I am an American living in the United States but at times my heart still longs for Indonesia.
My amily and I have had the honor of hosting two international students since the beginning of the fall semester. One lady is from Indonesia and the other lady is from East Timor, which shares many similarities to the Indonesian culture.
These ladies have been in our home many, many times. We have enjoyed sharing meals together, especially nasi goreng (fried rice). We visited different attractions in our city together. We have played games together. These ladies have become like adik-adik (younger sisters). And they have loved my daughters well.
The Indonesian lady's parents came to visit her, and they ate dinner at our house on Thursday. It was nice to be able to speak in the Indonesian language together. It was nice to talk about where we lived in Indonesia. It was nice to have people in our United States home just like we did so many times while living overseas.
What a blessing! My heart is filled. As is the tradition in Indonesia, our guests brought oleh-oleh (souvenirs). My kiddos were super excited to see so many treats from Indonesia.
Some of the items included:
- Selai O'lai - a cookie that you can buy at most supermarkets
- Hello Panda Cookies - we have found these at the local Asian market as well
- Nutri Sari - an orange-flavored powder drink that we commonly drank for breakfast
- Beng-Beng - the first Indonesian candy bar that my wife and I tried when we arrived in Indonesia
- Spicy Cheetos - this is not the real name, but it is what we always called them
- and a few other traditional snack foods.
No matter where you live, it is nice to have a taste of home. I have been blessed to live in two countries that I have called home. In Indonesia, I was a bule (a foreigner). But it was hard to leave because even though I was different, I felt like I belonged. Aku rindu Indonesia!
I want to hear from you!
Let's continue the conversation.
- Is it apart of your culture to bring a small gift if you visit someone's house?
- What is a traditional food item that is famous where you live?
- If you are living in another country, what food do you miss most from your home country?
I am excited to read your responses.
@SumatraNate
Image Source: Both photos are mine.
kami orng Indonesia (Aceh Khususnya) selalu merayakan hal-hal kecil dengan penuh kebahagian, dan kami selalu membawa oleh-oleh buat saudara atau teman kami saat berkunjung, itu adalah sebagai wujud kepedulian dan kebersamaan kami,,
saya sangat senang dengan cerita anda, apa lagi dengan kunjungan saudara saya dari Indonesia ke rumah anda, mungkin suatu saat nanti anda akan kembali di beri kesempatan berkunjung ke Indonesia, dan mungkin kita bisa bertemu,,oh,,sangat menyenangkan membayangkan nya,,,
salam hangat selalu @sumatranate dan keluarga dari kami sekekuarga,,,
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Saya senang bagi cerita ini. Kalo ada kesempatan berkunjung ke Indonesia lagi saya harap saya bisa bertemu dengan banyak teman yang saya betermu di Steemit.
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Keukarah merupakan salah satu kue tradisional daerah Aceh yang banyak dijadikan oleh-oleh oleh bule.
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Trims atas fotonya. Kelihatannya asik banget!
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I am truly happy for you @sumatranate, at least you have people from your "home" coming to see you, I guess that your children are able to speak bahasa as well even a little. :D, very nice buddy. wish your yearning of "home" now have little cure.
Happy for you and say hello to your family
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My kids can speak bahasa a little bit, but have forgotten most of what they knew. It was so nice to have guests from Indonesia in my home. Thanks for sharing a bit about the traditions from Aceh. I will tell my family that you say hi.
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Pernahkah mendengar makanan khas wilayah paling barat di indonesia? Namanya "kuah pliek". Dihidangkan bersamaan dengan makanan pokok/nasi dan ikan yang diasinkan. Enak dimakan pada jamuan makan siang. Maukah mencobanya?
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Belum pernah dengar. Kalo ada kesempatan saya akan cobe. Trims atas infonya.
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Kalau Kopi Ulee Kareng atau Kopi Gayo pasti pernah dengar. Kopi Ulee Kareng atau Kopi Gayo sekarang sudah dibuat dalam bentuk kemasan sashet dan dijual pada super market.
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I think it's very cool and a great experience to host foreign students. and yet it should be very interesting. thanks for the post and for the photo. very much.
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It has been a blessing to host the international students. I am very glad to share my story with you. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.
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makanan sejenis kerupuk itu nama nya "kue kuping gajah",, dinamakan kuping gajah karna besar dan bulat bulat,,
selamat merayakan kebahagian anda, seandainya kami pada posisi anda kami juga sangat senang dan bahagia,,,
saya turut merasa bahagia melihat kalian semua, bisa melihat wajah keluarga besar anda,,
semoga kita selalu dalam berkah Allah
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Trims atas infonya. Saya sangat diberkati keluarga besarku. Saya sangat diberkati anugerah dan rakmat Allah.
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everyone would be very happy to get a prize let alone get a gift from the nearest family, very nice, regards from me @masrijafar aceh-indonesia tuan @sumatranate
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It is nice to receive a souvenir from a friend or family member. Thanks for leaving a comment. I appreciate it!
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thanks you very much
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Oleh-oleh adalah bagian dari budaya kami orang Indonesia. Ketika seseorang bepergian jauh, dia akan membawa sesuatu benda bisa berupa barang atau makanan dari daerah tersebut untuk diberikan kepada teman dan saudaranya. Tradisi membawa oleh-oleh juga berlaku jika kita mengunjungi teman atau saudara, oleh-oleh ini disebut dengan bungong jaroe dalam bahasa Aceh.
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Saya merase tradisi ini sangat baik!
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Hi @sumatranate, saya tidak heran melihat banyak komentar dalam bahasa indonesia, akan ternyata pak sumatranate mengerti bahasa Indonesia dengan baik, maaf ya jika saya datang tidak diundang. berapa lama anda tinggal di Indonesia, dan di daerah mana anda tinggal di Indonesia, kalau saya tinggal di Aceh, ada juga beberapa kawan saya yang sudah menjadi kawan baik anda saya lihat di sini...
bagi kami andai tinggal di luar, bakal sangat merindukan 2 masakan istimewa; yang pertama kuah Pliek U dan yang ke dua Kuah Asam Kueng dangan nasi putih hangat. ini sudah menjadi ada kebiasaan kami jika berkunjung ke tempat teman dan saudara pasti akan membawa oleh-oleh atau buah tangan.
saya bisa mengerti sedikit bahasa inggris, tapi google translate sangat membantu
Salam
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Saya bisa bercakap-cakapa dalam bhs Indonesia. Saya tinggal di Indonesia tahun 2005 s/d 2016. Sekaranga saya tinggal di AS sama keluargaku.
Dulu saya tinggal di Riau and Bengkulu, dan memang saya sangat rindu sahabat2ku disitu.
Salam dari bule di AS!
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I think it must be an Asian culture. We Filipinos also bring something to when we come visit another home or person. At the same time, if anyone visits us, we try to send that person something from our home- like food of fruits/veggies from our back yard. 😉
From our place there's this delicacy called suman. It is Sticky rice cooked in coconut milk then wrapped in banana leaves then steamed some more. Ohh, I just miss it so much. It is beast for breakfast, paired with black coffee! Can I go home now?
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Yes, I agree. I think that this tradition is apart of most Asian cultures. I am you sorry that you are missing home. I understand how you feel living in country that is not your first home. But I hope that where you live now can become like a "second" home.
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You got a 19.50% upvote from @upmewhale courtesy of @sumatranate!
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banyak yang komen disini orang aceh, dan surprise for me you can speak bahasa
i live in bekasi, its 1 hour from jakarta the capital city
so many food because so many ethnic here, sumatraa, ambon, java, sundanese and others
but, bring small gift when you visit someone its not really a culuture but everybody in Indonesia do something like that. becoz we're nice ahahahahaha
hope you can share another exprience from Indonesia
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