Skip to main content

Simply Put

The Indonesian language is a simple one. For example, "I am engaged to Hadi" is expressed with just "I engage Hadi". "I hope it's okay with you that I am eating - have you already eaten?" - a very important statement that I often hear several times a day, sometimes even from someone who has just witnessed me eat, is expressed by simply saying "sudah makan?", which translates as "already eat?" and can even be shortened to "makan?", "eat?".
However, I have learned that simplicity in language can easily be made up for in the complexities of tribal traditions and formal documents. Case in point: the Bataknese wedding invitation, complete with two languages and lots and lots of names and titles...



And here, the 'simpler' version, replacing titles and repetition with bare facts and a little sentiment...
So now it's official in three languages. Simple!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Time to go!

Isn't it always the way, that the times really worthy of being recorded, written about or reflected upon, are the times when it's really hard to find the time? I have been home visiting family and friends, frantically trying to see everyone and also get last minute but very important things taken care of. Despite the stress of being such a busy bee, I have loved every minute of being here and catching up with the people I love. It is a confusing state I find myself in, feeling so sad to be going so far away from home, yet still wanting to do it, needing to in fact. Tomorrow I travel to see a dear friend (I'd say that even if she wasn't driving me to the airport) and her far too adorable son. On wednesday I fly, by thursday afternoon I'll be in Singapore, and on saturday I will arrive in Batam. Let the traveling commence!

free to go

A few months ago I was longing to leave Germany. Although that desire clearly had something to do with ending an eight-year relationship, it also had a lot to do with the weather! I was just daydreaming of beaches, picturing myself backpacking around NZ, pulling pints and picking fruit. It was fun to imagine the possibilities, but in reality I couldn’t afford to go anywhere for a while, so I figured I’d just stay put and save some pennies while grumbling my way through another cold dark wet winter in Bonn. I felt positive however, that there was something waiting for me, something I was destined to see or do. All my daydreams seemed unrealistic and I felt like I was being laughed at, as though something bigger than me and my tiny perspective was at work behind the scenes, smirking at me and my clichéd thoughts of escape. When I accepted the job in Batam it felt good. Unlike my previous daydreams, teaching in Indonesia had a weight to it, a purpose and a direction. I don’t know wh...