Last week was probably one of the more interesting weeks at work and probably one of the most boring weeks at work all in one. You might ask how one week can be both extremely interesting and extremely boring? The answer is simply you attend a series of workshops that are conducted entirely in Bahasa. Last week the program I am working on held a three day workshop for female parliamentarians. The workshops covered public speaking, media handling, and campaigning. It was interesting to watch the workshops, especially when I had internet and could furiously try to translate the PowerPoint slides. I was less successful at guessing what the presenters were saying, spelling the word correctly and being able to translate it all before they moved on to the the next topic.
I did learn that some public speaking tips are universal. Thanks to the Public Speaking Seminar in Professionalism this past semester I was able to understand a lot of what was being said simply through body language and gestures.
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| Group photo of the participants. |
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| Obama Bagus! Obama is apparently recognized as a great public speaker even in Indonesia. |
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| Practicing introductions |
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| Indonesian version of "Row Row Your Boat" which includes hand gestures. |
I also got my Indonesian Wedding experience this weekend. Indonesian traditions include inviting everyone you work with to the wedding. As such, I received an invitation addressed to everyone who sits in my room at the office. On Sunday, we met at the office to go to the wedding reception. In Indonesia, you rarely go to the ceremony but instead go to the reception, take photos, eat, and then leave. Below are some photos of the wedding reception.
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| Bride, groom, and parents. |
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| Naoko, Jessie, and I |
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| Coworkers at the wedding. |
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| Throwing the bouquet. |
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