Two Months Stateside

August 3, 2017 by Mackenzie

Some days it’s hard to believe it’s already been two+ months since leaving Indonesia, other days (really, most days) it feels like I’ve been here for ages.

As you may have expected, I’ve settled in to life in America quite nicely. The first few days and weeks were full of rediscovering the joys of hot showers, diverse food, afternoons spent at the golf course, and spending lots of time with my family. I opened boxes of my old things and suddenly had a whole “new” wardrobe. I taught Spencer and Kenzie the card game that we played so often in Indonesia. I cautiously drove my car, repeating “right, right, right.” And… I interviewed for a job in downtown Seattle.

In April and May, I’d been applying to a dozen + jobs in Seattle trying to have a plan for what I was doing once I got back. I intended to find something short term in Seattle for the summer and then possibly move out to DC come August/September and find a full-time job out there. Well, the week before coming home, I woke up to an email from a marketing and communications firm in Seattle asking for an interview for a research internship I had applied to. I interviewed with them as soon as I got home and knew as soon as I walked out of the interview that I really wanted this opportunity.

I didn’t know anything about market research or public opinion research at the time, but I do have research experience – I did two fairly substantial research projects my senior year at WU and figured I could analyze data and write reports… I heard back pretty quickly and was offered the position!

My fellow intern and new friend, Mila

I’m now eight weeks into my time at PRR and loving every minute of it. I’m on a team with three other brilliant women researchers as well as Bruce (also brilliant but I’m all about the girl power), who leads our department. I help out with every aspect of the research process from editing proposals, programming surveys, and conducting literature reviews, to analyzing data, writing reports, and more. Our clients are generally in the public sector, so we work with a lot of government agencies. We specialize in transportation, urban planning, sustainability, and healthcare, which are generally new fields for me but so interesting once you dig into them!

I never would have thought I’d be solving Seattle’s transportation challenges but… here we are! I have always been a problem solver and someone interested in monitoring and evaluation – plus, I believe strongly in public involvement in policy decision-making… and that’s exactly what I’m doing! Through our surveys, I help to facilitate the public’s involvement in high-level policy issues – like evaluating the public’s attitude towards alternatives to fuel tax so Departments of Transportations across the country can make informed and appropriate decisions for their communities.

After a few weeks of commuting to downtown Seattle from my parent’s house in Lynnwood (1 hour+ each way), I realized several things: it was a long and relatively expensive bus commute; I couldn’t have a social life living in Lynnwood and working in Seattle; Seattle is a totally cool city and I wanted to explore more of it; and I might actually want to call Seattle home for longer than just the summer…

Current roommates, Maddie and Josh and I exploring the Bite of Seattle

So, I found a lovely couple in Queen Anne to move in with for the summer and now live in a fabulous neighborhood, walking distance from the Space Needle, quick hops to some of the coolest neighborhoods Seattle has to offer, with spectacular views of the city and the Puget Sound, and only a 15 minute bus ride to work. Everything has worked out wonderfully and I can assure you I am living my newfound Seattle/American life to the fullest.

The future is still a bit hazy but it’s coming into focus. I will be signing a year-long lease to stay in my apartment and just finished a week of stressful Craigslist roommate searching. Unfortunately, there were too many wonderful people who wanted to live with me and I had such a hard time deciding! But, I’ve chosen a wonderful girl to be my roommate and I think we’ll have a fabulous time over this next year! And I’m working hard every day in the hope that PRR will hire me full time. They have dropped many positive hints so I’m hoping things continue to move in that direction!

All in all, it’s been a wonderful transition and I couldn’t be more excited about the future. Hmu if you’re in/coming through Seattle in the next year!

Mack is Back

August 14, 2016 by Mackenzie

Mack is back.

After seven weeks in the US of A, I’m back in Indonesia, about to begin my second Fulbright grant. I arrived about a week ago and have been spending my days in Jakarta working in the AMINEF office, helping prepare for the arrival of the new ETAs and the upcoming orientation. I’ll be here in Jakarta for two weeks before the new ETAs arrive on the 23rd and then we all depart to our sites on the 24th. I vividly remember the confusion, the exhaustion, and the strangeness of all this last year – we had barely gotten a full night’s sleep before we were shipped off to our site with no language skills, very little idea of what we were doing, and great excitement to finally see the community we would be living in for the next nine months.

Dim Sum with the AMINEF office

This year… is so much easier. Yes, the flight was long and the jet lag was real but the airport was familiar, I could speak to the taxi driver, and my phone worked from the moment we touched down. I know how to dress, I can deal with the heat, and I know what to order at a restaurant. This is just so much easier. Not to say next week will be easy… Jakarta is familiar and comforting, but when I land in Kendari it will be for the first time. I’ll be meeting a whole slew of new people, moving into my ruko (rumah toko = house store ~ more on this once I get there ?), and stressing about what my most conservative outfit is that I’ll wear on my first day at this Islamic school.

Beautiful sunset as we took off from Tokyo to Jakarta

Car Free Day in Jakarta – every Sunday the main thoroughfare in Jakarta is shut down to cars and motorcycles and thousands of people come out to run, walk, bike, and explore.

I obviously posted nothing over the summer. It was a time of relaxation and family, eating great food, and playing a lot of golf. It would have been nice to see a few more friends, and spend a bit longer with those I did get to see, but with my friends spread all over the country now, it’s a hard thing to do!

All of my Indo memories <3

Date night with momma <3

A highlight of my summer occurred right from the start when I went to DC and St. Louis less than 72 hours after getting home from Indonesia. Last year, you may remember when I traveled to DC in June to attend the Pre-Departure Orientation for new Fulbright grantees. It was an incredible week of meeting my cohort and learning about the year ahead. This year, I got to return to the PDO as an alumni. I spoke on a few panels, answered endless questions from the incoming grantees to Indonesia, and spent a lot of time eating, drinking, and sight-seeing my way through DC with the other SETAs (Senior ETAs ~ Returners) and the AMINEF staff who had come all the way from Jakarta.

Speaking on the panel, Living in Southeast Asia

SETAs and the AMINEF team

Meeting with the Indonesia bureau of Voice of America with Rizqi, Astrid, Ceacealia, Kelly and Grace

The incoming Indonesia ETA cohort!

Sightseeing at Renwick Gallery

Indo-bound ladies!

After the PDO, I spent a few extra nights in DC with my bff Martha, who had just moved to DC to start a big-girl job. From there, I went to St. Louis for a few days where I got to see college friends, professors and mentors, and my former coworkers at Taste. It was a fabulous 10 days!

Finally reunited with Martha <3

Catching up after a year apart with Shannon and Abby, my good friends from WU

Catching up after a year apart with Shannon and Abby, my friends from WU

Taste with Abby <3

So much love from both Taste and it’s sister restaurant, Brasserie

Soaking up the sun and the ice cream with Abby in STL!

A second highlight was getting to attend a talk given by Malala. Mom surprised me with tickets to the event when I first came home and gosh, it was such an incredibly inspiring night. As a teacher in international education, in a country with a poor education system, it was so cool to hear directly from Malala and be inspired by her passion and work. If you haven’t read her book yet, I can’t recommend it highly enough! Read it and if you ever get the chance to see her in person, do it – you’re in for an awesome evening.

Highlight of the year!

It was exactly the summer I needed. Lots of family time, lots of good food, and lots of time enjoying the balmy Seattle weather. I completed another million step challenge with mom – and am returning to Indo feeling fit and strong. And now, I’m back in Indonesia where I feel content and at home. I’ve got 11 more days in Jakarta and then it’s off to really start this year!

Already miss this so much!

Spend so much time with this sweet girl this summer :)

Spent so much time with this sweet girl this summer 🙂

The Million Step Challenge: 1 million steps in three months. We did it!

Packing was still a nightmare this time, but it was altogether much, much easier and less stressful! This is some of my pile of Oleh-oleh (gifts and souvenirs) for my friends and students here!

Ate all the berries I could find in the PNW!

Greenlake adventures with my buddy

Golfing with the fam

Found an Indonesian restaurant with Kata, an incoming ETA from Seattle!

Brunch with the fam

Golfing on the 4th of July

What a great summer! Sampai tahun depan Amerika!

Sometimes, I Just Don’t Understand

May 11, 2016 by Mackenzie

So… holy shit, I have nine days left here. How did we get to nine days?! Where did April and half of May go?

This week has been a little bizarre because I am finally teaching again after some seven weeks of holidays and testing. Yes, SEVEN WEEKS. From March 21-May 6 we had endless holidays, testing, and events. The 12th grade takes a big National Exam in April so at the end of March (and two other weeks in March too but at least we still had class) they took a week-long practice exam, and the 10th and 11th graders got the week off. WHY?! WHY can they not have class?! I don’t understand… What’s even more irritating is that they don’t tell you until the Saturday before… so you give assignments and plan things thinking you will have class and then they cancel the whole week. While annoying, I got a free week and spontaneously headed off to Bali for the week. Photos to come, I promise 🙂

So then we went back to school for four days and then got another 12 days off because it was time for the REAL National Exam (UN) but then they also have a remedial National Exam… and again, the 10th and 11th graders didn’t have school. (WHY?! WHY can they not have class?! I don’t understand!). For this, I went to Tanjung Puting National Park for a three day river houseboating adventure with a bunch of other ETAs. Then, I came home for a few days before heading off to Jakarta for the National WORDS competition with Telsy, and a few extra days of planning for next year with the other Returning ETAs or SETAs (Senior ETA). See these posts for all about the local WORDS Competition and the National Competition!

I was thrilled to be home and ready to finish the end of the grant strong. I taught Monday and Tuesday (now we’re at April 18-19) and then on Wednesday they announced Final Exams for the seniors, which meant the 10th and 11th graders had no class on Wednesday through… well, I didn’t even know. Again, WHY?! WHY can they not have class?! We ended up having no class from Wednesday through the following Thursday while the 12th graders took their exams. At this point, I was out of vacation days and unable to travel anyways because we were within 30 days of leaving (AMINEF wants us to spend our last 30 days at site) so I had a week to kill in a very quiet, boring city. Carlie had the time off as well so we ended up hanging out almost every night – usually going to see a movie. We saw four movies that week and from that week to now we have seen every movie (both Western and Indonesian) that the theater has played… Let’s just say it’s a lot of movies. But it kills the time and it’s been entertaining and it’s a particularly good way to practice my Bahasa Indonesian 😀

At an event with my student Keke, who is the 2016 Tourist Ambassador of Central Kalimatan (think like Miss Washington)

At an event with my student Keke (grey gown), who is the 2016 Tourist Ambassador of Central Kalimatan (think like Miss Washington)

At the waterpark with Telsy and her family on one of our free days!

So then… (and I apologize because I didn’t intend to rant about all this but I’ve started the story so now I may as well finish it) we finally went back to school on Friday the 29th. I taught my one Friday class and then prepared for the following week of classes, thinking things were finally back to normal. But oh no… the education gods seem to want to do everything in their power this year to keep me out of the classroom. Monday, May 2nd was “Hari Pendidikan” (Education Day) and while we were supposed to have a day of competition and games, the headmaster never showed up so we didn’t do anything and the teachers got to sit in the teacher’s lounge and gossip for the entire day. I couldn’t quite believe it – this is how you spend Education Day? By taking the day off and gossiping? Sheesh. Luckily, I wasn’t alone – my fellow ETAs and I had an entertaining facebook thread of all the random and useless things our schools was doing, or not doing, for Education Day. This country… sometimes I just don’t get it.

Oh yeah, and this happened too…

A handful of my students took a big test on May 1st for a scholarship that would send them to America for their senior year of high school – I’m so proud of their efforts and we are anxiously awaiting the results of this first round!

Okay so then on Monday (Education Day), I was told that Tuesday was the farewell party for the seniors and that we would have no class again (insert angry faced emoji) – it’s a lovely gesture and I love the idea but WHY DOES IT HAVE TO HAPPEN AT 8AM? Why can’t this happen at 2pm AFTER school??!!

Farewell party

We also ended up getting a surprise visit from a member of the Indonesian Parliament that day – they came to investigate some claims that the food the dining hall serves to the kids is spoiled. Ha! I laughed pretty hard at that. I wouldn’t say its spoiled but it’s certainly not good and certainly lacks any kind of nutritional value. So we had a little pomp and circumstance for him and his crew of 25 other government officials and then we had the farewell party. Super sweet and fun.

The guy on the left with the quilt-looking batik is the Parliament Representative

My senior girls <3

I finally taught one class on Wednesday and then Thursday and Friday was a national holiday so no class again. We (Carlie and I and our schools) hosted an English Teaching Workshop for local high school teachers with one of the U.S. Embassy’s English Language Fellows (ELF). (Similar to the ETA program but they all have a master’s degree in TEFL/TESOL/teaching etc. and are placed in universities.)

Our teacher workshop

Finally, this week we went back to school for real!! Except, it’s only for two weeks… the 10th and 11th graders have their final exams on May 23rd and it’s also the end of my grant as I leave on the 21st. So this is the answer to, where did the last two months go??? Well… it went to sitting in my house, seeing a lot of movies, not seeing a lot of my kids, and to planning my travels with Spencer come post-grant.

The view on my evening walks, which have become a daily routine with all this spare time

I taught a grand total of 8 days in those 7 weeks… (Please keep in mind the rough start I had to the grant and the fact that I think I taught like three days here in my first three months – see this and this and this and this).

And as you can see, my cultural adaptation stretches a little thin at times. I’ve gotten used to (and have begun to love) so much else here – the calls to prayer, the staring at the “white girl” (don’t love), the rice, the heat (don’t love), the cockroaches (don’t love), dressing conservatively, the language, the cultural events… I’m an entirely different person from the girl who stuffed a pillow under her door on the first night to keep the cockroaches out. But, the educational system is something that I just don’t understand. Why can’t we have school during exams? Why do we have seven weeks of vacation in the middle of the semester?? For one week, sure – that’s fine. But five weeks of no school because the 12th grade is testing? That’s crazy! I can understand that they want to spread the kids out into many classrooms so they can’t cheat – but come on, there’s ways to work around that without canceling five weeks of school for 2/3 of the students. And Hari Pendidikan? Really?

It’s hard to take teaching and learning seriously when you don’t have class. It’s hard (if not impossible) to learn when you don’t have class. It’s hard to teach when you don’t know when you’re next class will be. There are some classes I hadn’t seen for seven weeks until this week! How are they supposed to learn and how am I supposed to teach part 2 of the lesson we did seven weeks ago?!

My personal adaptation to slow life has changed dramatically. A few months ago, when faced with the prospect of a week’s vacation for semester exams, or even a long weekend because of a holiday, I would come close to a panic attack. What would I do?! How would I survive? (Quite literally… this was before I had a motorcycle to go out and get my own food) How in the world could I possibly fill a whole day with nothing planned?

Well, that’s changed. Dramatically. Somehow that whole week of Final Exams at the end of April passed and I actually dreaded having to return to school and no longer have my days to myself again. I embrace the quiet. I love a day with no plans. I can sleep in. I can take naps after I sleep in. I can go for a long walk. I can read for hours. I can nongkrong (hangout) with Carlie every single day if I want to. I can run all of my errands. And I can still go to bed by 9pm.

Yet somehow, in all those weeks of libur (holidays/vacation) I never found the time (or inclination is probably a better word – I had plenty of time!) to write a blog post. I had plenty to write about. And sometimes I would draft something but never got around to posting it. A lot of it has to do with internet. I’d rather upload pictures when I’m at a cafe and am using wifi – and not my precious data from my modem. And if I go to a cafe, I end up doing other things – like messaging Spencer and figuring out post-grant travel plans, pursuing facebook. etc… But tonight, just as I finished my shower after a lovely evening walk, the power went out. Mati lampu. I hate mati lampu. It’s dark, hot, and boring. Back in February and March we had regularly scheduled mati lampus two or three times a week for weeks. From 5:30pm-9:30 or 10. It was THE WORST. It absolutely killed any plans I may have had with my students or even to be productive and do something at home. Tonight, for the first time in weeks, we got another mati lampu. And at 5:30 too, so I know it will last until at least 9 or 10. On my walk I had decided that tonight I would finally start packing. I’ve got a small suitcase for my post-grant travels. A big one that I’ll leave in jakarta and pick up when we come back to Jakarta before flying home, and another one that I’ll fill with everything that can stay here – most of my batik (traditionally patterned clothes), my yoga mat, my motorcycle helmet, my teaching books, etc. I was finally going to start the process but then… mati lampu.

So instead I had dinner with my kids in the dining hall (for the first time in weeks) and then walked home to my dark, empty house. I studied Bahasa for a bit and then got that twitchy feeling in my fingers and my brain… I wanted to blog. I can’t do anything else so I believe it’s finally time to blog.

So here you go, my friends! I’m sorry for the extremely long and ranting post. This was not at all what I intended to write when I began writing but… it’s what came out.

My computer is about to die so I’ll get this up quick – then I’ll settle into my bed with my kindle and Game of Thrones and wait until the power comes back on… Goodnight friends!

(If you’ve made it to the end of this – congratulations. Thanks for sticking with me as I rambled. If you’re shocked (like I was) at the educational system here in Indonesia, then I’d highly recommend this article, A Nation of Dunces. It’s a fascinating take on education here in Indonesia, and I can attest to having experienced all of the anecdotes she gives… give it a read if you have ten minutes.)

December is busy no matter where you are!

December 30, 2015 by Mackenzie

So I realize it’s been almost a month since I’ve last written. I’ve meant to blog so many times… but things have been all over the map here – the last month has held some of my lowest points in Indonesia (see Not Gonna Sugarcoat It), as well as some of my favorite memories. It also held a little bit of travel as I went to Jogja for Christmas. In addition to the travel and the emotional highs and lows, I’ve suddenly become extremely busy. I’m teaching, tutoring, being tutored, running English clubs, hosting informal hangouts with my students, and also trying to be an adult and keep my house clean, eat something besides instant noodles (haven’t achieved this yet), and exercise here and there. Oh, and internet is always a struggle so uploading pictures and posting a blog post is not nearly as easy as it sounds.

However, it’s Wednesday afternoon, December 30th and school finished early today for the holiday and I’m now nestled into a comfy booth in the corner of a cafe that I just found. With an avocado juice and free wifi, I’m a happy girl.

Which means, an update. So much has happened in the last month and I have no idea where to start…

I just posted today something that I wrote several weeks ago but never had the chance to post. It was my most difficult time yet in Indonesia and everything seemed to be going wrong. I didn’t have internet to post it then, and quickly afterwards things got better and I forgot about it. But today, I saw that unposted post and realized I should probably post it… it’s important to know this isn’t all sugarplums and fairies. So go read that first: Not Gonna Sugarcoat It and then come back and read this and see how things got better 😀

But back to the good… On December 1st, the Christian students and teachers and I all participated in a huge Christmas Parade through the streets of Palangkaraya. It was a blast. I drove over to it with one of the teachers and a bunch of the 10th grade girls. The 10th graders are by far the shyest with me but they loosened up pretty quickly 😀

With the 10th grade girls

Who knew Palangkaraya even had this many people?!

Trying to hi-five every little kid on the sidewalk 😀

I looked like an idiot sprinting through the streets but everyone loved it

On December 2 and 3rd the local tv station came to our school and filmed all of our extra-curriculars for two days. One after another, student groups performed traditional dances, showed off their pantomime skills, did martial arts, etc, and of course showed off their English skills! They filmed my English club – I led the students through a few games while the cameramen went from table to table filming the students and me. Afterwards, they wanted to interview me! I wasn’t nervous at all, but then everyone started telling me how big of a deal this was and then I got really nervous! ha!! But it went well and was super fun! Apparently this will air as an hour-long segment or something? I’m not sure but I’m excited to see whatever it turns out to be!

Microphones and everything!

The tv anchor on the left, me, my student, and the two English teachers

On the second day of filming, about 100 students did a traditional Dayak dance. Of course, they wanted me to participate so into the middle I went! It was hilarious and the tv cameras LOVED it. At one point they had the camera right in my face and I was so bad at the dance but it was hilarious anyways 😀

My school also apparently does the “penguin dance” on fridays so we had to highlight this for the tv station. I’d never done it before (they do it at 6am and I don’t have to come to school that early so I’ve never seen it.) But again, I was placed smack in the front and literally danced in circles with my hands at my sides like a penguin. It was the funniest five minutes…

Chilling with the teachers watching the kids perform

After the craziness of those few days, things settled down a little. I taught classses, began tutoring some girls for the TOEFL exam, started my Bahasa Indonesia tutoring sessions, and spent a lot of time hanging out with the kids. December meant a lot of snowflake making and tree decorating. They LOVED it! I showed a few girls how to make snowflakes and the next night, more girls came over and asked how to make them… for five nights in a row I had kids coming over to make snowflakes! It’s been so fun. And mom sent me a tree making kit – I snagged a few of the girls after dinner and together we made it! I can’t describe to you how cute and excited they were!

Mom sent a Christmas package – I was so, so happy 😀 I didn’t ask for any of it but it was everything I needed or could have wanted!

I also added some decorations to my house… this is my favorite.

The pancake parties have expanded. We now make pancakes and play UNO all the time. We even bought out Hypermart (~Target) of their pancake mix. So… I bought flour and sugar and we’ll try making some from scratch!

They’ve also taken me to the local swimming pool a few times… its so fun! But so many of the kids can’t swim!! They go anyways and I make sure to keep my eye on all of them to make sure no one is drowning! (Of course there are no lifeguards)

Then, the weekend before Christmas, we had a huge Christmas party at school. The students prepared for WEEKS! Which was irritating for me as a teacher, because they kept skipping class to prepare for the show. However, it was very fun (all six hours!) and we took tons of pictures, sang Christmas songs, and received presents. I got two more batik shirts from the school! I have so many now! Oh, and the teachers sang a song… in the traditional Dayak language. Of course, that meant I participated too. All the students were delighted when they saw me on stage singing in Bahasa Dayak!

The teachers practicing for our debut 😉

Tisia and I

On the 25th, I headed to Jogja for my short Christmas vacation! I have so much to share from that trip so I’ll save it for another post 😀 Which I promise is coming soon!

Not Gonna Sugarcoat It

December 30, 2015 by Mackenzie

I wrote this several weeks ago but never posted it – even though I’m long past most of these feelings, I still think it’s important to post. Not everything is fun and exciting… sometimes, it’s just plain hard and frustrating. Thus… not the most upbeat post, but an important one nonetheless.

From around December 11-13:

I’m sure that anyone who has ever undertaken something like this has just been waiting for this moment to happen. “She’s been so positive and upbeat, even through all the smoke and evacuations… when is she going to crash?”

Well, my friends… that time arrived.

I’ll start with the little things… the number of mosquito bites on my arms. Last night I couldn’t fall asleep because I was scratching my arms so hard and had to keep alternating the part of my arm that I was scratching. No kidding. I finally got up and smeared Cortizone cream all over my arms and finally drifted off to sleep.

Until I woke up to La Bamba blasting through the loudspeaker at 4:45am. Usually, this only happens on Friday but folks, today is Monday. And La Bamba (and a number of other songs) were back. UGH. Needless to say, I often don’t sleep well here.

Okay, so then when I do decide to get up around 6:30am, I go into the kitchen and the swarm of mosquitos around my sink and my dishes and in my hand towel is just unbelievable. And this morning, there was also a massive swarm of ants on the wall. Oh, and a dead cockroach on the floor. Like, come on. Give me a break. Please? I’m already certain that I’ve shaved off five years of my life with the amount of chemicals I’ve ingested from my “doom bug spray”. And now the ants are back? And how the hell did that cockroach die? At least it’s already dead?

I changed into my running clothes (after panicking for a moment because I realized that both pairs of leggings and all my sports bras were still wet on the line outside from handwashing them on Sunday – but found my back up pair of leggings and a dirty sports bra – whew) and headed out the door… and realized that the neighbor’s dog has chewed my flats and ruined them. Like, come on. Really?

These are the little things… the daily, annoyances that for the most part, I don’t even realize anymore. The mosquitos are just a normal cloud that I wave my hands through every morning, La Bamba is my opportunity to giggle uncontorablly at 4:45 in the morning, the cockroaches are… well, becoming much easier to kill. For the most part, I hardly notice all that anymore. Except… when everything else seems to be going wrong too.

The last few weeks have been difficult. It’s been slow, frustrating, and lonely. I’m sad to be missing out on the Christmas season. I’m tired of being hot and sweaty. I’m tired of being tired. I’d kill for a hot shower, or better yet, a bath… I cringe at the sight of rice. We’ve hardly had school in the past few weeks and with the Christmas season upon us here, classes and learning seem like the last things on people’s minds.

But it’s hard because I want to be useful! I missed SO much (essentially the entire semester) because of the smoke and now that I’m finally here, we have no school. Three weeks ago, we had a three-day workshop. Two weeks ago, we canceled three days of school for a Christmas parade and then two days of filming for a tv station special about our school. And yes, the Christmas parade was a blast, and then tv filming was hilarious – but what about school? What about learning?

I’ve been back for almost four weeks and I haven’t even taught some of my classes more than once. And while we finally seemed to go back to school last week, we’re still in the “adjust to Mackenzie” stage and therefore, I’m just rolling with the lessons the teachers have prepared (or not prepared). I desperately want to lesson plan with them and work together to make fun and exciting lessons. But with the few school days and the newness of having me here… we just haven’t gotten there yet. And its frustrating. Because I know I could be more helpful! I know I could make the lessons better! But we don’t. And the lessons are boring, they are dry, and the students aren’t learning.

It’s also difficult watching my fellow ETAs travel all over Indonesia and also know that many of them are also getting to travel abroad in the next few weeks for Christmas and New Year’s. At the beginning of the grant, I had every intention of joining them, but due to the smoke, I’m stuck here with only a few days off – nothing long enough to travel abroad with the other ETAs. It’s a bummer. I’m working on a short, domestic travel plan for a few days over Christmas, but the district hasn’t announced the holiday yet so I’m waiting until they do before I book any flights…

Some days I wonder what the hell I’m doing here. The majority of my students have very poor English skills and honestly, have little desire, or need to learn English. Once they graduate high school, will they ever use English again? I took two years of Swahili in college and the only thing I can remember is “Jambo” and “hakuna matata.” When class time isn’t productive, when school is canceled, when the other teachers in my school only talk about my “beautiful, white skin,” I wonder what the hell my role is here. Why is this American woman dropping into this school for a few months to give out candy, high fives, and teach a few new phrases in a language most of them will never need? Honestly I feel like Santa Claus. A mythical, white creature that most people have never seen before, who comes bearing Oleh Oleh (small gifts like candy, postcards, etc from America) who only appears for a short time and then will disappear into the sky…

Okay, I’m being dramatic. I know my role here is so much more than all that. The sleepovers, pancake parties, English clubs, TOEFL tutoring, movie parties, TED talk discussions, swimming excursions, mati lampu sing-a-longs… are more than fulfilling my role as an English teacher and cultural ambassador. I’ve quickly become my students friend and big sister. They talk to me about their crushes, they cry about mean friends, not wanting to disappoint their parents, and being lonely so far away from home. And although I come from a vastly different culture and lifestyle, I can sympathize with them and share my own experiences dealing with each and every one of their concerns.

So, I’ll end on a positive note. Things are beginning to look up. We sorta, kinda, actually, maybe lesson planned today. Or, I at least know what the topics are in each class and ideally what we will do. And I’m making plans to travel for three days at Christmas.

But the biggest life improvement comes in the form of a vehicle with two wheels. Friends, I bought a motorcycle. This summer, I vehemently told myself I was not getting a motorcycle. Why would I ever need that and why would I risk my life and waste my money for such a frivilous thing. Well… it turned out to not be so frivilous. It’s vital. I have been abolutely stuck at school the entire time I’ve been back. I can only be free if someone takes me somewhere. My school is a good 3 miles from the edge of the city. Which means nothing is within walking distance. I needed this badly. And I finally got it. Things are going to get better.

Keluarga Besar

December 2, 2015 by Mackenzie

On our Christmas Parade banner, that we marched through the city streets in the annual Palangkaraya Christmas Parade, were the words, “Keluarga Besar – SMAN 5 Palangkaraya.” And I couldn’t agree more. This school is so special because we are one big family. And let me just tell you, it feels so good to be home and welcomed back into this big family.

After three months of hotel rooms in five different cities, I couldn’t be happier to be back in my mosquito/ant/cockroach/spider/SCORPION-infested house in Palangkaraya. Truly.

But actually… so happy to be back and to see clear sky!

Yeah, my legs are covered in mosquito bites… and yeah, I chased a big-ass spider through my house the other day, finally cornering it in the bathroom and spraying it to death, and YEAH, I came home to a huge scorpion in a corner of the room and went SPRINTING out of my house and straight to the boys’ dorm where I begged them to come rescue me (which they did – and now it’s the story of the dorm… “miss, how big was the scorpion?!” “Miss, the boys said you were so scared!”) – but, despite all my new roommates, it feels unbelievably good to unpack my clothes, move into my house, and finally meet my students.

Had to save this snapchat… This was at the height of the mosquitos versus Mack saga… Mack is currently winning

Mr Scorpion – just before he met his death at the hands of my students

Some of my wonderful students helped me clean my house after being gone for two months!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

And let me just tell you, the students are absolutely the best part about being home. SMAN5 is a boarding school, so all the students live in dorms in the asrama (dorm area) and my house is right in the middle of it all 😀 It’s an incredibly unique experience for me to get to live here with them, to be apart of their lives 24/7 (quite literally – see below) and get to know them on a more personal level, something that would be impossible in the classroom when I have 200-some students.

10th graders Natalia, Meina, and Atika after shyly dropping by to hang out one night

Tisia’s homeroom class is XI-2, which means it’s essentially my homeroom class too. Irsa, Yumela, and Ella.

Ibu Ferra’s son Hardy. We hang out ALL THE TIME <3

My house is nestled next to the houses of two families – Pak Jon and his family and Ibu Ferra and her family. Pak Jon is like the dorm dad and Ibu Ferra is like the dorm mom. Which makes me the dorm big sister?? Really, I feel like some combination of a big sister, super cool RA, camp counselor, and celebrity… Which, I’ll be honest, is exhausting at times, but oh so worth it 😀 The other part I love about these students, and what truly makes it feel like family, is how they all call each other brother and sister. “My brother over there…” or “My sisters…” – at first, I thought everyone was somehow related but have since learned that they all just truly see themselves as one keluarga besar (big family)… and I love it.

And while they are one big, happy family, there is also a very distinct hierarchy between the 10 graders and the 11th and 12th graders. The 10th graders are extremely shy, have extra strict rules, and do the majority of the cleaning and chores. They are always the first ones called when something needs to be fixed or cleaned up. And they have to show deference to the older students by ducking their heads when passing by the older students. The younger students have shorter haircuts and stricter dress codes. They can’t have smartphones and can’t play sports with the older students. They eat in a separate dining room and must eat silently (which is a problem when I eat dinner with them and cause disruptions trying to talk to the girls at my table – ooops). When 11th and 12th graders have free time, the 10th graders are generally sweeping or cleaning up the asrama. The 11th and 12th graders were exposed to the ETA last year, Emily, and so they already feel more comfortable speaking to a native speaker like me. The 10th graders however, are generally terrified of me. We are very slowly overcoming this 🙂 In class, I’m trying extremely hard to learn all my students’ names. I see other teachers calling the students, “boy!” or “Girl!” and honestly, I find that pretty rude. I believe that one way I can give back to these students for welcoming me and taking care of me is at the very least learning their names. While you might think this a simple task, it becomes a little more difficult when you count up nine classes x 25-30 students (225 or so total – and then there are another 100 12th graders no less) and then consider the fact that this is a military school and ALL THE STUDENTS HAVE THE SAME HAIRCUT. I cannot tell you how difficult this is. But I’m trying. Really hard. I made charts of where everyone sits in the classroom and I continually ask the student’s their names. At this point (only a week’s worth of effort), I’ve got probably 50 or so students down… and a long way to go.

After the students finish classes, they generally have at least some portion of the afternoon and evening free to do homework and play soccer or hang out. In small groups, the students have discovered that my door is open to them (literally) and since I’ve been back, they’ve begun visiting me more and more frequently. Following what I see from my neighbors (Pak Jon and Ibu Ferra), I generally keep my door open whenever I’m home. I’ve told the students that if my door is open, they are more than welcome to stop by and say hi, hang out, practice English, work on their homework… and they do!! Some happen to be walking by and see me sitting outside and will wave and maybe stop to talk for a bit, others will shyly ask if I’m busy and whether they can look at the pictures on my walls, some bring me snacks, others bring their homework. It’s absolutely adorable. Some have better English than others… a few of the girls will ask for my phone and type things in to the translator… this one made my heart burst!

<3 <3 <3

Bananagrams on my porch with 12th graders Anggun, Lisa, and Simon

When it rains, it POURS. And turns the field into a lake…

As this is a military style boarding school, the students are much more rigorously scheduled than most 15 year olds. They wake up at 4am and go running – chanting all along the way. This past week, they were up and chanting by 3:30am. WHAT?! As my house is literally next to where they line up and chant, the students have become my alarm clock. I obviously don’t get up at 3:30 with them (although they have asked if I want to go running with them – I declined for now) but I definitely wake up every morning at 3:30 and lay there until they run out of the asrama – although a few times a week, they actually run in circles around the swamp in the middle of the asrama, and my house is right next to the path. Clomp, clomp, clomp… chant, chant, chant… Lol. What is my life?

I usually fall back asleep until they begin chanting again at 5:45am as they line up for breakfast. Then maybe around 6:00am I stumble out of bed as they march off to the classrooms. Classes are from 6:30-3:30, although the school district added two (I think) hours of class a day for a few weeks to make up for the seven lost weeks of class due to the smoke. During those few weeks, the students had class from 6:30am-5pm – with only a short break for lunch. Can you imagine that??!! 11 hours? WHAT?! But thankfully, we’re done with that now.

I teach the entire 10th and 11th grade – nine classes total. My classes are in the morning, ranging from 6:30am-1:00pm. I may run in the morning and then I will head to school a little before my first class, stop by the teacher’s lounge to say good morning and meet Tisia or Bu Juniar and then we’ll head to class. Classes are a blast and definitely the highlight of my day – I’ll share more in a later post. After class, I’ll either get lunch with some of the teachers, go to the small canteen/food stand across from the school or wait until 2pm when the students have lunch. After lunch, the students go back to class and I head home. I usually take a nap or chill in my AC bedroom – cooling down after the horribly hot, sticky morning. When the students finish around 3:30, I like to go sit outside on my porch and read and watch the boys play soccer. This is when a lot of the students walk by and I like to be outside to make my presence more comfortable for them. Plus, I want to hang out with them!

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Miss Mackenzie in her element! (And wearing a traditional sasirangan from Banjarmasin)

One of my 10th grade classes working in groups on an assignment

Miss Mackenzie is quite the distraction… particularly when she walks by the 10th grade PE class (and here I’m wearing a batik dress with a Bandung motif – I had a number of dresses, shirts, and skirts made with the material I’ve bought from different cities!)

Lunch at my favorite restaurant with some of the administration (Ibu Lusni on the right – I can’t remember the Pak on the left, oops)

Nasi pecel <3 <3 rice, spinach, chicken, and tempe smothered in peanut sauce... my favorite dish

Nasi pecel – my favorite Indonesian dish. Rice, sauteed (I think?) spinach and tempe smothered in peanut sauce, and topped with peanuty crackers. YUM

At 5:45pm they line up for dinner and I follow them over. I usually have a number of tables of students offering for me to eat with them. I jump around between the different buildings – some meals with the 10th graders, some with 11th or 12th graders in building 1, other nights with 11th or 12th graders in building 2… Whoever wants me, gets me… and I love it. After dinner, I leave my door open and some nights students will come over and bring their homework or just stay to chat. By 8:30pm, my door is closed and I’m getting ready for bed! I’ll read or chill until about 10 and then I’m sound asleep!

Dinner time in the 10th grade dining hall!

This was lunch in the dorm one day… a fish head. See his eye??

This was a lucky meal because we actually had vegetables with our mostly-bone meat…

A very typical meal in the dorms. Some kind of meat, a piece of eggplant, and a lot of rice

Spontaneous English Club last night... in my house :D I love that my house is big enough to do this!

Spontaneous English Club last night… in my house 😀 I love that my house is big enough to do this!

My sweet, sweet girls Saskia, Irsa, Dian, and Erline. I spend a lot of time with these 4 <3

This has become my routine in the last two weeks that I’ve been at school. It’s a wonderfully slow, comfortable pace. I’m reading more books then I’ve read in years (thanks to everyone who sent me recommendations! I’m working my way through them!! So far I’ve read: The Midwife’s Revolt, Ashley’s War, Station Eleven, Missoula, The Goldfinch, If You Follow Me, and Between the World and Me). I’m napping when I need to nap. I’m going for runs. I’m spending a lot of time with 15 year olds talking about crushes, dreams about going abroad, college scholarships… we make pancakes on Sundays and I went to the stadium to watch the boys play soccer one Saturday. I think we’re even having a sleepover at my house this weekend. Life is pretty perfect.

Pancake parties – 11th graders Dian and Irsa

I am anxious to get a motorcycle so I can finally leave school on my own. Right now, I’m confined to the school campus unless I go on a run or a walk. But there is nothing but tiny warungs (food stalls) within walking distance and I feel very cooped up. Hopefully that will change soon and then I can go to the store on my own, visit Carlie, go to the market, go to the coffee shop (and free wifi! yeah!), expand my meal options, and escape when it’s mati lampu (blackout) – which as I’m writing the very end of this right now, the power just turned off and we have been plunged into darkness. All of the students are at dinner (I skipped because I’m not hungry for more rice) and the yell from 300 students suddenly plunged into darkness was quite funny. But, besides the mati lampu, the scorpions, the never-ending rice, and the lack of transportation… I’m pretty darn content.

Oh! And I finally got my KITAS. So I’m actually legal now. Party on…

Tisia (my counterpart and the 11th grade English teacher) and Bu Juniar (the 10th grade English teacher). I spend most of my time at school with these lovely ladies.

Mackenzie

A Look Back