On August 31, SMA Unggul Del hosted their bi-annual Social Competition, bringing primary, middle, and high school students from around Toba Samosir to the school to showcase their knowledge on social subjects.

All week the campus was abuzz with students practicing dance routines and making papier-mache trees to welcome the competitors. ETA Emilie Tomas was excited about what the day would bring, but what she didn’t expect was that the main event would be hosted right outside of the event center, where Del students were selling homemade food as class fundraisers.

It was Emilie’s first full weekend back at school and she was still a new face around campus, meaning that many students were nervous to speak to her. The makeshift market ended up being the perfect place for students to get to know her better outside of the classroom and the teacher’s room. Del students were excited to have Emilie try their food, sparking conversations about the differences between Indonesian and American cuisine, then Indonesia and America at large. It was certainly a satisfying day, in more ways than one.

Emilie Tomas is currently teaching at SMA Unggul Del in Laguboti, North Sumatra