About Indonesia
Background Information
Official language: Bahasa Indonesia
Five official religions: Islam (86.7%), Catholicism/Protestantism (11%), Hinduism, Buddhism
Capital city: Jakarta in Java
Five main islands: Java, Sulawesi, Kalimantan (Borneo), Sumatra, and Papua
Incredibly diverse: 700 languages and 1,300 ethnic groups
Population of 270,200,000 - 4th largest in the world
There are 3 official timezones: Western Indonesian Time (WIB), Central Indonesian Time (WITA), Eastern Indonesian Time (WIT). Most volunteers will have students from WIB (GMT+7) or WITA (GMT+8)
Tips with Students & ESL Learners
Because of the Muslim majority, many Indonesians wake up before 4 AM for the morning prayer. Depending on their schedule and preferences, 4 AM WIB to whenever school starts (usually 7-9 AM) may be a good time to have a meeting (2 PM PDT).
Good times to meet are 2 PM-1 AM PDT and 6-10 AM PDT.
Some students will write time in military format. Example: 2pm = 14.00; 7am = 7.00
Most common communication app is WhatsApp. We highly recommend you to download it and ask for your student's account.
Dates in Indonesia are usually written DD/MM/YY, so make sure you are both clear with the month and date.
Americans tend to seem "overly friendly" to other countries, so don't worry too much if your buddy doesn't seem as excited as you are!
Politeness and courtesy is a big deal in Indonesian culture, so don't be surprised if your student tends to apologize a lot or tiptoe around sensitive subjects. Respect towards parents and the elderly is also very important, so be cautious in how you address family members in general.
Junior high school (7th-9th grade) = SMP
SMP 1 = 7th grade
SMP 2 = 8th grade
SMP 3 = 9th grade
Senior high school (10th-12th grade) = SMA/SMK
SMA 1 = 10th grade
SMA 2 = 11th grade
SMA 3 = 12th grade