Another wedding?!

Yes, we attended another wedding last night. The bride was the daughter of a colleague in the Informatics Department at ITB. Unlike in the US where you actually have to know one or both of the wedding couple, here it seems that invitations are issued liberally to just about anyone and everyone! We are told that the families are greatly honored when the invitees show up and offended when they do not. Since Ronnie works with the bride’s mother, we decided it best to go.

floral display lines driveway outside Rhily and Rifandy's reception facility

Unlike the traditional Javanese wedding we attended a couple of weeks ago (our driver’s nephew) which was nice but relatively modest, this one was in the traditional West Sumatra style and was over-the-top elaborate. No costs were spared. 

even the car is decorated with fresh flowers

getaway car

two hallways to get to reception area

Ronnie signing guest book

I will let the photos tell the story about the reception, though due to the elaborate lighting set up which was constantly changing, they really don’t do the scene justice. In addition to explaining what takes place at a wedding reception, I will share some observations about Indonesian weddings and compare them to typical US ones. I will also point out some areas where I think the Indonesians may have it right, especially from a male perspective.

dancers perform after wedding couple is seated

wedding musicians

From what I’ve been able to learn, Indonesian weddings seem to be fairly “formulaic” so guests pretty much know what to expect. This is unlike American weddings where each shares some common elements but can be carried out quite differently. While American weddings tend to reflect the individuality of the couple (which in my mind makes them memorable) they also can lack elements which might make them more enjoyable to their guests.

entrance to reception hall

couples parents seated for entertainment before greeting guests

For starters, when one receives a wedding invitation here, they aren’t really expected to attend the wedding itself, as these things can be pretty much all day affairs. The actual marriage ceremony is typically in the morning and is attended only by the couples families and very close friends. So although you receive an invitation to the wedding, the reception is really all you are expected to attend.

Ronnie greets Rhily and Rifandy

Upon entering the venue where the reception is being held, guests are expected to sign the guest book, pick up their wedding “souvenir” and deposit their card (containing cash) into a decorative box. Yes, money is expected and there are even some “guidelines” as to how much one is expected to give. There are no bridal registries here nor will you see tables set up to hold gifts for the newlyweds. No, Indonesian newlyweds prefer to do their own shopping.

If you are on time or a little early, you will be able to see the “processional” where the newly married couple, accompanied by their respective parents and attendants enter the reception hall. (Due to rain and heavy traffic, we missed this part but we were told it was a sight to see.)  As soon as the wedding couple and parents are situated on the stage, traditional songs and dances are performed by costumed dancers. When the dances end, guests are ushered through the receiving line which consists of the wedding couple and each set of parents on opposite sides. 

couple greets Dwi, Ronnie's teaching associate

Unlike in the US where reception lines can take forever with people hugging, chatting and visiting, guests here file through with only smiles and gracious two-handed gesturing. As you might guess, the line moves very quickly!

Guests then move immediately to the buffet, which at this particular wedding consisted of a number of tables set up with a variety of traditional foods. Alcoholic beverages are never served at Muslim weddings – only water. Since Ronnie and I have both been battling stomach issues, we took it easy on the meal but we did try out the chocolate fountain. Still hungry when we left, we asked our driver to stop by Dunkin Donuts to help balance out our meal before heading back to the apartment. 

But the point is, as soon as guests finish eating, they are free to go. There are no wedding cakes, so that eliminates the need to hang for sometimes hours, waiting on cakes to be cut, bouquets to be tossed or garters to be flung.

one of the tables in bridal party area

Apparently it is not uncommon for people here to receive invitations to 3-4 weddings on the same day! That could actually be “doable” given the way things are kept moving along. In the States, hungry wedding guests are typically kept waiting an hour or more while dozens of photos are taken of the wedding party and their respective families. Only after this task is completed will the bride and groom join their guests and food can begin being served. Actually, some couples have started offering hors d'oeuvres and drinks if their guests have to wait a very long time, which is always appreciated, especially if it is past the mealtime.

one of two dessert tables

self serve dessert buffet

So while Indonesian weddings can be quite elaborate affairs, they still do not require big time chunks out of the guests day to attend. And last but certainly not least, male guests are expected to wear traditional batik shirts – no coats or ties. The bottom line - a lot of the standard objections that men (in particular) have about attending weddings are eliminated by the way weddings are carried out in this country. 

If you've made it this far, here are a couple of short videos - both made with Ronnie's phone. They are not great quality, but do provide a sound bite of this Sumatra style reception. Between the dances, Ronnie pans to the right - note how quickly the receiving line is moving. The crowd prevents you from seeing a different set of dancers in the second clip.

What's a kampung?

cut through?

No, it's not another one of those tasty (?) fried roadside treats, although that would be a good guess. Actually, I have been wondering what a kampung is myself for some time now. I have been under the impression that kampungs are areas within the city where the poorer Indonesians typically live. 

On the way home from another bird singing contest this morning, Ronnie and I decided to walk down one of the alleyways that we often see motor scooters coming in and out of. Ever since I began to notice them, I just assumed that they were “cut throughs” that allow motor scooters to get from one street to another without having to contend with as much street traffic.

no, it's much more

Ronnie had been curious about these little alleyways as well, so today we decided to follow one of them to see where it would come out. To our surprise, it lead us into a small “neighborhood” or village. As soon as we emerged from the narrow passageway, we were walking between living quarters that were tiny, cramped and somewhat primitive looking. I suspect these little villages are representative of the way many Indonesians live.

I learned that the original meaning of "kampung" was "countryside" or "village" but the term is often used to indicate the neighborhoods which stretch out in the back of the official roads and maintain a village-like social structure. This definition seems to fit, as these little living areas are tucked off the main roads and cannot be accessed except through these narrow passageways, either on foot or by scooter.

vendor carries chicken, fish (and flies) on left, miscellaneous goods on right

creek runs through village

foot traffic along main walkway

family living quarters

It was hard not to let ourselves peer inside the residences, as the doors stood open on most. My guess is that they do have electricity but probably do not have indoor plumbing. The pipes coming out of the sides of the building empty directly into the creek that flows through the village (see photo above). 

family run warung

Men were doing construction work or pushing their carts while children played happily, having no idea that they are poor. Laundry dried in the sun while one woman sat on the porch picking lice from another woman's hair and another was hanging more clothes. Caged birds hung from porch coverings or the rare tree. We definitely felt like “strangers in these parts" as we made our way through the village. It's obvious these Indonesians don’t see many “bule” inside their village. As is typical, we got a lot of stares but some folks were friendly and a few seemed happy to pose for photos. 

boys on bamboo ladder

mixing concrete on the ground

    

mother and sleepy baby

Taking "people photos" is always a delicate balancing act. While I want to take a photo of pretty much everyone I see, I also am aware that people may or may not respond favorably to having their photo taken by a perfect stranger. My goal is to grab a photo without offending my subject/s in the process. Some persons may be shy or easily embarrassed and some may consider a camera carried by a “bule” an intrusion into their world. I always smile when I make eye contact with another person, with or without my camera. But if I do have my camera, I smile and depending on the way I “read” the other person's response, I may or may not ask for permission to take their photo. Surprisingly, many of them not only give me permission (through their body language) but some actually seem thrilled to have their photo taken. If we are in close proximity, I'll show them their image on the back of the monitor and we exchange a smile or “thumbs up” of approval. 

life inside the kampung

happy children at play

Hopefully as I am here longer, I'll learn if this was a kampung that we wandered into today. I would like to learn much more about them and the people who live in them. And if I'm fortunate, I'll get to visit other kampungs and even become acquainted with some of the people who live in them. That's a teaser for a future blog entitled "Kampungs - Part 2." And by then, I hope to be better informed.

More Randomness...

Well, I don't have anything specific to blog about today so I will just post a few random photos from this week. The 2 group shots are not so great since they were taken with my phone camera.

Ronnie is bound and determined to keep up his running here, although there is no place that is ideal to run. So far, his best bet is the running track at ITB. However, the red dirt stains ones shoes after just one run. In trying to figure out what shoes would show the least dirt, I suggested orange since that's the colors his shoes end up anyway. Here are his shoes after his first run on ITB track. HA!

Last weekend on our quest for new running shoes, I finally got a chance to photograph one of the little monkeys who entertain at the intersections that actually have traffic lights. Usually there is so much traffic around and we are moving so I barely get a glimpse before we are through the intersection. This time, we happened to be sitting close to the light and this little monkey on a motorcycle started riding in fast circles as his owner swung him around and around on a rope. I was able to grab a few shots, though most were not very sharp. But you get the idea.

As soon as he finished his performance, he and his owner started collecting cash from cars and motor scooters. I grabbed this shot when they came up to our car window. Ronnie was not as thrilled with the whole thing as I was, but he dropped money in the can and quickly raised the window, commenting that he didn't want that thing to jump inside the car with us! Good point.

I learned at the expat party about another Bible study group that was meeting at Starbucks this Wednesday for a social time. Anxious to meet other English speaking women, I made a point to go. All of the ladies were very nice and I could see some potential friendships among the smallish group, though I can also see a pattern forming that I am the oldest expat. (Could it be that most older people have more sense than to come to Indonesia??) The biggest drawback for me is that the group meets at a different location each week, some quite far out. I'm not sure my driver and I would do well driving all over the city looking for a different home each week. So I'm still thinking on that one...

The lady on the left whose face you can only see half of was not happy with Pak Dadang, our driver. We had just bumped into her scooter minutes before this was taken. I must have been looking out the window or down at my camera and I honestly didn't see what happened (call me Miss Daisy, as I sit in the back seat and the passenger side head rest also blocks my view). I heard a noise and looked up. She and another lady were on the scooter and when Dadang realized what had happened, she was already moving out of his way (thankfully they were not knocked off as the "bump" was not that hard). She appeared to be cursing him pretty good. He of course thought she was at fault. Later as we passed by these bananas, she drove up beside us to continue her "conversation" with him. Dadang is a nice young man who knows the city pretty well but I fear he really doesn't have the experience he needs to be driving a car. I don't plan to report him over this one incident because I would hate to see him lose his job. I am continually amazed that there aren't more accidents than there are!

Dadang and I stopped and bought bananas here yesterday without even getting out of the car.

We received another wedding invitation for Saturday night. Our language teachers translated it for us. I suppose we will try to go, as the bride is the daughter of someone who works at ITB, which is a bit more of a connection than our new drivers nephew! We've been told that maybe 1,000 invitations are sent out and food is prepared for perhaps 2,500. Would they really get their feelings hurt if we didn't attend? Seriously? We read on an expat site that if you receive an invitation from a work associate and you choose not to go,  you should be aware that it may affect your working relationship.

Today my regular Bible study group went to lunch together. What a nice group of ladies. Marcia, our teacher, is sitting next to me on the end. The photo was taken with my cell phone, so some of the faces aren't very clear. The group is larger than those pictured and consists primarily of locals (both Chinese and Indonesian descent), a few Koreans, a young woman from Uganda and 3 Caucasians including myself. Ages range from 20's-70's.

Aroma Kopi

antique Aroma Coffee case

Kopi (Indonesian) Koffie (Dutch) Coffee (English)

Yesterday my friend Helen and I visited Aroma Kopi, a coffee roasting plant that has been operating in central Bandung since the 1930’s. This many years later, Tan Houw Sian’s son is still roasting coffee in the same way he did and even using the same roasting machines! Aroma Kopi, located in an historical old (read “run down”) Dutch building in central Bandung, does a bustling business. You'll find plain good coffee. Don't bother asking for decaf and don’t look for flavored blends. You have 2 choices - Arabika or Robusta. 

unassuming old Dutch building - home to Aroma Kopi

bags are labeled by type and date

antique coffee jars on display

beans wait up to 8 years in store room before roasting

roaster is still fired with rubber wood

As soon as you walk through the door, you feel as if you’ve stepped back in time. The antique coffee jars, framed advertising prints and German-made Probat machines used for roasting are proudly displayed in the sales area. The only thing that has changed since the 30’s is the management. Son Widyapratama (now 60) succeeded his father in 1971 and continues to run the business just as his father before him did.

owner tending beans as they roast

more beans wait their turn to be dumped into roaster

worker bags coffee with reflection in scales

weighing and packaging

from front counter into bagging room

In addition to a "step back in time" experience, one is greeted by the smell of freshly ground coffee beans and Aroma Kopi's friendly second-generation owner. I had practiced my line beforehand “Saya mau lihat kopi” (I want to see the coffee) in hopes of being treated to a tour of the warehouse. But before we even knew who to ask, a man who turned out to be the owner motioned us past the sales counter and immediately began the tour, showing us first examples of what the beans look like at different ages.

"to remind the third generation where it all started"

 

Then he began to explain the coffee roasting process. Amazingly, the German made coffee roasters are still doing their job, just as they did when Widyapratama’s father began roasting 70+ years ago. On the wall in the main roasting room, high above the equipment are the coffee dust covered bicycles that his father rode to work. They are there “to remind the third generation where it all started” he said.

more beans waiting to roast

Everything in the factory is still done exactly as from the beginning. The Arabica beans are imported from Aceh, Sulawesi, East Nusa Tenggara, Java and Medan; the Robusta beans are grown in Central Java and Lampung. The farmers dry the beans for about a week before they are brought to the factory in Bandung. They are then spread out on large tarps to sun dry for about 24 hours before they are bagged, marked and stacked in huge piles in the warehouse. There the Robusta beans will dry for 5 years and the Arabica beans will dry for 8 years!

second generation owner roasts the beans

The longer drying periods reduce the acidity in the beans as they age which Widyapratama claims is better for health. He recommends the Arabica beans (milder) for people with high blood pressure and the Robusta beans (stronger) for people with low blood pressure. He also made some other claims for which I'm not sure there is any scientific basis. The 3 extra years for the Robusta beans are necessary to get rid of the somewhat sour taste of this type of beans. He also boasts that there are no chemicals or pesticides used in growing the beans he roasts.

original advertising

original framed advertising print

After the required storage time, the beans are roasted for about 2 hours in a huge, rusty oven fired by rubber wood. After cooling, another machine is used to separate the different size beans. The cooled beans are then taken to the front area of the shop where they are bagged as whole beans, ground (in our case for a drip coffee maker) or ground into a fine powder as most Indonesians drink their coffee.  They are packaged in approximately half pound packages - Arabica or Robusta for about $3US. No advertising, no website, just coffee that is appreciated by generations of Indonesians.

The owner candidly admits to running his business by Christian principles, quite surprising in a country whose population is almost 95% Muslim.

fresh roasted beans smell oh so good!

still undecided? do what I did and get one of each!

 

I found this nice youtube video taken at Aroma Kopi if anyone wants to see more.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oHEOyJoj1E