Cultural Contrasts: Experiences in Indonesia, Pakistan, and the Philippines

The biggest culture shock for expats in Indonesia includes the spicy food, floor dining, and high curiosity about personal matters.

### Experiences of Expats in Indonesia
* 🇵🇭 A Filipino expat in Indonesia enjoys the similar cultural values, such as family importance and warmth, but finds the **spicy food**, **lesehan eating culture**, and **prevalence of motorcycles** as major culture shocks.
* 🇵🇰 A Pakistani expat appreciates the polite gesture of **kissing hands** in Indonesia, but finds the **excessive consumption of rice as a staple food** to be different from Pakistan, where rice is considered **unhealthy**.
* 🇺🇸 An American expat is pleasantly surprised by the **friendly people and diverse culture** in Indonesia, but had to adjust to the **unique driving style** and the practice of **asking personal questions for small talk**.
* 🇹🇿 A Tanzanian expat admires Indonesia's rich cultural diversity, with **over 1300 tribes**, and the overall safety of the country compared to Tanzania. He will miss his **Indonesian friends** the most when he leaves.

What has been the biggest culture shock for you? The culture of Indonesia and Pakistan is totally different, my brother. Your election over here, it's quite different from Tanzania. I don't know if I want to use the word annoying, but something that I had to get used to. Ladies and gentlemen, through this video you will learn how distinct Indonesian culture is, even compared to other countries with similar cultures. Watch and you will get to experience life in five different countries without actually visiting them. Where are you from and how long have you been in Indonesia for? I am from the Philippines and in total I've been in Indonesia for maybe 3 to 4 years. What do you think about Indonesia so far? I'm enjoying Indonesia and I think that goes to show with how long I've also been here. I like the food, I like the people. Mainly because I think Filipinos and Indonesians share a lot of similar cultures and backgrounds. What are the similar things–

biggest similarity – between Indonesia and the Philippines? I’d say it's mostly about the value system. For example, Filipinos really value family, which I’ve also been seeing here. Filipinos are very accommodating and warm people, the same character with Indonesians. A lot of our cultures like let's say being respectful in general, we’re also very similar with those. Interesting. You've been here for years now, what has been the biggest culture shock for you? I was really surprised with how pedas, you know, how spicy Indonesian food can be. Because for Filipinos, I don't think we consider food delicious if it's too spicy, like the level of spiciness in Indonesia with the food, it’s really too much. So that was a culture shock. Another is the culture of eating in lesehan, you know. On the floor, yeah. It's not that we don't do that in the Philippines. We have certain occasions when we eat

also, you know, on the floor. But here, it's a very common practice. And so, that's really something new even for me. I had to get used to that somehow. And maybe the last one is how there's so many – so many motorcycles. Even like with a young age, they are able to drive a motorcycle. I've also experienced how, like, old women, the ladies, they would wonder and they would ask me like, why don't you know how to ride a motorcycle. And I’d be so, sometimes, embarrassed or you know, like, surprised because they want to give me a ride... And so, it's funny because like, in the Philippines, you know, you won't see old women like that who would be brave enough to ride the motorcycle. Do you ride motorcycle? Yes. One of the best things in being in Indonesia is learning eventually. What about the biggest differences you’ve seen between Indonesian people and the Philippines people? I mean, I cannot speak for Indonesia.

as a whole, but being exposed to Java most of my time, I would say that maybe Filipinos could be a bit more either aggressive or bold, their characteristic. Unlike for Javanese people who are just, you know, very calm, very soft, you know, and they always try to settle out things in a very bureaucratic way as well. Filipinos would tend to just express our emotions and opinions more freely. What is the most annoying thing in Indonesia for you? I think now I eventually got used to this and somehow got comfortable on how to go about it. But in the beginning, I really find the level of curiosity of the people a bit annoying in the sense that sometimes, you know, when I first meet people, they would be very much open into asking me personal questions. For example, how old are you, have you married yet, you know. I mean, those are I think some questions are very personal or it would take time for you

to ask someone. So, to meet someone for the first time and have those questions asked, was a bit annoying in the beginning. But then eventually, as I got to learn the culture and got to learn more about the people, I realized that, oh it’s called basa basi, small talk. When you leave Indonesia later in the future, what do you think you will miss the most? The santai culture. I really like the idea of slow living in Indonesia. Filipinos tend to have a faster pace of living, I would say. But here I learned a lot. There is a lot of wisdom in taking your time, I mean not for every circumstance is good, right? But in general there's wisdom into learning how to let things be. And so, yeah, maybe that's something that I would really miss when I go back. I think because I've seen how there’s so much benefit to it for me personally. It's a practice I would continue doing.

Nice. What country are you from, and how long have you been in Indonesia? I am from Pakistan. I’ve been in Indonesia for the past 3 months. What do you think of Indonesia so far? Indonesia? Now I am living in Malang. I stay in Malang. Malang is so beautiful, and the weather. Malang is so nice. It’s always cold. I like cold actually. About the weather, is it better here or back home, Pakistan? In Pakistan nowadays is so hot. And now here is cold, it’s okay. The weather is normal, weather is fine, the weather is good here. What has been your biggest culture shock so far? The culture of Indonesia and Pakistan is totally different, my brother. Okay? Here is, the people’s behaviors when they meet, the children... children do like this, you know, like this, like this, like this. I like this one. (Adults do this too) And that you kiss

kiss hands of the elder one. Like being polite? Yeah, being polite and the good communication. Indonesian people is so nice, you know, it’s good. Do they not do that in Pakistan? In Pakistan also, people very friendly, hospitable and good people also in Pakistan. But they don't kiss hands? No, no, it's not like that. We hug and we handshake, yeah. What do you think is the biggest difference between Indonesian people and Pakistani people? Here in Indonesia, the food is... The food is always rice, always rice, rice, rice. But in Pakistan, no. Not rice all the time. Maybe once a day or once in a week. But in Indonesia every time rice. Three times rice, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, is rice. Do you like eating rice? I don't like eating rice always, you know. Why not? Because in my country eating rice is not good for health.

we will become fatty. If you eat rice more time, you will become fat, be obese. What is your main dish there? In Pakistan, the very dish of all people is Nasi Biryani. So the same, right? You eat rice, we eat rice. It’s the same, but the taste is different. What is the most annoying thing for you here in Indonesia? All things are good with me, and I'm enjoying here. Really? Yeah. So I will not say there is an annoying thing or... like this everything is good. When you leave Indonesia later, what do you think you will miss the most about Indonesia? I will miss the weather, Malang’s weather, and of course miss everything because, you know, time’s good here and people also, you know. I will miss all actually. Including rice? Yeah. You will miss nasi? Nasi goreng, I like nasi goreng, pentol, bakso, I will miss, of course, I’ll miss it.

What country are you from, and how long have you been in Indonesia for? I'm from the United States, and I've been here for about 9 months. What do you think of Indonesia so far? I really enjoy living here. People are really friendly, the food is pretty good, and yeah, there’s just a lot of culture and different opportunities to learn new things here, so. You've been here for 9 months now, what is the biggest culture shock you have experienced? Maybe one thing is the roads. Yeah, just the driving is really different here. So it’s a crossing the road is actually was something I had to get used to. I had to have a friend teach me when you crossing the road, you just kind of walk, put your hand out, and people go around you. That was little scary at first. Maybe another thing would just be maybe the food, but the food is really good. So it wasn't a hard thing to get used to.

So it’s like a good shock? Yeah, good shock. What are the biggest differences between Indonesian and American, in your opinion? I think one pretty big difference is that in the United States where it’s a pretty individualistic country, right. So I think people are really focused on things like, you know, their jobs or work, which is not a bad thing. But here I think people tend to be really like collective and like family oriented. I think that's one pretty big difference. What about the similarities? Here in Indonesia I feel like... You know, I’ve met so many different people, like I've traveled a bit and everywhere it goes a little bit different. Like ethnicity? Yeah, yeah, sort of like that. There's different, you know, languages, different you know, culture, things like that. Different food. And I think maybe in the United States, because there's people from all over the world that live there, you can sort of find that as well (diversity).

What is the most annoying thing you have ever experienced here in Indonesia? Maybe, I don't know if I want to use the word annoying, but something that I had to get used to. At the beginning was I think being asked certain questions like, how old are you or are you married. That were like really personal, it was kind of shocking at first. Yeah, Indonesians use those questions for like small talk, ice-breaking, and such. Are you used to it now? Yeah, now I'm used to it. I’ve definitely figured out how the small talk works here, but that's something, I guess that is is pretty different for me. During the first time you have been asked that question, did you answer them, or what did you do? Yeah, I think I answered. I think I tried to not look surprised because I didn't want them to think I was uncomfortable. But yeah, once I kind of recovered from a little bit of shock,

I think I answered. What question? I think the most surprising one was if I was married. When you leave Indonesia later in the future, what do you think you will miss the most? I think I'll probably miss the people. Yeah, I've met a lot of people here that are just really great. And I think people are they're so easy to talk to and really friendly. And I think that will be something that I'll miss a lot. You mean the people in general or the people you know? I think both, I think, yeah. People I know for sure, but definitely just in general how, like I think, warm people are. How, you know, easy it is to have a small conversation with somebody you don't know. It's something that's, I think really nice that I'll miss. If you call like Go-Ride or something and you just have a conversation, like people are really open to just talking and asking you questions like

where are you from? What are you doing in Indonesia? And they seem interested in what you're doing here. I think that it's just to me feels really friendly. You know, it’s a stranger you don't know that wants to talk with you. What country are you from and how long have you been in Indonesia for? I'm from Tanzania and I've been here eight months. What do you think of Indonesia so far? It's a very nice country. By the time that I came here, I was very much inspired with the culture and the country is... Can I mix with Bahasa Indonesia? And the country is safer. More safer than Tanzania? Other countries, you know, there are some countries if you hear like, Ah, this country... You might get shocked. I don’t want to be there because of maybe the country is not peaceful. But for this country (Indonesia) is one of the peaceful countries. That's why I've decided to come over.

You've been here for eight months now. What has shocked you the most? Actually, culture. The culture here, especially tribes. There are so many tribes, I think over 300 tribes (*1300), and each tribe has their own uniqueness. If you go out and you see somebody have a certain kind of clothes, you know this guy is from Bali. For example, they have Udeng, they have these fabric, their own Batik, Kebaya. Yeah, the culture and also the language. Apart from Bahasa Indonesia, Indonesian language, they also speak in their vernacular languages. Like people from Papua, they have their vernacular language but what unites all Indonesians is Indonesian language. What are the biggest differences you have seen between Indonesia and Tanzania? I was lucky to see your election over here. It's quite different from Tanzania since I have told you earlier, like this country is safer. You might even see a security guy or satpam.

people are just choosing their leaders, but he's here sitting (security), and sometimes he can even smoke. But in my country, it's quite different. It's safe, but... you have to take care of yourself. So that if there’s a security guard, he has to be there, maybe with a gun or what, in case of self-defense. When you leave Indonesia later, what do you think you will miss the most? Of course, I will miss my friends. I have a lot of friends over here. Actually, they are the ones who helped me to know the Indonesian language. They used to help me, assist me, whether I'm wrong, this shouldn't be like this, it should be like this way. Yeah, even though I’m not fluent yet, but now I can understand maybe 70% when you speak Indonesian. And I came here knowing nothing. I think that's all. Thank you very much for your time. Thank you.

Biggest Culture Shocks for Foreigners in Indonesia

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Cultural Contrasts Between Indonesia and the Philippines

The Philippines and Indonesia share many similar cultural values, especially in terms of family and respect.

However, the spicy Indonesian food was a big culture shock for the speaker, as Filipinos do not prefer such spiciness.

The practice of eating in lesehan, on the floor, and the prevalence of motorcycles, especially among older women, were also surprising and new experiences for the speaker in Indonesia.

Contrasting Cultural Characteristics of Filipinos and Javanese People in Indonesia

Filipinos are more expressive and opinionated, while Javanese people are known for their calm and bureaucratic nature.

The level of curiosity and personal questions from people in Indonesia was initially annoying, but the concept of "basa basi" or small talk was later understood.

The individual from Pakistan appreciates the slow living "santai" culture in Indonesia and enjoys the cold weather in Malang, highlighting the contrast with the hot weather in Pakistan.

Contrasting Cultures: Indonesian and Pakistani Norms

Indonesian people are polite and friendly, often kissing hands, while Pakistanis are also friendly but more inclined to hug or shake hands.

The biggest difference lies in the food culture, with Indonesians eating rice at every meal, while Pakistanis have rice less frequently.

Despite enjoying Indonesia, the person from the United States finds the rice-heavy diet and the unique road-crossing etiquette to be the most significant cultural adjustments.

Contrasting Indonesian and American Cultures

The United States is more individualistic, with a focus on work, while Indonesia is more collective and family-oriented.

Both countries have diverse cultures, languages, and food, with the US being a melting pot of global diversity.

In Indonesia, the personal questions asked for small talk and ice-breaking purposes can be initially shocking for Americans, but they eventually adapt to it.

Adapting to Indonesian Culture and People

A student in Indonesia reflects on the warmth and friendliness of the people, expressing a strong connection to both the locals and the expat community.

The interviewee highlights the ease of conversation with strangers and expresses a deep appreciation for the welcoming nature of the country.

Despite being from Tanzania, the student feels inspired by the culture of Indonesia and emphasizes the feeling of safety and peace in the country.

Indonesia is home to over 1300 tribes, each with its own unique clothing, fabrics, and languages, contributing to the rich cultural tapestry of the country.

The safety and security measures in Indonesia differ significantly from those in Tanzania, where the presence of security guards and the overall safety environment contrast with the situation in Tanzania.

The individual's fondest memories of Indonesia will be the friendships formed and the support received in learning the Indonesian language, reflecting the warmth and hospitality of the people.