18
posts
22
October
4
November
Rogelio I. Mallari from the Philippines
4th Year Early Childhood Education Student
SEA-Teacher Project Batch 9 Participant
Week 1 (October 22-28)My first week in Malang, Indonesia was a period for my adjustment. Fortunately, I was given the support and time to rest, get used to the weather, and to adjust in general.During my two-hour trip to Malang from Surabaya Airport, I remember just being amazed and can't believe how I am already in a different country. We were picked up by a UM staff and Sharuhl, who became our first Indonesian friend. We also tried our first Indonesian food with them.After arriving in Malang, we met Bu Rhere. She was our exchange program supervisor. She was very warm and welcoming. We were very lucky to have her as our supervisor.Then, we went to Asrama Edelweis Internacional, where we stayed during the program. I was introduced to my roommate, Mahfujur, a friend from Bangladesh. I unpacked my stuff and just rested for the night.During our first week, we also met our fellow Filipinos who were staying at the same dorm as us. We had a chit chat and they also gave us Indonesian food to try. It was very calming to know that we have an Ate (older sister) and Kuya (older brother) during our stay here.After resting for a day, we visited KB & TK Laboratorium, which is the Kindergarten Laboratory of UM. After entering, we immediately saw a quote, "we may not be able to prepare the future for our children, but we can at least prepare our children for the future", which was like a sign for me saying that I am on the right place and right track.We spent the rest of the week observing the Kindergarten classes in KB & TK Lab. One remarkable activity that I had that week is where we pretended to be bakers and prepared donuts with the students.
Week 2 (October 29-November 4)I faced my second week in Indonesia with excitement and anxiety at the same time. This time, I have to face the responsibilities and tasks full time, and I can't say that I'm still adjusting because a week has already passed.Our fellow practice teachers from UM invited us to join them for their trip to Bedengan Camp. We were very excited as it was our first trip im Malang, and we were able to bond and have fun with them.The second week is also one of the most memorable week for me in terms of our classes in KB & TK lab. We went to school wearing Filipino traditional clothes, Barong and Balintawak. The teachers, staff, and students were very amazed and we took a lot of photos. One time, bank workers visited the school and had a short talk with the students. Indonesian currency were already introduced to the Kinder students. As an early childhood education student, it was very enlightening to me. It made me realize that there are a lot of ways in integrating 21st century literacies in our curriculum. There was also a day where the parents prepared food, and the students handed them outside the school. Apparently, it's an activity they do every last Friday of every month. It's a great practice for the students to be generous, and develop their love for others and their society.I also had my first class teaching that week. My topic was Jobs, so I created a story 'The Best Job in the World' as an introduction to the topic. Miss Arum, B-Moon's Teacher, helped me translate the story to Bahasa so the students can understand it. Fortunately, it was a very successful teaching and everything went well.We ended our second week in Nganjuk, where we stayed in Miss Reni's house, B-Rainbow's teacher. It was a very healing trip, and I really enjoyed it a lot.