Bahasa Indonesia

Having read Mr. Yoshikazu Wada's letter, quoted from Media Indonesia (The Jakarta Post, July 29, 1994), I recall my trip to New Zealand a year ago. I met with a Japanese student who, beyond expectations, greeted me with a surprising "Hapaa kabar. "(Indonesian Apa kabar, How are you!). Because I understood that there were many Japanese traveling overseas nowadays, and chances were I would meet one, I brought a minuscule day-to-day conversational Japanese dictionary and answered "Genki desu."

Now, wouldn't that have been a bizarre idea a decade ago, an Indonesian-speaking Japanese in New Zealand?

I only hope that other Japanese students come to Indonesia to study Bahasa Indonesia like Mr. Yoshi did.

As for Yoshi san, keep up the good work!

ALBERTUS E.P. HARYONO

Jakarta