VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Syria's political atmosphere has begun to be in the spotlight of the world with elections taking place without involving the United Nations -UN and has received criticism from various countries. The United States, Britain, France, Germany and Italy on Tuesday (25/05) released a statement calling the Syrian elections held on Wednesday (26/05) "neither free nor fair." The five Western countries claim that the election this time was a fraud orchestrated by President Bashar al-Assad, who according to Reuter ended up winning with 95% of the vote. These countries also noted that the elections in a conflict-ridden country like Syria should be under UN supervision "with the highest international standards of transparency and accountability".

What is interesting to note is the relationship between the United States and western countries with Syria. The civil war in Syria which began in 2011 is known to be very complex and has brought about many victims. Initially, the United States and its allies were involved because they wanted to overthrow the government of President Bashar Al Assad and the ISIS terrorist group in Syria and Iraq. Even so, The US avoided direct combat with Assad's supporting forces.

Recently, the US also blockaded Iran and Lebanon's Shiite militias Hezbollah from being permanently present in Syria for fear of threatening Israel. Meanwhile, Assad is in a position to continue to maintain his power by involving supporting countries such as Russia and China

The situation in Syria is indeed very complex, especially with the involvement of many countries, not only the US and its allies but also several other countries with their respective interests. It is hoped that resolution efforts will be taken by the parties by prioritizing the notion that this conflict has been too long with so many casualties.

Bidadari Waterfall is one of the stunning natural attractions in Lahat, South Sumatra. This waterfall which has beautiful natural scenery is interesting to be included in your list of recreational destinations. This waterfall is quite unique because it has about 7 peaks, each of which has a different height, starting from 4 m, 10 m, even up to 35 m of height.  Because it has a different height at each level, it's no wonder that many people come to enjoy the freshness of this waterfall. According to the story of the local community, this waterfall is named the Bidadari waterfall because this waterfall was the bathing place for the angels.

Under the Bidadari waterfall, there is a pool that can be used for swimming. This pool is quite wide, which is about 10 meters. Even though there are lots of tourists who come, this pool still feels quite wide to be used for swimming freely. The scenery around this waterfall is amazing. With the many towering trees and green grass, everyone will feel fresher. Green scenery like this is perfect for those of you who are always at the computer while working, because it can make the eyes more relaxed, and can minimize any eye disease. That is why, if you come to this tour, you will not feel get lost. You can enjoy fresh air when you enter the forest area up to the waterfall. This fresh air is perfect for those of you who live in cities, because this fresh air will certainly nourish and make the body fresher.

The Bidadari waterfall is located in Karang Dalam Village, Lahat Regency, South Sumatra Province. The trip can be reached easily, because the access to this tourism location is paved and the road conditions are very smooth. When you have entered the Karang Village area, you are required to walk to get to the waterfall and park their vehicles in the village. The entry ticket to this tourist location is quite affordable, even though you visit with your family. The ticket price is only IDR 5,000 per person. What do you think, interesting isn't it? So, prepare your time for a vacation to the tourist location of the Bidadari Waterfall.

Voice of Indonesia presents Let’s Speak Indonesian, a program that introduces the Indonesian vocabulary and guides you to speak in the language. Mari Berbahasa Indonesia or Let’s Speak Indonesian is a joint initiative of Voice of Indonesia and the Language Development Agency of the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture.  Today’s topic is still about Sakit which means Sick. 

Here is the conversation entitled Saya Demam dan Sakit Perut which means I Have Fever and Stomachache. This dialog is between Kevin and a nurse in a general polyclinic. The nurse asks Kevin to get blood pressure check first. Let’s read to the conversation.

Having listened to the conversation, now I am going to introduce some vocabulary and expressions related to the topic of the day.

In the dialog, you listen to an expression Saya demam (2x) which means I have fever and Saya sakit perut (2x) which means I have stomachache. The two phrases are used to express sickness.

Let’s read to another example to express sickness.

Doctor                 : Ada keluhan, Pak? (2x) which means What do you feel, Sir?

Kevin                             : Perut saya sakit (2x) which means I have stomachache

The expressionssuch as saya demam (2x) which means I have fever and saya sakit perut (2x) which means I have stomachache are general expressions to express sickness in certain body parts.

That was “Let’s Speak Indonesian” for today. Hopefully, this edition can be useful for those of you who want to know more about Indonesian language. 

Indonesian representatives overseas always have their own unique ways in promoting Indonesia to audiences in accredited countries. The Indonesian Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine invited a number of Ukrainian students to visit the Indonesian Embassy and Indonesian Ambassador House in Kyiv, which also coincided with the National Awakening Day (20/5).  The visit was represented by 36 students from 18 schools in Kremenchuk City, Ukraine and they were accompanied by 12 teachers and 2 local government officials of Kremenchuk City.

The students received explanations about the duties of diplomats and the role of the Indonesian Embassy in Kyiv in improving Indonesia-Ukraine bilateral relations, including Indonesia-Ukraine trade relations which achieved the total value of trade between the two countries reaching US $ 1.19 billion in 2020.  Indonesian Ambassador to Ukraine, Yuddy Chrisnandi took the opportunity of the students' visit to bring the young generation of Ukraine closer to Indonesia by introducing Indonesian culinary and music.  The students and their teachers enjoyed various Indonesian dishes.  They acknowledged the delicious taste of Indonesian food.

The students were also very enthusiastic when they got introduced to the interactive Angklung game guided by the staff of the Indonesian Embassy in Kyiv who is also a lecturer in Indonesian at Taras Shevchenko University, Prabowo Himawan. With the Angklung on their hands, the students played the song "Burung Kakak Tua." They expressed their admiration for the Angklung which is made of bamboo but it is able to produce amazing musical sound. Ambassador Yuddy presented some Angklungs to the students as gifts.