Indonesian Homework

For lack of a picture of my own. Thanks, Google!

A couple of weeks ago, I had had enough of the language barrier. It was so incredibly frustrating not to be able to have the simplest of conversations. Moreover, if I’m living somewhere for a year, what does it say about me if I don’t even make the effort to learn the language of the locals?

So, my friend (and colleague) Tika has been giving me Indonesian lessons for the last seven weeks and I’m doing quite well. I can now independently book taxis, make a reservation for a massage and bond with random people. Political, religious and/or philosophical discussions are, at the time of writing, still quite hard.

Now, Tika is incredibly friendly but she does not hold back when it comes to giving homework (just last week I had a vocabulary quiz in which I scored a meager 76%, I’m ashamed to say). This makes my Sunday nights quite stressful as our lessons usually take place Monday morning. In any case, I try to have the bestest time doing my Indonesian homework. Here are some of the gems I’ve come up with so far (in English of course), just to use what words, phrases and grammar I had just learned.

“I have a question for you. WHAT are you wearing?”

“I’m tired.”

“This field is bigger than my room.”

“Let’s live on Bali!”

“Your hair is as dark as the night.”

“I have to go to the bathroom.”

“That question is the dumbest I have ever heard.”

“He’s handsome but not as handsome as me.”

“That building looks like a failed experiment.”

“I look like a white Kanye West.”

“Since last year I always take my wallet because after dinner I could not pay.”

“Go to Indomaret, near Seafood 977 and then we will meet and immediately kiss the ears of strangers.”

Sampai jumpa lagi, people!