It was Sunday, March 10, 2019, and Fulbright ETA Ryan was in Taiwan, specifically the grand city of Taipei. He was here as part of a conference held by the Fulbright English Teaching Assistants (ETAs) and Fulbright research scholars from all over Asia had been invited to participate in a conference in which they could exchange ideas and insights into their respective programs.

Ryan hoped to gather some key insights that would allow him to be a better teacher back in Indonesia. Hearing all the different perspectives of his fellow ETAs was truly rewarding for Ryan. He only hopes they learned as much from his as he did from them.

Upon arriving back in Indonesia, Ryan implemented some of what he learned in a lesson about understanding song lyrics. His students had a blast listening to the classic rock of the Beatles, “Help!” and “Yesterday” were especially big hits. Ultimately even the world-renowned music of the Beatles can’t compare to the fervor Indonesians hold towards Ed Sheeran’s music, so Ryan was “encouraged” to add it to the lesson.

Ryan Ulrich is currently teaching at SMA Muhammadiyah 1 Gresik, East Java