During one of few remaining English Club meetings, ETA Nabeel Ahmad shared his community engagement project with his students: a pen pal letter from ETA Meghan’s MAN 1 in Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi.

Students worked on their exchange letter in Fall 2017; they were instructed to write what life in Gorontalo is like detailing their local mosque, traditional foods and clothing, school, subjects they are studying, and hobbies in and out of school. Nabeel then sent the letters to Meghan who shared the letter with her students. In return, Nabeel received MAN 1 Kendari’s letters and shared them with his English Club. Students were excited to receive and read their pen pal’s response.

In one letter from Kendari, a student detailed her love of eating ikan bakar (grilled fish) and visiting the beach to watch the sunset on the weekends. Students shared their Instagram and Facebook accounts and were immediately befriended. This activity gave both students a new friend from a different province while strengthening English writing and reading skills.

Nabeel Ahmad is currently teaching at SMAN 1 Limboto, Gorontalo