For ETA Gabriel “Gabe” Umland, the month of September was jam-packed as, in addition to teaching over 400 students a week, Gabe has been cast as a character in the school play, is involved in a school musical performance, coaches the school volleyball team, is involved with a local badminton league, participated in a regional school exhibition, and still found time to join students on a trip to the beach.

Amidst all that chaos, Gabe has found that he particularly enjoys the peace and quiet that comes with Saturday morning bike rides through the village with students. These rides have been an opportunity for Gabe to see new and interesting parts of Cerme, while also serving as space for him to practice Indonesian, and for the students to practice English.

After each ride, Gabe invites the students back to his home for a traditional American breakfast which never fails to baffle his students. In this particular instance, the meal of choice was banana chocolate chip pancakes with honey, sans chocolate chips and replaced with chocolate sprinkles. The meal was overwhelmingly popular and provided a springboard which launched the conversation into the many differences between Indonesia and the USA, and how those differences are tied to identity.

Gabriel “Gabe” Umland is currently teaching at SMAN 1 Cerme, East Java.