Americans and Eastern People

United States are a home to people of different national origins. It seems that the people from all parts of the world like to stay there. Many people go to United States for having vocation, studies or even business affairs. The fact that United States is vast makes us know; It seems impossible to generate people in United States.

Americans do not like to be generated as a group with other people. The fact that they do not want to be generated as a group is rather different from Eastern. How can we know? Let’s look for this example. Eastern people usually say, “We usually do this or we usually behave like this. Americans like to say word ‘I’ instead of ‘we’, because to be generated as a group is an insult to their sense of individualism.

It is interesting to describe their values. Although it seems difficult to generate the values; We can still describe their values by looking at their mainstream values. Certain ways of thinking, acting, and communicating are a direct result of cultural values. Let us look for the values.

1.      They control the environment, manage the time and help themselves

Americans control their own lives. They control the environment and manage the time. They believe that they, themselves, can determine the directions of their life. They believe that they can get what they want by their works. Success is gotten by doing hardworking. They manage their time carefully, so they can get success. They believe that time flies. If they do not manage it, they will lose the time and the success.

On the other hand, Eastern people tend to believe that what happens in the life is a result of a grand plan. Your life cannot be changed, if your life has been planned like what you have gotten. The value says that time walks. You must not be too pressured. You have to enjoy your life. You have not to manage your time, because what you get is a result of a grand plan.

2.      Americans like changes and look to the future

Eastern people really appreciate the past. They preserve the tradition. They keep on doing activities that old beliefs are precious. In Indonesia we still find some tradition that honor ancestors. They still give foods to the trees that believed as ancestors. The fact that Eastern people preserve tradition is different from Americans. They think that changes are good. People will stagnate if they do not change.

Americans look for the future. They work and do anything for their future.

3.      Equality and egalitarianism

The other value is about equality and egalitarianism. We know that Americans really appreciate equality and egalitarianism. That is why in United States it is common that we make jokes with our boss. They believe that humans are created equal. In Eastern people it will be bad if we make jokes with our boss, because Eastern people have hierarchies in the society. I think the hierarchies in the Eastern are things that continue from the past. I mean in the past there were many kingdoms in Eastern Countries.

4.      Individualism and privacy

Eastern people tend to appreciate society than individualism. Sometimes they sacrifice their needs to make the society happy. How can we know? In marriage Eastern parents usually choose a husband for their woman. This example drives us into a thought that Eastern is a communal society. Americans are different. They appreciate individualism so much. They believe that everyone has to get privacy. Parents do not enter their children room without any knocking.

5.      Informality

Americans usually seem informal. They wear casual clothes. They want to be called with their first name. The fact is different from Eastern people that usually use of titles and last name. People in Eastern tend to be polite of each other, for example you make a bow when you pass an older person or say “excuse me” when you pass a group of people.

6.      Directness, openness, and honesty

Americans say something openly. They like to talk what they think and feel about without any saving face. They appreciate directness and honesty. Honesty is the best policy, you have not to decide what you want to talk about. If you want to talk, just talk about it.

In Eastern we have to decide our sentence. People are afraid to hurt others feeling. Honesty is not the best policy, because sometimes it can hurt others.

7.      Work and Materialism

Americans see men from what they do. They like to work and get materials, because the work and the materials will show who you are. Eastern people appreciate spiritual than materialism. Material is not very important.

Rain

Wet, cold, and damn!

Losing someone is like the day is raining;
you are sitting on a chair, having a shelter above you

But the shelter is so small, you cannot move to the other places,

But you get wet slowly

Wet, cold, and damn!

Losing someone is like you know 
that you have to move

Because you feel cold,

But you are too afraid to get sicker

Wet, cold, and damn!

Losing someone is like you know 
that the rain is wet and cold

But, damn!

You love the rain.

Bunga edelweis

Aku memiliki bunga edelweis yang kubawa turun dari gunung. Aku sangat mencintanya. 

Aku begitu berharap bungaku ini tumbuh menjadi bunga edelweis yang indah lebih dari bunga-bunga edelweis yang ada di gunung. 

Aku menanamnya. Aku menanam bunga itu di kedalaman 5 cm di hari pertama. 

Namun karena aku begitu mencintainya, aku menambah kedalaman lubang penanaman menjadi 5 m dengan harapan dia makan lebih banyak dari tanah dan hidup lebih lama.

Di hari kedua aku menambah kedalamannya menjadi 50 m, karena aku semakin mencintainya dan karena aku takut seseorang mengambilnya dariku. Aku lalu menunggu hari demi hari, sampai akhirnya aku sadar bunga itu telah mati.

Poems let you know your feeling

27th, 2013
I wrote like this.

Because I cannot

I will never deny the night to come

I let the night make my dream dark

because I cannot stop it.

But I will never let your love go by my side

my heart will be darker than the darkest night

the only one who can make me stronger is only you

and nothing more

and ask for nothing more.

only you.

because I cannot stop it.

8th, 2013

we cannot deny someone who will come

if God wants it

we cannot deny who will go away

if God wants it

So, why should we fell sad?

the only reason is that a human is still a human.

He can be sad, but he can learn.

My CCU Asignment

Why Americans Do Not Ask Age and Religion to Stranger,

But Indonesian does

            When I was in senior high school, my classmates and I went to Bali. We did it because we had graduated from the senior high school. In the third day of our vocation, we went to Sanur Beach. We met a beautiful girl. She came from one place in America. We sat on the beach and talked about many things. The conversation went nicely, because we just talked about the different things between in Indonesia and his country. The nice situation changed, when my friends asked about her age and his religion. It seemed that she did not like it. After a while she went away. At the time, I did not know the reason why she acted like that, but then I knew that it was impolite to ask about age and religion to stranger. What I have experienced may happen to people who do not know about the cultural. Americans do not ask about personal question because of some reasons. I think that it happens because of the reasons.

            Americans have an individual society. What does it means? They appreciate someone’s affairs, for example: money, religion and age by not asking it. Personal affairs get a big space there. They think that personal affairs are not for others. I read a personal story from a German who usually meets with Americans; He said “Nobody will tell you look fat. Nobody will talk to you about your appearance straightly”. I think that Americans do not care about personal affairs. They think that it is impolite to ask personal questions.

            America is an individualism country. Its citizen manages what they want to believe. The government allows the citizen to be atheistic, because the government does not take control in religion.

I think that individualism was built by their story. In the past, slavery happened in America. I think the story influence how Americans think. Now they really appreciate individual, because they want everybody independence.

This society is different with Indonesia. Indonesia is a communal society, for example: parents find a wife for his son and the citizen has to choose one of five religions in Indonesia. Marriage and religion become public affairs. Indonesians usually ask about personal questions to the stranger, because we think that it is the way to honor someone and it is usual. Older people are really honored in Indonesia. Indonesians usually make polite actions to appreciate older people, for example: make a bow when they pass someone or call someone mbak, mas, bang, etc. We usually talk about our personal affairs to others, for examples talking about our age and religion.

We appreciate age. We are built by our story. In the past there are many kingdoms in Indonesia. It makes us honor older people. Related to the facts, it becomes important to know other people ages.

Finally, I conclude that Americans and Indonesians different because of their different point of view and story. Others appreciate someone by asking personal question, but the others appreciate someone by not asking personal question. We have to know each other well, so we can appreciate each other. There is no the best cultural. Both of them are good. :-)

P.S: I am very glad if You correct my writing.