Jakarta, Indonesia

We move away from the simple wonders of Lake Toba to the hustle and bustle of Jakarta, Indonesia's capital.

Again, the 30% "Southern Chinese & Southeast Asian" DNA according to AncestryDNA connects me to this area, even though the umbrella term encompasses so much more than Indonesia.

Not only is Jakarta home to its huge population of over 10 million people, but it is also home to many of my Indonesian collateral relatives today! Both sides of my mom's family have Sumatran roots in Indonesia, but over time they moved closer to this modernized metropolitan area for work. Many of them have established businesses here across various industries like hotels, tourism, and also public service.

With its close proximity to the equator, the weather here is typically hot and humid, but nevertheless I hope to visit one day to meet all my maternal cousins here and experience more of the Indonesian culture. Here in America, my mom and I celebrate our Indonesian roots through cooking (and enjoying!) various Indonesian dishes! We love to make nasi goreng (Indonesian fried rice), fried spring rolls, and chicken satay (marinated chicken on skewers) with peanut sauce, of course! I hope to try many other traditional Indonesian dishes to experience the rich culture through its gastronomy.

My genealogical research for Indonesia was mostly conducted through phone call interviews and the oral stories passed down, much like the recipes we use in the kitchen! Through my research, I found that there may be a lack of genetic testing results/lack of interest in genetic testing like Ancestry DNA in these Asian communities because of there is a lack of genetic literacy, especially within some medical school student populations.

Rujito, Nandhika, Lestari, Ferine, and Muhaimin, elaborate further on this low genetic literacy level in med students by explaining that the Indonesian Doctor Competency Standard “indicates that the portion of genetic lessons in medical education in Indonesia is still minimal” and that “the presentation of genetic lessons compared to all material in the preclinical curriculum is only 2.95%”[1].

[1]https://www.researchgate.net/publication/348354201_GENETIC_LITERACY_LEVELS_AND_GENETIC_SCREENING_ATTITUDES_ON_MEDICAL_STUDENTS_IN_INDONESIA_A_NATIONAL_SURVEY