Journey - Part 1

FOREWORD

I thank the Almighty God for allowing me to complete this journey meaningfully. His guidance truly gave me motivation and courage in completing my mission as a SEA Teacher. I also thank all the people who gave me moral and financial support as I travel across my home country for this great opportunity.

I would also like to acknowledge, one by one, the teachers in Saintek Uhamka Boarding School who helped, guided, and cared for me during my four (4) weeks stay with them. Mr. Andy, my mentor; Rizki Amrillah, M.Ed., my Cooperating Teacher, headmaster of UBS and translator; Jeani Alfirahmadita, S.Pd. and Tivia Tsanya Gusti, S.Pd., Mathematics teachers and translators; Johari Febrianto, S.Pd., Biology teacher; Rafida Rachma, S.Pd., Bahasa Indonesia teacher; Nurliana Apriyanti, S.Pd., Physics teacher; M. Fajar Yudhistira Fahsa, S.Pd., Bahasa-English teacher and translator; and lastly Fendy Arief, S.Pd., my Resource Teacher.

Also, my regards to Novanita Whindi Arini, M.Pd., the teacher-in-charge for International Exchange Students who provided us the things that we need, our local transportation, and our comfort while we are in Jakarta, Indonesia; Pak Azhar Nawawi, in-charge of our tour activities during weekends; Muhammad Daffa Rizyanto, S.Pd., Nanda Welli Adrian, S.Pd., and Berlin Khoirunnisa Berliananda Sukesi, S.Pd.,  our student buddies; and Dimas Suryanto, in-charge of guiding us in Uhamka Dormitory.

I also want to give my appreciation to the students of Uhamka Boarding School who made my journey in here as worthwhile and meaningful as it is. Without them, my SEA Teacher journey won’t be meaningful, worthwhile and holistic. But since they are smart and good students, I was able to complete my four weeks international internship in their school as a SEA Teacher from Mariano Marcos State University, Philippines.   

Dayvie Mia G. Simon

SEA Teacher in SMP Saintek - Uhamka Boarding School, Jonggol, Indonesia

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DAY 01

"EVERY JOURNEY HAS A STORY TO TOLD"

DAY 01 - AT NAIA TERMINAL 3 (NINOY AQUINO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT)

It was my first international flight. I never took a plane before. I felt a mixture of excitement and nervousness because my parents or any relatives are not with me for this wonderful journey. 

I couldn't imagine that I'm finally going abroad for my international internship as a student-teacher. Actually, it was my dream to travel abroad while studying. And guess what? It was indeed a dream come true opportunity because I was one of the chosen Student-Teacher to take part in the SEA Teacher Program for 2023.

Finally, I'm going to Jakarta, Indonesia for my 28 days International Internship at Universitas Muhammadiyah Prof. Dr. Hamka (UHAMKA).

Safe travels!

Halo! 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊 We just arrived at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. We were picked up by Pak Azhar, Basma, and one staff of Uhamka.

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 DAY 02

"EVERYTHING BECAME NEW TO US"

 DAY 02 - Inside Ma'am Nova's office at Universitas Muhammadiyah Prof. Dr. Hamka (Uhamka)

In the morning, they picked us on in the dormitory then asked us to go inside Ma'am Nova's office. And there, they served us some Indonesian traditional snacks and food. We also talked about the things that we need to do as SEA Teachers, along with the things that we need to do as we arrived in this country. 

        

After having some lunch, we went to a mall nearby the University, Mal Cijantung. In there, we exchange our US dollars into Indonesian Rupiahs. We were accompanied by Mr. Daffa in here.

Before we went back to Uhamka, we also bought Indonesian simcard, the Telkomsel. Just like in the Philippines, we need to register our personal details in here as it is also their policy to register simcards.

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DAY 03

"CELEBRATION: IT'S UHAMKA'S BIRTHDAY"

 DAY 03 - Food Bazaar in Uhamka then going to Indonesian markets and malls.

I woke up preparing myself for the University's birthday celebration because Ma'am Nova invited us to join and enjoy the different foods in the bazaar. In my Day 02, I was able to know more local foods and snacks in Indonesia prepared by the teachers and students of the University. Here are some foods that I saw in the food bazaar.

The man wearing a blue shirt beside me is Sir Nanda. He is an English teacher in an Elementary School of UHAMKA. He patiently guided me and talked to the Indonesian students as I try to explore the food bazaar.

After looking at the foods and joining the program, the three of us, along with Sir Nanda, Daffa, and Dimas who drove us through motorcycle, went to the local market and nearby malls to buy the things that we needed such as toiletries, kitchen utensils, and others.

(The pictures below are inside the local market in Timur, Jakarta) 

After going to the local market, we went back to ma'am Nova's office to take some rest. In the picture below, there is Elly, Me, Ian, Nissa, and Sir Nanda. The one wearing white jacket is Sir Daffa. They are our student buddies during this day.

Here are some photos that were taken showing some of the buildings of Uhamka.

(After resting, we went to Lipo Mall because we are looking for some supermarkets. 

We went there with Sir Azhar, Daffa, and Nanda)

(View from the parking lot)

(It was my first time trying their Mixue because Pak Azhar treat us. It was also my first time trying the Nasi Magalangan and having a rupiah coin that they gave me as change to my payment)

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DAY 04

"JUST BY OURSELVES AT MAL CIJANTUNG"

 DAY 04 - Exploring the Mal Cijantung just to kill our boredom.

We were not able to buy the things that we needed because we forgot to make a list. On this day, we went out to explore Mal Cijantung more and see what other stores is inside. We saw Mc Donald's. And there, we went inside to have a lunch. We are really surprised because there's no gravy, only chili sauce. Also, when we look around, most of the people are eating with their bare hands. So, we did the same. Not using spoon and fork for the first time in Indonesia. 

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DAY 05

"MEETING THE HEADMASTERS OF UHAMKA LABSCHOOLS"

 DAY 05 - Formal meeting with the Dean and Headmasters for our teaching internship.

A formal meeting with the headmasters of Universitas Muhammadiyah Prof. Dr. Hamka at 10:00 in the morning. In here, we were able to know which school we will be deployed in for our international teaching internship as a SEA Teacher. After the meeting, the SMP Saintek- UBS headmaster told me to get my things because we will go to Jonggol, Indonesia right away. It was a two province away from Jakarta and it takes 2 hours ride to get there.

When we arrived at the Labschool in Jonggol, Indonesia, the teachers and students prepared a welcome program of my arrival. We delivered our message during the program and took a picture together. The students also prepared an intermission number which made the program livelier. After that, I met the teachers in here then Mr. Rizki Amrillah, headmaster, oriented me regarding my teaching schedule in their school and handed me a copy of a SEA Teacher guidebook.

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DAY 06

"FIRST TEACHING"

DAY 06 - I taught Geography here.  It's all about the Philippines, especially the tourist spots in my home country.

After I finished my material, we went to 7th grade for the Geography class. The topic was “Introducing the Philippines”. My Resource Teacher, Mr. Fendy, come with me, along with Mr. Fajar, the English teacher who helped us in interpreting some of the words that we don’t understand. I introduced myself using English, Bahasa, and Tagalog for the students. In return, they were really happy when I spoke their own language and when they heard me introduce in my own local language. In here, I taught them the location of the Philippines in the world, how far or near it is from Indonesia, the main three regions of Philippines, and some of the tourist spots. 

Before I ended the class, I showed them a short video clip that shows what the Philippines looks like. After that, it made them more curious about the Philippines and wanted to know more. They asked me additional questions, with the help of Mr. Fajar as the interpreter, to fulfil their curiosity in knowing more about the Philippines.

After class, we took a picture together. These are the happy faces of 7th Grade after our discussion in Geography, with the topic “Introducing the Philippines”. Most of them can speak and understand English which made the discussion more interesting.

While waiting for the second class of Mr. Fendy, the students gave me a letter about the things that they learned during my discussion about the Philippines. It made my first discussion more meaningful because these notes implies that they really listen well and enjoyed the topic. Almost most of the letters are written in English too. The students in 7th grade really amazed me.

At 10 o’clock, I observed Mr. Fendy’s class in 9th Grade for the subject Politics and Government. After Mr. Fendy discussed the three branches of the government in Indonesia, he asked me to discuss the branches of the government in the Philippines too.

After the discussion, students asked more questions about the politics and government system in the Philippines. With the help of Ma’am Jeanie, Mathematics teacher but fluent in English, came with us during the whole duration of the class discussion and helped us in interpreting some of the words that they cannot understand.

These are the Indonesian foods that I tried on this day. From this day, I loved eating Orek Tempeh and drinking Kapal Api.

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DAY 07

"ANOTHER DAY ONWARD"

DAY 07 - I taught the same topic again in the English class. In here, there's an integration of 2 subjects like Geography and English.

After I arrived inside the Faculty/ Teachers' Room, one student named Ammar, gave me a Mochi Lampion. It tastes good, actually. 😊 

Based on the schedule that Uhamka Boarding School provided to me, I taught in the English class of Mr. Fajar. However, Mr. Fajar asked me to just discuss the same topic which is about the Tourists Spots in the Philippines in his class. Before I discussed, I introduced myself in English, Bahasa, and Filipino language which made the students excited. Then I asked who is absent and how they are feeling, when they said they are doing fine, I proceeded in my discussion. At the latter part, I made them watch a short video clip then I entertained additional questions after our discussion. After that, we had a simple activity wherein students introduced themselves, state where they live, and what’s their hobby by using the Filipino language.

At 8:30 am, I went to the class of my Resource Teacher, Mr. Fendy Arief. Beside him is Mr. Rizki Amrillah, the headmaster of UBS and helped in translating the discussion. With the help of Mr. Rizki, I was able to share some learnings as an answer to Mr. Fendy’s questions about subject Astronomy to me.

My first-time eating Nasi Goreng cooked by Miss Lily in UBS, Jonggol. Also, we had a Nasi Liwet or Boodle Fight at lunch with the teachers, Pak Rizki, and Miss Lily. 😋

(From left to right: Mr. Fajar, Mr. Fihri, Mr. Joe, Mr. Fendy, Mr. Rizki, Miss Fida, Miss Lia, Miss Jeanie, Miss Tivia, and me)

At night, we had a meeting about the school condition and other matters like the upcoming examination week of the students. Mr. Rizki Amrillah, the headmaster in the school, led the meeting. Together with me in the picture are the teachers in Uhamka Boading School.

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DAY 08

"STARTING TO LOVE THE FOOD AND THE PEOPLE"

DAY 08 - I observed not so many classes in here, but they made me try many Indonesian foods.

At 7:00 o’clock in the morning, I observed the class of Mr. Fendy, my Resource Teacher, about the topic on how the earth was universe was formed. Beside him is Mr. Rizki who became the interpreter for us again. At the middle of Mr. Fendy’s discussion, he also asked Mr.Rizki to asked me something that is in relation to the topic.So I shared what I know about the universe, Andromeda, galaxies, and the planets. After discussion, he made the students watch a short video clip and asked them to take note of the important things to be able to answer the questions that he gave.

After this class, we supervised the students’ activities. Due to the implementation of their Independent Curriculum, students need to study on their own and be independent in their learning process and progress. The sole thing that teachers need to do after their class is to supervise them, as well as guide them when they are having difficulties in doing their assignment and activities or whatnot.

In the afternoon, we prepared lunch then eat together. Some students also came to have a conversation with me.

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DAY 09

"COOKING FILIPINO CHICKEN ADOBO"

DAY 09 - I told Bu Jeanie that I want to cook a Filipino cuisine for them. After class, she said to me that me and Mr. Fajar will buy the ingredients in the nearby market.

While waiting for my Resource Teacher in the Faculty Room, I continued editing my learning material for the English Class that they gave me. I chose the topic “Learning how to Introduce Oneself in English Language” to teach the students on how to introduce themselves with confidence and knowledge on using the language. After that, I helped in supervising the students’ activities.

After class, we went to the nearby store to buy the ingredients of the Chicken Adobo. After preparing and washing the chicken meat, they watched me cooked the cuisine.

We had lunch together, along with the Uhamka students who came to review the students for their examination and the driver, Mr. Santo Ganesa. I also met the scout officers during this day.