It happened again just this afternoon: I did my weekly run through the nearby kampung as I passed a small group of people that was standing in front of a house. The scent of freshly bathed children lied in the air, mixing with the sweet smoke of the clove cigarettes Kretek in the hands of the men. From distance they glanced at me, smiled and as I run past one called “Hello Misterrr!”
This is the “Hello Misterrr!” phenomenon. I´m sure, that every expat in Indonesia has already experienced it. People standing around in the streets are shouting “Hello Misterrr!” to passing bules*. The “Hello Misterrr!” comes along with the typical rolling “R” of Indonesian language and is (except of some “Hello Misses!” cases) an unisex phenomenon: Either your are male or female, people call you “Mister”.
(*Bule is a slang term for “foreigner” and is mostly used for people with Caucasian, generally non-Asian look.)
Many expats feel uncomfortable with it. Being called by strangers in the streets just makes skeptical: “What on earth do they want from me?” Especially women easily develop an unsafe feeling when those who are shouting are a group of men (like in most “Hello Misterrr!” cases). For many years, I was stressed out when I met the phenomenon and thought, “These guys are making fun of me. Me, the tall, sweaty, strange bule.” But today, after having lived in Indonesia for 15 years and learned to see things through the lenses of it´s people I know: In most cases there is no reason to be bothered by being called “Hello Misterrr!”
People have a point
Why? The reason is: People have a point. If they act in a certain way, if they say or do something – people have a reason for that. When we meet people from a different culture, the reason for certain behavior might not be apparent to us. Easily we consider it as weird, inappropriate or just strange. Or we suspect them to have bad intentions. Often for no reason: Because if we try to glimpse behind the curtains of the foreign culture, if we learn about people´s values and ways of thinking, we realize that the “weird” behavior actually makes sense. And so does the “Hello Misterrr!” phenomenon.
CULTURAL KNOWLEDGE INDONESIA – SERIES
This is the kick-off post of the CULTURAL KNOWLEDGE INDONESIA series! (Applause, please!) From now on, I will regularly discuss cultural concepts that cause those “weird” cross-cultural situations between Indonesians and expats. Stay tuned!
Let´s have a look at the situation with the eyes of the people that call you “Hello Misterrr!” What makes them to act like that? Here are 3 reasons that I found all along my time in Indonesia.
I´m happy to see a foreigner!
In Indonesia, a foreigner that walks in the streets points out. You look different. You look special. So, you are special for the people around – no matter if you like it or not. And the more you enter remote areas where few bule go, the more special you are. People are just happy to see you! And the only way to tell this is to call you. Well, sometimes it is not always clear if they really call you or they just let the others know that (“hey, how cool is that?”) a foreigner is passing by.
Especially children might call you because of a blunt act of self-relevation under the slogan of, “I know how to greet a foreigner!” They are not only happy to see you, but they are grateful for the chance to practice their little English knowledge.
No passing by without greeting
In my kampung in Jogja, every single time I leave my house my neighbors would ask me where I go. EVERY SINGLE TIME! When I go the nearby warung (kiosk) they ask me where I go (mau kemana?). When I come back they ask me what I bought (beli apa?). For many years I just had felt bothered by this and thought, “My god, that´s none of their business!” Until my dear husband who was born in the heart of this Javanese kampung gave me a lesson about the local customs of relationship management. Passing by without paying attention to the people around is impolite. You just have to give a sign of appreciation when passing by, especially if you know the people. This can be a smile, a nod or some small-talk conversation. Otherwise you would be considered uncaring or arrogant and this is a no-go for many Indonesians. When people in the streets call foreigners “Hello Misterrr!” they might have a similar motivation: Somebody passes by and there is no way to not greet you. To not appreciate you. To ignore you. Consider it as a sign of appreciation.
The first step of getting in touch: “You can approach me!”
The many cultures of Indonesia have one in common: People care for each other. For one it is essential to have a good relationship to others, always. Interculturalists call these cultures relationship oriented, by the way. People get in touch easily and they feel a deep need for that. If a foreigner walks by, people might assume that he indeed feels foreign and alone (because Indonesians would feel like that when being alone in a foreign country). They try to create a convenient atmosphere, which means for them to offer assistance under the slogan of, “You are not alone here, you can approach me!” See it like this, people have noticed you and are ready to get in touch with you.
What my reaction to this afternoon´s “Hello Misterrr!” was? I smiled and whispered a breathless “Helloooo!” in return. Immediately, I received some motivating words for my run. Today, I know that nobody wants to bother me or make fun of me, if they call me “Hello Misterrr!” on my walks through Indonesian daily life.
At this final point of my post, I´d love to encourage you to also see situations of cross-cultural life from different perspectives. Be inspired by the fascination of living in a different culture and use this unique chance to learn about people, cultures, yourself – about life!
What are your experiences with the “Hello Misterrr!” phenomenon? Please let me know by leaving a comment below.
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