“Where are you from?” “How old are you?” “Are you married” That is the exact order of questions when you meet an Acehnese person. The last question is the only one I have a slight problem with. It’s not asked in a sleezy, pickup kind of way, just part of normal conversation. They probably assume most people my age (33), would answer “Yes, I am married,” and the conversation would pleasantly carry on. But in my case, the answer is: “Not yet,” (a simple “No, I’m not married,” elicits strange and worried glances). Lucky for them, I don’t know enough vocabulary to explain that I don’t think the whole point of life has to be to get married and have children. But in Aceh, that seems to be exactly the point of life, and dating in
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