This weekend I am headed to Jakarta as the only competitor from all 3 of our Bandung schools, to participate in a Bahasa Indonesia spelling bee for teachers whose first language is English (i.e. Westerners). The spelling bee in Jakarta pits me against representatives from our schools all across Indonesia, although it’s possible most of my competitors will be from Jakarta itself.
Not only do I have to spell Bahasa Indonesia words, but I have to spell them in Bahasa Indonesia. So if I’m spelling a word with the letter “k” in it, I have to pronounce it “kah” instead of “kay”. My Indonesian co-workers have been quizzing me and helping me to understand the pronunciation. Since Bahasa Indonesia words are pronounced consistently the same based on spelling, I’ve been able to figure out the spelling of most words, even if I have no idea what they mean. Apparently I’m doing pretty well.
First prize includes a decent amount of cash, a case of beer, and other goodies from sponsors. I expect to bring home the gold. 
9 responses so far ↓
1 Dad Ralph // Oct 19, 2007 at 9:18 am
Wishing you all the best. BRING HOME THE GOLD!!
2 BVT // Oct 19, 2007 at 6:55 pm
Brings back memories of your first spelling bee, Billy, at College Place Elementary School.
3 DLT // Oct 20, 2007 at 8:21 pm
I remember little Billy at that elementary spelling bee, too. I find myself grinning and almost laughing as I imagine you trying to spell words that you don’t know, and trying to remember different alphabet pronunciations. Sounds like the kind of predicament a person might have in certain dreams. When I heard that you had led the conga dance line at a high school prom, I was delighted, too.
4 Billy // Oct 21, 2007 at 8:34 am
Uh okay, so I didn’t win. To be more specific, I got my butt kicked in the first round. Not being familiar with most of the words, my hopes rested on hearing the pronunciation of each word loudly and clearly. That didn’t happen, and I was trounced by someone who spoke Bahasa Indonesia fluently and was familiar with most of the words, and who ended up winning first prize. Her status as a native English speaker was a little suspect, though she wasn’t a native Bahasa Indonesia speaker either.
Bah. It was embarrassing, as I didn’t even give a good showing, and I knew I could have done better. I think everyone thought I had a chance to win, and I didn’t even come close. Although in retrospect, I think it was perhaps a little unrealistic to expect someone to win when they don’t even know what they’re spelling. Maybe in a couple of years.
5 Andy // Oct 21, 2007 at 12:02 pm
It’s not about winning, Billy. It’s about making the other people look bad, which I’m sure you did. I’m proud of you brother.
6 DLT // Oct 21, 2007 at 5:42 pm
Courage to try something impossible is worth some kind of prize!
7 Miggs // Oct 23, 2007 at 9:43 am
Dang man, no football or Madden? You gotta feed your competitiveness somehow right?
GOOD LUCK HOMIE!!!
8 Miggs // Oct 23, 2007 at 9:46 am
Oops, nevermind I just read your posting in which you said you lost in the first round. Oh well… The Hawks got a really good win and so did the Bronco’s this weekend. That’s all that really matters:)
9 BVT // Oct 23, 2007 at 6:41 pm
Miggs…… you are a very creative writer! I always enjoy reading your posts.
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