Welcoming Home Hajjis
This month, ETA Anna Ringheiser was invited to attend a welcoming back ceremony for community members who have just returned from Hajj. Anna got to help prepare some of the food for the hundreds of guests, meet a few Indonesian women who work for a tour company in Saudi Arabia, and got to meet (and.. Read More.
SMA Don Bosco’s 64th Anniversary Party
ETA Amanda Cahn joined SMA Don Bosco Padang in celebrating its 64th anniversary this month. The festivities commenced on August 29th, 2018 with Don Bosco’s multi-day festival “The Colorful of Life.” Day 1 of the festival began in the evening after classes had already ended. Vendors set up booths throughout the school, where they sold.. Read More.
Free Showers in Central Java
Despite advice from the American artists of TLC to not go chasing waterfalls, during the month of September, ETA Allison Cwikla, along with ETA Anna Ringheiser and counterpart Pak Imam, went chasing waterfalls. The group visited Curug Sewu and Sekar Langit, two waterfalls located about 20 kilometers from Temanggung in opposite directions. While chasing waterfalls,.. Read More.
Indonesia ETA Orientation
This year marks the 15th cohort of Fulbright English Teaching Assistants (ETAs) in Indonesia. The 2018-19 cohort is made up of 22 individuals from around the United States. This year, the ETAs will be teaching across Indonesia in the following cities: Padangsidempuan, Payakumbuh, Bukittinggi, Padang, Pangkalpinang, Temanggung, Demak, Semarang, Gresik, Malang, Samarinda, Sangatta Utara, Labuan Bajo.. Read More.
Merdeka!
On August 17, 2018, Indonesia celebrated its 73rd year of independence. It was the day after the English Teaching Assistants returned from orientation. ETA Sophia Lopresti accepted an invitation on behalf of her and her sitemate, ETA Amanda Cahn, to attend a parade the following day. Unsure what to expect in their first couple of.. Read More.
A Day Full of Yes
The first unit that ETA Riley Heist taught at her sight was based on “planning”. The students spent the first lesson in the unit playing “four corners” as they made imaginary plans to visit countries all over the world to meet their idols, eat their favorite foods, and take pictures to, of course, post on.. Read More.
Monkeying Around in a Mango Tree
Near the end of August, ETA Andrew Shifren visited nearby dormitories owned by the Catholic church. Many of his students, whose homes are far from school, live in these dormitories and help with day-to-day tasks and maintenance. A sprawling garden full of mango and papaya trees, lettuce plants, and teak trees in the back of.. Read More.
“Makan Dulu, ya?“
This month was an exciting beginning to ETA Catherine Krol’s nine month stay in Gondanglegi. Idul al-Adha arrived, which meant animal sacrifice, communal eating and even a Manasik Haji event where the students of MAN 1 all practiced for a future pilgrimage to Mecca. A notable cultural event was the Tumpeng-making competition between the classes,.. Read More.
Night Talks
As a way to get to know students better and to improve their English listening skills, as well as cultural understanding, ETA Anna Ringheiser and her counterpart have been holding “night talks” for the dorm students. These talks happen most weeknights for just 30 minutes, and are held in the student dorm. The students gather.. Read More.
Farming – From North Dakota to Indonesia
After learning that the surrounding areas of Temanggung are home the best coffee and tobacco farms in Indonesia, ETA Allison Cwikla was ecstatic, regarding the coffee beans at least. However, after spending a beautiful August day off-roading through tobacco farms, she became ecstatic about the beauty of the tobacco leaves as well. Allison left the.. Read More.
