I was reflecting on a recent Podcast episode we released about "Beda Budaya" (Cultural Differences) and one of the points Yohana brought up. She mentioned that some of her students are shocked by some of the questions Indonesians ask of people they just met.
My girlfriend and I were going for a walk when we stopped at a Garden shop selling plants. There was an Indonesian couple also shopping and a man asked where we lived and how long we lived here which were common enough questions I was used to answering. He asked if I was renting or owned the villa we were staying at. I mentioned we were renting. He then asked how much was rent which irritated me a bit and I responded.
"Aku nggak mau bilang" "I don't want to say"
That pretty much ended the conversation there as I didn't feel comfortable telling someone I just met how much my rent costs.
I mentioned this to Yohana and she gave me a great phrase I can used instead next time.
"Aku nggak bisa bilang karena dia menteri keuangannya." "I can't say because she is the finance minister."
This would have let the guy know that I didn't want to answer while still being playful and possibly continuing the conversation rather than abruptly stopping it there.
This is the beautiful aspect about increasing fluency, we are more able to express ourselves with wit and creativity.
I was going to dinner with my girlfriend a few weeks ago and I was able to use this special phrase "belahan jiwa" which brought out a bunch of laughs and smiles.
When the beautiful couple who worked at the warung asked if we were together, I answered.
"Dia bukan sekadar pasangan, dia belahan jiwaku." "She is not just my partner, she is my soulmate"
At another instance, she was about to take a Gojek to go to work when I said out from the front door.
"Sampai jumpa jiwaku!" "Goodbye my soul!"
These little moments of smiles and laughter are available to us, simply by learning some special words that can bring light and love to our lives. What special words are you learning or do you want to learn to make life more fun and witty? Leave a comment below and we might include them in the next release of the app, which fingers crossed this week will be our debut.
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