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!
…. But that doesn’t mean my Bahasa Indonesia is working any better. In the past week, I have thought to myself “I’m just not feelin’ the Bahasa today” more than I care to admit. I wonder if I have hit my first language-learning plateau. Sometimes I have little triumphs, where I remember a new vocab … More English My No Work Good Today
During orientation, I received some exciting news from Chris Linnan, a returning ETA, that I was chosen to be Co-Editor-in-Chief for Indonesiaful.com during the 2015-2016 grant period. Indonesiaful was started in 2012 by a then-ETA and has been maintained by current ETAs ever since. As the title implies, I will be co-editing the website with … More Some Indonesiaful News
Note: I have already typed this post once, but a misplaced click sent it off into oblivion. Touch screens are nice…. Sometimes. The second time around I am getting wise and typing in Word first. Today marks the month-iversary of my being in Indonesia. Fittingly, it is also an unexpected holiday. I was informed yesterday … More Backlog: Pictures from Bandung
“You have to go to the police station now.” Pak Elvan informed me between classes this morning. “Now?” I hadn’t the faintest idea why this trip was required, but as a general rule it is better to go along with instructions from my school first and ask questions later. As last-minute as things seem sometimes, … More Immigration Part 1
It is 11:16 p.m. on a Friday night. This evening I went with Caitlin and some of the teachers at her school to have dinner and see some cultural happenings in alun-alun, the main park in the city. We got back not too long ago and I was looking forward to a nice shower and … More Ghosts Are Real (Maybe)
Dear Readers, For the last two weeks I have been in Bandung, a hip city about two hours away from Jakarta on the island of Java. I wanted to write sooner, but we were unbelievably busy in umpteen different sessions. Alas, I am back in Home Sweet Home, Pangkal Pinang. The dancers on the right … More Welcome (Back) to Pangkal Pinang
Dear Readers, First of all, the culmination of much work and anticipation has finally occurred: I made it to Pangkal Pinang! The flight from Jakarta was a brief 50 minutes (child’s play after the previous aerial journey) and I as well as my sitemate Caitlin was received warmly by teachers and students from my school, … More Welcome to Pangkal Pinang
My Dear Readers, Life may usually be about the journey, not the destination, but sometimes… Yeah. It is definitely about the destination. After quite the long journey, I am elated to report that I have safely made it to my new host country: Indonesia! The photo to the left is an aerial view from the … More 2 days, 4 planes, and 5 cities later…
…life will reward you with a new hello.” ~ Paolo Coelho I first saw this quote handwritten on a place mat in Siem Reap, Cambodia. This place mat, colorful and inviting, lured me to a table in the second-floor reading nook of Sister Srey Cafe. Outside an adjacent window, the mid-morning sun was reaching its bright golden fingers through … More “If you are brave enough to say good-bye…
As the days between now and departure whittle down into hours, the time has come to do more than idly speculate about what to bring on this next journey. The ETA Guidebook that has been graciously handed down from previous ETAs in Indonesia advises that this experience is about PEOPLE, not STUFF. On a related … More How to Pack for (almost) a Year Abroad
Where in the world is Kelly? 