December marked the end of the semester for ETA Natalie Suh. With testing starting at the beginning of the month, more time was spent outside the classroom and in the broader Banjarmasin community. She was lucky enough to be connected with a YSLEALI alumni who has started an environmental NGO called Borneo Urban Lab. She joined community members on two separate occasions to help make bottle bricks–plastic bottles filled with plastic scraps. Eventually, those bottles would be turned into pieces of furniture like stools. Community members also worked on repurposing single-use plastics into bags and baskets. Natalie was impressed by the skill and resourcefulness demonstrated. She even expressed her enthusiasm for the project on the local news.

Natalie was also invited to a city-wide film festival organized by Broadcasting and Film teachers at her school. While most dates overlapped with the AMINEF Mid-Year Conference, she enjoyed the opening ceremony, where a film about Indonesian resistance against the Dutch in South Kalimantan was showcased. She also saw some of her broadcasting and film students at the event. Natalie is incredibly grateful to be in Banjarmasin, surrounded by passionate school and community members.

Natalie Suh is currently teaching at SMKN 3 Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan.