Today was a pretty normal day in Palembang, but with a few added perks. I just got back from a trip to Bali and Flores with a some other lovely ETAs (I promise I'll post on that trip, along with my trip to Yogya back in October sometime soon!). It was a blast and I was a little bummed to be returning from the awesome adventure.
The morning started out rough, with motorcycle horns and roosters (plus the call to prayer) going non-stop from 5am until I got out of bed at 7am. I then went out looking for a Western Union (my new ATM card still hasn't arrived), and it wasn't as hot as I was expecting, and the trek wasn't as far as I was expecting. So things were looking good. Then the folks at the bank were very friendly, and the girl who helped me out wanted a photo afterwards, it was cute.
I stopped to get gado-gado at my favorite little corner stall, and had a nice chat with the ladies who work there. Then a guy walking by stopped to chat. He was nice, and it turns out he had studied in the US a few years ago, we chatted about Palembang and the US, and then he told me he owned all the little shops in the area, and that my gado-gado was free! Then he passed me a cold iced tea and told me that if I wanted help getting a bicycle or a motorbike, he'd be happy to help. I told him I didn't know how to drive a motorbike, then he pointed to his son and said he'd give me lessons if I wanted. It was great!
Then I went to school, and I was swarmed with love! The teachers told me how much they missed me, and how excited they were for our upcoming trip. Everyone was friendly and funny, and it made me happy to be back at school, which I wasn't expecting to feel. I learned more about our trip (I leave for Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia with my school tomorrow, yippee!) and I started to look forward to the trip even more.
After school I took a nap and headed to the radio station. My Ibu offered my a motorcycle ride which was nice (and saved my time, money, and the sweaty discomfort of an angkot ride). At the station I got to see some of my absolute favorite people in Palembang, and catch up a little bit. I also did some voice over work for their upcoming New Year's Eve party. It's pretty cool to know my voice is going to be on the radio waves over here. One of the producers also asked if I could talk on the show tonight about my favorite/the best live show I've been to (Elton John/Billy Joel for sure). It's funny because they are so excited and grateful for the efforts, but it's seriously my pleasure, not everyone gets the chance to talk on air.
It has been a pretty low-key day, but it has just been the best of all my favorite things around town. I really needed this day to feel good about being in Palembang. I have an awesome opportunity to travel around Indonesia and SE Asia, and it's easy to enjoy yourself on vacations with friends, but it's something else to be comfortable and happy in the place you actually live doing your normal routine. And today was a nice do and see my favorite things around Palembang, and the things I can look forward to on a daily basis.
Friday, December 14, 2012
Monday, December 3, 2012
Days like this are why I'm here.
One of the teachers I work with gets lazy and rather than actually teaching class, she just encourages students to ask me questions. Usually it's like pulling teeth to get students to ask me questions in English in front of the whole class. But they are much more confident in small groups. Today I had class with this teacher, and after trying to get kids to talk, her interest had shifted to a few students that were near her, and I moved to the back of the class in hopes of making myself more approachable. It worked like a charm.
There are some students in each class who are really curious about American culture, and some who have really good English, and a few who fall into both of those categories. Usually the curious ones all surround me and those who speak better English will serve as translators. In today's class, there was one student who I've had good conversations with before, and he asks great questions that lead to neat discussions and cultural understandings. I was sitting near him, and just as I had hoped, he started asking me questions. We talked about American high schools, and how they are different, than Indonesian high schools, including the topics of school uniforms, subjects studied, elective courses, what high school students like to do, etc. Then we talked about how life is different in big cities verse small towns, how the East coast is different than the West coast, where different states are located. It was a great environment where I talked about whatever topics they wanted to know about. One kid asked what Broadway was, and included a clarification between the city and the state of New York.
The students were very respectful and understood what questions might be uncomfortable for me to field, but we had built up some trust and understanding, so I was happy to aid in the cultural exchange. We talked about racism, religious views, discrimination, prejudice, and why they exist, different views people have in America and in Indonesia, and it was awesome. I left feeling so energized, and excited to be here. This was why I was here. Yes I am an English teaching assistant, but I feel like that's just an excuse to get me into a high school where I can have meaningful conversations with inspired/inspiring young people.
Usually at the end of the day I'm pooped and I want to take a nap, but like I said, this talk left me more energized than I'd been in awhile, and I still had a few hours of daylight left. So I went out for a walk. Usually I walk along the main road, just so I don't get lost, but there was a back road I had seen last week that I was eager to check out, so I set off on an outing. It was nice being off the main road, much more peaceful, more foliage, less garbage, more color, it was very lovely. When I returned to the main road I was quite thirsty, and as I was walking along I came across a coconut stand. So I sat down and enjoyed fresh coconut milk with ice. It was magical.
On my final stretch home, I was passed by a number of my students, all of them beaming at me while they say "Hi Miss!" Whenever I am feeling down, it is always my students that cheer me up. Their enthusiasm is the greatest thing to have around. It's nice to be in a place where hundreds of people are happy you are there, and smile at you whenever they see you. Days like this are why I'm here.
There are some students in each class who are really curious about American culture, and some who have really good English, and a few who fall into both of those categories. Usually the curious ones all surround me and those who speak better English will serve as translators. In today's class, there was one student who I've had good conversations with before, and he asks great questions that lead to neat discussions and cultural understandings. I was sitting near him, and just as I had hoped, he started asking me questions. We talked about American high schools, and how they are different, than Indonesian high schools, including the topics of school uniforms, subjects studied, elective courses, what high school students like to do, etc. Then we talked about how life is different in big cities verse small towns, how the East coast is different than the West coast, where different states are located. It was a great environment where I talked about whatever topics they wanted to know about. One kid asked what Broadway was, and included a clarification between the city and the state of New York.
The students were very respectful and understood what questions might be uncomfortable for me to field, but we had built up some trust and understanding, so I was happy to aid in the cultural exchange. We talked about racism, religious views, discrimination, prejudice, and why they exist, different views people have in America and in Indonesia, and it was awesome. I left feeling so energized, and excited to be here. This was why I was here. Yes I am an English teaching assistant, but I feel like that's just an excuse to get me into a high school where I can have meaningful conversations with inspired/inspiring young people.
Usually at the end of the day I'm pooped and I want to take a nap, but like I said, this talk left me more energized than I'd been in awhile, and I still had a few hours of daylight left. So I went out for a walk. Usually I walk along the main road, just so I don't get lost, but there was a back road I had seen last week that I was eager to check out, so I set off on an outing. It was nice being off the main road, much more peaceful, more foliage, less garbage, more color, it was very lovely. When I returned to the main road I was quite thirsty, and as I was walking along I came across a coconut stand. So I sat down and enjoyed fresh coconut milk with ice. It was magical.
On my final stretch home, I was passed by a number of my students, all of them beaming at me while they say "Hi Miss!" Whenever I am feeling down, it is always my students that cheer me up. Their enthusiasm is the greatest thing to have around. It's nice to be in a place where hundreds of people are happy you are there, and smile at you whenever they see you. Days like this are why I'm here.
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