Unity in Diversity ~ TIEC Indonesian Day 2009

Yesterday, we celebrated Indonesian Day in TIEC with delicious Indonesian food, interesting presentations on Indonesia's geography and cultural practices, together with great music and dances! It was indeed an enriching and enjoyable day!

Enjoying the feast~

The Indonesian noodles, fried tofu and sweet Kueh Lapis reminded me so much of food back home! I miss my Dodo and Kueh Tutu very much.

The gentle notes of the Anklung that played the songs of Bengawan Solo also revealed the hard work of all the performers in coordinating their instruments to create such beautiful music!

The Pendet Dance.

Okay, it was our turn to join in the fun with the Poco Poco dance!!! :)

It was soon clear that just some simple dance moves and relaxing chill-out music of the Poco Poco dance were enough to make everyone smile. Indeed, the poco poco dance really fits the mood of summer in Japan!

Tanah Air~

Dinora playing hide and seek with her friends~

Karen with the high school girls~

Aisulu and me~ :)

Even though Singapore is located a short distance away from Indonesia, it was only yesterday that I realized how limited my knowledge of this wonderful country was. With 17,508 islands and a population of more than 237million, this 'emerald of the equator' is also home to the world's rare species of plants and animals. It also has a rich cultural history of dance, music, food and ethnic tribes. Through the pleasing tunes of the Angklung, the intensity of the Saman dance and the elegance of the Pendet dance, we managed to catch a glimpse of life in Indonesia and also perhaps increased our understanding of the way Indonesians think and feel. The Ambassador of Indonesia hoped that besides economics and politics, culture can also be used as a way to forge better relations between nations. It was no doubt that yesterday's event proved that this was an effective yet interesting and relaxing way to do so!

On a more serious note, it is most unfortunate that Indonesia had to endure another terrorist attack on Friday on its two Western hotels. Terrorism continues to be a worldwide threat that governments have to continue fighting against. Since it 'has no face' and knows no loyalty or nationality except to its cause, countering terrorism is one of the biggest challenges that governments face in order to ensure our security.