A lot of my foreign friends complain about being stared at intensely when they travel around cities in Indonesia. I know it is not something nice to stare at somebody in a lot of western countries in the world. But I wanna share few things that hopefully will help you dealing with this annoying point which you might experience during your visit in Indonesia.

1. Bear it please in your mind that most Indonesians who never go anywhere and just live in remote areas are easy to be blown away or surprised by, when they see someone who is completely different from them.  This happens very often especially when they meet foreigners who have blond hair and fair skin -who  completely different from most of us Indonesians who have dark skin and black hair. And they are very expressive with what blows their mind. That is why they love staring at foreigners. It is not that they are being impolite but they, in the opposite, are actually admiring you.

Just for your information, this kind of habit does not only happen when they meet foreigners, but also when they Indonesians with dyed hair except black and dark brown colors!

2. Please bear it in your mind that Indonesians are very friendly. When they see you different, then most of them will try to say hello and try to have a short conversation with you. They will be very happy of they can do that. They will even be more than happy if you would sit and drop by to their house. They are very friendly and helpful. Just give them a nice polite smile. Do not take their attitude too personal.

3. If you are caught in this staring situation, just react naturally and say hello to them. You may accept their friendliness if you feel comfortable. Yet, you can signal using your gestures that you are in a hurry if you don't feel comfortable. You can say "Maaf" mean "Sorry" that you can not interact with them. And you can then go from them as quickly as possible politely.

4. If anyone try to be rude to you, show your unpleasant feelings through your facial expressions and your gestures. Be strict to them. This kind of situation happens rarely though. If this does happen,  never hesitate to ask for help from other locals around you who are willing to help.

I hope these 4 notes written above can help you dealing with being stared at situations.