Welcome to Kendari!

August 29, 2016 by Mackenzie

“I can’t believe I’m doing this again” has been the thought swirling in my mind for the last several days. It’s Monday afternoon and I’m nearing the end of my fifth day at site. I’m exhausted. I haven’t been able to get through a day yet without at least an hour, but usually a two hour, nap. I can’t imagine the poor new ETAs who are dealing with jetlag on top of exhaustion from site!

The newness of it all is overwhelming. Seeking out new places to eat, seeking out new places to buy pulsa and data (phone credit), meeting 66 new teachers and some 700 students. It’s purely exhausting. My counterpart asked me today why I haven’t asked the ibu (mother, mrs.) in charge of my house for help buying the things I need, and my answer was that in the afternoon, when I finally get home, I just pass out exhausted!

Kendari is HOT. My weather app says it is 88 degrees, but “feels like 92” with 75% humidity. It’s fairly similar to Palangkaraya, almost the exact same distance from the equator. What is not cool, pun intended, is my very minimally working AC. My room is large – and there is a partial wall separating the front and back rooms which the AC has to cover both of. This means the AC makes zero difference. I have a fan and that helps a lot but I don’t have a respite from the heat until late at night, when suddenly my AC seems to kick into gear and cools everything down. Or maybe it’s just the temperature dropping… who knows. I suppose it’s nice that my nights are cool but gah, my days are just hot.

I’m going to pause in my site description and tell you that I currently have some 15-odd children yelling, screaming, and banging outside my house. My house is next to a basketball court, the hoop is attached to my wall actually, and this is where all the neighborhood kids play every, and I mean every afternoon. It’s cute but gosh they are loud. I’m not sure I can handle this every afternoon… They have asked me to teach them English, which I’m excited to do, but it’s hard to imagine that right now when I come home from school and just want to sleep. Although I can’t exactly sleep because they are so loud…

However loud they are, they are pretty adorable <3

I asked them all to write down their names and ages in my notebook…

Picking up all the leaves in front of my house <3

Kendari is beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. The city is set around a bay and what is not open to the ocean is surrounded by mountains. I’m so looking forward to exploring the city and surrounding areas!

Sunset at Kendari Beach

I am very, very lucky to be living in the middle of the city. Last year, I was living outside the city, a ten minute motorcycle ride from the nearest anything. This year, I’m in the heart of the city! There is a huge plaza/tower area called MTQ in the center of the city and I live a two minute walk from it! In the evenings there are tons of food stalls that open up around MTQ and in the afternoons, lots of people go walk or jog around the “track” inside the plaza. I cannot believe my good fortune in living literally across the street, especially considering how far away I lived from anything last year. There are plenty of warungs (small food stalls) nearby and even a stellar restaurant/coffee shop/hangout place called Kopi Kita, which is no more than a five minute walk from my house. They’ve got every kind of jus (juice) you could want along with every kind of sugary coffee concoction. Plus great food at very reasonable prices. At 7:30 every night (yes, I’ve been there three times in five days), they have live music. Oh, and EXCELLENT wifi. Andddd, it’s right in between Kate’s (one of my sitemates) house and my house so we can both meet there very easily! My other sitemate, Shelby lives pretty nearby us too so we are very lucky to all be living close to each other!

The tower at MTQ that I believe is a spaceship

The plaza area below the tower where I can run/walk

My house itself is a ruko (rumah toko ~ store house). Basically, the building used to be a store (selling hijabs, I think) and they have turned it into a house for me. Everyone outside of Kendari (my friends in Pky and AMINEF) find it very funny that I’m living in a ruko. When Rizqi (from AMINEF) visited Kendari in July to check the housing and talk with the school, it was still very much a store, and zero part a house. But they built a partition wall and added a bed, a wardrobe, and a vanity and now it’s working out as a house! The front is a huge storefront, complete with floor to ceiling windows and a legit store front door, which I chain up when I leave. The bathroom is nice for Indo and there is a third room in the back that theoretically acts as a kitchen… but has yet to have any means of cooking anything inside. It’s definitely working out and as soon as I get a few more things, a fridge, a rice cooker, a few extension cords, a non-leaking water dispenser, working AC, outlets not falling out of the wall, etc I’ll be happy with this as my home for the next year 🙂

Welcome to my ruko!

Left side of front room

Middle view of front room

Right side

The middle room is the bedroom

From the back corner looking forward

Back room ~ tbd kitchen

Bathroom

The ruko is on the property of, and right in front of, a family’s house. They take care of me – taking me to the store, fixing things for me, etc. They don’t speak English so it’s an excellent opportunity to practice my Bahasa! They have taken me to dinner with them several times already – the mom has 9 siblings and they usually all have dinner together at grandma’s house! Now I’m part of the family too! 😀

Host-sisters 🙂 Pia, Cinta, and Nisa

And finally, my school! This year I’m teaching at a madrasah, an Islamic school. Public schools in Indonesia are called SMA #, vocational schools are SMK #, and madrasahs are MAN #. So this year, my school is called MAN 1 Kendari. It’s quite large, at least compared to SMA 5 last year. There are 66 teachers and my guess is around 600-700 students. Last year my school had maybe 30 teachers and 350 students… The school compound itself is so different from SMA 5. Whereas last year, the school was quite rural and surrounded a huge soccer field, this school is right in the city with a dozen buildings or so, some two story, most facing an inner courtyard. All the teachers and students at this school are Muslim, except me. That means that every female is wearing a headscarf, except me. AMINEF requires schools to not force ETAs to wear a headscarf, so while I’m sure the school would love to see me in one, they won’t be haha 😀 I do however, have to wear clothes that cover me from collarbone, to wrists, to ankles. Unfortunately, most of my batik from last year is not made in that style so I’m struggling a bit on that front – but I’ll get some things made soon and have plenty of things to wear soon enough.

Selfies with my fellow teachers!

My students are adorable and oh so sweet. It looks like I’ll be teaching 13 classes this year, for a total of 25 teaching hours. This is more than last year (9 classes, 18 hours) so I’m fairly confident I’m going to continue being exhausted and have to take naps every day… I’ll teach mostly tenth grade with two eleventh grade classes as well, I think. I have four different coteachers (compared to 2 last year), which means a lot of different lesson planning… Basically, lots of adjusting to do this year! However, MAN 1 seems like a VERY organized school, with classes starting and ending when they are supposed to, teachers going to their classes, etc. I am a big fan of this 😀 See this post for what happened last year…

Many times this week I’ve thought, “I can’t believe I’m doing this again”. This is hard. Even though it’s my second time it’s hard. Living in an area with very few other foreigners means I often feel like a monkey in a cage where everyone wants to take pictures with me. After a year of this, I’m sooooo done with the “Mister, foto?” or the sneaky pictures when they don’t even ask you. Adjusting to a new school is hard… I’m unfamiliar with the customs and routine of things. I don’t know where to get food, I don’t know how long I’m expected to stay at school… It’s the same as any new job but add the burden of another culture, another language, another religion, and this oppressive heat and it’s a whole new battle. The living conditions aren’t bad, but I sometimes still wonder why I’m doing this again when I could be living much more comfortably somewhere else, near to my family and friends, and in a place where I speak the language and can get around…

But I know that once I get to know these faces, it will all be so worth it.

This first week is hard, and I need to remember that SMA 5 was hard that first week too. But I came to love it and I miss it so much. Remembering my students and life there, helps and hurts as I adjust here… I’m grateful for Tisia, my best friend and counterpart last year, who helped me with so, so much those first weeks there and who I became so close to so fast. Things are different here and while I know that I will eventually know my new counterpart and coteachers well, it will take time. I’ll eventually know the names of my students, as I did at SMA 5, and we will eventually get to hang out and explore together. I’ll eventually know my neighbors like I did Ibu Vera and Ibu Riana and their kids, Hardy, Monique, and Rian. I’ll eventually know where I can find a great breakfast, like I did with Mama Ina every day. I’ll eventually adjust to life here, just like I did at SMAN 5.

But for now, it’s enough to say that adjustment is tough, Kendari is hot, and the community here is wonderful <3

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!

The End

May 23, 2016 by Mackenzie

“Oh my god, I’m going home”

This thought crossed my mind as we begin the descent into Bali. And no, I don’t mean that Bali is home. It’s just the fact that it’s here. The day has come. It’s May 23rd. My Fulbright grant is over. I don’t actually head home for another two weeks but the closing of one door and the opening of another is huge. This journey I’ve been on for the last nine months has come to a close. I’m now on a new journey – a journey of traveling and fun adventures with my brother before I go home in 12 days. That’s just wild.

This thought came with a myriad of emotions – I’m so excited to see my family and enjoy the modern conveniences of life in America. I’m about to go on the most incredible two week vacation of my life. But I’m also distraught at the fact that at the end of this trip I’m not going back to my friends and kids in Palangka Raya.

The last week has been one of the most emotional weeks of my life. My leaving seemed to hit me on Wednesday as I said started my class. I said my usual, “good morning. How are you?” and then my voice caught in my throat as I realized that my opportunities to do this were quickly coming to a close. I started to tear up and I couldn’t speak. My students looked lovingly, but sadly at me as we all realized the truth – this was the end. I had to let Spencer take over and introduce himself as I pulled myself together to teach.

Thursday was 10x worse. I teared up again saying goodbye to my morning class. While I waited for my next class in the teacher’s lounge I noticed so much scurrying and whispers. Sure enough, Tisia told me to “go to class” but all the teachers followed me and instead of walking toward my class we walked toward the Aula (auditorium), where I realized they were surprising me with a farewell party. I walked in to the room of 250 kids singing my favorite Indonesian pop song and I burst into tears. I stood at the front as they sang and I cried. I sang with them, walked up the aisle to better see them all, and sobbed my eyes out. My sweet, sweet kids… This was it. This was the end.

My farewell party was beautiful. My kids sang, my headmaster, Tisia and several of my kids gave speeches. I gave an impromptu speech. I was given so many gifts and cards. I salaamed (shook hands/high fived/hugged/hand to forehead) all 300 students. I took a bazillion selfies. I went through my whole pack of tissues. It was so, so special and I couldn’t believe that this whole thing was for me. I truly sobbed through the whole thing.

Officially a Dayak Queen

Teachers of SMAN 5

Afterwards, all of the teachers in the school took me out to lunch. All 25+ of us piled into the back room of a restaurant and took over two huge tables as we shared one last meal all together. It was so special.

Friday morning was incredibly hard. I took Spencer to the airport and then went home to begin packing. I ran to the photocopy store for some last minute printing and got teary saying goodbye to them. Then driving back home I really cried. This was it.

I met Tisia for breakfast at Mama Ina’s – the tiny warung across the street from my school where I have eaten breakfast at least 5 days a week for the last nine months. We were both quiet as we ate, holding back tears. I gave Mama Ina a photo of the two of us in her shack and she stuck it on the wall – and then I actually cried. That was the end.

Mama Ina’s

I picked up my bag and began walking to class. As I walked down the hallway one last time I couldn’t hold back the tears. My sweet, sweet kids were hanging out everywhere and this was the last time I’d walk this hall and talk to them. That broke my heart.

I made it through most of my one and only Friday class. Tisia was conspicuously absent and I kept texting her asking where she was… she told me later she was hiding in the teacher’s lounge because she couldn’t bear to see my cry teaching my last class. So instead, after I finished teaching we both sat outside the teachers lounge and cried. I was done. I’d taught my last class.

Tisia, bu Yuyun, and bu Cristin took me out for lunch and batik shopping. The teachers all pitched in to buy me traditional Dayak batik but they wanted me to choose it – we wandered the store for at least an hour choosing our favorites and picking what I wanted. I finally settled on two beautiful fabrics – I can’t wait to get them tailored when I come back in August. Lunch was hard. I was so happy to be with them but so sad at the reality that this was our last lunch together. Tisia couldn’t even look at me. The few times we made eye contact, we would both become teary eyed.

We finally went back to my house and then it was just me and Tisia. She had told me earlier that morning that she was going to Banjarmasin that night. She couldn’t take me to the airport. It would be too hard. I gave her her gifts – a wooden sign with the quote “good friends are like stars, you can’t always see them but you know they’re always there” and a framed picture of the two of us. She gave me mine but wouldn’t let me open it – it’s in my America-bound suitcase to be opened there.

I started really crying as the moment finally arrived. She was leaving and we had to say goodbye. She was so strong and held it together – I absolutely did not. Even now, three days later, I’m tearing up remembering this moment. She finally left and as she walked from my house, through the asrama, and to school – I sobbed, my shoulders heaving, as she walked away. It took everything in me to not go running after her, to not beg her to stay, to not beg her to let me stay, to not have to say goodbye. Once she had gone around the corner I sat on my bed and absolutely wept.

Once I was a little more composed, I hopped back on my motorcycle and drove to the last few places/people that I wanted to say goodbye to. I gave my mechanic a USA t-shirt – he always wears a Dayak t-shirt and I thought it would be a fun memory of me to have a USA t-shirt. Plus, he’s saved me so many times with my motorcycle. I owe him so much.

I stopped at my other favorite warung. I’ve only been there maybe 10 times but the family is so incredibly sweet and the daughter is the most outgoing little girl I’ve ever met. I love them. I brought them candy, pennies, and a big USA beach ball. They absolutely loved it all and we spent an hour catching up and saying goodbye.

Finally, I stopped at my favorite little cafe but instead of going inside, or saying something to the people who work there – I stopped because I wanted to say thank you and goodbye to the parkir (parking) guy. He was shocked – but I loved it. I thanked him for always having a smile through the rain and the heat. He’s always someone I can count on to make me feel a little less alone. I teared up saying goodbye to him. To the parkir guy!! You know you’ve found a community when you cry over your parkir and photocopy people.

A few of my girls helped me pack that evening. We ate one final dinner together in the dorm. I held it together as best as I could. A lot of girls came over that night to make s’mores and hang out. It was a night of memories that I’ll keep with me for a long time. Saying goodbye to them ripped my heart out. My sweet girls have made all the difference for me. We sobbed and sobbed and sobbed.

By 11pm I had sent all the girls home. I needed to finish packing, to write up a report for AMINEF, finish my letter for Tisia, and try and squeeze some sleep in there somewhere. I slept about three hours that night on top of only three the night before – so on top of my emotions I was just an exhausted mess.

Saturday morning dawned bright and early. I finished packing and brought all my stuff to the porch. At 6:15 my kids all lined up to march to school. Knowing this was my last chance to see them, I ran to the front of the gate and then waved goodbye to them all as they marched through. I took a video of it as they marched but it’s incredibly shaky because I’m sobbing through the whole thing.

Finally, with the kids off to school I got in the bus and headed to the airpot. Six of my sweet girls accompanied me to the airport and I sat in a daze, doing my best to hold back my tears, as we drove away from school one last time. The airport was so hard. All these strangers watched me sob through my goodbyes. I was a beautiful mess. After a lot of hugs, photos, and tears I let them go and headed inside. I was sitting at the gate when my phone rings. It’s two of my 12th grade students and they had driven all the way from the village to surprise me at the airport and say goodbye (they graduated two weeks ago). I ran sprinting back through the (tiny) airport to the front where I swept them both into a huge hug. These girls are two of the best English speaking students in the school and I had tutored them twice a week for several months. It meant so much to me to see them again.

Saying goodbye to my girls at the airport

Finally, I made my way back through the airport and onto my plane. I tried to call my mom but could only say two sentences before I broke into tears and had to hang up. I climbed up the stairs and onto the plane and realized with dismay that I was in a middle seat. I squeezed in between two older men and promptly continued to weep, at the sheer panic of the men on either side of me. Gosh, I’d love to be able to read their minds.

By the time I got to Jakarta I was drained. It had happened, it was done, I was on my way to the next journey. I miss them all terribly but I think having a fun couple of weeks traveling before heading home is just what I need to cure my downcast spirit. And hey, night one in this villa ain’t too shabby a way to start.

Dear SMAN 5

May 22, 2016 by Mackenzie

To my Family at SMAN 5,

I didn’t sleep Friday because my heart hurt so much. And now, as I’m completely exhausted and trying to sleep on the plane, I can only picture your faces and our memories together and I can’t sleep and can only cry. I’m stuck in a middle seat with two old men next to me and I think they think I’m crazy.

I know I’ve cried a lot over the last few days – you say “jangan menangis” (don’t cry) but my love for you is overflowing and I can’t keep it inside of me. These tears are my love.

You are my family. You’ve been there with me through it all – my highs, my lows, every moment of every day in these last nine months. I wouldn’t trade living in the asrama for anything. Not a mansion, not a beachside villa, not even my home in America. My home is with you and I’m leaving a huge chunk of my heart there.

Thanks for saving me from scorpions (shout out to Loge!) and rats, for making pancakes and s’mores with me, for playing UNO and Bananagrams, for always inviting me to eat at your table in the RM (dining hall), for singing and chanting at all hours of the day, for teaching me Bahasa Indonesia and Bahasa Dayak… I’ll carry these memories with me forever. Whenever someone says, “Selamat Pagi” (good morning) I’ll be waiting for you all to shout, “SELAMAT PAGI!” (shouted – military style)

I’ll never forget our Scout Camp, when you all hugged me and got me covered in mud and then we swam in the swamp together. And then you walked all night long and I was waiting for you in the roundabout but I fell asleep on the ground before you got there. When we did aerobics and the penguin song in the morning and then as you were all lined up, someone played “Timber” and I started to dance. I messed up your apel (announcement ceremony at the end of each day) as we danced together and you laughed. These are memories I’ll keep forever.

All my love,

Miss Mackenzie

Each of my nine classes on our last day together

My last night in the dorm – we made s’mores, played bananagrams, laughed, and cried

Last day of school – I totally interrupted and messed up their afternoon military ceremony 😛

Saying goodbye to my girls at the airport

I love you SMAN 5!

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.)

National WORDS Competition

April 20, 2016 by Mackenzie

My last post was about our local WORDS competition – and now I get to share with you about the National WORDS competition!

The Palangka Raya girls set off Sunday morning for the big city. We stayed at a fancy hotel in downtown Jakarta which was a treat for the students but a REALLY big treat for us ETAs! Hot showers, bath tubs, the biggest and most delicious breakfast buffet I’ve ever seen… Three days was not enough there…

Sunday evening we all dressed up in our fancy clothes for the welcoming dinner – it was fun to watch the students mingle shyly with each other and size each other up before the competition the following day.

I was part of the Pesta (party) People 2k16 team that organized some fun activities for the kids throughout the weekend. After the dinner we organized an oleh-oleh exchange, where the kids each brought some kind of special food or gift from their region and we randomly paired them up so they had a new friend to exchange gifts with! It was adorable watching them introduce each other, share about their gifts, and then continue chatting and making new friends.

Pesta People 2k16 (Bryan, Kendra, and me)

Counting off students… I’ve gotten real good at that as a teacher this year 😉

My student Telsy, and a student from Manado, exchanging their Oleh Oleh

Love this shot they captured of us!

Monday morning was a blur of nerves and excitement. One by one the students delivered their speech and talent before the panel of judges and audience. They were all incredibly impressive and so fun to watch. I’m glad I wasn’t a judge!

Nervously awaiting our turn! #27

The two palangka raya girls quickly bonded!

Finally, it was Telsy’s turn! I gave a short introduction and then she took the stage! Telsy’s speech was about wanting to motivate people, become a tv producer, and be a tourist ambassador of Central Kalimantan – and so she wore a beautiful traditional Dayak costume.

She sang a beautiful traditional Dayak song called Itak Gumer

Wow-ing the audience with her mandau knife – all the ETA boys immediately looked at me and said, “How did she get that on the plane?!” “Indonesia…” I replied.

I was so proud of her. She delivered her speech flawlessly, sang beautifully, and danced to perfection. It was all I could have asked for and more <3

All the ETAs and their impressive students!

Afterwards she was even taken aside by the media for an interview!

After the competition, the Pesta People 2k16 took the crew out for an evening of lasertag and mini golf. None of the students had ever done laser tag before and they LOVED it. We were hot, sweaty, and happy!

The next day, after the students had toured Jakarta and the ETAs had a debriefing meeting – we took the kids out to go ice skating! Unfortunately, traffic kept a lot of ETAs and students from making it there before it closed but at least some of the kids got to try it!

Carlie and Fati (her student) ice skating and Telsy and I watching them from above!

However, seeing as the rink was in the middle of a mall, that meant we had the whole evening to explore the mall! I don’t think our girls had ever seen a mall like this – maybe only in the movies! We wandered through every floor window-shopping, buying any treats the girls wanted, and meandering a bookstore where I was inspired to try reading a book in Bahasa Indonesia. I crazily chose The Girl on the Train as my beginner novel… And the girls laughed at me as I tried to read the first paragraph and couldn’t make out anything but a few words here and there. But I’m determined! I’ve now read a whole two pages in the week since I bought it 😉

Ice cream filled crepes

Trying Korean Odon noodles for dinner! And it was their first time using chopsticks 😀

Her first starbucks!

Mall crawlers

We truly had a blast – it was a weekend of so many firsts for the kids and that made it so special. I was sad to say goodbye to Carlie and the girls on Wednesday when they headed for home, while I stayed a few extra days in Jakarta to prepare for next year’s incoming cohort with the other SETAs (Senior ETAs).

It was a fabulous week!

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