At the beginning of this month, ETA Amanda Cahn began her community engagement project with some of her 11th grade students: pen pal letters to 7th-11th grade students at Liceo Jose Manuel Borgono Nunez in Petorca, Chile, where she taught last year.

In the photo, students are working on their first letters. The students were instructed to write about what life is like in Padang, Indonesia, with details about their families, traditional foods and clothing, school, and hobbies. Amanda then sent all the letters to Petorca, Chile, along with some traditional Indonesian candy, so that the Chilean students could get a literal taste of Indonesia. As international mail often takes a while to arrive, the Chilean students are still eagerly waiting for their Indonesian pen pals’ letters. The goal of this project is to give new, international friends to students in both countries, while strengthening English writing and reading skills.

Amanda Cahn is currently teaching at SMA Don Bosco Padang, West Sumatra