music to my ears

hahaha this post is mostly for my own amusement as a music lover, but I just have to discuss the concept of music as far as I have experienced in Indonesia. Thus far, I have spent many hours in a car with my families, teachers, fellow PCVs etc.. These journeys are called jalan-jalan. There are very few toll roads or highways in Indonesia especially when you are outside a major city. So, all vehicles (cars, trucks, more motorcycles than you could ever imagine) are all on the same 2 way street traveling from city to city. On Sunday around 5 pm, my family and I took a jalan-jalan to a nearby village to visit aunts, uncles, and cousins. It was about an hour journey but because of the congested roads, this leaves ample time for observing the scenery and this includes what music everyone is listening to.

In the last 2 days I have heard the most random, yet nostalgic variety of tunes. There is the typical KPOP, and traditional Indonesian music called dangdut. Many people also enjoy covers of the TOP 40 artists such as Ed Sheeran or Maroon 5. But, what really makes me smile is when an Ibu or Bapak has a playlist consisting of traditional Indonesian music and then 3 songs later and well into the playlist Celine Dion comes on. Or today, in the car I heard Kenny Loggins, Phil Collins, 2000s Chris Brown, and Elie Goulding all on the same playlist. When the songs began to play I was both surprised but also, comforted. Many of these songs are not popular anymore in the US, but at some point they were. While if I was home and heard them while in the car, I might have asked the DJ to hit "next," but here it was comforting because it reminds me of home. When I heard, "You'll be in my Heart," by Phil Collins, memories flooded back to when I would obsessively sing the entire Tarzan soundtrack with my family. Or when Elie Goulding came on, I remembered high school dances and other events of the sort.

Hearing music that I recognize and singing along with my new Indonesian friends is not something I would have ever considered to be monumental to my Peace Corps experience, but I am happy to say that it provides common ground for bridging the cultural gaps that may exist from time to time. Not only do we sing along together, but I am able to exchange stories about my relationships with the songs and the memories they have given me. I know that music is powerful so this does not come as a surprise, but this is the first time I have experienced the power of music in this way and this new type of impact it has had on my new life. So, thank you to all my friends and family back home for showing me some damn good music. And thank you to my new family and friends in Indonesia for allowing me to sing even though my voice is not worthy. xo Sarah