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