From August 2015-May 2016, I lived in Indonesia and taught 10th grade English at SMAN 3 Pangkal Pinang under the auspices of the Fulbright Program. My grant was renewed for a second year, so from August 2016 to May 2017 I will be living in Sidoarjo, Indonesia and teaching English at SMA Wachid Hasyim 2 Taman Sidoarjo. Follow my blog for updates about this ongoing adventure!
No, this isn’t the set up for a joke. And no, these aren’t the ingredients for a funny/horror story of being greased up and naked and then needing a lawyer while here in Indonesia. No, these are just some of the latest vocabulary words that came in a recent conversation with Ibu Evi, Bella, and … More What do “butter,” “naked,” and “lawyer” have in common?
Makan angin literally means “eat wind” and the meaning is the same as “chasing the breeze.” No matter where I am in the world, there are few feelings more liberating than taking to the road on my own set of wheels if only for the sake of being on the move. In Indonesia, my wheels … More Simple Joys: Makan Angin
Originally posted on Indonesiaful:
— Written by Kelly Fitzgerald, Photography and Conclusion by Caitlin Jordan — News of Indonesia rarely reaches the U.S. unless something sensational like executions or elections happen. For this reason, I doubt that the disaster that afflicted our home here earlier this month made the news overseas. Bangka Island and Pangkal Pinang — the provincial…
It was a cacophony. An accordion bellowing, djembes beating, the dambus strumming, a KORG keyboard wavering on a note played by a determined big toe. Even the resident Sanggar cat yowled to her own beat. Was it music or noise or….? I sat on the corner of a cigarette-stained rug, swaying in the sound and … More How to Tune a Didgeridoo (and other things I’ve been up to)
News of Indonesia rarely reaches the U.S. unless something sensational like executions or elections happen. For this reason, I doubt that the disaster that afflicted my home here last week made the news overseas. Bangka island and Pangkal Pinang — the provincial capital and my home here in Indo — experiences the worst flood in … More The Flood
Housekeeping. It is not a sexy topic, but it is something that takes up a considerable portion of time here in Indonesia. Prior to this year, I have lived in dorms (these don’t count since we had maintenance people to do some of the housework), a duplex with one roommate in Tampa, and in a … More Indonesian Housekeeping 101
When Caitlin and I first arrived in Pangkal Pinang, we were told to lock our doors at all times… using all four locks on each door. There are three doors to get in our house: two in the front and one in the garage. The front gated doors have two locks and a sliding bolt … More “How do you know this address?”: A Case Study in Why We Keep Our Doors Locked
Originally posted on Indonesiaful:
— By Kelly Fitzgerald — When I made my list of goals for this year in Indonesia at the start of my Fulbright grant, “reenact the colonial period” was not exactly an aspiration that came to mind. Similarly, getting in touch with my Dutch roots by becoming the face of imperialism…
Originally posted on All for the Love of Wandering:
I read the news of the bombings in Beirut, Baghdad, and Paris on my smart phone. And not for the first time, I wished I had better access to internet or access to a paper newspaper in my native language, because the news was simply too…
***Safety check*** The bombings that rocked Indonesia’s capital city two days ago are a tragedy. My friends and neighbors are upset by this event but everyone I know who is in Jakarta is safe and well. The AMINEF mid-year conference in Jakarta is still scheduled to continue next week as planned. *** Halfway to where I’m … More Asking for the Moon: Thoughts on the Start of the Second Semester
Where in the world is Kelly? 