Sunday, March 23, 2008

Some Do's for Indonesia

Respect silence, pauses in conversation.
How do you show your respect? How long do you wait, what kind of nonverbal cues do you give that you are respecting silence?
Smile. To whom? When? Gender aspects? Generational? Where and in what contexts, when is smiling Not polite?
Use the whole hand to motion people, and only your right thumb to point. Good concrete about right thumb, how do you use your whole hand? Palms up or down? How high is your arm and hand in relation to the body? This caution seems to be coming up in groups with quite a few different cultures in focus. Perhaps we could just start this adjustment now if we discover that it's kind of a universal outside of the U.S.
Avert your eyes. How? From whom or what?
Leave a bit of food on your plate when finished. Why? Is this because polishing off the whole plate suggests you are still hungry and expecting more food from your hosts?
Negotiate and bargain in the marketplace. Can you give us some language for this feat?
Speak slowly, clearly, and softly Both men and women? Adults and children? In the mosque and on the soccer field?
Take shoes off when entering a mosque or home, and cover shoulders, arms and legs (and head if you're a woman) Forgive my ignorance, but can non-muslims usually enter mosques? And if so, I'd imagine there's a lot more to the script that's going to be unfamiliar to them. . .
Wait until invited several times before eating or drinking. What do you say and do to pull off the polite 'decline'?
Wait to be directed to a seat and sit with good posture. Should you also decline a seat if it seems to be the seat of honor? In Japan and Korea this would seem to be the case. You'd have to decline a few times before yielding to pressure to take the seat of honor.
Maintain a clean and neat appearance because it is an extension of your inner self. This is a wonderful example of framing; it's defining the situation of cleanliness and how it relates to you and the people around you; it's not just a form fulfilling a function, it's a whole perspective . . .
Expect to socialize in groups. This, I think, is a good example of framing. You are saying, add to your schema of expectations the idea that a man and woman socializing outside of a group are up to no good, showing your moral character is done by avoiding being alone with the opposite sex. . . if that's what you mean.
Wear hair in a bun, if a woman. Do you not have to cover your head in public? And if so, why the bun? Is this for all ages? How about 17? 16? 12?
Be humble and downplay compliments. This is important, but what you have is a suggested function without giving us a handful of forms that will achieve that function in typical Indonesian culture. (That's kind of the crux of this whole project, not just this item on this group's list).
Greet people with the word "Selamat" (meaning 'peace') slowly and sincerely. Good. Which people? When you get on an elevator? Whoever you pass on the street? Shop owners when you enter?

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