Welcome to the December edition of Monthly Highlights for the 2018-19 cohort of Fulbright ETAs in Indonesia!
For the ETAs, the month of December marks the midway point of the grant. Schools are winding down or not in session at all. This gives the ETAs a chance to reflect on the past semester and develop goals for the approaching semester. Many of the ETAs were visited by family members and or were able to take time to travel. Seeing Indonesia outside the context of their immediate sites allows ETAs to have a broader understanding of the archipelago.
In this month’s edition of Monthly Highlights, ETAs discussed introducing their family to community members, focusing on projects outside of school, and bonding with teachers and students outside of the schoolyard. Click through their stories to see what the ETAs were up to during the month of December!
Many thanks to all of the ETAs for their wonderful stories and photos.
Be sure to get next month’s newsletter and be on the look out for our special edition Best of Fulbright ETA August – December 2018 that compiles best articles from August – December 2018.
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New Friends
This month ETA Darby Jones had the pleasure of meeting, getting to know, and playing games with students at a local junior high school in Sangatta. Once classes finished for the semester at SMAN 2 Sangatta Utara (her placement site), Darby accepted an invitation from SMPN 2 Sangatta Selatan to spend the morning with about.. Read More.
Pen Friends from America
Throughout the month of December, almost one hundred 10th grade students from SMAN 1 Temanggung had hand-written letters in the air in route to the US. In partnership with Fargo Davies High School in Fargo, North Dakota, ETA Allison Cwikla coordinated a new pen pal program called Pen Friends from America. Allison presented about Fargo.. Read More.
A Taste of America
This December, ETA Elizabeth “Liz” Wallace enjoyed wrapping up her extracurricular clubs. During this past semester, Liz has spent every Wednesday afternoon with her faithful English Club. For their final meeting, Liz had the students vote on what American foods they would like to cook together. The students chose pancakes with maple syrup, grilled cheese.. Read More.
Making our Mark for Emotional Health
On December 21, the students of MAN2 unveiled a new exhibit to the school aptly name “Sparkzone.” “Sparkzone” is a series of art projects or thoughtful public media that will be scattered around the school grounds that encourage strong culture for emotional health. The inaugural piece (pictured) was thought up by the school’s counseling group.. Read More.
Teachers Retreat
At the beginning of this month, ETA Amanda Cahn joined her fellow teachers in a retreat to celebrate the approaching end of the semester. The teachers split up into cars and motorcycles and drove one hour out into the forest, until they reached the location where they spent the night. They cooked and ate dinner.. Read More.
A Merry English Club Meeting
On Friday, December 21, ETA Brian Miner hosted members of the community English club at his guest house to talk about, share, and celebrate the holiday season. The club talked about the meaning of holidays and a few of the various traditions to celebrate the new year around the world. Afterwards, Brian shared some fun.. Read More.
Christmas Celebration with School Community
ETA Anna Misenti returned to site after a quick vacation during student exams in time for a festive week of celebrating Christmas with her school community. While Padangsidimpuan is predominantly Muslim (approximately 90-95 percent), it is tradition for the small Christian community at SMAN1 to organize an annual event for the Christian students, teachers and.. Read More.
Don’t Forget to Smile
Throughout December as SMAN 1 Demak’s semester came to a close, ETA Sarah Wozniak helped several students and teachers prepare scholarship applications and interviews. Over the course of the past few weeks, Ibu Yulia Mufarichah, Bapak Baihaqi Aditya, and 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students prepared scholarship essays and interview questions. They discussed the potential.. Read More.
Holiday Smart Program English Immersion
On December 29, ETA Sabrina Verleysen from MAN Demak, was invited to be the guest speaker at the 2018 Holiday Smart Program English Immersion Program. This four-day complete English immersion program is held annually at Madrasah Manahijul Huda Ngaget Pati, in a small village outside of Pati. Sixty students pledge to only speak English for.. Read More.
Turn Left, Turn Right, Candy!
For ETA Gordon “Peter” Bensen, December was a month of relaxation and rejuvenation. His students at MAN 1 Kota Payakumbuh took exams, while Peter got work done at home, and had a wonderful visit with his family who came all the way to Payakumbuh! Although school was not in session, Peter still got to run.. Read More.
