This past weekend, Jordan and I took a working trip to
the town of Kamal, located on the island of Madura (East Java). Kamal is very
rural and crops cover most of the terrain. Once you are outside, you cannot
escape the dry and intense heat.
Walking back to the guesthouse.
The guesthouses.
Madura is known for its kerapan sapi (bull races).
Jen
Kim, the English Language Fellow (ELF) in Kamal, invited us to give presentations to her Cross Cultural Understanding and
Speaking (level) III classes. My first presentation was about me, my family, my
life in New York City, the city's culture and attractions, life in upstate New
York, my time in college in Ithaca, NY, describing the higher education system
in America, and scholarships available for Indonesian students and professors
to attend American colleges and universities. My second presentation was about
the different cultures of Tanzania, Nicaragua, and Haiti, countries where I had
worked or studied previously. I presented to about 100 students. Many of the
students asked great questions about my motivation for coming to Indonesia to
teach English, what differences I saw between Americans and Indonesians, the
diversity of New York City, and American culture.
Jordan, me, and Jen at Universitas Trunojoyo.
Students in Ms. Gita's accounting class.
Everyone wanted a picture with Jordan and me!
Two women pose in my photo of the perpustakaan
(library) on campus.
A game of Ninja! to get things started.
Words/phrases used in Ninja!
Our last presentation at a pesantren (Islamic boarding school).
In addition to the depth of Jen's experiences, I was able to
provide more perspectives about other cultures of the world that she might not
have had a chance to discuss in her classrooms. I learned a great deal about
teaching from her as well. The experience allowed me to learn how to speak
better to ESL students, deal with disruptive students, pace myself during a
presentation, and manage a classroom. I am very happy that I was able to
collaborate with Jen; our combined experiences created a richer learning
experience for our students and us. So thank you Jen! I returned back to my
site in Pontianak excited to teach with the knowledge I had gained.
Dinner at Terang Bulan (Moonlight) restaurant in Bangkalan, the town
north of Kamal and the capital of the regency in west Madura.
Lengthy layover in Jakarta equals playing pool at the Havana Lounge.
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It sounds like a very effective partnership, and exactly the kind of collaboration the State department is hoping to foster. Selamat, semuanya!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment Jonthon! Yes, it was very effective. The ELF's and ETA's are meeting up again during midyear in November. So, yay! for more collaboration =].
DeleteIt was a pleasure to have you come visit Madura. Best wishes on this year. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Jen! Have a great year as well. See you in November :).
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