Embassy of Indonesia in Bratislava Website

Lutfi Rauf has studied Political Sciences at State Hasanuddin University in South Sulawesi, in Indonezia in 1985. Higher degree in the same field he gained at University Victoria in Wellington, New Zealand in 1992. He has undertaken further specialized trainings for diplomats in the scope of diplomacy, strategic planning and public relations in Jakarta and in Netherland. He started his diplomatic career in Wellington, New Zealand.

Tenri Dolong Sjamsul Bachri was born in Makassar. She finished Senior High School in Jakarta and in 1993 studies of law at Pancasila University in Jakarta. Later she took several shorter courses at Polytechnik in Wellington, 1994. She enjoys activities of international women clubs, 2002-2003 Canberra, Australia, since november 2006 she is a member of International Women Club in Bratislava.

More far the embassies are located from their mother countries more worries it brings when it comes to their establishing and furnishing. However, it is logic because except for expensive and often complicated transportation it is necessary to pay also insurance of artistic and representative pieces of furniture. Some diplomats use to bring to their new location their own furniture and equipment based on their specific taste and style.

Ambassadors usually have their residencies equiped by their own state with respect to the representative funcition of such a premises. Some states have teams of specialists, architects and designers available not only to design and equip the representative buildings but also maintain them. This is the case of Netherland or Finland. Other countries, for example Slovakia, leave the responsibility for furnishing of residency and representation premises to the technic staff or to the ambassador and his wife themselves.

Some states own the building of embassy in the foreign country as their own property, but most of them usually rent it based on certain reciprocity.

Bratislava is known as a city which does not have enough representative mansions available to serve as embassies. Such a mansion must meet certain criterias. Except for suitable and safe address, access, parking, garden, it should have also certain size and appropriate dispozitions. There should be not only private premises for housing of the ambassador and his family but embassy must have also at least one or two receiving salons and definitely a big dining hall. Some embassies have exact norms how big must be these premises, for example how big table for specific number of guests must fit in the dining room. Because invitation for a dinner to the residence of ambassador is a honour which helps to strenghten relationships between important people of both countries.

Entrance and entrance hall are important in every house but especially in a residency. It makes the first impression on the visitors which is often generalized not only to the country to which residency belongs to, but also to the people living in. In every residency near to the entrance there is usually cloakroom, toilettes and little table with visitors book to be signed in.

Next to the visitors book on the table in the residency of indonesian ambassador in Slovakia there are also colourful indonesian statues. Already at the main gate we were saluted by smiling embassy staff helping us with our coats and we are being warmly welcome by His Excellency Mr. Lutfi Rauf in the circle of his diplomats. He leads us up the spiral staircase decorated by big carved wooden sculptures and flowers. On the first floor we are overwhelmed by even bigger and more beautiful sculpture which is obviously very favourite sculpture of Mr. ambassador. „It is a symbol of our country, typical statue of the bird garuda and mythic hero Ramajana, Rama who is sitting on him. I have chosen the statute myself and let it transport here in order to keep it in our residency in Slovakia. All these statues are done from rare kind of wood,“ he says with proud.

„Our current residency unfortunately does not fulfill our criteria, it is small, old and the entrance is not sufficiently attractive, but fortunately will shall move soon“, explained indonesian ambassador as soon as we started to speak about the residency.

„What will you drink? Green tea?“ he is asking in slovak. „Before we start please help yourself. There is nothing going on with us withou any meal or drink.“ Thus we receive tea and water which must always be on the table in Orient and after wife of ambassador invites us all into the dining room for „everyday, simple, work lunch“. On the big white decorated table we see two sorts of rice with coconut milk, pieces of tofu, rice noodles, boiled eggs and bowl with yellow soup „lakša with turmelik“ to be poured over all the delicatessen.

Slovakia is your first mission in Europe. We are small country and many other countries have ambassador for slovak territory for exampl e in Prague or Vienna. Are you ambassador also for some other country?

No, only for Slovakia. We consider Slovakia to be important country. The good relations were already traditionally kept since Czechoslovakia period and we want to continue.

Foreigners often complain that slovak people do not invite them to their homes. Is this also your experience?

There is probably no general answer, it always depends on the people on both sides. I had opposite experience. I am being invited very often.... for example now we are invited for horse riding to Tatras. Unfortunately the time is always a problem, but for sure we try to find some.

Madame Tenri: First of all I have small children. They were torn from their natural environment, they live in the country with different language and different culture and therefore they need more time and care. Daughter Dasha is 12 years old and son Fathul 9 years, both attend american school QSI. Every morning and afternoon I have a work with them as any other mother. Behind that I organise big household. I have regular lectures of slovak language and also we meet regularly with wifes of our diplomats and rehearse music instruments angklung in order to be able to make a cultural programme for our embassy if necessary. Regularly I take a part in social life of IWCB, International Wifes Club. Wifes of ambassadors in Bratislava also have their activities where I do participate. I am also obliged to represent and promote our country together with all other member of our embassy.

Do you prepare your traditional food? Did you already try also something slovak?

We eat also slovak dishes but I cook only indonesian ones. Slovak gastronomy is very exotic for us. Hopefully we will become more courageous later on...

Fish, replies ambassador himself. All kind of fishes, fortunately we do not have problem to find them.

Many foreign ladies living in Slovakia tend to do a food shopping in the Nash Market in Vienna. Do you go there as well?

>From time to time yes, but I do not need to go there because I can easily find everything I need here. In the indian shops or in Vietnam market.

Don ´t you need something special from Jakarta? Don´t you miss something particular from your home?

Honestly, I miss the atmosphere of the street merchants and canteens which are open 24 hours a day and you can buy there everything.

Madame Tenri: There is nothing like that except for our traditional costumes which we use during special ceremonies.

Madame Tenri: No. Neither here, nor in Indonesia. These costumes we wear only for the parties or special formal occassions.

His Excellency: The reason is to represent our country and also to create indonesian atmosphere both in our residency and also in our main office. Therefore most of the furniture we have comes from Indonesia. Some parts of the furniture, for example sofas, carved chairs, lamps, paintings, sculptures – all decorative pieces which you can see here, I brought for this residency. We have very skillful artists, wood-carvers but also painters – especially in Bali, and we want to present them here. The furniture was produced in central Java, some pieces in western Java.

After the lunch we are sitting in the receiving salon with marble staircase. Parquette floors are covered with old persian carpets, corners decorated with lamps coming from Papua island which are carved from one piece of wood. Several sofas and small tables around the salon are ready to welcome up to 12 – 16 people. Paintings with jungle and peacocks are hanging on the walls. One interesting abstract piece behind the door is showing cocks battle popular in Bali. Above the entrance door of the salon there are portraits of indonesian president and vicepresident placed toghether with state symbol - garuda in the middle. The glass wall oppossite to the entrance provide view to the river Danube and towers of Bratislava.

Dominant piece in the neighbouring dining hall is a big table for 10 – 12 persons and chairs along the whole wall. On the shelf behind them there is a minigalery: framed pictures, statuettes but also interesting composition of approx. 25 cm big old bicycles. On the opposite side of the hall there is a show-case with the dolls in traditional costumes from different regions of Indonesia.

Crystal lamps are considered to be part of a standard in Orient, therefore we can find them also in this residency.

However, the most interesting artefact of dining hall is a big batik picture next to the kitchen door. It is a piece of internationally recognized artist who is well-known for his batik works and his name is IWAN TIRTA. In every country you can find something what would domestic people call batik. Nevertheless, the real batik is a know-how coming from Indonesia. Word „batik“ stands for the special technique of the real batik production process.

Later on we are again in the salon in the massive carved chairs. Glass of water, coffee and sweet and salt refreshment being in front of us. Diplomats carefully and with honour follow their boss as they would be watching their teacher.

Come to Indonesia. You will find friendly and smiling people, interesting country, sea and delicious food. In contrary, me and my embassy colleagues we say in Indonesia: Come to Slovakia, it is beautiful country worth to be seen. Only by mutual knowing of the country and its culture we can create mutual friendship. „Dakujem pekne“. (end)