Hello, friend.
I am born and bred in Indonesia. My mother language is Indonesian. Some people don’t think I’m Indonesian because my ancestors came from China long time ago, but in my heart, I am a proud Indonesian girl. I lived many years in other countries, but Indonesia holds a special place in my heart as a country where I was born and grew up in.
Thank you so much for visiting our country. It’s a beautiful, gorgeous archipelago. Jewel of the equator, I call. Our motherland boasts over 17,000 islands scattered over 3 timezones. It houses over 270 million people, speaking more than 700 languages. I’m so proud of my country and my people.
I’m so happy you fly from far away to see my country. I want to share this beautiful islands and nature. I’m so glad that you come and adore our beautiful nature, eat our yummy food, and learn about our culture.
At the same time, I’m concerned that some tourists don’t treat our country well. Some tourists don’t treat our people well. We are also people, you know? Maybe we don’t share the same language as you, but it doesn’t warrant you yelling and mocking. You did pay someone to do something, that’s fine, but don’t make unreasonable demand. Doesn’t mean you can disrespect us either. Maybe you don’t believe in our gods, but those holds important part in our heart. Imagine if you were in our position?
I also know that we are not perfect either and some Indonesian people try to use dishonest means to earn money. I’m so sorry on behalf of our country. Life is hard but that’s no excuse either. These people embarrass the rest of the country and makes us look bad. I wish they realise what they are doing. We are so sorry for your bad experience, but we hope that the good experience makes up for it.
I am also concerned that some tourists don’t respect and take care of our beautiful nature. Taken that many Indonesians also don’t respect nature, and it truly breaks my heart. I want to someday show the jewel of my homeland to my children, and their children too. I want to fix it, but I feel helpless. So many people don’t realise yet what they are doing to the environment, or are very short sighted. But can we start from ourselves? Can we stop giving money to zoos and places that showcase animals but don’t treat them well? Can we clean up after ourselves and maybe pick up one or two rubbish that’s lying around? (Big shoutout to Sungai Watch! You’re awesome!!) Maybe can we make sure we use providers that are responsible to nature? I’m sure you too, friend, would like Indonesian awe-struck beauty to remain for many years to come.
A lot of us wants to make friends with you. For many Indonesians, YOU are the ambassador of your country. We may never get to visit your country, so we depends on our impression of your people visiting our countries. Can we be friends? Maybe our government are not friends, but I don’t think that really matters. I want to be your friend, and share and keep the beauty of our nature together, forever.
Love,
Your proud Indonesian friend.
PS: you may be interested in my other articles:
Having a luxury honeymoon on a budget in Indonesia (I did it!)