When encountering a foreign culture, we tend to be struck by two opposing sentiments toward what is different from ourselves: 1) a feeling of apprehension to fully engage the foreignness and 2) a desire to intimately apprehend the beauty of the foreignness. This piece is inspired by the somewhat double meaning of the word “apprehensions” when engaging cultures, peoples, or worldview that are different from our own. It is based loosely on a five‐note Indonesian gamelan scale in its transpositions and alterations of pitch order/octave placement. It explores a tension between the three poles of diatonic pointillism, melodic lyricism, and minimalism. It is inspired by my two-year residency on the island of Java, Indonesia.