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As PPSPA’s volunteer teacher this year, I have had the opportunity to meet visitors from Indonesia, East Timor, Australia, even as far as America. All of these people come to learn about pesantren education in Indonesia; about its curriculum, facilities, educational culture, local culture, and more. Many visitors have access to information about these subjects at home – in books, on websites, or from other people – but nothing can replace first-hand experience. PPSPA’s practice of telling visitors about its programs, taking them on tours of its grounds, and introducing them to its students is very helpful in this regard.

Of course, some visitors have not done research about pesantrens before coming to PPSPA (I know I had not), so a more general introduction to the subject may also be useful for these visitors. And the comparison between other schools and this one will help visitors see what’s special and important about what is done here. This may also be the case with other subjects, depending on who the visitor is: for example, when I first visited PPSPA with my organization, VIA, we were all curious about the pesantren’s interpretation of Islam and implementation of its precepts, but we did not come up with many questions when asked. This was because most of us did not know enough about the subject to know what questions to ask.

So for a successful visit, show visitors an authentic view of the pesantren, but adjust the presentation to their knowledge level and tastes so they can feel comfortable and gain understanding. An easy way for me to illustrate this point is with food. When my group came, we wanted to try Indonesian food, but it was also true that our tastes are different because of our culture, and we were new to Indonesian food. So tempe and tahu bacem were too sweet for some people, and when I was with another group of American visitors, some were worried about whether the raw lettuce in the gado-gado was safe to eat, because American government health agencies warn against eating raw vegetables in tropical countries for health reasons.

So I would say to provide authentic Indonesian foods, but provide a variety of tastes (i.e., not all sweet) and reassure visitors by telling them exactly what they’re eating (no “mystery meat” kebabs) and why it’s safe.

The bottom line is that visitors want to understand your reality, so for example, though Americans, who have a rather relaxed culture, might not enjoy standing in the hot sun for the sake of a ceremony, they will definitely enjoy seeing the way your culture greets guests, and the way your culture puts on a ceremony. Thus, if you’re not sure if what you’re doing to entertain your guests is satisfactory for them, just ask yourself if what you’re showing them is authentic to the cultures of Indonesia, Java, Yogyakarta, and the pesantren. If the answer is yes, you’re sure to please.

By Erica Petrofsky

Volunteer In Asia (ViA) 2009 - 2010 di PPSPA