Smell the Roses {cultures}

As you walk down the fairway of life you must smell the roses, for you only get to play one round. -Ben Hogan 

Success, life, worth, and value: I’ve learned that these concepts that I have grown up with my whole life are completely turned upside down and understood completely differently in Indonesia. The pace of life here is slower, more relaxed—a “stop and smell the roses” type of existence. Back in the DMV area, “success” is determined by where you got your education, how big your house is, the prestige of your job, or you material accomplishments. People often don’t take the time to just stop, relax, and acknowledge of beauty of merely living.

This weekend, I visited a tea plantation with CLS. As I talked with one of plantation workers (in my VERY limited Indonesian), asking him about his likes, dislikes, and hobbies, he kept repeating “simple life, simple life.” And as I began to watch the people around me, I realized how wonderful this “simple life” really is. The CLS peer tutors would sit around for hours just playing their guitar and singing songs—including some old American pop songs from the 90s (one of them asked if my favorite band was the Spice Girls…). Activities and classes rarely start on time here, and the people of Malang seem far less rushed and anxious than the DC-ers back home. So, what really is success? And what really is quality of life? Is it healthy for people to be always stressed, worried, and anxious? These are questions I am starting to ask, and I don’t think I’ll ever reach a definite conclusion.