In December, ETA Kush Mansuria had some extra time outside of school because students were taking their semester exams and the semester was wrapping up. Kush took some time to travel to India to attend his friend’s wedding and meet some of his extended family. Kush also got to visit a few Hindu temples and eat homemade Indian dishes daily.

Once back in Kudus, Kush and his “ETA Team” at SMK Raden Umar Said went to visit Borobudur and Yogyakarta for a day trip. Borobudur Temple is the largest Buddhist temple in the world, originally built in the 9th century. Although they left the school at 2:30 am, Kush found the trip wonderful because he got to spend time with his co-teachers outside of school and see a couple of Yogyakarta’s famous sites.

Finally, Kush rounded off December by visiting one of his co-teachers friends, Pak Guntur. Pak Guntur is a local physician in Besito, Kudus and explained the Indonesian health system at a local level. Pak Guntur explained how Indonesians receive medical care through the government BPJS (Social Insurance Administration Organization)  and some of the key health challenges facing many Indonesians. At the end of the visit, Kush went through a mock appointment with Pak Guntur.

As 2020 approaches, Kush is looking forward to sharing his cultural background with his school, seeing Indonesia’s famous landmarks and rich history, and continuing conversations to increase his understanding of his community.