also overwhelmed by the countless websites around who offer information, tips, etc.
So, if you are interested in chipping in, please send us email to indonesianexpat[at]yahoo[dot]com. You can also leave comment below.
]]>The website consists of 3 parts: basic, business, and students. In each section we would learn to understand how to greet men or women, how to dress properly according the occasion, how to distribute our business cards, what’s considered taboo, and so on.
For example, on Scotland’s section I found out that it is considered rude to turn down a drink offer. Oh gosh, I have done it so many times. Of course I didn’t mean to be rude. I simply couldn’t keep up with others in terms of drinking speed. They drink like inhaling water, and if I did it, I’d be drunk quickly! When you’re in Kazakhstan, for example. don’t even think to hook your two fingers together, as it’s considered as an obscene gesture. Or don’t put your hands in your pockets while talking to someone when you’re in Hungary, as it’s considered rude.
Since I am Indonesian, I told them I’d help with Indonesia. And I thought, ‘piece a cake, what don’t I know about my own country?”.
Well, turns out it wasn’t easy! I don’t have sociology or anthropology background and only had 1 subject about behavioral science back when I was in university. And as far as I know, even though I have lived in Indonesia for over 30 years, I’m not really Indonesian, if you know what I mean. I don’t bow when I speak to the elders, I shake hands with no hesitance and don’t put my palm close to my heart, I hug and cheek-kisses, and other sort of things lots of Indonesians wouldn’t do. No wonder my aunties think I’m rude…
After several hours, I sent the reply to the administrator and said that this was the best I can do. But yes, there are still some blank pages they need to fill. So feel free to contact them to offer your help.
Personally I think the website is useful to help us understanding other countries, especially expatriates who must adjust and adapt their adopted country’s culture quickly.
I am thinking about putting the link of the similar websites on this forum. So if you come across one, please let me know.
]]>The recent hike in fuel prices has undoubtedly increase the cost of living. Maybe not as much as what they are experiencing at home in Indonesia, it is still making a dent for us who live in foreign countries. Not only affected those who are in foreign countries, it also have direct impact on those who have to support their family members on their home countries.
Big cities all around the world have become more expensive for expatriates with family members. In the Philippines, cost of living has increased 5% to 8% since beginning of the year.
The global cost of living study has comprised that London and Moscow are the most expensive global locations for expatriates, while 3 of the top 5 most expensive cities are in Asia; Tokyo, Seoul and Hongkong.
The weakening of USD compared to Euro also contributes significantly to the changes in the most expensive cities for expat list compiled by FinFacts.Ie. This list does not account for cost-of-living savings accrued to local citizens through government-subsidized housing, health care, and education, differences in taxation, and many other factors irrelevant to expatriates. Cost of living may be much higher for expatriates than for local residents in a developing country, especially if expatriates expect a standard of living similar to a developed country. With the rising cost of fuel and gas, the impact of rising cost for basic goods and services are going to be stronger than ever, coupled by the poor performance of USD.
How are we as expat deal with it? What sort of lifestyle changes are we most likely to conform with? We would love to hear your opinions and tips on saving whilst living away from home country.
For more information on survey done on the topic, please visit City Mayors website.
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But what if we live in not-so-popular country, like me, for example, who happen to live in Aberdeen, Scotland?
If we are students, it would be easier to meet other Indonesians since there are Indonesian student societies everywhere in the world. But if we work or run our own business, we don’t have associations like British Chamber of Commerce and we are only able to meet other Indonesians by word of mouth, or through social networking websites.
Having no one to ask to, we certainly will turn to Indonesian Embassy in our adopted country. Most of them will list PPI (Perhimpunan Pelajar Indonesia) and religious communities. But rather than that, nothing.
I think Indonesian Embassies should take one step forward and be more active to gather Indonesians all over the countries, and not only focus on big cities. They should have a special section where Indonesian Societies could register their organizations, even if that community is only “arisan”.
In the mean time, to broaden our network around the world, below is the list of expat links I could find so far:
If you come across similar sites, please let me know so I could build a database.
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Shopping
Compared to shopping areas in the Netherlands, where most of the shopping districts are all modern, or Germany with its malls, Brussels is something totally different. It has a very cool vibe, and a lot of personality. There are no malls here, only maybe three or four shopping centers (small ones, equivalent to the smaller plazas in Jakarta, not big malls) You can see what it’s like to shop in Brussels from the pictures shown here (click photo to enlarge picture and captions)
Old Buildings and Churches
Belgium, at least the French Speaking parts and Brussels, which I am writing about today, are quite old fashioned. It embraces old architecture and old buildings which is why I fell in love with it in the first place. I love old buildings, and although it doesn’t have as much as Paris, Brussels have a certain charm that has made me fall in love over and over again each time I go sight-seeing in the city.
I haven’t seen much modern architectural designs in Brussels apart from the European Commission building (which scarily resembles an upside down cross – what the Christian conspiracy theorists calls ‘the anti Christ Building’ – the headquarters of all evil, unity of a number of evil Satan worshiping nations, just as – what they claim – the bible had prophesied) – click photo to enlarge picture and captions
Well, I can’t say much for the Satan worshiping nations (because it’s top secret and I’d have to kill you if I tell you), but the building does kinda look like an upside down cross, doesn’t it?
But, au contraire to the beliefs about being the epicenter of evil, Brussels actually has some of the most beautiful churches in Europe. Here are several well known Brussels churches, although there are so many others too (click photo to enlarge picture and captions)
We do have several landmarks in Brussels besides the European Commission “Berlaymont” Building. These are some of the most beautiful old buildings that has also become landmarks in Brussels (click photo to enlarge picture and captions)
Art Nouveau Building
Some of the most beautiful art nouveau buildings are located in Brussels, which is not surprising, considering the Father of Art Nouveau Architecture and Design, Victor Horta was a Brussels native. (click photo to enlarge picture and captions)
Landmarks
Besides old building landmarks, Brussels has other kinds of landmarks, unconventional ones, with interesting histories behind it. The most famous one is the Manneken Pis, a boy who people said peed on a fuse of a bomb an attack on Brussels, thus saving Brussels from the attack. The peeing boy was immortalized into a cute little statue you can see on the third picture below. The second picture is a building called the Atomium, which was initially intended to remain for six months in the World Fair of 1958, but then became a symbol for not only the World Fair, but of modern architecture and Brussels. The monument stayed the same for almost 50 years, undergone a renovation in 2004 (replacement of the metal panels on the atoms, the old panels being auctioned off) and finished last year. (click photo to enlarge picture and captions)
Café and Restaurant Culture
Brussels people, or Bruxelloises, love to sit in cafés and drink coffee or beer. Besides some of the finest and most delicious restaurants in Western Europe, Brussels is also famous for Seafood – especially Mussels. Brussels have many cozy restaurants, cafés and bars that are usually filled with people, especially during summer. (click photo to enlarge picture and captions)
Cartoons
Let’s not forget the cartoons in Brussels. Brussels is truly a cartoon city, with many buildings painted with cartoon murals. I think it’s a very cool thing, certainly gives a unique edge to the city, and very good for tourists who love to take pictures of themselves and the comics. (click photo to enlarge picture and captions)
That is about it for this edition of Beautiful Brussels, there are other interesting stuff about Brussel I will share with you again next time. A bientot! Tot ziens!
*credits: Most of the photos were found on the internet (dansaertstraat and e3000 on flickr, galenfrysinger, tom galvin, brusselsdailyphoto, erasmuspc, trabel, milnerscom’s blog, brussels pictures and many more. Please contact me with your details/website if you see your photo here, so I can mention your name or site in the credits as well)
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Rima Fauzi M.A.
https://www.rimafauzi.blogspot.com
It has been a while since I stayed away from home. The last time was in 2000 when I went to Adelaide for school. So many doubts and questions are engulfing me right this moment.
Have I spent enough time with my parents to make sure they will not miss me as much? Have I settled all my finances? How much should I bring? What if I get sick and my mother is not around to make me chinese herbal tea? What am I going to do there? Should I get a job? Should I become a stay home wife? What if we have to move to some weird-ass (pardon my language) country again? Can my parents come and visit? What about chinese new year? Can I come home then? What if I want to eat sambal?
Moving away from home, is like moving away from my nest. My comfort zone. It is so hard. As it is nearer, I am feeling more and more restless.
How do you cope with moving our of the country? What did you find is the hardest thing of the whole thing?
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Sherwin Tobing, the blog owner of Goresan Ngawur.
I have been living in Budapest, the capital city of Hungary, for almost a year. Hungary might sound little bit strange for Indonesians. Many Indonesians do not even have a ghost of idea on where Hungary actually is. Hungary is located in the heart of Europa and its people were originated from somewhere in Central Asia. These people, called Magyar in Hungarian, built a settlement there more than 1000 years ago.
Hungarian language is far from similar with other European languages and categorized as Finno-Ugrian language. International linguists referred it as the second most difficult language to learn after Chinese and, somehow, put it in the same cluster with Estonian and Finnish. Its 44 phonemes and strange grammar and vocabulary contributed to the difficulty in learning it. I, once, read somewhere good example about this. Hungry tourists could easily find restaurant in France, ristorante in Italy, Restaurant in Germany, and restaurante in Spain. Meanwhile, in Hungary he will starve to death since restaurant is étterem in Hungarian. It is spoken by approximately 16 million people. 11 million of them are living in Hungary, and the rest are residing in Translyvania province of Romania, southern part of Slovakia, Serbian autonomous region of Vojvodina, Burgenland in Austria, and some parts of Croatia and Slovenia.
Hungary used to be a very big state before the World War 1 and integrated in dual monarchy system with Austria since 1848 under Austro-Hungarian Empire. Trianon Treaty concluded after the war gave 2/3 of Hungary to its neighbors which result in the existence of Hungarian diaspora in there. Current Hungary is just the remaining 1/3 of it before.
Budapest is an exotic capital city. Beautiful Danube river divided it into hilly Buda and flat Pest. These two are connected by some bridges which shines brightly at night. In the city itself, one may find some buildings from Ottoman era 400 years ago, lot of cathedrals and churches, beautiful castles, operas, museums, and highly eccentric governmental buildings. Jewish largest synagogue can also be found here. My favorites are Hungarian parliament, the largest in Europe, Heroes’ Square (see picture) and St. Istvan’s Cathedral.
Budapest is also famous for its thermal and medicinal baths. There are even some medicinal pools where you can relax yourself. I recommend one in Hotel Gellert. Right beside it, you will be amazed to see the cave in the heart of the city. Up on the Gellert Hill, there stands Citadella, statue built by Austria in the past. Those who like history may want to see Memorial of Hungarian Revolution 1956 and House of Terror, place where you can spend two hours to see equipments used by communist party to torture people and lot of pictures from that era. Between Buda and Pest, there is one small island named Margaret Island, where you can relax, enjoy the beautiful scenery of Danube river, and use some sport facilities. Reaching all places aforementioned is not difficult, Hungarian government provides us great public transportation system.
In regard to foods, I believe all of us here know Hungarian Goulash Soup, I really love it. There are some other great dishes too like fish soup, chicken paprika, and home-made stew. Most of dishes here use paprika as ingredient. Hungary is also famous for its high quality brandy and wine, such as Palinka and Tokaji.
Most Indonesians will have hard time in naming famous Hungarians. Well, some football enthusiasts might be able to name Ferenc Puskas, one of football legend, though. I could also name George Soros, world famous economist from Hungary who emigrated to London to escape Soviet occupation. Who else?
– Albert Szent Gyorgyi, the inventor of Vitamin C who received a Nobel Prize
– Karolyi Simmonyi Jr., the developer of Microsoft Word and Excel
– Janos Kemmy, the first one in the world to send an email
– Joszef Kalamb, the designer of T-Model of Ford
– Viktor Szebehelly, the one who define where Appolo have to land in the moon
– Dones Gabor, the inventor of holography
– Kalman Kand, the father of electric train
– Janos Irinyi, the inventor of match
– Laszlo Biro, the inventor of ballpoint pen
– Bela Bartok and Zoltan Kodaly, world famous composers
– many other
I did experience culture shock when I moved here from Tokyo, Japan last year. People are different, the way they think is different, and their attitude toward foreigners is different. Having lived abroad for 8 years helped me a lot in adapting with local customs and traditions.
It was the first time for me to live in a rather small city. I really missed Tokyo and Jakarta’s crowdedness. I sometimes compared it with Vienna, closest big city. You hardly see lot of people outside after 7 o’clock there. In addition, shops are closed too early and, in Sunday, most of them are not open. Luckily, it is not the case with Budapest. It should also be noted that the air here is much fresher than in Tokyo and, obviously, Jakarta. 
Lastly, I found that prices here are much cheaper than Tokyo, yes I know it is an obvious fact, but I did find it as something grateful. With all great things it can offer, Budapest is, indeed, worth living, or, at least, worth visiting. I surely will miss this city after I returned to Tokyo this fall.
I myself took picture above. List of famous Hungarians above was quoted from booklet given by my university and has been modified.
If you know someone who now is living and working in Riyadh, kindly please drop email to pixeldyne@yahoo.com.
Thank you, folks!
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