SMA NU 1 Gresik had a big surprise when they came to school after the New Year. Rather than one English Teaching Assistant, they had two! ETA Elizabeth “Liz” Wallace invited her older sister Cat, a former Teach for America (TFA) corps member and English as a Foreign Language teacher in France, to guest teach in her classroom while she visited Liz for the holidays. Since Cat lives in Paris full-time, the sisters decided to lead a class on the similarities and differences between Indonesia, America, and France.

The students enjoyed a trivia game about the three countries. Questions included “In which country do people eat lots of bread and cheese?” (the unanimous answer was France), “Which country has islands?” (most students did not know that all three countries do!), and “Which country has mandatory education starting at age three?” (the classes agreed that America needs to catch up with France and Indonesia who both require it!). Liz’s students were eager to learn some French phrases and were surprised to learn that they already knew a few words like “déjà vu” and “croissant.” Cat’s visit was also an interesting cross-cultural experience for the full-time English teachers at SMA NU 1 who enjoyed asking her questions about French culture and the French education system. Though Cat was only able to stay in Gresik for a few days, French won’t disappear from the radars of students at SMA NU 1. Liz leads a weekly French Club for students and teachers interested in the French language and culture.

Elizabeth “Liz” Wallace is currently teaching at SMA Nahdlatul Ulama 1 Gresik, East Java