"To move, to breathe, to fly, to float, To gain all while you give, To roam the roads of lands remote: To travel is to live." --Hans Christian Andersen
Showing posts with label Krida Nusantara. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Krida Nusantara. Show all posts
All of the morning and much of the afternoon for our final day in Indonesia, the eleven TGC teachers were guided by a representative from IREX (organization which facilitates the TGC program for the US Dept. of State) in a session to debrief on our time here. While I felt as much of the session could have (and probably should have) been facilitated at a later date and once we were back home in the United States, there was one portion of the session that I found rather meaningful.
We created a "T-chart" for some of our experiences while in Indonesia. In the narrow left-hand column we listed a one or two word emotion or thought as a theme and then in the right-hand column we placed several bullet points with detail of an event during our time "in country" which relates to that theme. While Blogger makes it difficult to replicate the T-chart here, I'll do my best to present a few of my take-aways:
Beauty:
mysterious harmony of a least seven different simultaneous calls to prayer from a variety of local mosques
store racks filled with Batik clothing filled with vibrant colors
Unexpected:
"Lady Gaga" horse at the volcano near Bandung
students "animal club" at Krida with owls, hawks, and snakes
being constantly saluted by students at Krida
Frustrating:
long drives EVERYWHERE even when distance was close
being told "it's closed because of Ramadan"
It's always good to provide appropriate reflection on the experiences that we have. Roaming the roads of lands remote does not come without its challenges, but the encounters are often filled with amazing opportunities. Reflection on such allows us to let our experiences become a deeper and more meaningful part of our lives and to help us grow and mature into our future.
We rose early and left Krida and Bandung around 7:30 AM. We then made the 150 km trip in just over two hours which included a pit stop for "the facilities" and a morning pick-me-up at Dunkin Donuts. Each Betty, Daniel, and I selected to tasty eats and a coffee drink. Betty had pre-cleared it with our driver for us to eat in the car as we continued on to Jakarta; our driver was, like most Indonesian Muslims, fasting as part of Ramadan but was ok with us eating in the car.
We arrived at the Park Hotel shortly before 10:00. The original schedule which TGC had given us called for all of our pairs to be at the hotel by 1:00 and then we would continue with events as a collective group. Somehow a message had been circulated amongst the host teachers to arrive earlier and then have more city site-seeing time. However this message was not clearly received by one pair and they ended up not being with us for most of the afternoon.
We went to the old colonial capitol building in Jakarta which has now been turned into a museum. This area of J-Kart is called "the old city" and there have been some attempts to spruce it up as a tourist attraction. Some sprucing might have occurred a decade ago but I'm not sure how many tourists were actually informed.
Following our time in the museum we were hungry and found a place to grab a small lunch. The "chicken sate" that I ordered...and even photographed before eating...wasn't exactly what I thought I was getting. It was cold and far from tender and upon closer examination the collective conclusion was that it was intestine (possibly from a bird) but NOT anything close to what any of us had come to know as chicken sate. Let's just say the "mystery meat" was a bit too far outside of my comfort zone.
David, Jodi, Daniel, Susanna, Heather, Jeanne, and Cora
My lunch...as described above...was NOT enjoyed or finished
Monkey in the restaurant. I gave him a lime to eat; he seemed to like it.
After lunch, the old town square in front of the old capitol (now museum) was bustling with activity. People from a select "counter-culture" within Jakarta had gathered for a concert by the music group Slank. We people watched for a while.
Yep, that's me in this gang of young ruffians
Oh, Susanna is now a Slank fan
Our group finally returned to the hotel at which point we were finally reunited with the final pair in our collective delegation. After getting settled in to the hotel, most of us departed for some shopping at a gem market and a Batik store before finally catching a late dinner. Tomorrow will be a time for our cohort to debrief as a team on our experiences at our host schools. I think their could be some interesting stores (some have already been shared).
This morning Daniel and I were invited to visit with Krida's English Language Club. The club was divided into multiple groups and each Daniel and I were with a different group. In my group I just allowed students the freedom to ask any questions they about me, USA, Oklahoma, or Southmoore that they wished. I would then ask follow up connections of the students. Such as, when asked about the most recent movie I saw at the cinema, I then had each of them tell me the last movie that they watched. I was amazed at how many of them have seen some of the rather recent movies: Ice Age 4, The Dark Knight Rises (Batman), The Amazing Spider-Man, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, etc. It was basically a time for the students to practice their English skills. I also passed around the copy of Southmoore's yearbook which was given by our yearbook class. The Krida students were fascinated by the images they saw of Southmoore students and all of their clubs, sports, and other activities.
English Language Club
This young man gave me a Batik key chain
Next we ventured down the mountain a bit to the elementary school which Krida operates: Tunas Krida Nusantara Elementary School. This elementary school is a day school and the students do not live on campus (unless their parents work at the high school). We visited a wide variety of classes: English classes, Religion classes, and classes of all grade levels. I was able to give nearly every student a postcard written by the students of Briarwood and Oakridge in Moore, Oklahoma. In the older grades, where students had better English skills, their teachers encouraged volunteers to read their card's message out loud to practice their verbal language skills. It was so wonderful to hear these messages read and to see the expressions on the students' faces as they read the card and looked at the pictures. They were so excited that they were also trading cards to see what the other messages contained.
Giving the principal of the elementary school a gift.
I also gave him a postcard from Mrs. Mosier at Briarwood with her school's contact information so that these students can some day send postcards back to Oklahoma.
Reading his postcard's message out loud
Even a 1st grade birthday party
Tonight Betty is taking us out for SPICY food. I'll let you know how that comes out.
This morning Daniel and I, along with Betty, Efa (Krida's principal), and Fikry (one of Krida's English language teachers), departed at 6:30 AM (yikes) to drive approximately 90 km to SMAN 1 Majalengka High School in Majalengka, Indonesia. While 90 km, or 56 miles, doesn't seem that far to those of us in the USA who can easily hope on an interstate highway and drive at 65 (or more) miles per hour, in Indonesia this distance takes MUCH longer to drive. Without stopping (no potty breaks, no photo opportunities, nothing), the morning drive took well over 2-1/2 hours.
By the time we arrived at SMAN 1 Majalengka, school had already started. As we got out of the Krida Mobile (actually one of the fleet of Krida's mini vans) we were greeted by a delegation of students (3 boys and 2 girls) who spent several minutes making small talk with us so as to practice their English skills. In time, a team of adults ushered us into the head master's office. I presented the head master with a small gift to thank he and his school for inviting Daniel and I to come and visit. We remained in his office for a while and visited.
student delegation who welcomed our arrival
giving SMAN 1 Majalengka's head master a gift: decorative plate with image of a Plains Indian
Approximately 30 minutes after our arrival, Daniel and I were each escorted to a classroom filled with students waiting for us to greet them and tell them about life in the USA. I was again able to use my prezi on life in Oklahoma to share with the students about our way of life. One of the slides which I have learned I need to move past rather fast includes the images of food in Oklahoma. Since Indonesia is a primarily Muslim country, most of the students are fasting during this current month of Ramadan. I can tell from the students' expressions when they see the images of food that it reminds them of their hunger so I try to make that part of the presentation as rapid as possible.
After the presentation and discussion, which included some good questions from the students especially about our animals and about the musicians from Oklahoma and favorite styles of music, I then passed out postcards to the students. I have run out of the cards written by my high school students at Southmoore and am now using the ones from the upper grades from Briarwood and Oakridge elementary schools. I have been promised by Betty that we will be visiting an elementary school or two either tomorrow or Saturday (yes, Indonesia has school on Saturday too) so I will make sure that most of these postcards get into the hands of elementary students here.
As the students were reading their postcards I began taking a few pictures of them. This led into a large group photo (there were about 50 students in this class) of the students with me. Immediately, the students start producing their cell phones with cameras and wanting me to pose with them as individuals or small groups for additional pictures. I felt like I was the newest movie star or pop musician visiting these children and that they ALL wanted to be photographed with me. I'll bet I was already appearing on Facebook before the class time was even over.
reading postcards from USA elementary school students
my geography class at SMAN 1 Majalengka
Speaking of Facebook, as the students returned to their seats for a time of questions and answers the first question requested my Facebook and twitter identification. I wrote the information for the Facebook page and twitter account that I use with my USA students on the white board. By the time I arrived back to the guest house at Krida, I already have 5 new "likes" on Facebook and 8 new followers on twitter. WOW...I am a rock star, LOL.
Following this class, the two boys who were part of the initial welcoming committee gave me a tour of the campus including the library, the students' parking lot, and the teachers' workroom. This school also has construction for a new lobby and I shared with the two boys that Southmoore was also under construction for some additional classrooms. Every chance I get I love to point out the similarities between my experiences in Indonesia and the USA; too often we focus on what divides us and not enough on what unites as a co-inhabitants of planet earth. It was now time to say our good-byes. We once again gathered in the head master's office for pictures and a parting gift: Daniel and I were each given a basket filled with mangoes.
main classroom building
on campus mosque
student parking lot; no cars, only motorcycles
library and media center staff
students showing their artwork to promote environmental protection
I am being presented a basket of mangoes as a "thank you" for visiting
As our group from Krida departed, I was surprised to see that we were driving off in a different direction. I made the assumption that there was an alternate route to get back to Bandung. After about 45 minutes of driving we turned around. Apparently Efa, who was driving, was trying to find a sate stand where Daniel, Betty, and I could get some lunch. However, due to Ramadan fasting he was not able to locate a stand. So on the way back into Majalengka we paused for about 15 minutes at a mosque so that Efa and Fikry could stop to pray.
Our journey continued en route back to Bandung. Eventually we did stop at Kentucky Fried Chicken (one of the few places open during lunch time) to eat. KFC was located in the same building as a grocery store so we also looked around in there for a few minutes. I saw some things I've never seen: Pepsi Blue, unusual fruits and vegetables, and the fresh meat and fish stand where the customers helped themselves to the unpackaged items rather than having an employee provide assistance in a more hygienic manner.
KFC staff is happy to serve you...but no mashed potatoes or mac & cheese
with your chicken, only french fries or a package of sticky rice
what is Pepsi Blue???
many of my Korean & Vietnamese students at Southmoore enjoy Durian
need frozen chicken nuggets or french fries? scoop them and bag them yourself!!!
It was after 5:00 when we arrived back at Krida. The return trip, if you remove the approximate time of an hour for the KFC stop, took over 5-1/2 hours. This should give an idea of how complicated driving is here in Indonesia. Vehicles of all shapes and sizes fighting for every inch on the road. A road paved for two lanes may have four or more lanes once the drivers decide for themselves how to accommodate their vehicles in the road. We were safe, but it just seemed to take "forever" to make the 90 km return trip. Oh well, tomorrow is another day.
video of the final road to Krida's campus; barely a
