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Transient: The Bridge Between Worlds
A few years ago, an email from AT&T misspelled Indah Gunawan’s name as “India Guinea Pig.” Every time she told people she was an international student from Indonesia, the most common follow-up question was about why her “English is so good” and how she “doesn’t even have an accent.”
Growing up at international schools gave Indah a skewed sense of identity. Her sense of belonging always rested in her relationships with other third-culture kids who understood how she felt. She never qualified as just Chinese, or as just Indonesian. When Indah moved to Los Angeles she was “too Asian” for America, but when she’d come back to Jakarta she was “too White” for Asia.
Transient takes a hilarious and heartfelt look at what it means to be an international student, and the obstacles that come with it. Read insights and stories from fellow international students like actor and comedian Ronny Chieng, US Senator Tammy Duckworth, and over a hundred others from around the globe. Gain deeper insight and experience through Indah’s authentic and honest journey on what it means to be an international student experiencing the Anglosphere for the first time.
If you don’t mind a little brutal honesty, some swearing, crass humor, and a sassy attitude, Transient might just be the book you’re looking for!
Growing up at international schools gave Indah a skewed sense of identity. Her sense of belonging always rested in her relationships with other third-culture kids who understood how she felt. She never qualified as just Chinese, or as just Indonesian. When Indah moved to Los Angeles she was “too Asian” for America, but when she’d come back to Jakarta she was “too White” for Asia.
Transient takes a hilarious and heartfelt look at what it means to be an international student, and the obstacles that come with it. Read insights and stories from fellow international students like actor and comedian Ronny Chieng, US Senator Tammy Duckworth, and over a hundred others from around the globe. Gain deeper insight and experience through Indah’s authentic and honest journey on what it means to be an international student experiencing the Anglosphere for the first time.
If you don’t mind a little brutal honesty, some swearing, crass humor, and a sassy attitude, Transient might just be the book you’re looking for!
- GenresNonfiction
254 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 4, 2021
7 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
About the author
Indah Gunawan
1 book48 followersIndah Gunawan grew up as a third-culture kid going to international schools in Jakarta, Indonesia, and then moved to Los Angeles, CA on an international student visa to pursue her undergraduate studies at Loyola Marymount University—all of which she writes about in her debut novel Transient: The Bridge Between Worlds. She is classically trained in singing, spent ten years in choir, and plays the flute and piano. When she doesn’t have her head buried in a book, or eyes glued onto a Korean drama, she’s probably on her Nintendo Switch playing Animal Crossing, or taking a nap with her Shih Tzu.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 22, 2021
I had the privilege of experiencing this book grow from an idea to an actual fully published book. I'm happy to see a book detailing the experiences of international students, especially since the population of so is growing and growing.
As this book is mostly centered on the anglosphere, I hope one day to see more books about international students, in other regions of the world. Hopefully this book becomes the stepping stone to inspire more works.
As this book is mostly centered on the anglosphere, I hope one day to see more books about international students, in other regions of the world. Hopefully this book becomes the stepping stone to inspire more works.
July 23, 2021
Far from the most well written book, but Transient is the first of anything I've come across that has parts of my life as an international student in it. There was a lot I related to in Indah's story that made this book enjoyable!
July 15, 2021
The grass on the other side isn't greener, it's just different. Perhaps it's a different shade of green, but at the end of the day, it's still green, and it'll always be green wherever you water it
Hal yang membuat aku tertarik membaca buku ini karena sinopsis yang mengatakan bahwa penulis pernah menerima kesalahan penulisan nama yang seharunya Indah Gunawan menjadi India Guinea Pig.
Buku ini berisi pengalaman penulis sebagai third-culture kids (TKC). Indah Gunawan membagi buku ini kedalam 12 chapter yang setiap chapternya juga berisi pengalaman dari teman-teman TKC lain. Sebagai orang Indonesia yang bukan bagian dari TKC banyak hal baru yang kupelajari dari buku ini. Satu hal yang dapat kusimpulkan adalah bahwa rasisme yang diterima orang Asia itu sangat nyata. Bahkan hal kecil seperti nama.
Dari buku ini aku melihat bahwa orang anglosphere memiliki stereotype tertentu terhadap Asia, seperti tidak fasih berbahasa inggris, terbelakang, miskin, tidak pintar dan Asia hanya terdiri dari Korea, Jepang dan China. Beberapa kali aku dibuat mendengus karena mengetahui betapa ignorant-nya mereka. Mereka juga berpikir bahwa semua Asian itu sama, berbahasa yang sama, budaya yang sama, perawakan yang sama.
Just because people are part of the same racial group does not mean every ethnicity within that group goes through the exact same experience or share the same commonalities.
Indah Gunawan juga berbagi pengalaman dan pendapatnya mengenai perbedaan antara Indonesia dan Negara angloshphere. Mulai dari budaya makan, pacaran, pendidikan hingga bekerja. Indah Gunawan pun mengungkapkan bahwa banyak dari negara Asia yang menjadikan negara barat sebagai kiblat, contohnya seorang anak yang harus bisa bahasa inggris jika ingin sukses. Tapi, penulis kemudian menerangkan bahwa negara-negara tersebut tidak sehebat yang dikira selama ini.
In reality, these countries struggle just as much as the rest of us
Hal yang kusuka juga dari buku ini adalah Indah Gunawan menekankan bahwa para third-culture kids selalu punya rumah untuk pulang, mengingat mereka sering hidup nomaden dan memiliki keturunan campuran yang membuat mereka jadi kehilangan identitas.
So, here you are too foreign for home too foreign for here, never enough for both
Membaca buku ini memicuku untuk membaca buku lain tentang pandangan underprivileged Indonesian atau masyarakat marginal Indonesia. Mengingat beberapa point yang kutemukan dibuku ini juga kurasa dialami oleh mereka yang minoritas di Indonesia dan/atau masyarakat yang tidak punya privileged cukup.
Aku sangat merekomendasikan buku ini jika kalian mencari bacaan tentang diaspora. Narasinya pun sangat mudah diikuti dan dipahami. Selain itu, dicantumkan sumber-sumber yang menjadi bahan acuan buku ini.
i give it 4 of 5 stars
Hal yang membuat aku tertarik membaca buku ini karena sinopsis yang mengatakan bahwa penulis pernah menerima kesalahan penulisan nama yang seharunya Indah Gunawan menjadi India Guinea Pig.
Buku ini berisi pengalaman penulis sebagai third-culture kids (TKC). Indah Gunawan membagi buku ini kedalam 12 chapter yang setiap chapternya juga berisi pengalaman dari teman-teman TKC lain. Sebagai orang Indonesia yang bukan bagian dari TKC banyak hal baru yang kupelajari dari buku ini. Satu hal yang dapat kusimpulkan adalah bahwa rasisme yang diterima orang Asia itu sangat nyata. Bahkan hal kecil seperti nama.
Dari buku ini aku melihat bahwa orang anglosphere memiliki stereotype tertentu terhadap Asia, seperti tidak fasih berbahasa inggris, terbelakang, miskin, tidak pintar dan Asia hanya terdiri dari Korea, Jepang dan China. Beberapa kali aku dibuat mendengus karena mengetahui betapa ignorant-nya mereka. Mereka juga berpikir bahwa semua Asian itu sama, berbahasa yang sama, budaya yang sama, perawakan yang sama.
Just because people are part of the same racial group does not mean every ethnicity within that group goes through the exact same experience or share the same commonalities.
Indah Gunawan juga berbagi pengalaman dan pendapatnya mengenai perbedaan antara Indonesia dan Negara angloshphere. Mulai dari budaya makan, pacaran, pendidikan hingga bekerja. Indah Gunawan pun mengungkapkan bahwa banyak dari negara Asia yang menjadikan negara barat sebagai kiblat, contohnya seorang anak yang harus bisa bahasa inggris jika ingin sukses. Tapi, penulis kemudian menerangkan bahwa negara-negara tersebut tidak sehebat yang dikira selama ini.
In reality, these countries struggle just as much as the rest of us
Hal yang kusuka juga dari buku ini adalah Indah Gunawan menekankan bahwa para third-culture kids selalu punya rumah untuk pulang, mengingat mereka sering hidup nomaden dan memiliki keturunan campuran yang membuat mereka jadi kehilangan identitas.
So, here you are too foreign for home too foreign for here, never enough for both
Membaca buku ini memicuku untuk membaca buku lain tentang pandangan underprivileged Indonesian atau masyarakat marginal Indonesia. Mengingat beberapa point yang kutemukan dibuku ini juga kurasa dialami oleh mereka yang minoritas di Indonesia dan/atau masyarakat yang tidak punya privileged cukup.
Aku sangat merekomendasikan buku ini jika kalian mencari bacaan tentang diaspora. Narasinya pun sangat mudah diikuti dan dipahami. Selain itu, dicantumkan sumber-sumber yang menjadi bahan acuan buku ini.
i give it 4 of 5 stars
July 23, 2021
This was a fantastic read and I highly recommend it if you enjoy non-fiction and funny and poignant almost-memoirs. I think this is an important read for people wanting to be global citizens, residents of the anglophone who want to develop more of a global mindset, though TCKs and anyone in a multicultural setting will definitely find this book relatable. Indah draws from her life as an international student in Indonesia and the U.S., as well as many experiences from other international students in and out of school to craft an engaging and educational story about the lifestyle.
As a white American TCK, my experiences moving around the world were vastly different (going to uni in the States was technically returning home, even if a bit of a culture shock), but still so similar. I saw traces of myself as the friend always leaving others behind and those of my friends' experiences going to an anglophone country for uni and facing microaggressions and confusion about where, exactly, they were from. I really loved the question instead of "where do you call home?" which is much easier to answer than "where are you from?"
Transient was well written and hilarious; reading it is like listening to a really interesting person talk about their life (Indah) and I think it'd be a great audiobook, too, for that reason.
As a white American TCK, my experiences moving around the world were vastly different (going to uni in the States was technically returning home, even if a bit of a culture shock), but still so similar. I saw traces of myself as the friend always leaving others behind and those of my friends' experiences going to an anglophone country for uni and facing microaggressions and confusion about where, exactly, they were from. I really loved the question instead of "where do you call home?" which is much easier to answer than "where are you from?"
Transient was well written and hilarious; reading it is like listening to a really interesting person talk about their life (Indah) and I think it'd be a great audiobook, too, for that reason.
June 18, 2021
This was honestly, a really bad book? Who is it for? Why does the author swear so much, when it literally does not bring anything to the table?
Why would international students want to read about their own non-fiction experience when they've literally lived through it? Why would non-international school students want to read about an experience that isn't theirs?
The author's experience as a "third-culture kid" seems really fabricated as well. She is Indonesian, was born in Indonesian, grew up in Indonesia, and lived in Indonesia. Maybe I'm missing something but that doesn't quite seem to be what a TCK is. Her experiences seem to largely take from the experience of others, and the anger that she feels from being a rich foreigner coming to the US to find a job and not being able to.
She also talks about how there's no reason for anyone to come to Indonesia economically, socially, politically, but then in a later chapter boasts about how fast the economy is growing and that it's a respectable growing country! Why does she constantly contradict herself? I understand the benefits of a few contradictions, but when it isn't even explained? Come on.
One of her quotes states that in the West, people are revered for ANY job they have. As a person living in the West, that is literally not true in the slightest. I don't know what person thought this was correct, but it CERTAINLY just isn't true. I have literally not met a single person who is revered because they work at a fast-food chain. I'm not saying that these are not jobs that deserve respect, but REVERED???? COME ON, pure fabrication.
Another one of the Gunawan's quotes states that America was built for immigrants by immigrants. I'm sorry, but is she living in the same America? I don't think it takes a genius to realise that this is 100%, not the case. Immigrants are not benefitting from "building" America. They were/are literally murdered for it.
There were so many questions I had before reading this book, and I had even more questions after finishing it. There is literally no reason for anyone to read this book. If the author decides to write another book, I'd ask her to at least give the next book a second read, and not just produce sweary word-vomit.
Why would international students want to read about their own non-fiction experience when they've literally lived through it? Why would non-international school students want to read about an experience that isn't theirs?
The author's experience as a "third-culture kid" seems really fabricated as well. She is Indonesian, was born in Indonesian, grew up in Indonesia, and lived in Indonesia. Maybe I'm missing something but that doesn't quite seem to be what a TCK is. Her experiences seem to largely take from the experience of others, and the anger that she feels from being a rich foreigner coming to the US to find a job and not being able to.
She also talks about how there's no reason for anyone to come to Indonesia economically, socially, politically, but then in a later chapter boasts about how fast the economy is growing and that it's a respectable growing country! Why does she constantly contradict herself? I understand the benefits of a few contradictions, but when it isn't even explained? Come on.
One of her quotes states that in the West, people are revered for ANY job they have. As a person living in the West, that is literally not true in the slightest. I don't know what person thought this was correct, but it CERTAINLY just isn't true. I have literally not met a single person who is revered because they work at a fast-food chain. I'm not saying that these are not jobs that deserve respect, but REVERED???? COME ON, pure fabrication.
Another one of the Gunawan's quotes states that America was built for immigrants by immigrants. I'm sorry, but is she living in the same America? I don't think it takes a genius to realise that this is 100%, not the case. Immigrants are not benefitting from "building" America. They were/are literally murdered for it.
There were so many questions I had before reading this book, and I had even more questions after finishing it. There is literally no reason for anyone to read this book. If the author decides to write another book, I'd ask her to at least give the next book a second read, and not just produce sweary word-vomit.
July 25, 2021
Everything I wanted to say AND everything I wanted to hear regarding being an international student and the glorification of the Anglosphere. Been there, done that. I'd definifely re-read it in a more slow manner as I read this when I was waiting for my vax haha but even then it's a 5 stars from me
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews