A General Update About Indonesia (AKA: What I Learned Today)

So far Indonesia has been really great. Thanks to my program and my location at University Gadjah Mada I'm surrounded by amazing people. Today Suraiya, Sarah, and I went through orrientation and got to see a bit of the UGM campus. But, during this time I learned some pretty interesting things I thought I'd share...

First off, Indonesia is big. It's actually as wide across at the United States! The different islands  (aproximately 17,700 of them) stretch across the same distance as California to Maine.

Secondly, the ring of fire is a serious thing. And I'm living in it: right next to the most active volcano in the world. There's still ash on the sidewalks from the last eruption which was awhile ago. Here's a depiction of all of the volcanos in Indonesia:

I have other fun diagrams too! Mostly because not only is Indonesia big, it's also diverse. This is what the general religious landscape of Indonesia looks like:

If you look for the island in deep red, that's Bali. Then look at the lime green island to its left. That's where I'm at. Roughly in the area below the little orange blip on that island. Also, you might note that there are two main types of Islam in Indonesia. Modernist and traditional. The names actually seem a little backword to me, as Modernist Islam is what you think of when you think of the Middle East. It's more traditional in the direct setting of Islam. However, Traditional Islam is actually in reference to the traditions of Indonesia. It takes Islam and updates it to thrive amongst the already existing Indonesian culture. Honestly, after only 24 hours here I don't feel qualified enough to list examples of what habits, traditions, and beliefs come from where, but I'm sure I'll discover more about it particularly because my internship is at a local interfaith organization.

Last brief example is the ethnic diversity. When I'm talking about multiple cultures, it is a real thing. Even the US seems to pale in comparison to Indonesia as a "melting pot" of sorts. Here's a map of the different ethnic groups in Indonesia:

It's crazy how diverse Indonesia is. Even in one day I can get to know people who come from a variety of backgrounds and islands. I'm living in a beautiful university town (known as "The City of Students") but life is different all across Indonesia. In one region (Aceh) there is strict Sharia law and the police enforce the wearing of hijabs, but on the other side of the country (Papua) there are some people who still don't even wear any western conception of clothing.

Point is, it's day one and I'm already amazed at what Indonesia holds. I think I definitely underestimated how richly diverse and exciting the country is. I can't wait to see what two more months here is going to teach me!