First Week

NEW THINGS LEARNED
This week was pretty much an adventure. I was introduced to so many new things. Through interacting with Indonesian people, I have learned so many Indonesian words. I also found out that so many Filipino words are the same in Bahasa Indonesia, such as mahal, mura, tawa, lima, dua, makan, ada, and some are almost similar, such as paha (paa), tahun (taon), minum(inom) and meja(mesa). I also learned that Indonesians do "salim" which is like "mano" in the Philippines, but they touch their left chest indicating their heart after. It means they take the greeting to heart. The students do "salim" to me all the time.The most significant thing I have learned though, is that Muslims are also people. They love to laugh, joke around, and they also make mistakes.

My Cooperating Teacher, Bu Linda, joking with students.

They are also human. I met a Muslim who has a girlfriend, even though girlfriends and boyfriends are not allowed in Islam. Like us, they sometimes break the rules.

THE GREAT BARRIER
Since I'm in another country, I have to learn their language. It's a bit easy, since there are a lot of similar words, but the language barrier still exists. People at my school who know how to speak straight English are quite rare. But everybody wants to talk with me, and they do so in Bahasa Indonesia, thinking I understand. Then when I tell them that I can no longer understand, we struggle to understand each other. My Indonesian vocabulary is still limited, given that I've been here for only a few days.

My students comparing Philippine money with Indonesian money. Through introducing things from our countries, we communicate and learn.

"WORDSY"
My cooperating teacher, Bu Linda (Bu is Indonsian for Ma'am) gave me an English-Indonesian, Indonesian-English dictionary.

Thank you, Bu Linda! By the way, when she gave me this, I found out that "dictionary" in Bahasa Indonesia is "Kamus."

 "Oh yes," I thought. Now at least I have a tool for better communication, and just like that, my week became "wordsy."  I handed the dictionary to whoever was speaking to me in Indonesian if I couldn't understand a word. They would search for the word then show me the translation. Also, if I was trying to say something to them and I didn't know a certain word in Indonesian, I'd search for it in the dictionary and show them the word. At the same time, my Indonesian vocabulary widens. In addition, I write all the new words I learn with their corresponding English meanings, even while talking to someone. They love seeing me learn their language. I am happy to say that i can now construct sentences, and finally manage a basic conversation with Indonesians. I think if I keep this up, I'll be quite good in Indonesian by the end of my stay here.

Touchdown...

January 21, 2018 (Sunday)

After having a delayed flight from Manila to Jakarta which led to a missed flight to Bandar Lampung thus a rebook, I finally arrived at Bandar Lampung at about 6:00 pm. I was met by Sir Ghea, who to my dismay was waiting for 4 hours outside the Raden Intan II airport. I apologized about the delay and explained the situation to him. He understood well, and was very accomodating. It turned out that I was the first exchange student to arrive, and the others' flights were also delayed. After about two hours, the others arrived and I met them. There were three females from MinsCAT, and two from PSU. I also met my coordinator, Ma'am Dara Helmasena with her partner in the office, Sir Didi.

After all the introductions and picture taking, we rode to a local restaurant and had our dinner. We ate Sate with rice and iced tea. After that, we were brought to our dorms where we would be staying for a month. It was one of the most tiring yet adventurous days I've ever had. 

WELCOMING CEREMONY!

Jan.22, 2018 (Monday)


This is the day I and my fellow Filipino exchange students were formally welcomed to Universitas Lampung, Bandar Lampung. We were fetched from our dorms and experienced a rather wonderful entrance to the rector building. Several men stood on each side of the entrance and played drums the size of tambourines as we entered the building. It was quite thrilling.

The welcoming program made me feel very special. We were provided some fancy looking snacks and we watched UNILA's (Universitas Lampung) promotional video. We were also briefed on the things we needed to know about the city of Lampung. There was even a traditional dance performance for us.

After that, we had a photo shoot then we met with our Cooperating Teachers and Headmasters (principals) who were also present with us. My CT's name is Ms. Linda. It was obvious to me that she was P.E. teacher because of her outfit. I also met my student buddies, Dani and Susan, who were very friendly right on the spot.

Together with them, I went with Ms. Linda to the school where I will be observing and teaching, which is SMA YP UNILA. It is related to the university of Lampung. But before that, they took me to lunch and thus I had my second Indonesian meal, Bakso. It was a kind of soup with noodles and really big flavorful meatballs.

Soon we arrived at SMA YP UNILA. I still have no idea what the abbreviations mean. I was introduced to countless teachers, who welcomed me and complemented me countless times.

I was also introduced to a class that proved to be very welcoming and fun-loving. They asked me so many questions and I felt like a celebrity.

They did "salim" to me, which is the equivalent of "mano" in the Philippines. They even lined up, so all of them could do it. "My goodness," I thought. Now this is a one-of-a-kind experience.