Last weekend, on a teacher retreat at one of the most beautiful beach resorts ETA Kiyoko “Kiki” Nakamyra-Koyama has ever seen, Kiki got to swim in the ocean during a monsoon-like rainstorm. The experience was unparalleled. From a distance, she was able to observe her fellow SMA Santo Yosef teachers laughing and playing closer to the shoreline. It was from that distance she saw how familial the teachers were to one another outside of a school setting; those kinds of familial work relationships are relatively unusual in the United States.

As the storm would ebb and flow in intensity, the teachers would urge Kiki to come in closer while also allowing her a wide leash to safely bask in the storm. When the rain went from heavy to waterfall the teachers started to wave her in. These moments reminded her of so many moments at home when her parents would wave Kiki and her siblings in after a long day at the beach. Kiki met so many caring teachers during the retreat and hopes to continue building relationships with the SMA Santo Yosef family for the rest of her remaining time in Indonesia.

Kiyoko “Kiki” Nakamura-Koyama is currently teaching at SMA Santo Yosef Pangkalpinang, Bangka-Belitung