The month of April means the grant period is almost over. While ETA Arshelle Carter tied up loose ends and reflected on the past nine months, she was pleased to host her sister-cousin, D’Lea Cohen, at site. D’Lea was only in Indonesia for a few days, so the pair had a jam packed schedule. They hiked to a local waterfall, took boat trips to nearby islands and enjoyed sampling local fruits and food. In the midst of all their activities, Arshelle convinced D’Lea to visit her school, SMK Stella Maris Labuan Bajo. D’Lea toured the school and gave out Cracker Jack’s as oleh-oleh (souvenirs) to teachers. She also fielded questions from a tenth grade tourism class. Arshelle loved seeing the students practice what they’ve learned over the past nine months. She thought back to the beginning of the grant when the students were shy to participate in class. Encouraging and motivating students to practice their English even when they are unsure has been one of Arshelle’s goals during the ETA grant. Seeing how eager the students were to ask questions to her sister-cousin during and after class was heartwarming for Arshelle. As she reflects on her time in Labuan Bajo, Arshelle is grateful for her SMK Stella Maris community. She is going to miss the sweet, welcoming smiles from teachers and students yelling “Hi Miss!” from inside classrooms. She looks forward to keeping in touch with members of her school community until she is able to make it back to Labuan Bajo again!

Arshelle Carter is currently teaching at SMK Stella Maris, Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara