The little red dictionary (Inggris-Bahasa, Bahasa-Inggris) I bought at Gramedia bookstore my first day in Surabaya has seen a lot of use. I've looked up words from mahasiswa (student) to ant (semut), from lobster (udang karang) to subsidy (subsidi). (Eliciting a big DUH! on that last one...) I amuse myself in the taxi on the way to and from Ubaya by reading street signs and advertisements, using context to guess the words I don't know and then looking them up to see if I am right.
"Dilarang parkir sampai rambu perikutnya" -- No parking until the next sign.
"Surabaya: bersih dan hijau" -- Surabaya: clean and green.
"McDonald's buka 24 jam" -- Oh goody. McDonald's is open 24 hours a day.
I'm gradually getting more bold in my conversation attempts, and try to start the conversation off in Bahasa. Otherwise everyone just wants to speak English with me; I guess they want to practice their foreign language skills too. Most of the hotel staff who I see with any regularity automatically address me in Bahasa now, and I consider that to be progress!
On Thursday after my field trip to Ubaya Trawas, I returned to the hotel worn out and hot and carrying two bags of fruit. Between the entrance to the hotel and my room door I spoke with six different people, never uttering a word in English. Here's a rough translation of my best conversation, with the young lady who pushes the button to summon the elevator.
Yuni: "Hello Ms. Villinski, good afternoon."
Me: "Hello Yuni, good afternoon. How are you doing?"
Yuni: "I'm fine, thank you. How are you?"
Me: "I went to Ubaya Trawas today. It's very beautiful there. But now I'm tired and hot!"
Yuni: "Oh, and did you buy something?"
Me: "Yes, I bought bananas and salak (snakefruit)."
Yuni: "Oh, you like snakefruit?"
Me: "It's delicious! See you later."
Yuni: "See you later."
Of course I have lot more to learn and am certainly not proficient enough to teach or give a presentation in Bahasa, but I am pleased with my progress and hoping to learn even more in the next couple of weeks.
Two yummy salak (snakefruit).
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