Reaching for Global Teaching

My Final Reflections…

9/3/2017

As my travel experience and fellowship come to a close, I had some time to process and reflect on what I have learned. I have woven those lessons throughout my blog, but now I step back and see an entire year of growth. Growth that has been personal, professional, and even spiritual for me.

I went into this experience with excitement, and hope, and BIG PLANS of where it would lead me! And now I come out of the journey...still with excitement, and hope, and BIG PLANS. The only difference now is that I view the excitement, hope, and plans through the lenses of others. Isn’t that what intercultural relationships are suppose to do?!? Well- mission accomplished!

This experience has opened my eyes to possibilities...possibilities for others to see what I saw. I hope I painted a picture of Indonesia for those of you that never get a chance to visit. My accounts of the people I met, the challenges I went through, the spiritual reminders I received, and the AHA moments of truth, do not fully describe the entire country. But it becomes a starting point for growth and curiosity, which is what life-long learning entails.

My own curiosity began when I received the news of my travel location and I was issued the task of conducting ‘research’ on a particular question of my own design. As I discussed earlier, that question evolved from how teachers teach sustainability to, “How are Indonesian teachers preparing globally competent students with 21st century skills?” Throughout my time visiting classrooms and viewing teaching practices, I would have to summarize my findings by saying that teachers ARE preparing students in some ways, but there is still a lot more work to be done.
I referenced World Savvy’s Global Competence Matrix (see more under “STUDY” tab) as a tool to help me reflect on my answers to this question. I found Indonesian teachers and students are very well-versed in the component of “Values and Attitudes”, but need more development in the areas of “Skills” and “Behaviors”.

The Indonesian students displayed many of the qualities for global competence listed under “Values and Attitudes”. They are VERY open to new opportunities for learning, demonstrating excitement for new lesson ideas. They have a strong desire to “engage with others, value multiple perspectives, and question prevailing assumptions” (i.e. see my Trump post). Plus, the strong religious beliefs of the country have ingrained the values of empathy and humility. Indonesia’s community-centered approach to life is a 21st century skill, which is well established in the students, and reinforced by the teachers and families.

Some of these “Values and Attitudes”’ build on the “Skills” and “Behaviors” of global competency, but I believe teachers could be doing more to ensure their students thrive in our interconnected world. For example, many of the teachers were not “fluent in 21st century technology”, nor were they using any technology regularly in their classrooms. I understand how financial resources could limit this skill development, but that is a crucial part of understanding our world. Teachers need to take more initiative to seek out opportunities for their students, by guiding them to investigate the world and engage in dialogue. So, watching the students sit passively and listen to their teacher lecture is not the best method in developing these skills. I was grateful when I showed a Biology teacher some websites for his students to do Virtual labs, and he later asked Umi if our classes could collaborate on a project! YES- loved his initiative!
To point out too- most teachers (both Indonesian and U.S) are just not aware of the resources out there. It’s not necessarily a lack of interest, it just takes work and willingness to seek out new approaches. To be honest, I thought of myself as a pretty ‘with-it’ teacher with technology, until I met Matt Cattone, Greg Schwanbeck and Sara Krakauer! (WARNING: If you visit their pages, you may experience an overwhelming sense of failure as a teacher. It’s normal. Do what you can, little by little). The overall message is teachers have to assess and develop their own global competency “Skills”, in order to best foster their students’ global competencies.

Teach 21st Century Skills- video by Sara Krakauer

Indonesian teachers would also need to improve in the Global Competency Matrix area of “Behaviors” in order to prepare students to navigate global issues. In my short visit, I did not see teachers demonstrating most of the listed qualities. Outside of Umi, I did not see a strong sense of ‘committing to a process of continuous learning and reflection, translating ideas, concerns and findings...to improve conditions, or adopting shared responsibility and taking cooperative action’. These behaviors could have been demonstrated by the teacher in their classroom with their students, or even the school principal. But since many of the school principals are not formally trained for educational leadership, they are still full-time teachers themselves and in the same boat with behaviors!

So- where do Indonesian teachers begin? How can they start building global competencies in their students? The same place that we, as teachers in the United States, would have to begin. First, they need to know the tools out there which help assess current level of knowledge on global competency. You gotta have a baseline to measure growth! Indonesian educational leaders (like Umi for instance) could translate the same tools and use in their own schools. Then, teachers need awareness, buy-in, and guidance for creating more global opportunities for their students. SELF-PROMO: You can start with this Global Education Guide!

In closing, my research question has led me to a few answers, but like all scientists know, generated more questions. My newest question re-formulates around my own home community, asking now, “How are Pembroke Pines Charter teachers preparing globally competent students with 21st century skills?” This research will be put into action this year with the creation of a new Global Ed PLC at our school, consisting of a dynamic group of teachers! (see Community page) On a personal level, I have also asked myself, How can I help my community shift their thinking to a global viewpoint? How can I help my fellow teachers see the importance of global opportunities, instead its challenges? So, this time of exploration will continue, beyond the TGC Fellowship. I am truly grateful for all of you that have followed me on this part of the journey (Shout out to my Aunt Sue for reading and commenting on EVERY blog post! :) TERIMA KASIH!

"Terima Kasih (Thank you) Pines Charter! Welcome to Indonesia"

P.S. Here’s a photo from our last night in Jakarta, wearing the cultural batik jacket I received from Retno.
I started this blog with the batik jacket story and I found it only fitting to end with it!
It was threaded with bright colors and unique patterns, making it a beautiful
representation of the diversity I found in Indonesia. :)

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Professional development (a.k.a. Long meetings)

9/3/2017

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We probably all know the meme:

Well, here’s the funny thing...it’s the same for teachers in Indonesia! Maybe a little worse?? In my previous blog posts, I discussed some of my observations of Indonesian teachers, both the “Highly Effective” and the “Needs improvement”. So, when my research question started to lean towards teaching practices, I had to investigate HOW teachers were being trained in those practices. For the short conclusion- they are being trained in the same way they teach. They sit in long meetings, usually with no end time, listening to a ‘leader’ of higher power tell them what to do. Basically, they are being lectured to...just like you see modeled in their classrooms.

Don’t get me wrong- we all have sat through professional development trainings, where we just listen passively, and look at the clock every 5 minutes. But I think the majority of my professional development seminars made some time for engagement and movement. We usually get time to talk, share ideas, and develop something to use in our classrooms. That’s not the norm in Indonesia. An interesting point here is that the Indonesian government makes curriculum changes frequently, almost every year. There is a constant need to keep up with the changes, and honestly, most of the teachers were not very clear on new changes when asked them, nor were they well trained to meet the new requirements. For example, the newest curriculum calls for more ‘project based learning’, encouraging teachers to lecture less, and engage students more. The teachers were familiar with the words ‘project based learning’ and could recite it to me, but when asked about how they are using it in their classrooms, many did not have answers. The problem I noticed were teachers knew the right words to say, but did NOT know HOW to implement the ideas.

This is where the professional development time could best be used, training teachers on new strategies to differentiate their teaching. But instead, the students were released early for the day, teachers were provided lunch by the school, and then when they showed up for the start time of the training, no one was there to lead it. We sat with the teachers, at their desks in the lounge, waiting for a administration and invited government official for over an hour. When Anu and I asked when the meeting would start, no one knew, stating it was normal to just wait. When they did finally show up, there were formal introductions, followed by another hour and a half of sitting, while the government officials and admin talked at them about what they need to do for the upcoming school year. How frustrating! I know many of the teachers were frustrated, and disengaged, scrolling through their phones or laptops the entire time. They have heard it so many times before, and yet, nothing seemed to have changed in the classroom either.

This is where I must recognize my host teacher, Umi, because she was one of the only teachers I saw (besides the Biology labs) that engaged her students in a authentic project. The students were writing English books about themselves, assessing each other’s work using a rubric, reflecting on what they learned, and even giving Umi feedback on her teaching. She sent me a recent photo of one student’s reflection they included in their book about our visit. That was really thoughtful and inspiring! But this is a rare case from what I observed throughout my visit. Umi has been through professional development, spending 6 months in the United States, receiving training in our educational practices at Kent State University. She views herself as a life-long learner, and is always willing to learn from others.

It actually bothered Umi that the other English teachers at her school did not speak to us much during our stay. She could not understand why they were not willing to practice their English with us, using her to help translate if needed. We were introduced to 6-7 English teachers, who were very polite and welcoming, but then would rush off to leave the conversation. Umi believed they were embarrassed to speak with us in English, because they did not feel their English was very good. Umi was disappointed they didn’t even try. That was kind of the vibe we got from most of the teachers at her school. They were a little stand offish, maybe apathetic. A few teachers were hanging out in the teachers’ lounge, even when classes were in session. When we asked, “Don’t they have class?” the answer was usually yes, and the students were waiting in the classroom.

From our viewpoint, there was not a lot of accountability for teachers. That seemed to be a common perception of our fellow cohort teachers as well. From our post-visit debrief, it was a shared observation in the lackadaisical attitude of many teachers. We saw teachers showing up late, if at all, not being in their classrooms during class time, leaving early, or not really having lesson plans ready for their students. There did not seem to be any repercussions for this conduct, and it looked like the norm. Even the Peace Corps workers we met shared their experiences working in schools. All three of them said they showed up to school, every day, for the last two weeks with the new semester starting and not much had been accomplished. They shared that most teachers were waiting on the curriculum to be finalized for their classes, or trainings on the new curriculum, so they sat in the teachers’ lounge most of the day. They read the paper, talked amongst themselves, all while students sat in the classrooms doing their own thing.

This experience really made me reflect on the teacher accountability debate in the United States. Maybe we hold teachers accountable for students learning too much. But after seeing the other end of the spectrum, of no accountability, I see the importance of finding a much needed middle ground. I’m not sure if it’s the lack of Indonesian teachers pay (earning on average 4-8 million Rupiahs/month = $300-600/month), the constant top-down changes to the curriculum, or the lack of authentic teacher training, but there was a sense of unresponsiveness to what U.S. educators would consider professional conduct.

On a hopeful note, universities around Indonesia are quickly recognizing the problem and working to develop higher quality teacher preparation programs. One we learned about is called School Experience Program (SEP) at Sampoerna University in Jakarta. This particular program aims to increase the image (‘brand’) of the teaching profession in Indonesia and also the rigor of the training to ensure the quality of graduating educators. One of the challenges in Indonesian education is not only to develop quality teachers, but to equally distribute them around the country. Many university-trained teachers end up staying in the big cities, leaving the more rural areas with less trained teachers. This may be the effect of what our group was seeing in our field visits, as opposed to the teachers that stayed in the capital city of Jakarta.

Like the United States, educational challenges are constant and ever-changing. But teacher training challenges are a commonality amongst us, and I think we have a lot we can offer as we continue our communication and educational relationships.

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If a seed lands, it always grows…

9/3/2017

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Before I left for Indonesia, my intention was to study the unique natural environment of the country. I was teaching A.P. Environmental Science at the time, and I envisioned future lessons coming to life, using pictures I took of the varying terrain and diverse animals. I was excited to actually see all of it up close- orangutans, the komodo dragon, the Indonesian elephant, and palm oil plantations. Well...I didn’t see any of them. Unfortunately, I did not have time to travel to Sumatra or Borneo, where they are found. Nor did I realize that places on a map of Indonesia look so close and nearby, but really involved a long, difficult journey to get there.

However, I did have a chance to visit many plantations in the countryside of Jember and the beautiful landscapes of Bali. Anu and I shared our original question, on teaching sustainability, prior to our visit. So we worked with Umi to plan unique opportunities outside of the classroom as well. These special site trips were fascinating to us as science teachers, becoming my favorite photos to share. Even though my research question evolved, I still want to share what I learned about the Indonesian environment. My research question was altered because I wanted to focus more on what and how teachers were instructing and training they were receiving to support them. But the message of environmental sustainability was still on my mind.

So, one of our first day’s in Jember was a visit to a coffee and cacao research plantation, Pusat Penelitian Kopi dan Kakao. Our guide was a former student of Umi’s, who currently worked for a university as a researcher and chemical engineer. His job is to work with local farmers, teaching them sustainable practices and ways to process cacao to enhance flavor in chocolate. The goal was to develop a chocolate locally, instead of shipping the cacao to Europe for chocolate making. The research is part of VICCO, a local organization created to promote economic development in the area, through human capacity building of the local farmers. It was a beautiful area of park space, gazebos, and crop trees. The small shop at the end of the tour sold coffee, soaps, and chocolate products all made on site. I went a little crazy buying gifts to bring home, but loved that I was supporting the local area and bring back something they couldn’t get anywhere else. So, many want to know how the chocolate was- honestly, it was kind of blah. There was not much flavor, but I’m probably biased after living in Switzerland for 5 summers and having the best chocolate I have ever had….and I’ve tried most of them. On the other hand, the coffee was wonderful! If you like dark roast, which I do, you would love it.

This brings me to another unexpected surprise of the trip- most Indonesians drink INSTANT coffee! SERIOUSLY!?! I heard all about Sumatran coffee (through Starbucks, of course) and thought I was going to be living the life, drinking it every day for really cheap! NOT SO- and I was kind of disappointed I couldn’t make everyone jealous back home. It was very difficult to get a ‘normal’ cup of coffee the whole time I was in Indonesia. Even in the hotels- all instant! Plus, the instant has ginseng in it for an extra boost. I was still not a fan (and no creamer- milk only, if you’re lucky). They have regular ground coffee, which I bought, but no one drinks it! I assume it’s because Indonesians are just used to instant coffee, and it’s easier. I didn’t see an actually coffee maker anywhere. No Keurigs. I couldn’t try what I bought until I got home a month later…and it was good!
Another big coffee excursion came when another Fellow, Kate, and I visited Bali. I had read about the $50/pound Luwak coffee, the most expensive coffee in the world. We drove up to Ubud to take a yoga and Balinese cooking class, and our driver Paul stopped at a place on the way to try it. The story of the Luwak is pretty compelling. The Luwak animal, also called a civet which I guess is like a cat, but looked more like a mongoose. The Luwak eats the berries from the coffee trees and poops out the beans, which are then roasted and ground for coffee a.k.a. “cat-poo-ccino”. I know….it sounds disgusting. Everyone I have told this story to basically ends up making gagging sounds. But apparently, the Luwak’s stomach acid breaks down the outer layer of the bean, creating a smoother, less bitter flavor in the coffee. Who thought this through and tried it for the first time?! So we had a little tour of the coffee garden, seeing the berries growing on the trees, the Luwak sleeping in a cage, and the process of washing and roasting the beans. The beans are washed in boiling water twice, to kill bacteria, then roasted over a fire and hand ground with a giant mortar and pestle. Part of the high cost of this coffee comes for the hand roasting and grinding, but also the time it takes to feed the Luwak and wait for your product to finally appear on the other end. Hence, there is controversy for tourists that choose to engage with this form of agritourism. Apparently, the novelty of trying a ‘cat-poo-ccino’ has increased the demand and some facilities have been known to force feed the animal to keep up with the output. Honestly, I’m not sure if that is happening where we stopped and I genuinely hope not. I tried it anyways...don’t judge. I had to see what all the fuss was about! To be frank, it was good but not all that it was cracked up to be. I think it tasted like a dark roast coffee, much like a Cuban coffee I can get back home. I do not really think it’s worth $50/pound, so I hope animals are not being harmed for it. It was an experience to check off the bucket list!

On other days, Umi and Al took us all around Jember where we got to see a dragon fruit, banana, rubber, and teak plantations, tobacco and rice fields and beautiful tropical gardens with mountainous views. Anu and I were in pure awe, asking to stop the car often to take pictures! Umi and our Bali driver, Paul, both shared that Indonesia has such fertile soil that almost EVERYTHING grows there. There’s even a popular Indonesian folk song that tells the story of how a seed falls from the sky and always grows. That’s definitely different than what we see in the United States. An Indonesian teacher even asked, “You do not grow cacao in your country?” Nope- nor do we have MONKEYS on the side of the road! On our way to Papuma beach, we passed through a jungle, where monkeys sit by the road, waiting for cars to stop and toss out some food. It was like a movie!

The scenery and landscapes of this country were my favorite part of the entire trip, second to the people (especially the students). Being a nature lover, the best times I spent on these islands were outdoors. Whether it was exploring the diversity of plant life, dipping my feet in the Indian Ocean, looking out on ocean waves carrying brightly colored fishing boats, memorized by huge rock formations, seeing Blue Fire and catching a breathtaking sunrise- those were the moments I’ll remember the most. Indonesia is still so underdeveloped that it is hard not to appreciate it’s natural beauty because it is everywhere. Most of Indonesian lives are still built on agricultural, mining (saw salt and sulfur mines mostly) or basic skilled trades like molding and firing of clay roof tiles (see photos below). We do not see much of this primitive lifestyle anymore in the United States. I not only have an appreciation for the hard work it entails, but also what is lost in the natural beauty when commercialization and development take over. Don’t get me wrong- I’m not giving up my Wifi or ‘Western’ toilet to go back to a purely agricultural society! But in gaining an appreciation for the hard work it takes to do those jobs, I also gained an appreciation for the sacrifice of natural landscapes, to live how I live.

And last but not least...I leave you with a Bali sunset!

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How music and Despacito unites us all

9/3/2017

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Some of the most memorable encounters I had with students in Indonesia revolved around music. I was introducing myself on the first day, trying to explain how I live in South Florida and it is very diverse like Indonesia. I was telling them that many of my students speak Spanish and English, their families coming from Cuba, Colombia, Puerto Rico….”Ohhhh, Despacito!” they interrupted in unison, seeing a lightbulb go off as they finally understood what I was saying! YES- Despacito! You know Despacito??! Yes! Which led to a young man picking up his guitar and playing it for class while they sang along to the lyrics on their phone, IN SPANISH!! Did I already mention that English is a 4th language for most of them?? Now SPANISH! Are you kidding me??! I could not believe it and I had to stop them to take the video below. Which you can see how overly excited I was...This performance then led to questions about other songs they knew in English (Justin Bieber, Alicia Keys…) plus many confident solo performances that I had to video as well. I was truly amazed how music is so connecting to people, especially when you are half-way around the world and they know all of the words better than you do in your native language. What was even more beautiful and special was the encore performance of Despacito, in their JAVANESE! I didn’t know the song was even translated into anything other than English, but no fear, they found all of the lyrics on their phones to sing along!

We did a lot of sing alongs that week, with even Anu sharing a special Hindi song from her childhood with them. I decided to save them my voice and teach them the Cha Cha slide on our last day. IT WAS A BIG SWEATY HIT! I thought it was a good way to learn some English as well. I l loved their enthusiasm, especially their giggles when we got to shaking our hips in the cha cha part and “how low can you go”....it was pretty scandalous for this group :)

Anu teaching her childhood Hindi song

The Cha Cha Slide!

I was just happy to get them up and out of their seats! I think they need more of that. This was one disheartening part of all the classes we visited throughout our trip. All of the students were always sitting at their desks, for the entire day, listening to their teachers lecture. Umi had them working on personal storybook projects in small groups, which was different than most teachers The only other time I saw students up and moving around in class was for Biology, when the class went into the one lab room in the school. That was a refreshing experience because the students were excited, engaged, and so focus on the activity,that they really didn’t even notice Anu and I observing. They were actually doing some of the experiments I do with my Bio classes like looking at onion cells under the microscope and cutting potatoes into cubes and putting them in colored water to observe diffusion. The students had to bring their own supplies though, bringing potatoes, onions, candles, and lighters from home. They were told to bring lighters?!? In 6th grade no less! That probably would never happen in the U.S. Actually, the candle-water experiment in the video below was really an impressive lesson by a 6th grade science teacher/assistant principal. He was doing this lab at an elementary school we visited in Jakarta. He captivated his students (and all of us teachers) when he took his large machete and chopped the students candles in half, down to the right length for their experiment! Even though we couldn’t understand what he was saying, I knew he was funny guy and the students loved and respected him. It was so nice to see their focus, willingness to follow his directions precisely, and conduct the experiment correctly.

From an American teacher’s viewpoint, we are always encouraged to differentiate our instruction, especially to meet the needs of diverse learners. So, lecturing every day would strongly be frowned upon and probably why I felt bad for the students. Umi said that there is more of a push now by the Ministry of Education in Indonesia to incorporate more project based learning ideas in their curriculum. But I didn’t see much of that yet. This brought me to changing my research question from a focus on sustainability to a focus on teacher training and student learning. My new question, as I mentioned before, is “How are Indonesian teachers preparing globally competent students with 21st century skills?” Well, I still don’t really have an answer for you on that one….but I will elaborate more in my next post.
In closing, I mentioned music as a uniting force between Indonesians and our American group, but what else seemed to connect us? I thought this was a fascinating research question posed by another Fellow, Jennifer Knick, and she shared her question at our post-community stay debriefing. Our group added our individual responses of what they saw in their host community visits and I thought the commonalities were pretty powerful. Music was definitely on the list, along with food, art, and laughter! All of them can be seen throughout the posts!

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What the U.S. is missing...

8/17/2017

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First of all, Happy Independence Day Indonesia!
Today, August 17th, is the day that Indonesia celebrates its 72nd independence from years of colonial rule, from the Dutch, Portugal and China. Unfortunately, I will not have the opportunity to participate in the wide array of parades, dances, and celebrations that I heard about during my travel. But I can’t wait to see the pictures! Here’s some of the costumes worn in the Independence Day parades that were on display in our hotel lobby. Can you imagine that on a tiny Indonesian woman??! I’m surprised they dance down the street and don’t topple over from the weight of that headdress! But it’s so beautiful- sparkling with gold and bright fabric colors!

So, in light of the holiday, today is an excellent day to discuss Indonesians’ pride and patriotism for their country, which is discernible in many different ways. The most obvious demonstration of their nationalism was in their schools’ flag ceremonies. The flag ceremony is a BIG DEAL, occurring every Monday morning, to kick off another week. The ceremony is highly regarded by the staff and students alike, with all the students and teachers proudly wearing their uniforms and standing in their military formations for a long time in the hot sun. The video below shows the weekly flag ceremony were were invited to at Al’s school (Umi’s husband), SMP Negeri 1 Jenggawah. This public middle school is actually known for its band, which has won many awards and you will see accompanying the ceremony. *Video may not be accessible for all

Watch Anu's Facebook video of the flag ceremony!

We arrived a little late, so we missed the processional line up. Anu and I watched in awe from the sidelines, listening to the students recite prayers and respond in unison to the headmaster’s speech on the educational principles. This was the normal routine of the ceremony, followed by the formality of marching the Indonesian flag out and slowly attaching it to the flagpole.

Oh but wait...this day was a special flag ceremony! We had our debut on the little stage in the middle of the courtyard to introduce ourselves! (“Salamat Pagi! Nama saya Wendy. Saya guru Biologie from America”...my staple introduction in Bahasa, which got a round of applause! :) Since it was the first day of the new semester, this particular ceremony included a special presentation of last semester awards. The administration announced all of the Top 10 students in 7th, 8th, and 9th grades (Middle school grades in Indonesia). Umi and Al's son, Egypt, made the Top 10 and we all shouted for him as he stood proud, smiling from ear to ear!
The Top 10 students from each grade stood in a single line, outstretching their arm as they join the others to ensure equal spacing between each other (you could see how they were taught the smallest details). Then, of course, the presentation of certificates called for the highest honor and recognition, so who gets to present the awards….well, the 2 foreigners that are visiting us! Wait, WHAT?!? So, without prior notice, we were ushered back onto the courtyard to distribute certificates to the students. It became a little awkward, when we had to hand to each student their certificate and shake hands (Remember-you can’t use your left hand, Wendy!) But we mustered through it, with lots of laughs, smiles, and nods.

The whole flag ceremony is a big production, highlighting the pomp-and-circumstance of formal ceremonies we frequently saw throughout our visit. But one thing I loved about this stately routine was the noticeable unity that was felt among the whole school. Or better yet, the unity it created throughout the whole country, since it occurs in all schools at the beginning of every week. The ceremony also realigns citizens, on a weekly basis, to Indonesia's governing philosophy called the 5 Principles of Pancasila. This was not brainwashing, or a drastic, centralized dogma instituted by the government. The 5 principles are thoughtful, pragmatic beliefs, meant to promote harmony among its plural, diverse nation. If you read them in the link above, they state belief in one God, everyone is God’s creature and should not be physically or spiritually oppressed, there is unity in diversity, etc. Huh… it’s pretty interesting how a poor developing country kind of got that part of their government right, and instituted some really important principles for a nation to live by.

So, in watching this tradition, though it may seem tedious and time-consuming for teachers, I believe it serves a great purpose. The flag ceremony constantly remind both the young and old, of the core principles the country is built on. It becomes a method for consistently infusing pride in your people.

Now, imagine doing a mandatory, weekly, 30-45 minute ceremony in every school in the U.S! We can’t even make our students to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance! I can also already hear the balking from teachers for the loss of precious teaching time. But I would argue that these traditions are teachable moments. Traditions like the flag ceremony foster character development in students and grow their respect for their school.

Furthermore, another cultural tradition that I felt served in character development were the daily calls to prayer. I only heard the calls over the loudspeaker in Jakarta and Jember, since these areas are predominantly Muslim. Yes- it did get a little annoying after awhile, especially hearing the monotone prayer chant blasting through town at 4 am! (I must admit the relief to sleep soundly in Bali, due to mostly Hindu) But again, this centralized form of communication reminded citizens to pause, take a break from the daily grind, and re-focus on the bigger picture of life. Slow down, remember to take care of others, show love, practice giving and gratitude, and respect to those around you...a sense of morality threaded into daily life. I think this spiritual thread is gravely missing in the United States. We are always on the run, never stopping to really process our decisions, appreciate the moments...Instead we are always moving on to the next thing and checking them off the list. We push past people, push past nature, push past emotions...until it’s too late.

As I write this, I can’t help but consider the current racial situation in the U.S., especially the tensions and violence that have become more and more evident. Honestly though, I do not believe we have a race issue, an economic issue, an environmental issue, or an immigrant issue...we have a spiritual issue. We have a severe break in our society that removes us spiritually from one another. We are often standing alone as individuals, trying to bridge the connection gap and we are not sure how to do that. So, irrational behaviors take over. I know I may have derailed here to sounding overly preachy, but I’m just trying to work through the answers myself. Can Indonesia provide some insight into HOW to unify a diverse nation? IF we could re-align our spirits daily, to principles that uphold the value of EACH human being, principles that are collective and bigger than the individual, what would our life look like??!? What would we do differently each day and how would we treat every living thing around us? It raises some tough questions, that a flag ceremony and a call to prayer cannot answer alone. But I believe it would be worth considering, since our current methods are obviously not working.

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Let's talk toilets...

8/13/2017

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First- let’s play a game! Can you guess what is being depicted in the photo below?

Is it a color scale for UV light? A water chlorine level or pH test indicator? Did you guess a guide for your urine color?!? Are you hydrated enough?? Hopefully, you are not on the brown end or you have some serious issues and I would recommend some medical care.

But isn’t that FUNNY?? This photo was taken by Craig, another fellow at the elementary school we visited. It was posted in the hallway for the kids to see and he asked us the same quiz when we got back on the bus! So, apparently Indonesia is big on making everyone aware of their hydration levels! I thought that was a unique view to begin the topic at hand. My most recent posts might have tugged at your heart strings, this one might tug at your stomach. I teach Biology- so it’s really no big deal to talk about bodily functions, but I’ll keep it classy.
As I reflected on my life in Indonesia, comparing a lot to back home, one of my greatest appreciations is for my toilet! So, I decided to share with you the struggle. Really, I think it’s just at fascinating at seeing Blue Fire.

I was warned about the toilets prior to our trip, mostly by people who has visited areas in the East before, especially China. I was preparing myself for no toilet paper (packing 20 packs of travel tissues to keep in my purse) and standing over a hole in the ground. Actually, it was not as bad as I had pictured. See Exhibit A on the left, taken from the school teacher’s bathroom. This is what they would call the non-Western toilet. There’s space to position your feet, with ridges to stand on, as you squat down and work your quadriceps. After you do your business, you throw the toilet paper in the trash can, dip the little heart -shaped bucket of water into the reserve tub to tap water, and pour it over your pee, to force it down. Thankfully, we had Western toilets at our international hotels (see below) so Number #1 only happened here. After using this many times, telling myself it was like 'camping', it really was not a big deal. It didn’t smell bad, there were no bugs, and it was quick and easy. But only if you wore a skirt or dress...lesson learned on that. Trying to coordinate where your pants land was a disaster, so now I have a sense of appreciation for the Indonesian women wearing long dresses and skirts. It’s for both modesty and functionality. So not too bad, and this was pretty much the norm in all the local places. The airports, international hotels, and fancier restaurants would have the Western style of toilets, that would flush. But you were still usually instructed to not put the toilet paper in the toilet, and a wastebasket was provided. Which out of habit, I usually forgot to do! Oops- what’s one tourist’s TP going to block up, right?? The Western toilets also had a hose attached to the side, for "rinsing", like a hand-held bidet. This explains why toilet paper is not readily available. Oh yeah, and why you never shake or use your left hand in Indonesia!
I'll let that set in for a minute...

Bathroom in the Aston International Hotel, our home in Jember for 10 days.

Toilet in Le Meridian, our fancy hotel in Jakarta

Exhibit B (right) is the toilet on the express train we took to Mount Ijen. Now picture the above described set up, but on a moving train! And I survived to tell about it!
So, why is this structure the standard? I’m not really sure. My guess is probably because it cheaper and doesn’t require connection of water pipelines. For a developing country, with the 4th largest population in the world, that would be a lot of infrastructure. But if anyone has any other insight into this phenomenon, feel free to comment.

On the other end of the throne spectrum, I have to share the most sophisticated, advanced toilet I have ever seen! This picture is the attached button bar on the toilet in the Toyko airport. My favorite feature is the "privacy" music button, with a volume bar! So no need to drown out bodily sounds, by turning on the faucet, shower, or coughing anymore! The Japanese really are techie geniuses, thinking of those around them, even providing a deodorizer feature. So considerate for the next user! I think the U.S. and Indonesia should discuss these options in all future construction projects...look, it's cultural diplomacy at work.

Lastly, the signage we saw in Indonesia was also incredible (as seen in my starting urine color example) Indonesians love their signs and banners! Many of our colleagues had welcome banners with their huge faces pictured on them when they arrived at their host school. This one from our Madrasa school visit (Muslim public school) in Jakarta was a wonderful welcome sight!

But my favorite is the one my friend Kate and I saw, outside the public beach restroom in Bali. Make sure you have some money with you at all times! Like in Europe, you will probably pay an entrance fee to use a public restroom. This one is unique because the cost varies based on your needs. Around 32 cents for pooping, and only 19 cents for urination. One of our fellows show it to her young daughter and she asked, “How much does a fart cost?
Oh Indonesia, you have a great sense of humor!

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Students, Schools, and Trump...Oh My!

8/13/2017

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My fellowship was funded through the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (i.e. taxpayer’s money... GRACIAS everyone!). In saying that, we were selected to represent the United States in our exchanges and work by practicing cultural diplomacy. I love and support this form of international relationship building because I believe the exchange of ideas through various cultural interactions helps to shift one’s thinking about a certain group or country. Organizations like IREX, focus their work around building mutual understandings in the world, allowing us to work more effectively together, hence the diplomacy part. So with that idea in mind, we were told to expect questions about the U.S. especially questions about the presidential election and Trump. By the way, Indonesians LOVE Obama, since he lived and went to school there. Apparently, he was visiting with his family even prior to our embassy visit and they told us he speaks Bahasa very well!

So Trump’s reputation was well noted, with several of my student encounters asking about how Americans feel about Trump. Tough, right?!? Some of us can barely form words to describe our feelings about him and have resorted to just sounds. ;) So, how do we represent the entire diversity of the United States?!? Well, now there is a huge similarity between America and Indonesia that we leaned on and they seemed to understand! Prior to this trip, I did not know Indonesia was as a very diverse country. All we kept hearing was it was the 2nd most Muslim nation in the world outside of the Middle East. So everyone was going to be Muslim, right?? Well, no. Some quick background is Indonesia consists of over 17,000 islands, stretching the distance of the United States from west coast to east coast. On the 750 or so islands that are inhabited, the religious beliefs and practices differ, as well as the languages. So to think that the whole country was Muslim like you see heavily in Jakarta, is like saying the entire United States is like New York City. Obviously, not a realistic picture of our entire population and its background.
Our answers to Trump questions pretty much went like this,
“Donald Trump is one man and yes, the elected leader of our country. The United States is a democratic country, like Indonesia, where you have the right vote. President Trump was elected by that process, so some people our country support him and shares his beliefs. And others do not. Just like we have seen here in Indonesia, some of you are Muslim, some are Christians, and some Hindu. Some of you speak Javanese, English, Arabic and Balinese. You have a lot of diversity in your country, like the United States. We can not judge or form an opinion of a country, based on the view of solely one person. We do not want you to do that and that’s why we are here!” (Cue the round of applause, even though I’m not 100% confident they really understood everything we said!) Then, we would move on to talk about Justin Bieber, teach them to play Uno or do the Cha Cha Slide! Hence, political crisis averted, cheers for cultural diplomacy!

But it was remarkable to see them thinking deeply about the global political climate and sharing concerns. One student even asked why the U.S. always backs Israel and not Palestine...we needed a Social Studies teacher for that one! Students and teachers were curious to know what the United States thought about Indonesia, asking us several times. They wanted to know why we (Donald Trump) did not like Muslims. Those were some heavy questions for 16 year olds to ask when meeting us for the first time. But these questions and stories provide an incredible representation of the caliber of students we encountered.

Honestly, I was floored by the level of respect and self-motivation of Indonesian students. In every school we visited (around 6 or 7 in total), the students were SO WELL BEHAVED! They were sitting at their desks, in sweltering heat, listening and taking notes as their teachers lecture from the front of the room for an hour and a half! I mean, seriously, I would never get that type of undivided attention from my students! Students do not leave the room often though, since the teachers rotate classrooms, not the students. They are mostly sitting at their desks all day. There is not a lot of group work, station work, or physical movement like U.S. teachers tried to infuse. But students are so self-directed and STILL driven to complete their work! It was inspiring to see their eagerness to learn and respect for school.

Sorry but I could not figure out how to rotate this video! So you have to tilt to the left! :)

One of my favorite things to watch was students passing by teachers, taking the top of their teacher’s hand and bring it to the top of the student’s forehead, as a greeting and a sign of respect. Also,students only get one 15 minute and one 30 minute break throughout the day. During the 30 minute break, the entire school uses the time to either go to the school mosque for afternoon prayer, eat in the canteen, or if time permits, do both! In 30 minutes! It was awesome to watch students get released for break, wash their faces, heads, hands, and feet near the mosque and go in to pray on their own. There were not teachers in the breezeways monitoring them, encouraging them to go, or even supervising the school wide movement. I didn’t see any administration walking about the entire time, no one monitoring the canteen for fights or horseplay, or even all the motorbikes and bicycles so neatly parked. IT WAS SO PEACEFUL! I kept thinking that if these students saw our school craziness at lunch they would be shocked.

Indonesian students take a lot of initiative on their own, without needing instruction. Even when we were late for class one day with our host teacher Umi, one of her students was already writing work on the board for the others. From a teacher’s perspective, this was a dream! Students’ ambition to learn was apparent throughout our visit. Teachers on the other hand, had different levels of enthusiasm and commitment. That will be discussed in mroe detail later, don’t you worry! I have lots to say on that because it totally shifted my guiding research question to “How are Indonesian teachers preparing globally competent students with 21st century skills?” That’s a teaser for you to check back....
In closing, students are and will always be my favorite part of this career. Even half way across the world, they were still my favorite part of our school experiences. Indonesian students welcomed us (with a bombardment of selfies and Instagram/FB friendships) trusted us, performed for us (to be seen in my upcoming post “How music and Despacito unites us all”) and made us laugh! (Check out video below of Risky teaching Anu his famous escalator trick! Had us cracking up!) They brought us their traditional foods to try, gave us gifts, and looked forward to connecting with us again. So do we.

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Blue Fire, hiking a mountain...and NEVER AGAIN!

8/11/2017

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First, I am writing my blog posts later than expected due to my laptop crashing and dying on my first week in Indonesia. HUGE FAIL! I was extremely frustrated, not being able to share my daily experiences and photos in “real time”. But honestly, now I am grateful that’s the way it worked out! After a month of daily documenting everything I did, taking hundreds of photos and a few videos, I realized that there are some important moments worth writing about and others that were not as awesome as I thought they would be! Being able to ‘pause’ and not share everything right away, truly pushed me to absorb each day as its own and now reflect on the whole trip. With that being said, one of the stand out moments was our first weekend away from Jakarta to hike Mount Ijen.

My partner Anu and I flew to our host community, Jember, and met up with our host teacher, Umi. We took a 2 hour express train ride to Banguwangi, where we stayed to be closer to Mount Ijen. Mount Ijen is known for it’s “Blue Fire” (see map & my previous blog post video). We were told that the hike up the mountain begins at night to see the fire before sunrise, and don’t worry, it “wasn’t that difficult”. Most people told us it would take about 1 ½ to 2 hours at a slow pace, with some steep inclines that eventually leveled off. WELL THEY LIED! IT WAS REALLY HARD!

We hired a driver to pick us up from our hotel at 12:30 am and got to the base of the hike at 1:30 am, armed with our flashlights, medical masks, protein bars, jackets, and 1 bottle of water (it wasn’t going to be that bad, right? So why add more weight?!?). We bought our entrance and parking ticket for our driver to wait, and then joined the rest of the groups of tourist ready to hike. They opened the gate to the trail at 2:00 am and we began to walk the wide matted down ground path. For the first 45 minutes, we walked easily, thinking we were getting in our morning workout and fueled by the excitement of hiking in a forest at night with hundreds of people! Then, after about an hour in, the trail gets steeper (ok not too bad) then steeper (We got this, Anu!) and continues at that incline for about another hour (OMG I’m running out of water!) We stopped several times along the side of the trail, resting on tree trunks and the ground at some points. We let hords of true athletes pass us by, including tiny, Indonesian men in flip flops. Most of the Indonesian men were guides of tour groups or sulfur miners, hauling their carts up the mountain to work. The funniest part is they tried to make extra cash by offering “taxi rides” on their carts up the mountain to all the worn-out foreigners….all while smoking cigarettes. It really was incredible! I couldn’t believe how they did such hard work with such ease, especially after seeing the sulfur chunks they carried out! I tried lifting the 20 kilo basket myself, with no luck. So for only 400,000 rupiahs ($30), we could have taken the easy way up, but I had too much pride to quit. Or maybe it was the lack of oxygen, water, and headache that had set in by 3:30 in the morning.
For real though, Anu and I were getting concerned when we had another hour to get to the top, in order to make it before the sunrise or we wouldn’t be able to see the Blue Fire. Seriously- we had our break down moments of crying, where we thought we would turn back. But then the thought of 2 hours walking back down, alone in the dark and away from all the people was scarier then the way up!

That’s when our little Indonesian miner angel appeared! Muliano (at least that’s what I think his name was) became our saving grace, overhearing us while we rested talk about a walking stick. He said, “You want stick?” then hurried into the woods, rustled around, and came back with 2 long bamboo walking sticks for Anu and I. We were so thankful and offered him some money, but he wouldn’t take it. It was now about 4 am. When we asked how much further to the top, he must have seen the desperation in our eyes, because he started walking with us, taking Anu’s arm to help her from falling. He was the sweetest, kindest soul wanting to help us get to the top, calling Anu 'Mama' the whole time. If it wasn’t for his intervention, I don’t think we would have FINALLY made it by 4:45 am. We could see the blue flames in the distance, near the actual mine pit, but decided not to hike down further. It would have been another hour or so and a more strenuous climb back out over rocks, and we were tapped out of energy. So we were happy to see it from above- it was so cool! The flames are burning methane from the cracks of the earth (NOTE: I have a video of the blue fire I will try to upload later) We met an Australian biologist on the plane and she told us that there are only 2 places in the world where you can see this type of blue fire- Indonesia and Ethiopia. We sat and watched them until the sun started to brighten the sky around 5:30 am. It was actually really cold at the top, and some of the miners stopped and made fires, sitting around them to rest and sell some pieces of sulfur to the tourists. The smell of the sulfur became very pungent, especially as the wind shifted and a cloud of sulfurous gas started to move towards us. That’s when we were ready to leave and hike back down.

The walk back down was absolutely gorgeous! It truly was an awe inspiring experience, passing alongside the cliffs we could not see on the way up. We were amazed by how far we had come and how tough we were to have made it. Some people even said that they had hike to the top before and couldn’t even see the fire with all the clouds. I probably would have had a break down if I did all that hiking and never got rewarded by seeing the famous flames! Plus, we saw our first monkey in the trees on our way back, reaching the starting entrance gate around 7:30 am. So we were blessed in so many ways on this adventure!

Hiking Mount Ijen was one of the hardest challenges I faced on this journey, yet also the most rewarding. I could say I will never do it again, once was enough for me! But looking back, our host community visit started with this mountain and I believe it is truly symbolic of our entire Indonesian fellowship. All of the fellows started at the bottom of a mountain, being in a foreign country with little English language, and we slowly work our way up, pushing ourselves beyond our own limits and what many think is impossible. We struggled every day, whether it was with food, illness, cultural barriers, or language misunderstandings, but we eventually reach the top. The top of the mountain wasn’t perfect, it was still cold, maybe hard to breath at times, but it became easier when we could see the beauty around us- the generous people, the stunning landscapes and crazy animals. On the walk back down, we understood the path we climbed, because the light was finally shining on it. We could make more sense of our surroundings, realizing how much we had accomplished, and that we had help along the entire way.

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Two things you would NOT find me doing at home...

7/18/2017

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1) Watching a BBC special on Cambodian orphanages, while 2) ironing my clothes at 4:30 in the morning. Jet lag is a crazy thing! Most of our cohort can actually be found in the gym at 5:30 a.m, since no one can sleep! That is probably the only big challenge so far, but I did sleep until 5:30 am today! (woo hoo! I think the glass of red wine helped!) But it has been a few days since my last post (laptop failure!) Let’s start with the ‘real’ 2 things you would never find me do at home….
1. Embrace being a celebrity: Our great first group outing into Jakarta was to visit the Jakarta National Monument, or MONAS. We took a bus through the VERY busy city, full of traffic, motorbikes and construction. We arrived at a large city park that our guide, Dewi, called the equivalent of Central Park in New York City. It was also filled with people, relaxing on the grass (and a parking lot of motorcycles) and milling about in a large market, with food and monument souvenir items. The most interesting part of this mini trip was encountering all of the excited Indonesians that wanted to approach us to take our photos! It kind of gave you the sense of being a ‘celebrity’! They especially liked one of the teachers, Doug, who even gained an Instagram follower! This experience really introduced us to Indonesian hospitality, being very warm and welcoming, offering big smiles and goofy photos with foreigners. There was even a student scout group, consisting of both boys and girls, that wanted us to make a video with them! Their enthusiasm and excitement to practice their English with us truly reminded me of our students from home. Students really are the same everywhere! Kids are kids, and the commonalities stand out more than the differences in the more encounters I have in global schools. This was even apparent in our visit to the Islamic public school this morning. (NOTE: More on schools in my next post, so check back! SO MANY things to talk about there…)

2. Making batik (pronounced BAH-TEEK) One unique cultural facet of Indonesia is batik, a distinct patterned fabric, similar to a easily identified print, like a Hawaiian print. Batik patterns are distinguishable by provinces, each one having its own unique pattern. Surprising to us, it is considered formal wear, worn by teachers as a school uniform, and in formal government events. So, we got a chance to visit the batik textile museum and even make our own batik patterned handkerchief! That was not a very easy task for most of us, dripping hot wax all over the place and straying from the drawings to our own ‘unique’ patterns! (see video for instruction). The pattern is drawn on plain cotton fabric, traced on both sides with melted wax, dyed, then boiled to remove the wax. This small handkerchief took us over an hour! It is definitely a skilled art, for the patient and steady-handed, that’s for sure! So...mine came out a little more ‘artistic’! But again, the most memorable part of the excursion was my interaction with the people. I started talking to the batik artist, Retno, and she was my ‘Ketut’! (Yes, that is another Eat, Pray, Love reference HA!) Retno was missing teeth, her glasses were being held together by a string of fabric and she was the funny, energetic, lively old lady I imagined! She kept making jokes, smacking me every time, like we were old friends. When we asked for a picture with her, the response at first was “No, you don’t want me. I am old and no teeth!” but then joked how she was famous. Her artwork truly was a gift, spending months working on the fabric we saw hanging. We talked about my sister being an artist and she offered to make me a batik table cloth if my sister did the design and mailed it to her! I spoke with her for over 30 minutes and we exchanged emails. I was so overwhelmed by her spirit and generosity, especially when she came to find me later and gave me a reversible batik jacket she bought for her daughter. She said she had it for a long time and her daughter wouldn’t wear it, so she gave it to me. I was in tears! I will post the picture of me wearing the batik jacket when we have our last night cultural dinner. That’s when I will show it off!
So in the five days that I have been in Indonesia, Retno and I are besties and I am practicing signing autographs. The people have made it a great adventure so far…Terimah Kasih! (Thank you!)

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And we MADE IT!!!

7/15/2017

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we have finally arrived in Jakarta! it was about 36 hours of traveling, and my longest trip ever! I watched five movies, ate a bunch of carbs, and had about eight hours of sleep total! So i’m definitely feeling a little jetlagged, but we have the whole day to relax and get our heads together. this blog post is actually being done through Voice texting on the Weebly app, because of course, for some reason my laptop will not turn on! So I Apologize For Typos, And Random Capitalizing And non-Capitalizing of words! Ugh-It’s Actually Driving me Nuts, But if I Were to Fix it I Will Never get to Post this! LOL
On a happy note- all of my luggage arrived and so did we safely. Good enough For me!

My first impression when walking out the door of the Jakarta airport, was the strong smell of something burning and the hazy, humid air. I Had Heard That Jakarta Was a Very Busy City, And Definitely Pretty Polluted, But I Was a Little Surprised that I Noticed the poor Air-quality so Soon. Also, The Airport Was Very Busy For 1 AM! We met up with our guide, Day we (not sure if that’s spelled correctly, but phonetically that’s how we are saying it), and she was so welcoming! Our Hotel is Amazing-And we Just Woke up And Have a beautiful buffet! See The Photos Below of The Lobby the Pool And The View of The City From my Room. The Group Photo is our Crazy Bunch of Fun, Awesome Teachers on Our Four Hour Layover in Tokyo! I was definitely struggling at that point, with another 7 hours to go. We were trying to look awake! Today we will have lunch and go visit a national monument and have a cultural dinner. The Food Has Been Awesome, And The Coffee Was Great- Super strong! Hopefully I Can Get my Laptop Working, And be Able to say more. Plus More photos to come!

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"Just think of it as an adventure!"

3/8/2017

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In four days, I will be in Jakarta, Indonesia with other IREX Teachers for Global Classrooms (TGC) Fellows. Our cohort of 14 teachers, from across the United States, has spent the last year preparing for this journey. I can't believe it is FINALLY HERE! Our group will spend 3 weeks, working in various schools across Indonesia, exchanging our ideas, culture, and teaching experiences with Indonesian teachers and students. By the end of 3 hard working weeks, I plan on taking a little R & R for a few days in Bali (my Eat, Pray, Love obsession!) and the Gili Islands (I'm determined to get a photo on the swing in the middle of the ocean!) The preparation and planning for both parts of this trip has escalated into a frenzy these last few weeks, filled with appointments, vaccinations, and lots of shopping for necessities and gifts! The photo below is my accumulated pile that I still need to figure out how to fit into 2- 45 lb. bags, with clothes!!

2017 TGC Indonesia Fellows at Global Education Symposium, Washington, D.C. (a few missing though!)

These are mostly gifts...still need to pack clothes! AHHH!

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SEEK (VERB)
1) TO GO IN SEARCH OR QUEST OF 2) TO TRY TO FIND; DISCOVER BY SEARCHING OR QUESTIONING

Ms. Rago's Travel Blog -
Read here about my travels experiences in Indonesia!

My Final Reflections…

Teach 21st Century Skills- video by Sara Krakauer

"Terima Kasih (Thank you) Pines Charter! Welcome to Indonesia"

Professional development (a.k.a. Long meetings)

If a seed lands, it always grows…

And last but not least...I leave you with a Bali sunset!

How music and Despacito unites us all

What the U.S. is missing...

Watch Anu's Facebook video of the flag ceremony!

Let's talk toilets...

Students, Schools, and Trump...Oh My!

Sorry but I could not figure out how to rotate this video! So you have to tilt to the left! :)

Blue Fire, hiking a mountain...and NEVER AGAIN!

Two things you would NOT find me doing at home...

And we MADE IT!!!

"Just think of it as an adventure!"

Author

SEEK (VERB)1) TO GO IN SEARCH OR QUEST OF 2) TO TRY TO FIND; DISCOVER BY SEARCHING OR QUESTIONING

​

Ms. Rago's Travel Blog - Read here about my travels experiences in Indonesia!

Teach 21st Century Skills- video by Sara Krakauer

"Terima Kasih (Thank you) Pines Charter! Welcome to Indonesia"

And last but not least...I leave you with a Bali sunset!

Sorry but I could not figure out how to rotate this video! So you have to tilt to the left! :)

Author

SEEK (VERB)
1) TO GO IN SEARCH OR QUEST OF 2) TO TRY TO FIND; DISCOVER BY SEARCHING OR QUESTIONING

Ms. Rago's Travel Blog -
Read here about my travels experiences in Indonesia!