ETA Michelle Nguyen’s first month has consisted of a lot of connections. After spending three weeks with the ETA cohort, Michelle left feeling connected to her cohort members and has been leaning on them constantly throughout the first month.
In the classroom, Michelle has, of course, made connections with her students and other teachers within her school. Through get-to-know-you activities, Michelle has felt like the students have not only been able to connect with her, but also to the other teachers and classmates. All three of Michelle’s co-teachers encourage cross-cultural learning in the English classroom, which has allowed Michelle to introduce the realities of being an American and how American culture differs from Indonesian culture. In efforts to invest herself more in Javanese culture, she agreed to have her hair and makeup done in a traditional Javanese way – it is a little more than the everyday makeup look, but it was so much fun.
On a whim, Michelle decided to reach out to the local university, Satya Wacana Christian University (UKSW) and ended up connecting with a Fulbright alumna, Frances Sinanu, who has welcomed Michelle into UKSW and all of the opportunities it has to offer. One of these opportunities that Michelle will take advantage of is attending an Indonesian language course with incoming international students at UKSW.
Michelle believes that her time in Salatiga will be filled with meaningful experiences and connections with her students, co-teachers, and fellow community members.
Michelle Nguyen is currently teaching at SMKN 2 Salatiga, Central Java
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