Being a Muslim in Aceh is VERY Different From America.

Generally, the locals here assume that I am not from America. When they see me, they generally believe that I am from Turkey or rarely, even some Arab state. However, when they learn that I am from America, a flurry of questions follows.

"Where are you from in America?"

"Were you born Muslim?"

"Why didn't you take on a Muslim name?" (Reader note: my name is the name of a Biblical prophet and thus sufficiently Islamic, at least from my point of view.)

All of these are fair questions, and I appreciate the conversation. Something which doesn't often translate as well is the fact that being a Muslim in America is rather difficult. Here's a list of problems we face in America, and reasons why I have come to love living in an Islamic region.

1.) There's a masjid everywhere. In America, it's rather difficult sometimes to find a masjid and there's almost no prayer rooms of any sort anywhere. This means that prayer is usually done at home. I personally like to pray outside, and I do feel that this is important. In the hadith it has related, "When the time for prayer has come upon you, perform the prayer for all of the Earth is a place of worship for you."

Still, praying in public is not always easy as I'll explain later.

2.) Everyday, I hear the azaan. In America, you will never hear the azaan unless you are actually inside a masjid. The difference for me is incredible. There is just this... energy you feel when you hear it outloud each day. It's an affirmation for me, and extremely important.

3.) I don't experience prejudice for being a Muslim. In America, a large number of states have now outlawed the Shari'a. Not that Americans understand that Shari'a is a code of conduct for Muslims, that outlawing it is effectively outlawing Islam...

Then again, there are many Americans who would LOVE to outlaw Islam. Right now, it is a significant talking point in the Republican primaries. A man or woman who could very well be our next president may be actively hostile to Muslims. These are dangerous times for Muslims in America, and I'm not certain I want to raise my family in America.

A Busy Weekend!

This past weekend, I had absolutely no chances to post! With the lengthy power outage on Saturday and a full day of looking for a new motorcycle or motorscooter, I just didn't have the time to post anything. One thing for students of blogging to see here is that it is highly important that you continue to blog to maintain some degree of interest from your readership. Checking on visitors, I probably received no more than 20 visitors all weekend!

Pangsit, My Salvation

One of the difficulties for me as an outsider here in Aceh is finding foods that are not as spicy as the locals generally enjoy. Most meals here are "sangat pedas", very spicy. Back home, I considered myself to be someone who enjoys eating spicy foods. Coming here to Aceh though, I may have to reconsider how I define spicy!

After trying and failing on many occasions to find less spicy varieties of food, my wife got pangsit for me at a local warung. For those reading from outside Indonesia, pangsit is kind of pan fried Chinese style noodle. It is generally rather oily and typically not as spicy as other dishes. Finally having access to something that I can tolerate is helping me to enjoy my time here MUCH more.

For my readers, what are some Acehnese foods I might enjoy that are less spicy? I'm a fairly picky eater, so I'm not generally eager to try new foods. Still, I need to try more foods and I'd like to get a taste for the local foods.

I can't live on Pizza Hut and KFC forever.

Favorite Songs #1

A fun and easy way to acquire further English language skill is listening to American and British music. I hope to share some music that has easy to follow lyrics that is addictive to listen to as well as informative for Indonesian learners. Now, I know most of you are already familiar with Western pop music, so I thought I'd start with an excellent "oldie". This is a soul classic by Sam Cooke called "A Change Gonna Come". It's a protest song, penned during the civil rights era of the United States.

See if you can ascertain the meaning of the song and discuss with others. Did you enjoy the song? What did you enjoy about the message?

First Day of Introduction to IELTS!

While I take pleasure in education in general, I find pedagogy the most rewarding when there is a lot at stake. Today marked the beginning of an IELTS preparation class where I focused on the written portion of the examination. For those unfamiliar with IELTS, it's one of the most commonly applied tests to measure the level of English speaking, writing, listening, and reading held by non-native speakers. This test's results can decide whether a non-native speaker can attend Western universities.

As a result, there is a lot at stake for both my teaching and my students. I am confident in my abilities and in the abilities of my pupils though, so I feel quite strongly that we will see some excellent test results from the current batch of applicants.

Aceh, as a developing region, needs to produce as many strong English language candidates as possible. If I can be an integral part of this development, then I feel as if I can give a great deal back to a community that has welcomed me so warmly. I will never forget the kindness I have experienced from the Acehnese people, and it is my desire to further the educational objectives of my students for years to come.

A Day At Syiah Kuala University (Unsyiah)

Yesterday, my good friend and co-educator Masrizal asked me to conduct a question and answer session for two of his classes at Syiah Kuala University, the oldest and largest university in Banda Aceh. Being that it is part of my goal to spread English to as many students as possible, I felt that this was a great opportunity to discuss English language topics and spread knowledge of this blog. The student body was very welcoming, though a little shy. I am pleased to say, however, that they asked many revelant questions in relation to English language development within Aceh.

It is my hope that some day in the near future I will be asked to return to the university to speak to the student body.

One of the common themes I have noticed among Indonesian students is that very few are engaged in reading for pleasure. Some weeks back, I spoke with another English language educator from the United States who told me that Indonesian students don't read for pleasure as often as they should. Judging from this small sample, almost no one raised their hand when asked if they read for pleasure. For a long term goal, what do some of our readers think would be an excellent way to improve literacy in Indonesia?

Also, I'd like to add that buleocracy has had its first visitors from outside of Indonesia! We got two hits from Germany today! This is a strong example for the Indonesian students that a blog is not just about you or your home culture but a vast world of visitors to exchange ideas with.

Some of My Favorite Blogs #1

I follow a lot of blogs. Most of the blogs I follow are very topical, they cover a variety of social issues. Others are for fun though, and one of my favorites is Just Bento. Click the link to enjoy! Just Bento is devoted to teaching people the Japanese art of bento lunches. Bento is essentially a method for making lunch boxed meals appetizing, healthy, and aesthetically pleasing (beautiful).

As you can see, your blog can literally be about any topic you want!