As my dream of travelling outside the old continent hasn't yet had the chance to come true (we could get into a debate about time and money, or a combination of the two, or about myself not being brave enough to travel alone as a girl and bla-bla-bla, but that is not the issue ;) ), as you may already know, whenever I have the occasion I attend cultural events from various countries which are, for the moment, unaccessible.
Said and done: this week-end I popped by the Indonesian Embassy of Bucharest, where the event 'Piața Indonezia' (Indonesia Market) was taking place. It was a cultural event lasting a few hours, around lunchtime and early afternoon.
Now, I admit that I didn't know much about Indonesia until the recent past. Well, apart from the fact that Bali is a very popular touristic destination. However, the company I work for has an office in Indonesia as well, and I got the chance to interact with colleagues from this country. And most surely, this played a major part in stirring my curiosity.
The event itself, not being very long, contained short manifestations of various kinds, comprising different aspects of Indonesian culture. Traditional dances and music (and also pop music played by Indonesian musicians), martial arts demonstrations, clothes, handicrafts and souvenirs to buy, and, of course, local food and drinks.
What caught my attention especially has to do with the visual part, but also with... taste. And here are my first impressions as an outsider.
First of all, Indonesia is about colour, flower patterns and gold. That can be noticed in their traditional costumes, and the ornaments and accessories.
Indonesia is also ... a friendly country. Or, so it seems, because of the politeness of the people I met, and who always wear a smile. Besides, the way they involved the public in a traditional dance says it all. Plus, let's not forget the statues, masks and mythological creatures which are amusing in themselves.
Last but not least, Indonesia is very sweet. On a very hot day like it was last Saturday, cooling off with a (sweet) cucumber punch, or a very fruity drink called Es Teler. The coconut pancakes which I had heard about and which I was really tempted by had finished before I arrived to the food court, but I still managed to buy some tourquoise sponge cake, also with coconut flavour (talk about colours and sweetness).
The event was interesting, but it was also brief... and overcrowded. The back yard of the Embassy was not that big. Maybe they didn't foresee such high presence, but, on the other hand this demonstrates that people are curious when it comes to culture. For next year, I hope to see more and taste more of Indonesia!
