Indonesian Fashion

hijabs come in every color of the rainbow

One of the very first things one notices after stepping off the plane in Jakarta is the way Indonesians are dressed. Many Muslim women wear the traditional Muslim garb. Men, on the other hand, wear what Americans would consider more normal looking clothing except on Fridays which are their special prayer days. On Fridays, when men go to mosque they wear the traditional hats (takiyah) and their long skirt-like wraps (sarongs). They also wear these to special occasions such as weddings.

 prayer caps for men

I have yet to figure out why some Muslim women go all out while others do not cover their heads at all. It's my understanding that here in Indonesia, it is left up to the women whether or not they wear these and that as more outside influence comes in, more women are opting to wear the full garb. In general, the younger girls do not wear head coverings (although many do) and as they get older and want to signal that they are not interested in attracting male attention, they become more modest and cover their head. Keep in mind that I am no expert on Muslim fashion - I'm only repeating what I've been told.

sneaking a shot of women at prayer in shopping center

In addition to their daily dress (modestly covering all body parts except for face and hands) there is a special garment that is used for prayer times. These calls to prayer occur 5 times daily, and Muslims must stop and pray wherever they are (there is always a musholla nearby - a special room or area set aside for prayer in  public places). I assume the women carry these special prayer clothes with them so if they get caught away from home when the call comes, they can easily slip them over their clothes and be dressed appropriately.

sales girl models prayer covering

These special prayer clothes used by women consist of two pieces: a long skirt that has a waist with stretchy elastic, and a top that covers the head and shoulders and falls well below the waist. Sometimes they are plain though they can feature lace or embroidery.





The purpose behind the mens taqiya or prayer hat is to emulate Muhammad. According to my research, Muslim men are required to cover themselves between the navel and the knees. Others argue that Muħammad wore clothes that revealed his thigh when riding camels, so if it was good enough for Muhammad, it should be good enough for other Muslim males. Still, you will never see a Muslim man wearing shorts.

men's more formal wear

Both men and women wear the sarongs.These are made from a large length of fabric wrapped around the waist. The men mainly wear plaid or checkered patterns or perhaps batik depicting animals or plants. 

traditional batik colors

Batik is HUGE here. I cannot possibly exaggerate its popularity, as there is nothing more Indonesian than batik. I hope to visit a place where batik is made soon and hopefully learn and share more about that process. I confess that I am not a fan of batik, but if you stay in Indonesia for any length of time, you really need to at least own some. We did buy batik dress shirts (both long and short sleeves) for Ronnie, as that is what Indonesian men wear to weddings. Besides, he would much prefer to wear a short sleeve shirt than a coat and tie any day! Most of the men (both local and expats) at the church we attend wear batik shirts as well.

batik fashion for every member of the family

common for husbands/wives to wear matching batik

Even though the climate here is mild the year around, the vast majority of women remain fully covered at all times. Even if they have on jeans and tops, the head  remains covered. Sometimes they look so hot, but I've decided that their bodies are just more suited to this climate than ours are. On the RARE occasion that I see a woman wearing shorts (even modest ones) there is a 99.99999% chance that they are not Muslim (usually a young Chinese girl).

so many colors and styles

The word hijab refers to both the head covering traditionally worn by Muslim women and modest Muslim styles of dress in general. As you can see from the photos, these come in all colors and fabrics, some with adornments that can be quite fancy. The dresses themselves can be solid and plain or of a dressier fabric with overlays of lace and hand sewn beads. The latter are usually seen at weddings and formal affairs.



 

Muslim fashion is obviously big business. If you are interested in fashion at all, you might find the article below interesting.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/07/11/muslim-chic.html

young girls at work

perhaps for those who are more figure challenged?

fabric stores are big business too!

Because Bandung is home to many textile factories and clothing manufacturers, people from Jakarta and surrounding areas flock here each weekend to shop Bandungs 40+ outlets. There are so many places where fabric is sold - any kind you can think of, so the city is a literal magnet for people who want to buy ready made clothes or fabric to have them sewn.

solid white for pilgrimage to Mecca

All Muslims are required to make a pilgrimage to Mecca (Saudi Arabia) at least once in their life. The birthplace of Muhammad, Mecca is considered the holiest city for Islam. For this occasion, all clothing worn (including shoes) must be white from head to toe. The shop at left carries clothing that Muslims would choose for this once-in-a-life time journey.

Danny Cosby Smith 1936-2012

It is with much sadness that I tell you that we have lost another family member, a much loved brother-in-law, Dan Smith. There are really not enough good things I could say about Dan. He was the most unselfish person one could ever hope to meet. He lived for his family and especially my sister Margaret who has suffered many years from numerous health issues.

Dan studied mathematics and physics in college, teaching and working as a software engineer for Lockheed Martin until my sister Margaret became seriously ill. He cared for her selflessly over the past 14 years. He was a godly man and as steady as a rock. He had a good sense of humor and he loved to talk to people and share stories. He and Margaret both enjoyed being "mom and dad" to many foreign students through the years.

We were all shocked when Dan was diagnosed with lung cancer in the summer of 2010. He never smoked a day in his life. He fought to live and he never complained or asked "why me?" His faith was an inspiration to us all. He has faithfully prayed for our family through the years and we are the better for it.  Dan was an only child, so he always considered my other sister and myself to be his siblings. He will be sorely missed by all who knew and loved him. He will be buried on Tuesday in the same military cemetery that Ronnie's brother Dickey was buried last week - the Dallas Fort Worth Memorial Cemetery.

graduation from Texas A&M, Commerce

Dan was a family man, in every sense of the word. When I looked on our family website to try to find photos, it was very hard to find any of him by himself (thus only one photo before he had kids). He was a husband, dad and granddad - that's who he was. He especially had a wonderful way with the babies, as he could always quiet them and they would sleep contentedly in his lap.

What a sad time for us, as we have experienced the sadness of losing 3 family members in less than 3 months time. First Ronnie's mother, then his brother and now our brother-in-law. It is hard being so far away during such trying times in both our families.

Papa & Melissa

best friends

from the wild west days

Margaret & Dan with newborn Clark

He felt like choking me a few times!

Julie & Uncle Dan

8 grandchildren, 2 great grandchildren

world's greatest granddad

Mercy Ship in Galveston

Grandparents Day - Mellie & Papa

Cut Through to Cipaku

headed out to swim practice

Ronnie has been taking swim lessons since coming to Bandung. He was so fortunate to find a very nice swim coach, a young Chinese man named Mr. Belly (it is common for Indonesians of Chinese decent to use only one name).

crossing the bamboo bridge

He takes his lessons on Fridays, and also goes to practice sessions during the week at Cipaku (Chee-puh-ku) pool which is about 15 minutes up the hill on foot from our apartment. Ironically, it takes about 30 minutes by car because of traffic. Although we have a car, we only have a driver during certain hours so if the driver is not here, Ronnie just takes a hike up the hill to Cipaku which is probably a kilometer from our apartment. To get there, however, he has to cut through some pretty dense forest on property owned by the military. He has to cross their shooting range, which explains why he only walks over on Sundays.


Indonesians also use the cut through so the trail is easily identifiable, even in rainy season when everything is lush and overgrown. Although it is easy to follow, there are some fairly steep climbs on what can sometimes be quite slippery ground, depending on how recently it has rained.

Last week I decided to make the trek over with him. Naturally I had my camera so I thought I'd just show you what Ronnie sees as he walks to his swim practice.

marijuana? no, bamboo

gardens are planted in places along the trail

paying to get inside

2 large pools with view of hills beyond

returning through the bamboo forest

Cap Go Meh

This past Sunday was Cap Go Meh. It is  held on the 15th and last day of the Lunar New Year celebration (Chinese New Year). Since Bandung has such a huge Chinese population, this is quite a big deal. We, along with Mindy McAdams, another Fulbrighter in Journalism located here in Bandung (UMPAD) decided to see the dragon parade up close and personal. Our biggest concern was traffic and it turned out we were justified in that concern.

typical alleyway inside the kampung

Fortunately, her driver Aris knew the parade route and because his girlfriend lives in a kampung off one of the streets on the route, he knew how to park on a side street and walk us through the kampung to get to the street the parade was on. I will say that walking down these narrow alleys between the tall buildings that make up the kampong was a much more interesting adventure for me personally than the parade itself. There you get to catch a glimpse of how real Indonesians live. Outside the open doorways lay shoes of all sizes and a quick glimpse inside allows you to see their extremely modest, cramped living quarters. 


It is clear by the (mostly friendly) stares we receive that most of these people have never seen bule before, certainly not the younger ones. They sit in groups or stand in doorways, socializing or whatever close neighbors might do. Talk about the feeling of being a "stranger in these parts." Definitely yes, but it is still an interesting thing to see and do.

woman doing laundry inside the kampung

a little girl and her brother

the crowd waits for the parade to start

Ronnie chats with a truck load of spectators 

every parade needs a marching band

much is lost in the translation

each temple is represented

motors somehow mingle with participants

running the dragon

dragon runners run for hours

Street Sweepers

sweeping water after a heavy rain

What comes to mind when I say street sweeper? A huge, noisy truck driving through your neighborhood with large rotating brushes, getting up close to the curb and leaving a perfectly clean street in its wake? Yeah?

Well, here in Bandung street sweepers are a more old fashioned sort. They are simply people who sweep the streets. And the streets are always filthy. It's ironic in a way. Indonesians have NO problem throwing trash on the ground, and do that as a habit. On the other hand, let a little breeze blow some leaves off a tree, and they are quickly out there sweeping up leaves off the street! They sweep their spaces - whether it be a sidewalk, the road in front of where they work or even the dirt ground. Yes, they even sweep dirt.



The first time I saw someone sweeping with one of these primitive type brooms (think witches broom) I was taken back by it since nowadays we use mostly synthetic brooms with plastic handles.

brooms for sale

We noticed when we visited Bali that even the school children carry their little brooms, which are nothing more than some type of thin reed or stick bound together by the same. Each child is responsible to sweep their own space as part of their daily routine.



 
This is Pak Johnny. His job is to sweep the street we live on. As far as we can tell.he lives in the tiny guardhouse with just enough room to spread out on a thin mattress. He always greets us with a friendly smile and wave, no matter how many times we are up and down the street in a day.


These hand made brooms (below) are made here in Bandung entirely from the coconut tree with the exception of the handle which is made of bamboo. The smaller hand brooms are made of coconut as well but simply tied in bunches. People use these all the time to sweep the ground. 

brooms n' things

broom salesman peddles his wares

kinda adds to the meaning of sweeping dirt

Happy Valentines Day?

in bakery window at the mall

I love Valentines Day! It's my next favorite holiday after Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter. Some holidays I can’t get too excited about, but Valentines – what’s not to like about Valentines? The whole holiday is centered on love (ok, and a little commercialism) and it’s a wonderful opportunity to tell friends and family just how much they mean to us! Flowers, teddy bears, chocolates – so tell me, what’s not to like about that? And there’s certainly nothing not to like about LOVE!!! Is there?

I’ve lately started seeing Valentines candy in Setiabudhi, our grocery store which “caters to Westerners." The first time I saw it on the shelves, I started thinking that I would surely love to buy a box of chocolate for Ibu Aisah, our cleaning lady who works so hard and who by the way loves chocolate. I also thought it would be nice to buy some for our Chinese landlady who is a constant help to us (sending over as many rat traps as we need, having the boys clean dog barf from our porch each morning and a myriad of other practical things that make our life here easier). My plan was to make the purchase closer to February 14 since everything gets stale very quickly here. My thought all along has been that showing love, kindness and respect to others could cross all cultural bounds. It never occurred to me that a gift given in that spirit might not be received in the same.

Valentine shoe sale?

I told Ronnie my plans and he promptly informed me that Muslims don’t like Valentines. WHAT? NO LIKE VALENTINES?!? Who doesn't like Valentines?? Well, come to find out, the Muslims don’t. It seems that our kind of love goes against Islamic sharia law. So any “participation” in a non-Muslim holiday (and that would include receiving Valentine candy) is strictly forbidden for Muslims. Islam has only 2 major holidays which they are required to celebrate. Valentines is obviously not one of them, so it and all others are forbidden.

An article I read on this topic states “Valentine’s Day …. is a pagan and polytheistic holiday. Hence it is not permissible for any Muslim who claims to believe in Allaah and the Last Day to participate in it, approve of it, or congratulate anyone on its occasion. Moreover, it is obligatory to abandon it and distance oneself from it in response to the command of Allaah and His Messenger so that one may thereby be distanced from the anger of Allaah and His punishment.”

It further states “it is obligatory for every Muslim to adhere strictly to the Quran and Sunnah in every situation and at all times, especially in times of temptation and corruption. It is incumbent that he or she understand, be aware and be cautioned from falling into the deviations of those whom Allaah is angry with (i.e., the Jews) and those who are astray (i.e., the Christians) and other immoral people who have no fear of punishment or hope of reward from Allaah, and who give no recognition at all to Islam.”

A different article from islamweb.net states “Undoubtedly, going along with them in their festivals may, in some cases, lead to disbelief. Dabbling in these things, at the very least, is a sin.” So, there you have it.

Setiabudhi market - chocolate section decorated with hearts

I have learned since starting this post that Muslim youth in Bandung have been forbidden by the Indonesian Council of Ulemas in West Java to celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14. Another article appeared this week in the Jarkarta Globe warning Muslims against celebrating Valentines Day saying “We must prevent the Muslim younger generation in Aceh from being poisoned by a culture that contradicts our Muslim values.” Pretty clear, I’d say.

So today we went to a large shopping center here in Bandung. I took my camera and purposely searched for evidence of Valentines Day. Keeping my eyes peeled for red and pink, I found only a few indications here and there. Apparently there are enough Chinese and non-Muslims to make the holidays worthwhile for an occasional merchant.  

a modern store front at Hyper Mart obviously caters to the non-Muslim crowd

So, as not to offend Ibu Aisah or make her “sin" and put her in the bad graces of Allaah, I will not give her Valentines chocolates after all. I can and will still give her chocolates - just not today. Our Chinese landlady who is a Christian will still get hers.

Oh, and did I say it? HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!

A Trip to the Store

who you lookin' at?

Can you take another post about food? I seem to stay on that topic a lot, but it's a challenge that we have to deal with every day. Actually, much more so than in the states because at home it's easy to buy food, cook food, eat food, pick up fast food or order take out. However we choose to do it, we manage to pretty much just eat the foods we enjoy.

Indonesians eat this sauce like Americans eat catsup

Here it's just that everything is so different. Not surprising, we are after all in a foreign country. And we are as much out of our "comfort zone" here as Indonesians would be if they came to our country. It probably seems strange to our driver when I ask him to stop and let me take a photo of a broom or a piece of fruit. It's just that some of the things we see are very different from what we are used to.



So while none of this is especially exciting or newsworthy, hopefully it offers a little "glimpse" into one way Indonesians buy their food. Here's an example. At home we typically choose between white eggs and brown eggs. Here eggs come in a variety of colors and sizes. We're used to chickens laying the eggs we eat. Ducks lay the green eggs and I have no idea what kind of fowl lay the smaller ones. In most stores, the eggs are laid in an open bin next to a scale and customers select and weigh out their own eggs. In the nicer markets, they may be packaged and cleaned like those below. Sometimes there are unusual "somethings" in our eggs that probably wouldn't hurt us; however we are careful to fish them out.

green, speckled, brown or white - take your pick!

much of the fresh meat is kept in the open

every store or market has a vast supply of frying oil

I'm sorry, but Asian grocery stores just have a funky smell. It may be the durians permeating everything in the store. Or it could be the fish that are exposed to the open air. Or it could be the dairy section, or the produce section. It's just a smell you have to tolerate or else you don't shop. Like stores in the US, supermarkets strategically place their candy near the check outs, but most of it is (surprise) unfamiliar. Fisherman's Friend cough drops are big here and they come in a variety of flavors, usually being displayed right along with the candy. Since at least half the population smokes, perhaps that has something to do with it? Indonesians have their popular brands of candy here just like we do in the US. Silver Queen seems to be a favorite chocolate bar, probably being equivalent to Hersheys in the states. Brands of tea, coffee and canned goods where locals shop are not any an American would recognize. Baby formula and cigarettes are kept in a special location (like cigarettes are in the states).

fresh eels in the meat market (yes, they are swimming)

noodle aisle in this small market

Many Indonesians buy their produce on the streets but other supplies in a nice market like the one above. Setiabudhi where we shop is kept very clean, with one person mopping the floor while another person fans to help it dry more quickly. As in every store here, there are more workers than necessary, with a minimum of one person stationed on each section of the aisle. It can be quite annoying, as every more you make is being scrutinized. Foreigners just have to get used to being stared at, no matter where they are or what they're doing.