←
4 sites to practice reading in Indonesian
My teacher Viona introduced me to a lot of accessible, casual and insightful Indonesian content. This kind of content is hard to find yourself, so today I’m taking some time to share 4 sources you can tap into, when you’re thirsty for new Indonesian content to read or watch.
1. Vice
Vice has an Indonesian version, and it’s great. Witty, casual, and teaches you a great deal about the (shortcomings of) Indonesian culture.
A couple cool examples:
- Daftar Lengkap Alternatif Pengganti Pertanyaan Basa-Basi Nyebelin Ala Indonesia - VICE - Do Indonesians often ask you if you’re married or got kids yet? This article pushes back on those nosy and stereotyping questions Indonesians often ask, and proposes alternatives.
- Menelisik Dampak Buruk Kebiasan Orang Indonesia Bilang ‘OTW’ - VICE - A rant against the use of the term “OTW”! As you know, it’s rarely used by people who are actually on their way. I’m of the opinion that this is a global problem and not Indonesian specific, but it’s a fun read!
- Cara Anak Muda Bertahan Hidup dalam Kesibukan Kota Jakarta - YouTube - An exploration of how over-worked young Jakartans are, and how it affects their health. If this is representative, it is scary. I’m curious to learn more about this.
2.DuckOfYork
DUCKOFYORK | Indonesian Lifestyle Blogger: thoughts
This blog is the online garden of Agi Tiara Pranoto, an Indonesian blogger from Jogja. Her articles sport a perfect dose of irony while also dealing with real curhat-worthy problems, such as whatsapp family groups (ever felt on the verge of leaving yours?), cross-cultural weddings, or smoking. She’s literally the person I learned the word “Curhat” from.
- “Belum Pengen Punya Anak Dulu" vs The World: Frequently Asked Question Paling Sampah Sejagat Raya | DUCKOFYORK | Indonesian Lifestyle Blogger Light coverage of a deep topic: why she hasn’t got a child yet, and why people should stop asking.
- 5 Jenis Drama Drama Yang Muncul Akibat Grup Whatsapp! (Dan Solusinya!!!) | DUCKOFYORK | Indonesian Lifestyle Blogger Typical issues in Family whatsapp groups, and how to approach them. A fun read.
3. KitaBisa
kitabisa.com Careers - powered by Urbanhire
KitaBisa is a 200 employee-strong start-up doing amazing work running Indonesia’s largest Fundraising platform. They’re our go-to to find and fund charity work in Indonesia. They also produce viral content, around the topics of equality and kindness. On YouTube, they run a series called “Social Experiment”. The awkwardness, candidness and simple Indonesian used in those videos make those a beginner’s dream to watch - while also revealing a lot about our human natures.
- Social Experiment: Kenapa Kita Butuh Saling Bicara - YouTube This video puts two blindfolded strangers, and makes then talk to each other. Super revealing of how Indonesians of different ages / social classes / professions interact. Check it out!
- Social Experiment - Cara Ngobrol Sama Teman Tuli - YouTube Similar to the previous context, this video is about how we react in the face of disability, by introducing deaf_mute persons to hearing_speaking ones.
- Social Experiment - Seniman vs Orang Kantoran, Siapa yang Lebih Baik? | Ketemu Di Tengah - YouTube In this one, they invite 3 artists and 3 company employees, and ask them questions about the meaning of work, their relationship to money, etc. Which one do you identify with most? (For me it was the artists, surprisingly!)
4. KokBisa
Not to be confused with KitaBisa, Kok- bisa? is a massive YouTube channel (2.16M subscriber at the time of writing), but also a blog which explores “why” and “what if” questions. I’ll be honest: I prefer when their content is about Indonesian culture or trivia. Some examples below:
-Kenapa Orang Batak Galak? Kenapa Orang Padang Pelit? Kenapa Orang Jawa Lambat? This edition goes into stereotypes Indonesians have about each other - something you likely did not know if you’re an outsider like I am.
- Kenapa Jakarta Macet Banget? Why is the traffic in Jakarta terrible? Backed by numbers, they dig into what makes Jakarta’s road so unique.
That’s my list of content I enjoyed exploring and learning from, as a non-native speaker. There’s a ton more fascinating content I surely do not know about (one I found out about recently is Asumsi): really great.
What about you? What’s some awesome content that you think could appeal to people learning Indonesian? Please share them with me on instagram or the Twitter, and I’ll add them to the article!