During her first month in Demak, ETA Madison “Maddy” Mele accompanied student Selvia, student teachers Lia, Rofi, and Luluk and fellow ETA Tessa Sontheimer to see the Indonesian film “Bumi Manusia.”
There is a movie theatre in Demak, so the group rode a short distance to get there. The film is based on the famous Indonesian book “The Earth of Mankind” written by Pramoedya Ananta Toer, which is a story set during the Dutch colonization of Indonesia. The story is a commentary on the competing Javanese and Dutch ways of life and legal and religious institutions and a classic love story in Indonesia. Seeing the movie for Maddy was a blend of American and Indonesian culture. The movie was in a western-style theatre with popcorn and drinks, but the movie itself was made in Indonesia and was in Indonesian and Javanese with English subtitles.
After the movie, Maddy’s friends took her to get martabak, a traditional dessert in Indonesia, and they discussed what they thought about the movie. Maddy would like to eventually start movie nights for the English club so it was very helpful to go to see an Indonesian film.
Madison “Maddy” Mele is currently teaching at SMAN 1 Demak, Central Java
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