 Some of you may notice this or not…that most of my writing here are in English. Some might say I’m being too westernized instead of using my mother tongue language. Some might say it’s no big deal. Well people are entitled of their own opinions. However, maybe I need to tell a little story behind why I’ve always tend to write in English. My first introduction to English went way back a long time ago. First exposure I got was from my father who speaks great English. Then my first ‘formal’ introduction to English was in Elementary School (SD) during the 4th grade. Quickly, I’ve develop a great interest in this language. My family moved to a small town in East Borneo called Sangatta soon after I finished Elementary School. That small mining town has more expatriate than the town in South Sulawesi that we used to stay. In Junior High there most of my classmates never even learn English before so I had to re-start my favorite language class from the beginning again, so to speak. But I still enjoyed it! There we have a school magazine with “Welcome to English” column (yeah I know it sounds cheesy! LOL), which I was one of the writer. In one occasion, I got a chance to interview a Canadian psychologist, for my column and that was a huge experience. During my 3 years stays there and with my countless trip back there when my parents were still living there, my English had developed more thanks to my parents expatriate friends who were a part of our daily lives there. With my mother working for an International School there, you could say 'bule' are coming in and out of our home oh so often lol. Plus, the area that we lived (called Tanjung Bara) was mostly populated by expatriates although there are many Indonesians as well. Kompas newspaper once printed an article that says Tanjung Bara is the backyard of Australia since there are so many Aussies there). My passion for this language starts to really take its toll during my High School years where I started to write in English, mostly poems. I find writing a poem in English to be so much fun because you could really play with words and most English words could have more than one meaning. It was a surprised that I didn’t take up English as my major in college. And now that I am here, I still have a lot to learn especially the grammar part (never really like grammar that much!). God knows how much I want to become a better writer (in English) like some of my friends. That is the main reason why I write my blog/journal in English, aside from to allowing my in-laws to read my posts and be involved with our lives. There you go…I still love my language and I will never let that go as it is a part of my beautiful heritages. 
 | imeii wrote on May 13, '06, edited on May 13, '06 I studied English for the first time when I was in my Junior High, at that time, only Junior High school were allowed to teach English, my first English teacher was a nun, a killer but very good teacher, she taught us a very good basic English, the grammar and conversation, I mean, compared to my friends from other Junior High schools when we were in High school, we were much better, I only could finish my high school without any chance to go to the college, so my total years of learning English was 6 years for 2 hours a week, I never had English courses, never had chances at all, I had to work hard to survive my family and myself, yet, there was no remorse, I liked reading English novels, which could improve my grammar and taught me how to form sentences in daily conversation, my handicap when I came here was conversation, I was so afraid to speak and answer the telephone, but I forced myself to speak and triy to listen carefully what people said, even though we have our own accent (who doesn't???), so what..., who cares... I like to write my blog in English too, to practice and improve my English, not to show off either, I know there will be some mistakes, but at least I tried my best...,
So Oyen, don;t feel bad about writing your blog in english, we live in USA, an English speaking country, so blend ourselves with our surroundings.....
Have a good weekend.....
|
 | hey sweetie.. you should be proud of yourself.. i think that your writing is excellent. You are you lucky to have an experience to learn English since you were kid.
I love to read your blog in English, .. kepp up the good work..
xoxo,
|
 | anteng aja Yen.. kalo ada yang comment negatipp.. hihi ini ikke kalo komentar lebih enak pake suka ngomong indo biar tetep lancar (apa coba :-O |
 |  I studied English for the first time when I was in my Junior High, at that time, only Junior High school were allowed to teach English, my first English teacher was a nun, a killer but very good teacher, she taught us a very good basic English, the grammar and conversation, I mean, compared to my friends from other Junior High schools when we were in High school, we were much better, I only could finish my high school without any chance to go to the college, so my total years of learning English was 6 years for 2 hours a week, I never had English courses, never had chances at all, I had to work hard to survive my family and myself, yet, there was no remorse, I liked reading English novels, which could improve my grammar and taught me how to form sentences in daily conversation, my handicap when I came here was conversation, I was so afraid to speak and answer the telephone, but I forced myself to speak and triy to listen carefully what people said, even though we have our own accent (who doesn't???), so what..., who cares... I like to write my blog in English too, to practice and improve my English, not to show off either, I know there will be some mistakes, but at least I tried my best...,
So Oyen, don;t feel bad about writing your blog in english, we live in USA, an English speaking country, so blend ourselves with our surroundings.....
Have a good weekend.....
 That's one of the thing I love Mpok Mei...are reading english books. They're great source for new vocabularies. I felt that way too when I first got here...looks like a cat got my tongue, I was worried that people will think my accent or laugh if I make any mistake. But turns out that people have been great. There's only one problem facing me now here in AL...the accent! Hahaha...but I'm getting better.
Honestly, I never feel bad about writing in English Mpok and so far I never heard any rumors about my choice to write in English. I just felt like I want to write this tonight.
Have a wonderful weekend too Mpok. Hugs! |
 | Kita sama dunk, Yen...bukan mau sok-sok-an...english dikenalkan mamah sejak SD (krn almh. mamah pernah ngenyam Sastra Inggris di Jkt) - trus aku suka...nah sekarang kebanyakan post-ku (MP, FS ato lainnya) in english - krn temen2ku banyak (khususnya yg pernah kerja bareng di UN) & gak semuanya bisa bhs Indonesia atau perancis (dr pihak Eric) makanya aku pake yg universal aja (sekalian maintain apa yg aku pelajari sejak kecil). Kalo toh ada yg berpendapat negatif, who cares??? Be yourself!!!
Have a nice day, dear!!!
|
 | Oyen,
Jang pastiu deng komentar orang....
Ada orang yang merasa better to write in English, ada juga dalam bahasa Indonesia kalo beta, lebih enak dalam bahasa Indo yang campur2 Ambon.
Seperti yang beta pernah bilang.... dan Fred juga setuju...
Ale pung English paling bagus... perfect! dan beta paleng suka baca ale pung blog.
seng monoton dan apa adanya! |
 | bener reen, dicuekkin aja deh sama orang2 yg suka usil itu. lagian usil amat deh, mau nulis pake english or bahasa kan ya terserah maureen dong. journal dikau plg asik dibaca loh, berbakat nih jadi penulis reen. you go girl!! |
 | reen..gw justru seneng baca postingan loe yg pakai bahasa inggris.sebenarnya gw juga pengen nulis pakai bahasa itu tapiiiiiii bhs inggris gw ngaco kadul apalagi setelah gw lancar bicara bhs jepang makin ga karuan aja.daripada pemirsa pada ngabur gw seneng posting pakai bhs indonesia...engga usah dengerin org..yg suka protes tuh biasanya ga mampu or sirik aza.....go oyen..go oyen ^__^ |
 | Thank you for the wonderful thoughts on using English. That is why you are loved so much because you think of others too.
Love Mom and Dad |
 | Yen, nothing's wrong with writing in English.
For some people, it's so much easier to talk than to write. Even if English is their mother language.
I have one example; at one of the meetings at work, they wanted one of us to take notes and to write on the board about our business plan. They picked me, since I was closer to the board and stuff. After the meeting, one of my co-workers asked me; "Did u go to school?" . I said, "Why?" , She said, " Bcause you can write English well.". Well, we might have a slight language barrier in conversation at times, but when it comes to writing, I think we should thank our English teachers back home! :))
I don't want to say that I can write perfectly, but practice make perfect. My hubby is my teacher now :)
So, to write in English, why not? :)
|
 | Agreed Lia!!!
I used to work with expatriate in Indonesia so I used English almost everyday both speaking and writing. Sometime I have hard time to express my thoughts in English so I write it down especially when I have a big idea at work :))) so ya for some people writing is more easier than talking :))) ha ha
|
 | Cool 'yen, I love to read your story in English. I would love to write in English like you do but some of my family and friends back home or in other country don't understand English, so kudu pake bhs Indo deh ^_^. Lagian grammer gw kacau balau juga sih, suka mokal kadang :P I proud of you... keep up the good work. You might became an Author someday..... Go Maureen!!! |
| imeii wrote on May 13, '06 Yen, nothing's wrong with writing in English.
For some people, it's so much easier to talk than to write. Even if English is their mother language.
I have one example; at one of the meetings at work, they wanted one of us to take notes and to write on the board about our business plan. They picked me, since I was closer to the board and stuff. After the meeting, one of my co-workers asked me; "Did u go to school?" . I said, "Why?" , She said, " Bcause you can write English well.". Well, we might have a slight language barrier in conversation at times, but when it comes to writing, I think we should thank our English teachers back home! :))
I don't want to say that I can write perfectly, but practice make perfect. My hubby is my teacher now :)
So, to write in English, why not? :)
akuuurr Lia, I write and spell better than I speak (note: not perfectly, just better), sometimes if the person I speak to does not understand what I mean, I just spell it out until we understand each other, we do the same thing too when I have the same problem, I do it especially with my husband, and it will enrich our vocabularies
hehe oot, on the contrary, my husband likes me to spell out some simple words in bahasa Indonesia so he can understand and pronounce it better |
| imeii wrote on May 13, '06 Honestly, I never feel bad about writing in English Mpok and so far I never heard any rumors about my choice to write in English. I just felt like I want to write this tonight. Be proud of yourself and no need to explain to people what you do if you feel that you do the right things because some people will not and do not want to understand anyway
good topic Yen :))) |
 | moyas wrote on May 13, '06 I say write in whatever language you please, mba Maureen. |
 | Oh, you're so lucky to have parents who speak English. I started learning English simply from movies and songs. My parents couldn't speak English. One of the TV series that helped me in English was LHOTP (Little House On The Prairie). I could say that I am self-taught English language until the school taught me one. I've never taken any English course.
I got my first full-time job at 19 years old through an IQ test. It was my very first opportunity to meet and speak with expatriates. I improved my English along the way. I worked with a lot of expatriates from all over the world ever since, spoke English in daily basis. That was how, speaking matter of factly, I met my husband. As an Editor, my husband speak and write excellent English, so I pick a little this and that of his style along the way, though you still can tell my Indonesian style.
|
 | ada yg mau nulis blog pake bahasa Jawa nggak yah ? Biar gue ikutan belajar juga ...LOL :) |
| Kayaknya musti kursus bhs Inggris dari lo nih yen, grammar gw tambah kacau akhir2 ini hihihi. Kalo grammar gw kacau jangan segan2 ngebaikin ya :D:D.
|
| Yen, nothing's wrong with writing in English.
For some people, it's so much easier to talk than to write. Even if English is their mother language.
I have one example; at one of the meetings at work, they wanted one of us to take notes and to write on the board about our business plan. They picked me, since I was closer to the board and stuff. After the meeting, one of my co-workers asked me; "Did u go to school?" . I said, "Why?" , She said, " Bcause you can write English well.". Well, we might have a slight language barrier in conversation at times, but when it comes to writing, I think we should thank our English teachers back home! :))
I don't want to say that I can write perfectly, but practice make perfect. My hubby is my teacher now :)
So, to write in English, why not? :)
True Lia, we were taught good by our teachers in school! ^_^ My hubby is also my teacher now. He taught me a lot of sentences and they're meaning. You know like the phrase "Catch 22". It's all fun! |
| Oh, you're so lucky to have parents who speak English. I started learning English simply from movies and songs. My parents couldn't speak English. One of the TV series that helped me in English was LHOTP (Little House On The Prairie). I could say that I am self-taught English language until the school taught me one. I've never taken any English course.
I got my first full-time job at 19 years old through an IQ test. It was my very first opportunity to meet and speak with expatriates. I improved my English along the way. I worked with a lot of expatriates from all over the world ever since, spoke English in daily basis. That was how, speaking matter of factly, I met my husband. As an Editor, my husband speak and write excellent English, so I pick a little this and that of his style along the way, though you still can tell my Indonesian style.
Teh Ima, my parents learn to speak English non formally you know more like 'learning by doing' kinda thing since they works with a lot of expatriates. That's so wonderful that Bob 'influenced' you in your writing and actually you are of the people that's writing I admire! I still have a lot to learn and I'm eager to do so. ^_^ |
| Oyen...gue mah salut ame elo...dari pade gue..bahasa indo aja masih belepotan apalagi mo nulis pake bahasa Inggris hehehehe...bisa2 yang ciptain bangkit dari sononye v:) |
 | Lucky u Yen;)...kalo ada yg komentar negatif,ambil segi positipnya aja:)....
kalo gw agak2 mirip sama Lucy.disuruh nulis cerita, pake indo aja belepotan...gimana pake bhs inggris...gw sih pilih nyebur kelaut aja hahahaha..... |
 | I love to read ur life journal in English yen...ur English is excelente!! |
 | Yen, gue pengen ngeblog pake body language, bisa gak ya? :) |
| tepuk tangan... ur english is excelent :) i enjoy reading every post you make...:) |
 | there is a good reason to keep writing in english, makes your english better and better. i need to do this too. thanks for sharing me this. |
 | Hidup English...!!! gw walaupun masih kacau beliau nekad aja Yen..ala bisa karena biasa pan....
Kalau di JKT entar, kita betawian nyookkk...;) |
 | emann wrote on Mar 31, edited on Apr 1 Your story is smiliar to mine Oyen. I have always like English since I was in elementary school. I learn English from movies, songs and books. My father who was a journalist brought me a 400 something pages about Vietnam war when he returned from Hanoi (I like history) and I was only twelve years old back then. I finished reading the book for almost a year because I needed to translate so many difficult and uncommon words. That was the first serious book in English I have ever read. In my family, liking English seems to be "genetic"..hahaha. My siblings and I always love English (my brother and I were called walking dictionary when we were in high school) and all of us have worked in companies where conversation in English is required
I too like writing in English simply because my in laws like to read my blog and of course to improve my language. Oh by the way, I love your writing. You are one good writer Oyen. You should keep writing and have a book published one day :) |
 | Well done, Yen..keep writting in English !!! so I can acumulate my vocab.
Sekali dayung 2 pantai ya Yen haaaa |
 | You did good.. English is International language anyway so when people drop by your site they know what's happening there!.. |
 | atobing wrote on Apr 1, edited on Apr 1 umm...the "town" in South Sulawesi, I'm guessing Soroako...? In my opinion, nothing is wrong with you writing your blogs in English. Beside, you live up in the States now and there are probably people who are reading your blogs who can't read Indonesian so it's understandable and it's your blog, so you can do whatever you want =). I've been reading your blogs since you wrote about the death of your pet which caught my attention, I feel sorry for you and I hope you don't mind me reading your blogs =) |
 | First time I learn English at Junior Hight school and had no one in my family talked in this language. So I had no luck of practicing English unless talked among friends at English course or my boss.
About you writing in English, that is 'GOOD'!. It is your favorite language and at the same time you learn more while you writing.
It has been awhile I don't write as much as I used to be though since I move here. That is why I create another food blog at 'blogspot' in english. Keep up a good work I like reading your writing too:) |
 | I don't think I'm particularly interested in English. All of my father's books are in English...novel to science and everything in between...and he wanted me, of all people, to read his books. So, being a good daughter that I am *wink-wink*, I obliged (of course I skipped a few stuff, here and there, that would just toast my brain). That being said, I would say that for me, it's more of a task to learn the language. Not that I hate it...but I wish other languages come easy for me. I took a few semesters of French but it's not something that would just stuck in my head. When I write...I would pick the language the person(s) on the other end are most comfortable with. If it's just for me, I think English allows for more flexibility in the way I need to spill my emotion. |
| |
