Creating Personal Connections

Maurice Cohn, Banda Aceh time, 07-13.01.14

Touching down in Banda Aceh last Tuesday, leaving our 42 hours in that alarmingly monochromatic time vortex known as "airport world," we were given a welcome more befitting of distinguished dignitaries than inexperienced students. Waiting at the exit to the airport were around 15 students from nearby Syiah Kuala University holding a huge banner sporting "Oberlin College." They were from the International Accounting program, which meant, among other things, that their English was impeccable. It turned out that they stayed with us for out entire Banda Aceh week, and I'm confident I can speak for all of us from Oberlin when I say that, in addition to just being fantastic people, their company did a lot to give us a greater feeling of connection to this new place.

Going anywhere new, even for a few days, can be uncomfortable. Particularly if you don't know the language and the customs, that discomfort can turn to fear really quickly. Coming to Indonesia for the first time, there were so many unfamiliar sights and sounds (and smells, for all the durian lovers out there) that it could be easy to shut down from sensory overload. Hanging out with college students, most of whom were within a year of our ages, helped connect the Indonesia we were learning about from workshops and formal discussions to the Indonesia they grew up in and experience every day. There will always be gaps and differences of course, and I think it is important not to take our experiences with the Syiah Kuala students as "the way" Indonesian kids our age live, but there really is no substitute for just hanging out with people. We learned about so many of the differences between cultural tendencies in America and in Indonesia, and it was really enlightening to see which ones made their way into everyday life and which ones stayed in the background.

On top of doing a lot to help us put our new knowledge in context, the students we met were just really wonderful people. It was incredible how much time they took out of their week (a final exam week, no less) to spend with us, all the while trying to make sure we were having the best experience possible. They were so excited that we were interested in learning about Indonesia, and from that first greeting at the airport to taking us out for karaoke on our last night, they gave us a wonderful introduction. Thank you so much, guys!

 

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