Yesterday, I went to the fancy American space here in Jakarta called @America to hear Elizabeth Pisani speak about her travels, outlooks on Indonesia, and her new book. Two alumni of a teaching program that places teachers from Jakarta in remote, rural places called "Indonesia Mengajar" (similar to the Teach for America program, as far as I can tell) and a former Fulbright English Teaching Assistant joined her on stage to talk about life outside of the bustling capital. I went because I devoured her book and was eager to hear her speak in person.
The discussion was fascinating. On the glitzy studio-like stage of this space, Elizabeth taped up a tattered map of Indonesia with a hand drawn line of her two-year journey. She was animated and extremely likeable, engaging her interlocutors with questions and her audience with stories. One of the fascinating things about her talk that I enjoyed (and that simultaneously made the event less accessible to me) was that she seamlessly code switched between English and Indonesian throughout the talk. For me, it was enjoyable to see a foreigner so comfortable and so accepted as she went into one language and out of another. It was equally interesting to observe her on-stage counterparts attempt to emulate the same "cool," nonchalant linguistic behavior.
I was charmed -- and pulled back into the intrigue of this country that she calls "a miracle." I bought a book to be signed and I think that I'll set my electronic copy aside for a second reading after I have a bit more Indonesian experience under my belt.
Want to know more?
- A review of the book Indonesia, Etc. by the New Yorker
- Pisani's blogs Portrait Indonesia and Indonesia, etc.
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