LIA International Conference 2015, Yogyakartha, Indonesia

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Landing in Jakarta: the Airport

LIA -- Language in Action, hosted their 2nd International Conference in Yogyakartha at the end of April and beginning of May...still Southeast Asia but how different the culture from Vietnam! Landing in Jakarta at the airport I found so many different groups, each wearing distinct clothing to distinguish membership in that clan as distinct from others -- different colors, different head scarves, some with particular embroidery, some wearing the headscarf in a different way, some wearing skull caps, some a kind of fez. quite extraordinary. I wanted to whip out my camera but was a little too stressed with some visa and passport challenges to fully savor those moments and my first impressions.

Hotel Aryudata

Changing my plans to fix those problems I had to book a hotel in Jakarta and chose the Hotel Aryudata, an old but luxury hotel near the US Embassy -- glad I did -- beautiful hotel with an amazing singer -- Diana Krall-like -- in the hotel lobby bar. The room was fabulous --- an upgrade to 3-room business suite w/ jacuzzi and 2 TVs and BBC and CNN (which I haven't had access to for 4.5 months). Some soup at the bar with a margarita was dinner and listening to this fabulous singer. I had managed to go online to make an appointment at the US Embassy to add pages to my passport -- had to get a new visa for Vietnam on return and had no more pages...$82 for the additional pages ... and guess what after this year you won't be able to buy additional pages but would have to get a new passport, as I understand it. You make an appointment at the US Embassy online, print out your appointment sheet w/ the time, and be prepared to wait 1-1.5 hours.

Jakarta is a strange mix of ultramodern and old world. About 2 blocks from the hotel I found a 7/11 and then another 2 blocks beyond that a block of stands vendors selling rubber stamps and seals for letters. The traffic is ferocious, bumper to bumper most of the time even when the cars move. I found the Embassy not far from the hotel indeed, deciding to locate it before the appointed time just to make sure that I would be there on time later. Then I tried to find the museum nearby. Jakarta is very hot indeed.

National Monument and the National Museum

I walked around a huge garden in the center of which is the National Monument, could not really figure out how to get into the park but did manage to find the National Museum on the other side of the park. That museum is a treasure, a cultural gem. Indonesia's rich and diverse culture is represented at this museum. Exquisite exhibition of puppets, masks, clothing, houses and buildings, furniture, paintings and drawings, totems, so much.

The National Museum has an old history. It began with the establishment of Bataviaasch Genootscap voor Kunsten en Wetenschappen, an institution founded by the Dutch government in 1778. The society was dedicated to research in the field of art and sciences, and opened a branch in Batavia which is now Jakarta. JCM Radermacher one of the founders donated a house in Jalan Kalibesar and a large collection of artefacts and books to the new museum. During the British administration in Java (1811-1816) Lieutenant Governor Sir Stamford Raffles became the director. The collection grew and a new museum was built in 1868. Today, the museum is known as Gedung Gajah or Elephant Building because of the bronze elephant statue in front of the museum. This was a gift from King Chulalongkorn (RamaV) of Thailand in 1871. It is also called Gedung Arca or Statue Building because the museum displays many statues from different periods. Later the museum went through several tarnsformations and name changes. In 1950 the name was changed into Lembaga Kebudayaan Indonesia (Indonesian Culture Institute) in line with their new motto "advancing the science of culture to benefit the development of science in the Indonesian archipelago and surrounding nations." In 1962 the government took over the management of the museum and it became the Museum Pusat (Central Museum) and then Museum Nasional. It holds 141,000 objects including prehistoric collection, archaeology, numismatic and heraldic ceramic, ethnography, history, and geography. For example, one of the exhibitions features a variety of burial gifts found in graves that indicate different burial practices. It includes various household objects, special clothing and artefacts that reflect different social strata. The palanquin is displayed as a means of transport usually reserved for the royal family. There is a large collection of ceramics and gold. Cermaics are from INdia (2nd and 34rd C), China (HanQing Dynasty, Vietnam (13th through 17th C), Thailand (13-16c) and Japan. The most important objects in the sultanate gold treasure room are regalia or heirlooms from the early kingdoms in the archipelago during 16th to 20th c.

US Embassy

Got to the Embassy for my 1:45 appointment -- had to go through metal detectors and remove any and everything electronic, even my Nike fuel band which connects to the computer through USB drive...camera, iPad, Nike fuel band, mobile phone...I just left everything there. The inside of the embassy is a labyrinth of pathways to the room for visa applications and passports but it's nothing to speak of in and of itself. There are dated magazines lying around that people thumb through as they wait for their turn. There's a lot of waiting but in effect things move relatively quickly. About an hour later I was out of there with 40 new pages in my passport, ready for the new visa to enter Vietnam. I left and walked back to the hotel to pick up my bags and go back to the airport to catch a flight to Yogyakartha. Not enough time in Jakarta.

Yogyakartha and the Royal Ambarrukmo hotel

Arriving in Yogyakartha there were taxi drivers and more taxi drivers hawking a fare. I chose someone at a booth but found out after that the fare that he charged was about 3x what it usually is to the airport from my hotel. Anyway, got to my hotel the Royal Ambarrukmo, the oldest hotel in Yogya, according to TEguh -- but it has recently been renovated. I loved it. Old world charm but new world amenities. I arrived, went to sleep and got up early the next day to go to the Hyatt Regency -- about 30 minutes away -- for the conference which started at 8 am. That hotel looked like what I imagined Indonesia to be...more tropical landscape, lotus flowers in ponds, ruins, gardens of palm trees and flowers and lush grass, sounds of birds and insects echoing throughout the grounds...

LIA Conference: Day 1

The conference took place from April 29 to May 1st at the Hyatt Regency. The first day was a full round of featured and plenary speakers focusing on English language education in the 21st century. It was an exciting series of presentations that stimulated a ballroom full of language educators, all thinking about how we can make these ideas and approaches a reality. Technology no doubt plays a tremendous role in language education in Southeast Asia and the challenges of providing access and updating our skills as users of that technology for educational purposes is daunting for many of us. There are so many issues surrounding technology in education!

LIA Gala -- Indonesian dishes, beautiful dresses, stunning baticks, gamelan music, and traditional Indonesian dance

An amazing evening the first night of the conference. Elegantly dressed men and women dressed in colorful Indonesian outfits streamed into the ballroom. The festivities began with a cornucopia of rich Indonesian dishes from skewers of grilled shrimp to grilled beef to fried tempeh to pancakes of egg with spices and chives to an array of desserts served at food stations around the ballroom. it seemed that the food would never end. As we began our desserts, a show of traditional baticks began.

Batik Series Asthabrata

http://mbatikyuuuk.com/about/royal-batik-pakualaman-yogyakarta/



Beautiful women emerged from backstage carrying precious batiks of different traditional designs, each having a special significance. What followed was basically a fashion show of batiks. Breathtaking! The gamelan music began in earnest after this as the traditional classic Indonesian dancers took the stage for the classic Hindu story of ...The recreation of batik patterns with Pakualaman style derived from the manuscripts of Sestra Ageng Adidarma and Sestradisuhul is an effort to preserve and give meanings to Pakualaman style batik. Viewing and wearing clothing with batik patterns representing these attributes will motivate us to live wisely. Different patterns include Indra Widagda (clever: Indra who teaches science/knowledge); Yama Linapsuh (eradicate: Yama as a crime fighter); Surya Mulyarja (mulya = noble; arja = prosperous; surya, the spreader of nobility and prosperity); Baya Krastala (krastala = resolute; Bayu who is resolute and always stands for truth); Brama Sembada (sembada = responsible and having authority; brama who is resolute and authoritative); Candra Kinasih (Kinashi= the most beloved; candra, the spreader of compassion); Wisnu Mamuja (Mamuja = worship; Wisnu who always worships God); Baruna Wicakswa (Wicakswa = wise; Baruna who is wise). The Wilaya Kusumajana pattern is from Sestradisuhul and Babar Palupyan; the Sestra Lukita is from Serat Rama, Arjunawijaya saha, Kempalan Dongeng Babar Palupyan Babad Betawi, Chapter III Sestra Ageng Adidarma; and Sari Makara Uneng is from Langen Wibawa.

LIA Day 2

The second day of the conference began with concurrent sessions. Mine was at 8:30 in the morning and of course I had a 30 minute taxi ride back to the Hyatt. Got there on time but of course there was a technology glitch. I have a Mac and of course there is no adaptor for a Mac -- anywhere to be found in Southeast Asia it would seem. Then tried to use a flashdrive and upload the ppt on another woman's laptop ... I think my fashdrive picked up a virus and we couldn't get her computer to work -- finally I emailed the doc to a tech support person and she was able to download it on a flashdrive and use someone else's computer. All of that took about 35 minutes. I had about 30 minutes remaining for my presentation on the wonders of technology in education. I got some good feedback; the presentation was in general well received, but as usual there were questions about how to use this in the public schools, particularly when students and teachers have limited access. It's a good question but a question to ask in order to find an answer. The day was filled with strands of interesting presentations in different strands. Right before lunch I wandered out to the garden where a group was doing some tie dying and another group was learning about Indonesia traditional dress. Fascinating! Lunch was another spread of spicy Indonesian dishes and a wide variety of desserts that were hard to resist.

Malioboro

Located in the heart of Yogya, this is the city’s main street, and was once the ceremonial avenue for the Sultan to pass through on his way to and from the Keraton. During such occasions Malioboro would be festively decorated with flowers. Some say that the name Malioboro” derives from the name of the British governor Marlborough from the era when Britain ruled the archipelago, between 1811-1816.

That evening I went with Inna and Dewi to Malioboro, a major shopping street in Yogyakarta and the neighborhood around the street. Malioboro is in the heart of Yogya, the city's main street, and was at one time the ceremonial avenue for the Sultan to travel to and from the Keraton, his palace. At that time Malioboro would be decorated in festive flowers. It is said that the name "malioboro" comes from the name of the British governor Marlborough from the period when Britian ruled the archipelago between 1811-1816. This street is on the north-south axis on the line between Yogyakarta Kraton and Mount Merapi. There we found locally made souvenirs like batiks, rattan ornaments, silver, bamboo crafts, puppets and other crafts. After we shopped we ate lesehan food as street singers came along to serenade all the customers for a small handout. We took a four-wheeled horse-drawn cart called "andong."

Monggo Chocolate

Indonesia produces Monggo Chocolate made with 100%!c(MISSING)ocoa butter. They select cocoa beans from javanese, Sumatran and Celebes plantations. There are various flavors created by Belgian chocolatier in Jakarta. The Monggo products are natural and the packaging is made of recycled paper and certified FSC paper. The company has reduced its use of plastic in the production process. The product and company are high quality and environmentally friendly. Monggo is a Javanese word meaning 'please' spoken with a thumbs up gesture when someone passes in front of you, when invited into someone's house, and when you leave again. Flavors include Red Chile, macadamia, orange peel, ginger, cinnamon, mango, milk 41%!c(MISSING)ocoa, cashew nuts, white, durian, praline, raisin and cashew nuts, strawberry, marzipan, and caramello!

Borobudur

One of the 7 Wonders of the World, this temple is built on top of a hill with stepped pyramidal shape. It is constructed of more than 2,000,000 blocks of stone. The temple is a polygon-shaped stupa with 3 round terraces combining elements of Indian and Javanese architecture. The stupas in Borobudur adapted the concept of Buddhismwhich is a reflection of the universe. There is no interior room int eh temple but worshipers walk around the temple, a practice called Pradaksina, which is to honor the spirits. The temple structure is divided into 3 parts: Kamadhatu, which represents the human life that curbs desire, symbolizing foundation; Rupadhatu, which represents human life that can curb desire but still related to form; and the 3rd part Arupadhatu, which is nirvana or nature, symbolized by 3 round terraces. In the 8th century when the power of Java shifted to the East Borobudur fell into disrepair. There is some speculation that a volcanic eruption may have pushed people to move. There are manuscripts that relate Javanese revisiting the site in the 18th c. The rediscovery by the British Sir Stamford Raffles in 1814 led to greater recognition and preservation efforts. In 1815 Raffles commissioned an initial clean up and 200 labourers spent 45 days cutting trees and moving earth from the remains. Efforts to document and interpret the reliefs took place. During the excavation of lizerman in 1885 the hidden reliefs at the base of the temple were discovered. These reliefs show Sanskrit instructions left for the carver with lettering that was distinctive allowing archaeologists to date the construction of the temple to the middle of the 9th c, the time of the Saliendra dynasty. In 1907 a large restoration effort was carried out by Dutchman Va Erp and was finished in 1911. In 1956 a Belgian expert was sent by UNESCO to assess water damage and advise on renovations, including weak foundations due to loamy soil mixed with stones and stone chips. In 1968 Indonesia applied to UNESCO for support for restoration which began in 1968 to 1983. Borobudur was declared a world heritage site in 1991. In 1982, Englishman Philip Beale studied the reliefs adorning the temple. He found 10 panels depicting sea vessels some powered by oar and others with a 3-mated ship with sails cut in a rectangular slant. These ships may have been apart of the famous shipping route that linked Indonesia to Africa. The treacherous Cinnamon shipping route took vessels from Indonesian waters across the Indian Ocean past the Seychelles, Madagascar, and South Africa to Ghana. The main trade of the first millennium on this route was spcie of high value in that era. Philip Beale was fascinated with the boat building of Indonesia and the skills of the sailors led him to a project of building a traditional ship that then retraced the original route. This is now housed in the the Borobudur Archaeological Park. Rapadhatu reliefs, called Lalitavistara, tell the life of Gautama Buddha from the birth of Prince Siddhartha in Lumbini Garden in Nepal. HIs mother Maya Dewi died a week after she gave birth. Prince Siddhartha married a princess Puteri Gopa. Outside the palace, when he saw an old blind man who was sick, dying people, and a priest for the first time, he became an ascetic under the teaching of Brahmapani, Rydraka, Arada Kapala and hermits but it was not until he practiced under the Bodhi tree at Bodh-Gaya in India that he gained extensive knowledge in Bodhi. The stupa Arupadhatu mother 16.20 meters in diameter and 12.8 meters high held a statue with infinite replications a representation of the Supreme materiality. It is called Adhi Buddha The portal of Borobudur mount 24 with 6 gates at all sides

Prambanam

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