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September 16, 2019: Starting today was SMAN 2's mid-term examination for the entire week. Teachers and practice-teachers (or so-called PPL) like me were asked to watch over some classes while the students take their tests. But besides from that, Walter and I have an additional agenda for this week. Last week, we were asked by Pak Ibnu to have a school tour to different senior high schools here in Semarang. He said that a lot of English teachers were inviting us to talk about Philippine culture to their students. I couldn't be more pleased after hearing that. I think it would be a great honor to finally share my culture this time.
So today, around 11 am, Walter and I met Pak Margunu and Ibu Dinda at SMAN 2 Semarang. They fetched us from school and went straight ahead to SMAI Al-Azhar 16. It was a long travel. I didn't know that it would take 1 hour for us to get there. But because Pak Margunu has a very energetic and happy personality which I love very much, the road trip never got boring. After some time, we finally arrived at our destination and we met Ibu Kidung at the entrance.
Around 1 pm, the program started. The speaker introduced us while we are seated in a Masjid (a place where Muslims usually pray). We also began discussing through a Powerpoint slide presentation. We talked about our place of origin, famous travel spots, educational system, culture, tradition, and language. We also asked some of the students about their culture and it instantly became a culture-sharing experience for all of us. It was quite neat and amazing. Finally, we ended the program with gratitude and appreciation for everyone.
September 17, 2019: We were on our second school tour this day. We were scheduled to present at SMAN 15. Around 7 am, we met Pak Santoso and Ibu Rulik who picked us up from school. I find them very accommodating and hospitable. When we arrived at their school, they introduced us to the faculty and showed us around. The school looks bright and beautiful even though it's a bit smaller and narrower than other schools. Around 8:30 am, we were called by Ibu Rulik to go to her English classes. We transferred from one class to another until we finished four straight classes. It was tiring but it is absolutely fulfilling at the same time. We usually don't get chances like this. Knowing each other's culture is an overwhelming and refreshing experience. I hope they learned something from us because we learned so much from them!
September 18, 2019: It was a regular school day. I watched over some classes at SMAN 2 while they're taking their mid-term exams. Around 2 pm, the exams were over and we are also allowed to go home already.
September 19, 2019: Today, we are scheduled to go to SMA Nurul Islami to meet with the English Conversation Club Nuris (or ECC). After we finished our classes at SMAN 2 around 3 pm, the ECC English adviser sent a cab for us to bring us to their school. It was a 45-minute drive going there, similar distance when we went to SMAI Al-Azhar 16 but longer. Finally, when we arrived, we met Ibu Agitha with a brimming smile and enthusiasm. We were very much delighted by her welcoming spirit! Before we started the meeting, Ibu Agitha talked to us first. We had a conversation about the Philippines, Indonesia, and English in particular. Then, when the clock stroke 5 pm, we entered into a room filled with ECC members. It was a bit quiet at first but the atmosphere slowly built up as we greeted them and started discussing. There were a few laughs, some cultural exchanges in language and etc. I noticed that there are a lot more things that Indonesia and the Philippines have in common. For instance, the words that we use like "dingding", "pinto/pintu", "langit", and etc., even some habits like "mano" in our country and "salim" in Indonesia. Simply, we were all surprised by our common grounds! We ended it with playing games, giving of tokens, thanking and motivating them in learning and having fun with English. Finally, we went home around 5:30 pm and we were glad when Ibu Agitha said that we exceeded her expectations. Well, to be honest, we are more than grateful for the experience and their warm welcome to us. Terima Kasih SMA Nurul Islami!
September 20, 2019: TGIF! It's the last day of the week but we had to check the exam papers for our mentors. Classes were already dismissed after 11:30 am. But we had to stay to finish all of the paper works. During the break, after the students had gone home, we took some selfies/groufies with the other student-teachers from UNISSULA.
Wow! I have been writing this article for a long time now. Haha! So, I just want to end this by expressing my gratitude and appreciation for allowing us to experience all of these things. I strongly believe that our pedagogical, interpersonal and social skills have improved a lot because of these. Moreover, we also had a great opportunity to share our Philippine culture and our knowledge about English. Terima Kasih! -end-