BADUY ETHNIC CULTURE

Indonesian has a different ethnic group. Each ethnic has a culture which different with another, for example, the differences of traditional dress, language, ritual tradition, traditional house, etc.
Baduy ethnic is one of the famous ethnic in Indonesia. Its culture is very unique. Baduy people still believe about the myth and the mystical things.

Many historians believe that the Baduis are the descendants of the aristocracy of the Sunda Kingdom of Pajajaran who lived near Batutulis in the hills around Bogor; their domestic architecture follows most closely the traditional Sundanese architecture. Pakuwan known also as
Sunda Kelapa, the capital of Pajajaran, was destroyed by invading Falethan Muslims in 1579.

The Ethnic of Baduy live in the area about 5101 ha, in Kanekes Village, Leuwidamar subsdictrict, about 38 km from Rangkasbitung, The capital of Lebak regency. It is only need one hour and half from Rangkasbitung to Ciboleger, the Kanekes entrance gate. The Baduy consists of two part, they are: Inner Baduy (Baduy Dalam) live in 3 kampung's Cikeusik, Cikertawarna and Cibeo. Outer Baduy (Baduy Luar) live in the outside of those Baduy Dalam's kampungs, there are 53
kampungs in the Baduy. Their population of between 5,000 and 8,000 is centered in the Kendeng mountains at an elevation of 300-500 meters above sea level. The Baduy speak a dialect derived from archaic Sundanese. However, modern Sundanese and Javanese influences in their archaic dialect can be heard in their speech.

The religion of the Baduis is known as Sunda Wiwitan, and this suggests that their religion is supposed to be Hinduism. They still retain many elements of their original Hindu-Buddhist religion, A certain amount of Islamic influence has also penetrated into the religion of a few of the Baduy in recent years, with some original ideas thrown in for good measure. The Baduis today are increasingly losing touch with their Hindu culture and increasingly getting closer to nature both in their own religion and their life. Grounded in the spiritual beliefs of their ancient religion, Sundiwiwitan - said to be a blend of animism and Hinduism - the Baduy philosophy rejects the use of all modern inventions, including everything from money, irrigation
electricity, and cars to nails, soap, and mirrors. Their huts have no furniture, and their possessions usually extend to a few utensils and minimal clothing, all of which they traditionally make themselves. They grow rice for food, and rely only on rainfall for cultivation. Most Baduy are illiterate because their religion forbids education. Violation of the most serious taboos can lead to permanent exile.

The Baduis also observe another mystical taboos. They are forbidden to kill, steal, lie, get drunk, eat food at night, wear flowers or perfumes, accept gold or silver, touch money, or cut their hair. Other taboos relate to defending Baduy lands against invasion: they may not grow sawah (wet rice), use fertilizers, raise cash crops, use modern tools for working ladang soil, or keep large domestic animals, the Baduis have remained very backward even in modern times.

The Baduy guard the secret glades well. A consecrated community rather than an isolated tribe, they are not ignorant of modern civilization. Rather, they deliberately reject it. The Baduy continue to live their lives, entirely indifferent to whatever outsiders choose to believe.

REFERENCES:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badui
smearks.8m.com/badui.htm

IDUL FITRI IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD

Lebaran or Idul Fitri is the biggest Moslem holy day. Before we are celebrate Idul Fitri, all of Moslem people have to do fasting for a month in Ramadhan and they also have to tithe in rice or money paid on last day of fasting, especially for them who have a certain capacity.

Celebrating Idul Fitri in my neighborhood, commonly same as in the other place. At night before Idul Fitri, most of Moslem doing takbiran in mosque, and some of them doing it by walking around, ride a bike and take a drum.

At the Idul Fitri, all Moslem usually take a pray in the field near of my house. Not to many people celebrating Idul Fitri in my neighborhood, because of most of them are prefer to celebrate Idul Fitri in their native village. Pray Ied usually held at 06.30 A.M. After that, we are gathering together for beg on forgiveness each other.

beside of all habitual in celebrating Idul Fitri that we often see, another thing as distinctive feature from Idul Fitri such as parcel, ketupat, cake, etc. many people usually prepare it some day before Idul Fitri, and they are very enthusiastic to prepare anything for celebrating Idul Fitri.

HOW TO EAT IN ANY CULTURE

Every country has different culture. They have different way in anything, such as costume, celebrating of holy day, food, etc. Talking about food, every country has special food which is different with another country, so they have different way for eating.

In Indonesia, the staple food is rice. Indonesian people usually eat with their hands. They use only their right hand for eating, but some people use spoon for eating. In India, The cardinal rule of dining is to always use the right hand when eating or receiving food and never the left. The left hand is considered unclean and to use the left hand when eating is considered uncouth. The left hand should always remain in your lap and should not touch the food. Since Indian tradition also
dictates that only a clean hand should be used to transfer food from the serving dish to your plate, it is acceptable to use the left hand if there are any spoons/cutlery for taking food from the dish onto your plate.

In Nepal, most Nepali people eat with their hands. In many places you will not be offered a spoon, but one is often available if you ask. The Nepalese use only their right hand for eating and will expect you to do the same. If you eat with your hand, manners dictate that you wash it before and after eating. In American, most of people are right handed, when they eat, they hold the fork in the left and the knife in the right when cutting, then putting down the knife, switching the fork to the right hand, to eat the item. Americans tend to keep the left hand under the table except when they are using the knife and have switched the fork to the left hand.

The eating style in American is different with the France style. The French do not switch knives and forks like Americans. When you are eating a food that requires you to use both utensils then the knife stays in your right hand and the fork in your left hand. You do not switch back with your knife and fork between bites. The last, Chinese people usually use the chopsticks for eating, they do not believe in knives because he thought that knives were potential weapons that could cause danger and harm to others. The right way to use a chopstick is to point the thin ends together and towards to their food. They should hold one chopstick firmly between their thumb and inside tip of their index finger. The other stick is held between the tip of their thumb and the tip of first finger. They do not move the first chopstick, the second chopstick is the one that moves with a pinching motion.

In the conclusion, each country has different style in their way for eating, all of this is based and very related to the culture of each country.

REFERENCES:

http://www.geocities.com/lakpa_sherpa/culture
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etiquette_of_Indian_Dining
www.chowhound.com/topics/332264
www.foodetiquette.com/american.php

The Relation between Democracy and Culture

Human beings possess a variety of sometimes contradictory desires. People want safety yet relish adventure; they aspire to individual freedom yet demand social equality. Democracy is no different, and it is important to recognize that many of these tensions, even paradoxes, are present in every democratic society. According to Larry Diamond, coeditor of the Journal of Democracy and a research fellow at the Hoover Institution, a central paradox exists between conflict and consensus. Democracy is in many ways nothing more than a set of rules for managing conflict. At the same time, this conflict must be managed within certain limits and result in compromises, consensus, or other agreements that all sides accept as legitimate. An overemphasis on one side of the equation can threaten the entire undertaking. If groups perceive democracy as nothing more than a forum in which they can press their demands, the society can shatter from within. If the government exerts excessive pressure to achieve consensus, stifling the voices of the people, the society can be crushed from above.

The answer is that there is no single or easy answer. Democracy is not a machine that runs by itself once the proper principles and procedures are inserted. A democratic society needs the commitment of citizens who accept the inevitability of conflict as well as the necessity for tolerance. It is important to recognize that many conflicts in a democratic society are not between clear-cut "right" and "wrong" but between differing interpretations of democratic rights and social priorities. In the United States, there are many such debates. Is it proper, for example, to allocate a certain percentage of jobs to minority groups that have traditionally suffered from discrimination? Does the state have the right to expropriate someone's home for a badly needed road? Whose rights prevail when the society seeks to prohibit logging in the name of wilderness preservation, but at the cost of job losses and economic devastation to small
communities dependent upon the lumber industry? Are the rights of citizens violated, or are those of the community protected, if the police stop people at random to curtail drug trafficking?

These are not easy questions, and the broad precepts of democracy only provide guidelines for addressing and analyzing these issues. Indeed, the answers may change over time. It is for this reason that the culture of democracy is so important to develop. Individuals and groups must be willing, at a minimum, to tolerate each other's differences, recognizing that the other side has valid rights and a legitimate point of view. The various sides to a dispute, whether in a local neighborhood or national parliament, can then meet in a spirit of compromise and seek a specific solution that builds on the general principle of majority rule and minority rights. In some instances, a formal vote may be necessary, but often groups can reach an informal consensus or accommodation through debate and compromise. These processes have the added benefit of building the trust necessary to resolve future problems.

"Coalition-building ," Diane Ravitch observes, "is the essence of democratic action. It teaches interest groups to negotiate with others, to compromise and to work within the constitutional system. By working to establish coalition, groups with differences learn how to argue peaceably, how to pursue their goals in a democratic manner, and ultimately how to live in a world of diversity." Democracy is not a set of revealed, unchanging truths but the mechanism by which, through the clash and compromise of ideas, individuals and institutions, the people can, however imperfectly, reach for truth. Democracy is pragmatic. Ideas and solutions to problems are not tested against a rigid ideology but tried in the real world where they can be argued
over and changed, accepted or discarded.

Self-government cannot protect against mistakes, end ethnic strife, or guarantee economic prosperity. It does, however, allow for the debate and examination that can identify mistakes, permit groups to meet and resolve differences, and offer opportunities for innovation and
investment that are the engines of economic growth.


Reference:
usinfo.state. gov/products/ pubs/whatsdem/ whatdm6.htm

Bilingualism

Bilingualism is someone who can speak more than one language. I live in Indonesia, my mother tongue is Indonesian language. I always use this language in my daily activity, but when I was in junior high school, I learned about English language. First time I studied it, I hated this subject because it made me bored and confused, but when I was in senior high school, I like English language. I realized that it was very fun, and when I graduated in senior high school, I continued my study in English majoring. I was very interest to learn English language, although I still have difficulties in speak English fluently but I have to try speak English every time and every where. Now I can speak two languages, Indonesian and English language.

What makes teenagers happy?

In my opinion something that could bring a happiness to the teenagers are relationship with their parents, teenager who receive a lot of attention from their parents will makes them happy. we might think money would be clearly tied to a general sense of happiness. But not everyone said money when asked what makes them happy, having highly educated parents is a stronger predictor of happiness than income. the second is i believe that teenagers will happy when they are
spending their time with their friends, for having fun or just sharing about their felling each others, because most of them feel happy and comfort with their friends doing a lot of thing that they can't do with their parents.

Personal Experience

I will tell about my personal experience which had changed my thinking about teacher. When I was in Junior High School, I thought that to be a teacher was very easy, a teacher only explained about material in front of the class and they gave the task to students. If a teacher has bad mood to teach, she/he could ask to the students to learn the material themselves, and did the task. But now, I realize that to be a teacher is not easy, we must have more patience, confidence, can control the students, and have to make the class happy, so the students do not feel bored when they are studying. I think these are not easy to do, and I will become a teacher, to be a good teacher must have these characteristics. I think that is my personal experience which had changed my thinking about teacher.