Word origins quiz

Believe it or not, Indonesia has been a crossroads of world cultures for many years. Waves of merchants and conquerors have traveled to Indonesia. During the 17th century, Indonesia was the most coveted areas in the world by European explorers mainly for the spices found here (In fact, the English, Portuguese and the Dutch all vied for this land as a colony in what has been called the “Spice Race”. The Dutch eventually won. Before European contact, Chinese, Indian and Arab traders all stopped in Indonesia as part of established trade routes. As our family is learning Bahasa (the language of Indonesia), it has been fun to see Indonesia’s history tied into the words they use.

See if you can match the words below with the correct origin. All the Bahasa words below come from either Arab, Indian, Chinese, Portuguese or Dutch words. Answers will appear next week.

Salamat- Greeting as in “salamat malam” for good evening
Rupiah- currency
Guru- teacher
Wanita- Woman
Indah- Beautiful
Kantor- office
Mie- noodles
Mingo- Sunday
Raja- King
Meja- Table

Answer to picture quiz

The racket (seen below) has wire mesh that holds a mild electrical charge. As mosquitos buzz around you, simply bat at them with the racket and with a satisfying ZAP, they are history.

Watch out mosquitos (and Roger Federer)!