The Do's and Don'ts of Jogja

I decided to list some of the do's and don'ts of Jogja as an easy way to describe a little bit more about the culture: 

Do’s

• Take off your shoes when entering a house, especially a place of worship.
• Use only your right hand when giving or receiving things. The left hand is considered dirty.
• Try all of the food! Most things are delicious even if you don’t know what they are.
• Take an hour after lunch to relax. It’s encouraged!
• Expect lizards in the house. They’re a good thing since they eat the mosquitoes.
• Leave the front door open when you’re home. It’s not a big deal.
• Expect the workplace to be relaxed. The pace here is much slower.
• Make sure your ice has a hole in it. It means it’s made with safe, boiled water.
• Expect snacks to be served if you visit anyone. 

Don’ts

• Forget to smile. Javanese people love it.  
• Be offended if a man does not shake your hand. He might just prefer to avoid physical contact with the opposite sex as part of his religion.
• Wear tank tops, T-shirts, or shorts. You must always cover your shoulders and knees.
• Put your hands on your hips or fold your arms across your chest. It’s considered very rude and a sign that you think you’re better than everyone.
• Cross your legs. You aren’t supposed to point with your feet. Also, don’t put your feet up on tables or chairs.
• Expect there to be sidewalks. Usually you just walk in the street with the busy traffic.
• Put toilet paper in the toilet....ever. We learned this the hard way at the AUA house. 
• Get sweet tea. Javanese people love their sugar and this is no exception. It’s way too sweet to drink.
• Drink the tap water. Don’t even brush your teeth with it.
• Bring more than $5 equivalent in your wallet at a time. You’ll never need more than that.

One of the many small lizards that are all over the inside of houses here. This one was above the water jug inside the office

An example of the snacks that are served whenever you visit someone. Most of these are made of the root vegetable cassava. They are also usually fried and delicious! 

One of our buddies, Bara, leading us through the streets. This is a rare moment without traffic.