Why Indonesian Want to Take Picture with Foreigner?
I don’t know if you already know this routine or not but when this gonna be your first time to Indonesia I will let you know that be ready to be “fake” celebrity during your trip to Indonesia. A hundred years ago Dutch against us about 350 years but today we do have great relationship with the Dutch government and more there is a myth that we as Indonesian applying Schengen visa it is easier if we arrange it to the Dutch embassy. When I asked my friend why they want to take picture with you as foreigner the simple reason is “it is cool!”, What I’m gonna say is don’t think it is racist but our parents always tell us that it is really cool if we can talk and take a picture together with foreigner. We heard it for many many years and even our teacher give us a task too to practice an English directly from a foreigner like you.
If you going to Borobudur, Prambanan, or even Jalan Malioboro on a school holiday period (around May – June) there will be a lot of students from all over Indonesia area come to Yogyakarta for holiday and during this period their teacher used to ask them to write a journal that tell a story about their own holiday and collected after the school in. Actually this task is a way for them to practice their English so that they can speak it fluently, and as a proof that they do their task really serious a picture is a way to show it.
Of course some of us think that every foreigner is smarter and richer than us so that if we can take a picture with any foreigner we going to be proud, sound weird but this is the fact. We know as well that your living cost is higher than us so if you buy set of big mac in a McDonalds for USD5 sound it is cheap for you but not for many people in Yogyakarta. Through USD5 we can get food for 2 days (means 3 times meal/day), sounds crazy huh? Through this story I just want you to know about myth of taking picture with “bule” our calling for foreigner and I want you to enjoy your holiday. As long as they not disturbing you just do the photo shoot together with them cause they gonna feel happy, but if you want to feel relax or you kind of a person that don’t want to take picture with someone who you don’t know as well, just say politely “No Thanks” or “Maaf, Saya Tidak Mau” (Sorry I don’t want to do it).
How much does it cost for ride with becak?
Goodluck with your trip in Indonesia and this blog is always here to give you any kind of information to supporting your holiday.
