One of the most meaningful parts of ETA Elizabeth “Liz” Wallace’s three months in Indonesia so far has been connecting with her students outside of class. She is always excited to be invited to a student’s home for dinner or to accompany them to various events around Gresik.

When Floretta, one of the students in her English Club and French Language Club, asked her if she liked to hike, Liz was excited to bond with her over their mutual love for the outdoors. Little did Liz expect, however, to be invited on a family hike with Floretta the very next weekend!

Floretta’s family took care of all the logistics and planning for a very special hike that included seeing the largest volcano on the island of Java as well as a breathtaking lake that is considered sacred by local Hindus. Once they arrived at the lake, Floretta’s sister unveiled a surprise birthday cake to celebrate Floretta’s birthday from just a few days before.

Liz also enjoyed getting to practice her Indonesian and even a bit of Javanese on the hike. She was able to discuss the differences between American and Indonesian national parks and Floretta’s family was eager to hear about how Liz’s family enjoyed similar outdoor pursuits back home in America. Liz has found that in spending time with her students outside of school, she is able to get her students to open up more and discuss their exciting dreams for the future.
Elizabeth “Liz” Wallace is currently teaching at SMA Nahdlatul Ulama 1 Gresik, East Java