Through the eyes of a foreigner: Khoestiadi Bintang Vega

Halo! My name is Khoestiadi Bintang Vega and I am from Depok, Indonesia. I am currently studying in the autonomous program Eurasian Integration at TSU.

People
I guess people in Indonesia are more open. While people here are also open, but it may take some time to get to know them before they fully open up. In Indonesia, you get a warmer welcome right away, at the first meeting. For example, in Indonesia, if we just met, I can invite you to visit my home, but here it's a bit strange, I guess. If we have just met and then I can ask you to visit your home or vice versa. However, it's normal in Indonesia.

Holidays
Since we have the largest number of Muslims in Indonesia, the biggest holiday there is Idul Fitri (Eid al-Fitr). I guess it's also known as "Ураза-байрам" in Russian. It's the biggest holiday in Indonesia. This day is for Muslims, of course. We first pray in the morning and then we go to our neighbors to say, “Forgive me for everything that happened this year, if I made mistakes.” We ask for forgiveness. Then we eat with the family. In addition, we even open our house for everyone who wants to visit us. If someone wants to come over just to eat, that's fine. The Indonesian Embassies to other countries even organize Open House programs too. So even foreigners can get there and eat Indonesian food for free, even if you are not a Muslim.”

There is also another national holiday. It means that we don't work on that day, it's a day off. It's called Quiet Day. It is celebrated in Bali (Bali is an island in Indonesia). So on this day they don't do anything, even the airports don't work, and there is no internet. Only the hospital works. There's no electricity at all. So you just sit in the house. If you want to listen to music, you can use headphones, but if you go outside, you will be punished because you can't do that.

Dishes
“I guess right now I like Satay (Sate). Satay is a kebab, served with a nut sauce. It's delicious! However, I like other dishes too. For example, Rendang is like a curry with coconut milk.”


Proverbs
“Bersakit-sakit dahulu bersenang-senang kemudian.” which translates to "No pain, no gain." This means that we must work hard and overcome challenges before we can enjoy the rewards. However, the literal translation is "You must suffer first, and then you can have fun."

Interview TSU master's degree student

Video: MMC TSU