“ You lived here your whole life?!” exclaimed J in disbelief on our first encounter. It’s interesting now that people I talked to said the same thing a couple of times. I wondered what made them think so, other than some hints I didn’t sound Indonesian nor did my actual name sound like one. That got me wondering, what does an Indonesian sound like?

To me, when Indonesians speak English, you can tell that they have slight pressure in their voice, pause, and some flowery accent. It’s almost like when they speak, they also sing and look for the right words. Thus far, I have heard they sound pretty much like I do but perhaps that’s because I am also accustomed to the Indonesian English accent at my university. So, I couldn’t tell the difference. This recurring topic about language and communication was also touched by another Indonesian from java. This person asked me what my impression was of moving to Bali and I said, I have no problem at all. This person, though, mentioned that the language is different and everything is culturally different and it was hard for this person. But thus far, I get either mistaken as a Balinese through and through from my middle name (because apparently my middle name that I use in online delivery apps is a common Balinese Hindu name) or from somewhere else not from Indonesia. All this is very interesting to me but this language barrier is often bridged with English where everyone here seems comfortable with. It does not matter where you are from but when there are more than 4 people in the room, English is the bridge. My experience talking to non-native has been interesting as some of them sometimes are still scrambling to find the right words to convey something. That got me into a flashback to my school years when if you can speak English, you’re considered above everyone else. Later in life, I learned that it’s not about perfection but rather how you communicate it.

During my school years, a lot of my peers wanted to speak like the British way because it was more refined and sounded like real English, according to them. It’s another god-tier if you can mimic the English accent. But for the American accent, it was just something normal because it’s easier. To me, I lean more to an American accent, not because it’s easier but because I’ve learned it that way for years. And during all these years of learning, one thing that I find discouraging is when you make grammar mistakes and even pronounce some words the wrong way, there will be some mockery. Trust me, English in Indonesia is a big deal.

However, in a country where almost these days everyone is required to have some level of English proficiency, the way people teach English hasn’t improved a lot. I find many of my peers hate English because they think it’s difficult and the teachers do not make it easier, especially at school. But with more globalization, more people absorb the language easily through the internet and social media. Hence, many autodidact learners who never have to go through any courses just to understand English. Just open up a duolingo and its infamous owl will make sure you never miss a day and streak in the course. But even so, some cultural communication is still amiss.

Even if we learn English at school, not a lot of us really catch on to cultural communication. Many of them still apply Indonesian culture when they speak which sounds really strange. One notable example is the additional Mr or Miss but followed by first name instead of last name. Another classic Indonesian example is calling older women with mom even though they are not their mom instead of just calling it Mrs or miss. Sometimes also the placement of adjective adverbs in which bahasa Indonesia has it differently. These are taught at school but many still don’t follow it when they are older and still repeating the same mistakes. Even if you are writing in English and using google translator, do not forget to edit the part that sounds odd. Hence why, I recommend for Indonesian speakers to use the voice option to notice oddities in the structure.

One thing I remembered from my English professor was this, “ Think in English, Speak in English, Write in English, Dream in English.” Back in the day, I didn’t realize that there’s a thing called “ thinking in English.” Until, someone asked me if I am still thinking like an Indonesian or thinking in English. I didn’t really know the difference because when I talk to myself, I always use English and my “inner speech” is more English than Indonesian because sometimes, I don’t even know the words in Bahasa Indonesia which according to some Indonesian is very strange. So, perhaps I can safely say that I think in English more than I think in Bahasa Indonesia. To me, communication barriers will exist when the other speaker is from different countries than the English speaking countries. It’s more noticeable because many European countries have different communication styles that I still don’t understand. And that’s what I notice when spending time in Bali where not all are from English-speaking countries but rather European countries where they speak their natives instead of English as the main language. The communication style was different and sometimes, there’s something amiss.

I do not think there is a simple way to learn different countries' styles of communication. But, personally one thing that has worked is addressing these differences and trying to understand where they come from, not in a sense of their fixed location but rather through their culture.