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Indonesians find community abroad through work, leisure
At work, anywhere: Indonesian mezzo-soprano opera singer Diatra Zulaika (second right) poses for a photograph with her fellow performers after a concert in the Schlosstheater in Ludwigsburg, Germany, on Sept
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t work, anywhere: Indonesian mezzo-soprano opera singer Diatra Zulaika (second right) poses for a photograph with her fellow performers after a concert in the Schlosstheater in Ludwigsburg, Germany, on Sept. 22, 2018. (Courtesy of Diatra Zulaika)
Seven million Indonesians live abroad, mostly in Asia, Europe, America and Australia, according to 2018 data from the Indonesian Diaspora Task Force. Most of them are low-skilled workers who work in Malaysia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Brunei Darussalam and South Korea.
The Indonesian diaspora is comparatively small if we look at other Asian countries, like India, which has about 31.23 million living across the world, or China, which has an even bigger diaspora, estimated to number 60 million people.
When mainstream media explore the issue of the diaspora they usually look at it in terms of macroeconomics, such as how much foreign direct investment (FDI) these people contribute back home by leveraging their networks.
According to Prasetiya Mulya University’s graduate program director, Indria Handoko, Indonesians rarely accept job offers abroad, because they lack self-confidence and fear they will have a hard time finding friends in a foreign country.
Thus, stories on Indonesians build communities abroad are no less interesting to examine, since they come from a country that has a very collectivist tradition, with an emphasis on forming relationships and social solidarity.
Look at leadership consultant Michelle Tanmizi, for instance. Born in Indonesia almost 54 years ago, she left home at the tender age of 8 to attend school in Singapore. After going to college in the United States, various international assignments took her to France and Hong Kong, before she eventually landed back in Singapore, where she currently works and lives.
For Michelle, work has always been the channel through which she finds friends as an adult expatriate.
“I meet people through my work activities; usually I hang out with fellow expatriates, go out to have coffee, explore different places and activities. Since we work in the same field, we typically share the same frustrations [about work], and that’s usually the ground where we connect,” she said.
Michelle added that she also explored Singapore’s various clubs and hobby groups, where she could also find new friends to talk to.
“I like salsa dancing, so I go to a salsa dancing club and meet people there,” she said.
“I am also a writer, so I have joined a writing group in Singapore; we have a weekly meeting for fellow writers where we can talk about our favorite books or provide feedback on each other’s works,” added Michelle, who published her first speculative fiction piece, Late Dawn, through Canadian publishing house Hasmark in 2019.
Meanwhile, Indonesian mezzo-soprano opera singer Diatra Zulaika (29), who has settled in Germany since she first went there in January 2011 to attend university, said Germans’ way of finding flatmates in the country eventually helped her find friends there.
“The system of renting [rooms] in Germany allows you to assess and interview your prospective flatmates in order to find out whether you are compatible to share a space together,” she said. By default, Diatra managed to find people sharing the same interests and hobbies that way.
She added that, besides her flatmates, she also enjoyed activities with fellow university students from various countries, including Australia, Canada, Iceland and Brazil.
“We explore various activities in the city together,” said Diatra, who currently lives in Stuttgart, working as a performer and teacher.
“There are various clubs here, from activities like hiking and community choirs to juggling, along with classes on slacklining, which is a bit like tightrope walking but much lower. The country also has many public parks,” she explained, adding that the diversity of activities available always gave her and her friends new things to explore.
Eventually, despite living as expatriates in foreign countries, Michelle and Diatra have found their people.
According to Atma Jaya Catholic University intercultural cooperation expert Hana Panggabean, Indonesians as expatriates are distinguished by their refined social skills, helping them form relationships and make friends easily.
According to Foreign Policy Community Indonesia founder and initiator Dino Patti Djalal, the former Indonesian ambassador to the United States, Indonesians can leverage their networks abroad to help attract FDI for their home country or to impart best practices they have acquired abroad to their fellow professionals back home.
“For instance, Indonesians living in Qatar can help match investors from the country with prospective partners in Indonesia,” Dino said.
Unfortunately, Indonesia is yet to have a coordinated platform to allow its diaspora to achieve these goals in a more systematic way.
“For instance, in California, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Australia, Indonesian businesspeople have set up business associations, serving as agents to help attract capital to Indonesia. Unfortunately, they tend to work on their own, without intense communication among them,” Dino said.
