Remembering words

The author makes some new young friends while taking a walk in Malang.

July 1, 2011

By Maria "Rai" Hancock

When you learn a new word, you're supposed to use it so that it sticks in your mind. While that's all fine and dandy, there are a couple of truths that should also be known: 1) Not all words are created equal and 2) sometimes there are words that just never stick.

I was born in Kansas with its miles upon miles of corn, lived in Arizona and enjoyed the Mexican foods that were the original products of corn, and now I live in northern Illinois, where each road this time of year is framed with tall walls of sweet corn. I have a million and one reasons to use the word (hold on, let me check it) jagung when I describe my favorite food, talk about where I'm from, or answer all the "What about in America?" questions. I have not yet ceased to need to look it up. Similarly, food names tend to disappear as quickly as the food itself, though I'll admit I really have ceased trying because there are so many options here.

To the first point, though, not all words are equally useful. Sometimes a learner discovers a word or phrase that they can use every day, a hundred times, and others that really have very specific uses. I'm not going to use the word memetik (to pick) very often, but it was useful when we went to the Winosari Tea Plantation and it has potential if I ever decide to do research on colonial agriculture. On the other hand, words like turun (to get down off something, bakar (to burn or bake something), goreng (fried, and everything here is fried), and ambil (to take, subtract or bring) all have many applications daily. Then there are super words and phrases that help to sweep away many linguistic sins, culture differences, and troubles. In Indonesia, one such phrase is "Tidak apa-apa." This roughly translates to "It's nothing, no problem, no big deal." It's a cultural phenomenon that both expresses the easygoing character of Indonesians and their endless politeness, patience, and kindness. It is for when class runs long -- "Tidak apa-apa" -- and they offer you great food and drink -- "Tidak usah repot-repot" (You don't need to do that). "Tidak apa-apa."

On Tuesday, the second day of classes, Pak Peter, the Resident Direct, came into Bu Tari's class while we were working. He looked around at our group, looking a big confused, and said, "I think there has been a mix-up." He quickly left and we went back to our studies. It seems that while my class had taken the higher-level test, we'd somehow been given the wrong designation and the wrong teachers. I'm not sure what actually happened, but we took a rather laid-back approach and finished our day just as we had planned. At the weekly meeting, we simply exchanged books and homework assignments and appeared in the new class the following day. "Tidak apa-apa."
We Americans have plenty of opportunity to use "Tidak apa-apa." Mostly it relates to our general foreignness here. I'm well, chunky and finding American-sized clothes is very difficult (even the tiny girls in the group have discovered they're a large or extra-large here). "Nothing to fit me?" -- "Tidak apa-apa." Our height, some more than others, and our paleness makes us stick out, like a blue giraffe or a purple tiger. Random people want to take pictures with us -- "Tidak apa-apa."

While, frankly, sometimes it works against the American value of industriousness and the desire to blame, this phrase and the cultural acceptance or tolerance that goes with it certainly helps us in our studies. It helps to put us at ease as we struggle to do really basic things, like order food or bargain, and helps us deal with everyday differences.