Fostering a neighbourly exchange
by Charlotte Knottenbelt
Wahyu
Mukti Kusumaningtias – Tias for short – is one of 18 young Indonesians
who recently visited South Australia as part of an innovative
cross-cultural exchange program.
The 22-year-old American literature graduate from Java spent three weeks on a work experience placement at the SAIBT CELUSA office at UniSA as part of the Australia-Indonesia Youth Exchange Program, and said she was returning to Indonesia inspired and better informed.
The program, funded by the Australian-Indonesian Institute and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, aims to help young Indonesians and Australians experience each other’s culture via a two-month exchange program that includes home stays, cultural and social activities and work placements.
Unfortunately, because of security concerns, no Australian contingent visited Indonesia last year, something Tias hopes will change soon.
“I’d definitely recommend the program to others, but it’s important that it goes both ways,” she said.
“I think it’s really important to foster better understanding between the two countries because there are a lot of misconceptions on both sides.
“A lot of people in Indonesia think Australians hate us, but actually they don’t – I’ve found them very welcoming and open minded.”
The big differences between the two cultures that jumped out at Tias during her exchange include ideas about workplace culture, gender roles and community values.
“There’s a lot more multi-tasking in the Australian workplace, whereas with a population of 220 million in Indonesia, most workers have very specific roles from which they are not encouraged to deviate,” she said.
On the other hand, the concept of “gotong royong” (working together) is very important in Indonesia, said Tias, with each member of a village expected to do their bit to contribute to the greater good of the community.