VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

One Container of coffee from Indonesia arrives in San Francisco

The global  Covid-19 pandemic, which brings about serious challenges for various industrial fields, does not break the enthusiasm of young Indonesians in San Francisco, USA to continuously export coffee from Indonesia. Belift Green Beans, a coffee company pioneered by Indonesian citizens (WNI) in San Francisco, succeeded to send one container of Arabica green coffee beans from East Java to the United States and it has arrived in the Bay Area recently.  The Indonesian Consulate General in San Francisco in  a written statement  on Friday  (25/12) stated that one container contained 300 sacks of coffee with a total weight of 18 tons. It was purchased by one of the importers in the USA and it will be marketed to coffee business players across the USA, including roasters and cafe owners.

Consul of economy of  the Indonesian Consulate General in San Francisco, Nugroho Y Aribhimo expressed his support for the Indonesian Diaspora which is involved in the coffee business to develop the Indonesian economy. Meanwhile, one of the startup founders, Ivan Hartanto stated that it was the first export, with a transaction value of more than US$100 thousand dollars. He also noted that he is happy to have succeeded in bringing Indonesian specialty coffee to the USA and more than 500 farmers can be helped by this effort.  He hopes to further increase these exports in the coming years after the pandemic ends so that Indonesian Arabica coffee can dominate the US markets.  According to data from the Indonesian Consulate General in San Francisco, coffee is one of Indonesia's leading export commodities to the USA. In January to October 2020, the export value of Indonesian coffee to the USA reached US$202.64 million dollars. Of this amount, US$65.78 million dollars or 32.46 percent entered through the working area of the Indonesian Consulate General in San Francisco, namely through the port of San Francisco.

As the largest regency in East Java Province, Banyuwangi is currently one of the most popular tourism destinations. It is directly adjacent to Bali strait. Most visitors who come only pass before crossing to Bali. If you have time, try to stop over for a moment and explore this small town called The Sunrise of Java. The area is quite diverse, from lowlands to highlands, mountainous areas and beaches, as well as historical sites and other ancient heritage sites. By carrying out the concept of ecotourism, Banyuwangi has succeeded in developing eco-friendly tourism by prioritizing aspects of nature conservation, socio-cultural and economic empowerment of the local communities. The tourism village which is the residence of a tribe in the East Java region called the Osing Tribe, can be your tourism destination in Banyuwangi. What activities can we see and learn at this village? Let's explore this tourism village together.

The local community is more familiar with the name ‘Kemiren Village’, but this village is better known to tourists by the name Osing or Using Village. The inhabitants of this village are a group of people who have unique customs and culture as one tribe, known as the Osing (Using) tribe. The government has designated it as a cultural heritage area and developed it as a Tourism Village of Using (Osing) tribe. The Osing tribe used to be servants of the Majapahit Kingdom. However, when the kingdom was attacked, some of them fled to Tengger, Banyuwangi and Bali. In Banyuwangi, they formed the Blambangan Kingdom.

In the Osing Village area, the main attraction is Sanggar Genjah Arum, with its typical Osing old houses that are more than 100 years old. At this village, you can learn the history of the tribe from the shape of the house. The culture includes four traditional houses with different shapes that indicate the social status of the occupants, namely Crocogan, Tikelbalung, Tikel, and Serangan. At Sanggar Genjah Arum, you can directly see the culture and customs of the Osing tribe. There is an angklung paglak that farmers often play while protecting their fields. There are also Barong Kemireng and Gandrung dances that are performed when welcoming guests. The most interesting thing is that visitors can listen to Othek or mortar music played by middle-aged women of the Osing tribe. This music is performed by playing a pestle and mortar accompanied by music from the angklung paglak and drums.

At Osing Tourism Village, you should also taste the Using Coffee at the Kemiren Traditional Village of Banyuwangi, or the typical coffee of the Using people, which is known to have such a delicious taste. You can also practice directly processing it from roasting, grinding coffee beans, filtering coffee grounds to practicing how to serve coffee. The coffee beans are processed into coffee drinks of any type, from espresso or Robusta; the taste is definitely very delicious. The village is located only about 15 minutes from downtown of Banyuwangi. So, the location of this tourism village is quite easy to access. You will get a variety of new experiences in this village. So, you don't have to worry about getting bored in this village. We recommend that wherever you go for a trip, you must follow health protocols so as not to create new clusters. Prepare a mask, hand-sanitizer and keep your distance from other tourists. Have a good vacation!

Voice of Indonesia presents “Let’s Speak Bahasa Indonesia,” a lesson in the Indonesian language on the Radio. We introduce some Indonesian vocabulary and tips on how to use it in a conversation. This segment 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 di Klinik Kesehatanwhich means ‘at the health clinic’.

Read to this conversation aboutdi Klinik Kesehatanwhich means ‘at the health clinic’. At the clinic, the clinic officer asks Kevin his name, age, and complaints of illness, then the officer measures Kevin's blood pressure and asks for him to sit down to wait until his turn to enter the doctor's room.

Now, I am going to introduce some vocabularies and expressions related to the topic today.

When you go to clinic for treatment, you have to register first. Usually, the officer will ask your name, age and health complaint. The officer asks you by saying Nama Anda siapa? Which means ‘What is your name?’. To ask about the age, they usually use the expression Berapa umur anda? Or Umur berapa? Which means ‘How old are you?’. Then, they also ask about your health complaint by saying Apa keluhan yang Anda alami? Which means ‘How do you feel?’. Kevin mentions his complaints by saying Saya pusing dan mual which means ‘I am headached and nausea’, Perut saya juga sakit which means ‘I also feel stomach ache’. The officer takes Kevin's blood pressure by saying Saya akan ukur tekanan darah Anda which means ‘I'll take your blood pressure’, tolong ulurkan tangan Anda which means ‘hold on your hand’. Afterwards, the officer tells Kevin to sit down and waits for his turn to the doctor's room. He/she says Silakan duduk, nanti Anda akan dipanggil ke ruang periksa dokter which means ‘Please sit down and wait your turn to be called to the doctor's room.

Besides the clinic, you can go to the Puskesmas (Community Health Center) for treatment. Puskesmas is the health technical implementation unit that can provide both inpatient services and outpatient services.

That was “Let’s Speak Bhs Indonesia”, a lesson in Bahasa Indonesia or the Indonesian language on the radio. Hopefully, this edition will be useful for those who want to know more about Bahasa Indonesia. 

Christmas is celebrated by around 10 % of Indonesia's 270 million people, predominantly Muslim population. This year's Christmas celebration in Indonesia is certainly different from the previous ones.

The Indonesian government has appealed for the public not to celebrate Christmas and New Year in public places because of the spike in Covid-19 cases. During the pandemic, the hope of Christians to worship Christmas at church has not yet been fulfilled. Most churches hold virtual Christmas mass. Some churches that hold Christmas mass apply specific health protocols such as bringing in swabs or limiting the number of congregations. However, it is hoped that the Christmas celebrations will be solemn and joyful.

Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, a number of regions in Indonesia are preparing to welcome Christmas 2020 by making unique Christmas trees. The installation of a 12-meter-high Christmas tree with 3-dimensional lights at Jalan Thamrin 10 in Jakarta starts from 23 December 2020 to 1 January 2021. The Catholic Christ King Church in Surabaya, East Java decorated a Christmas tree with masks and hand sanitizers in an effort to raise public awareness about the Covid-19 pandemic. Starting with a bamboo frame, church congregants, and the local Muslim community decorated the tree with hundreds of colorful donated masks and hand sanitizers. It took a week to complete the three-meter-tall tree.

Tourism attractions that are usually crowded during the Christmas and New Year holidays will be closed this year to reduce the rate of transmission of Covid-19. The places are like Ancol Dreamland in North Jakarta, the National Monument (Monas) in Central Jakarta, and the Ragunan Zoo in South Jakarta.