Living in Indonesia

Indonesia is divided into three time zones: WIB/Western Indonesia Time (Sumatra, Java, West and Central Kalimantan) is seven hours ahead of GMT. Central Indonesia Time (Bali, South and East Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Nusa Tenggara) is eight hours ahead of GMT. Eastern Indonesia Time (Maluku, Irian Jaya) is nine hours ahead of GMT.

Indonesia has a fairly even climate all year round and Jakarta’s climate is quite hot and humid. The average temperature ranges from 25º Celcius at night and early morning and up to 34º Celcius at noon. The rainy season is usually from November to April, with some regional variations. Jakarta has the heaviest rainfall from January to February

Indonesia is a democratic country. Although the population is predominantly Muslim, six religions and beliefs are recognized by the Indonesian government: Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Confucianism. Mosques, churches, temples are found throughout the country. Religious holidays of these six beliefs are celebrated as national holidays.

The people of Indonesia come from very diverse ethnic backgrounds and are generally friendly and easy to get along with. You will find that most of them are nice and relatively tolerant of other cultures.

Students usually dress on smart casual outfit to go to campus. Most of the time they wear jeans or trousers with casual shirts, T-shirts or blouses and sneakers. However, shorts pants, blouse sleeveless, sandals, and other innappropriate outfits are usually not allowed for attending classes. During the rainy season, a jumper/sweater/pullover or sweat shirt will be sufficient. Men’s suit and appropriate dress or suit for women is commonly worn in formal functions like a graduation ceremony.

Many people say that Indonesian food is tasty and spicy. Spices and hot chillies are the ingredients of most dishes. The staple food of rice is served with vegetables, tofu/tempe and meat/egg/fish. The popular side dish sambal- a fiery hot blend of chillies, spices and sometimes terasi (belacan), lemon juice and tomato for extra flavour – comes in an endless variety.

As the population of Indonesia is predominantly Moslem, pork is usually not served except in Chinese and non-Moslem restaurants and places serving international cuisine. Pork dishes are served in some non-moslem parts of Bali, Papua, the North Sumatra highlands and North Sulawesi.

The most popular Indonesian dishes are sate (skewered kebabs of meat or fish, grilled over a fire and served with spicy peanut sauce), gado-gado (a salad of half steamed vegetables with a peanut sauce dressing), nasi goreng (fried rice with shreds of meat and vegetables and topped with a fried egg), bakmi goreng (fried noodles) and Nasi Padang (hot and spicy cuisine of West Sumatra cooked in thick coconut milk curry).

Tap water is not safe to drink. It must be boiled or sterilized before it is consumed. Branded bottled water is readily available for sale in nearly all grocery stores and convenience stores.

Indonesian coffee is one of the finest in the world. You can enjoy the exotic taste of our coffee in the coffee shops commonly available in many entertainment centers or in any commercial areas of the cities.

Alcoholic drinks or local beers are available in major supermarkets and hypermarkets. Wine is sold only in major restaurants and hotels.