During her first week teaching, ETA Lucy Srour was overwhelmed by all the eager smiling students of SMA N 1 Sangatta Utara in East Kalimantan. Learning all of their names presented enough of a challenge, but on top of that, the desire to get to know them all personally was incredibly daunting! Luckily for Lucy, the considerate members of the English Club at her school picked up on her love of running and invited her to a local spot called “The Folder.” A popular place to hang out in the afternoons or early mornings, there is a jogging track around a pond (rumored to have crocodiles living in it) and plenty of vendors selling delicious Indonesian snacks, like sate!

Her first Sunday afternoon in Sangatta, ten students whizzed over to her home on their motorbikes and picked her up to take her to “The Folder.” In the end, it was more of a walk than a run, but Lucy was able to spend time with incredibly intelligent students. She was wowed by their questions and curiosity, and together they sat around to watch the sunset while comparing and contrasting high school in America and Indonesia. Did you know it is mandatory to be a Scout in Indonesia? Here in Sangatta, it is called Pramuka.

Later they turned this discussion into a poster to share with the school. It was a beautiful moment of cultural exchange and a great reminder to Lucy that big change can come from small spaces.

Lucy Srour is currently teaching at SMAN 1 Sangatta Utara, East Kalimantan