CQ-Towards a Better Understanding of Batam
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION TO BATAM
CHECKLIST
LEARNING BASIC INDONESIAN
EXCHANGE RATE / REVENUE COST (WORKSHEET)
THINGS NOT TO DO
THINGS TO DO
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
INTRODUCTION
Introduction:
Batam is an island, municipality, and the largest city (on the island) in Riau Islands Province of Indonesia. It is a Free Trade Zone, as part of the Sijori Growth Triangle, and is located 20 km (12 mi) off Singapore's south coast. The 715 km² (276 miles²) municipality, almost identical in size to Singapore, has a population of 1,153,860 (Civil Registry Survey April 2012). Note that Batam island is considerably smaller than the municipality, which covers adjacent islands.
Government type: Democratic
Temperature:25-34 degree Celsius
Humidity: 73%-96%
INTRODUCTION
History :
The history of Batam is tightly interwoven with nearby Bintan Island and the rest of Riau Archipelago. According to Chinese chronicles Batam was already inhabited as early as 231 A.D. when Singapore Island was still called 'Pulau Ujung' (Ujung Island). It came Malacca kingdom under control from the 13th century, and later taken over by the Sultan of Johor who ruled until the 18th century. The coastal villages that face Singapore is said to have been a hideout for pirates who hijacked ships in the strait.
In 1824 the name of the island again appear in London treaty, which led to the division of the region between the Dutch and the British. Batam and the surrounding islands later became part of the Riau Lingga Kingdom, a situation that lasted until 1911, when the Dutch East Indies colonial administration took over.
INTRODUCTION
Culture:
Even if Batam is multi-ethnic it is still the Malayan culture and Islam which forms the root of the local culture. Both daily life and the ceremonies have religious and mythical elements, expressed in dance, music and other forms of art. Some of the most popular traditional dances are Jogi Dance, unique for Batam, Zapin Dance, which reflects strong Arabic influence, Persembahan Dance, to welcome honored guests and Ronggeng Dance, where the guests can be invited to come up and join the dance and song.
But also other cultures contribute to the Batam community, and in the "Padepokan Seni" art center in Sekupang you can see arts and crafts from all over Indonesia, as well as various kinds of performances which are staged every day for visitors and tourists. Another art center in Sekupang is "Desa Seni", Indonesian art village, which main objective is to "maintain, conserve and develop Indonesian culture", and also to manage the Cultural Institute where qualified instructors conduct various shows and courses.
CHECKLIST: THINGS TO BRING
1. Money for personal expenses (Indonesian currency, ‘Rupiah’)
2. Toiletries:
a. Toothbrush/Toothpaste
b. Shower gel/Shampoo
c. Towel
3. Clothes:
a. T-Shirts(x5)
b. Short Pants(x3)
c. Track Pants/Jeans(x2)
d. Undergarments (x4)
e. Sleeping attire (x1)
4. Personal effects:
a. Track Shoes
b. Slippers
c. Self-Medication
d. Thermometer
e. Torchlight
f. Programme booklet
g. Pen/Pencil
5. Optional
a. Camera
LEARNING BASIC INDONESIAN
English
Bahasa Indonesian
1
Hello
Halo
2
My name is ___
Nama Saya
3
Good morning
Selmat Pagi
4
Good afternoon
Selemat Siang
5
Good evening
Selemat Sore
6
Thank You
Terima Kasih / Terima Kasih Banyak
7
You’re welcome
Terima Kasih Kembali
8
How much
Berapa
9
Yes
Ya
10
No
Tidak
11
I don’t understand
Saya Tidak Mengerti
12
Nice to meet you
Senang Bertemu Anda
13
Please
Silahkan
14
Excuse me
Maaf
15
Where is the toilet
Di Mana Kamar Kecil?
16
I need your help
Saya Minta Tolong
17
How do I get to ___
Bagaimana Saya Hisa Ke ___
18
Where can I get money changed
Di Mana Saya Bisa Tukar Uang
19
It’s an emergency
Ini Darurat
20
Do you speak English
Bisa Bahasa Inggris
21
What time is it?
Jam berapa sekarang?
22
I am hungry
Saya Lapar
23
I am allergic to__
Saya alergi terhadap__
24
Are you okay?
kau baik-baik saja
25
I am thirsty
Aku haus
26
Do you know what this says?
Apakah Anda tahu apa ini mengatakan?
27
Could you repeat that please?
Bisakah anda ulangi please?
28
I don’t understand
Saya tidak mengerti.
29
Stop!
berhenti!
EXCHANGE RATE/REVENUE COST
One of the things a traveller needs to do before going to a country is to change money. The rate of exchange is not fixed but varies with time. The following is the exchange rate that was given on 3rd July 2013 at about 9pm.
1 Singapore dollar=7,827 Indonesia Rupiah
1. Supposedly you receive 250 Singapore dollars from your parents on this trip to Batam. How much can you get in Indonesia Rupiah when you exchange it according to the rate given above?
2a.Sometimes, when buying things in Batam, all the prices will be in the form of Indonesia Rupiah. As such, sometimes it might become a hassle to calculate the larger sums of money and hence, one way to overcome this and get a rough estimate is to plot a graph. Hence, assuming that 1 Singapore dollar=7,827 Indonesia Rupiah, Sketch a graph.
2b.Hence, estimate how much 123324 Indonesian Rupiah would be in SGD.
THINGS NOT TO DO
Don’ts :
1. Burping
· It is not considered impolite to burp, and can even be regarded as a sign of appreciation of a good meal, therefore Indonesians generally do not mind burping
2. Use of left hand
· Throughout Indonesian society the left hand is used for “toilet duties” and is therefore considered unclean. In Indonesia, it is rude and offensive to hand someone something with your left hand, especially food or drink, or to shake hands with your left hand. If you are forced, due to circumstances, to hand something to someone with your left hand, acknowledge the unavoidable cultural act by saying “Maaf, tangan kiri.” (Sorry, I had to use my left hand).
· Left handed Indonesian children are trained from a very early age to use their right hand.
3. Do not eat or drink in public in the month of Ramadan
· As Ramadan is the month which Muslims fast, it is considered rude to eat or drink in public during this month.
4. Dress
· Woman should wear skirts and blouses and should avoid extreme fashion and short sleeves, in honor of the Muslim rules of modesty
THINGS YOU SHOULD DO
1. Smile
· Smiling is a cultural tradition
· Show respect to seniors, by greeting them first and not questioning their opinions
2. Burping
· It is not considered impolite to burp, and can even be regarded as a sign of appreciation of a good meal, therefore Indonesians generally do not mind burping
3. Attire
· Take off your shoes before entering a house or a place of worship
· Wear modest clothes as it as a sign of respect to the Muslim culture of modesty.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
· ACS Booklet
· Jimmy, C. (2012). Cross cultural and diversity quotes. Retrieved from http://www.culturecoach.biz/Quotes/diversityquotes.html
· http://www.batam-island-info.com/batam-history-and-culture.html
· © 1997 - 2013. ABL Tours and Travel. All rights reserved. - See more at: http://baliwww.com/index/policy.html#sthash.48hWbT5r.dpuf
· http://www.batam-island-info.com/
· http://www.takemetoasia.com/ezine/travel-tips/batam/safety-tips.html
· http://wikitravel.org/en/Batam