Vol. 5 Iss. 2: Adjustments!

   By Lydia Tandirerung

   The diversity that is integral to the Union community has provided an inclusive atmosphere that I believe all international students can appreciate. The diversity forum held during Orientation was a helpful space wherein I could voice some concerns regarding language and cultural adjustments.

   The main cultural adjustment I have had to make is to call older people simply by their names. In Indonesia we must address our elders with the general prefix kak, older women with bu, and older men with pak. The adjustment from formal to casual is particularly hard to make with professors who allow students to call them simply by their first names. Regarding my use of the English language, I have been blessed with patient and understanding friends and faculty. As I come from a country where English has never been a daily language, it can be difficult to express complicated theological and philosophical concepts. Also, I love jokes, but I seem to lose some of my ability to be humorous because of my lack of familiarity with English colloquial language and slang.

   Regarding my future at Union, as a WCC student, I expect that Union’s commitment to including social action concerns in theological discussions will continue to enrich my understanding of the ecumenical call to justice. And as a person from Indonesia, a country having the largest Muslim community in the world, I also encourage myself to be a contributor to our interfaith and cross-cultural concerns.