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Bondowoso / Culture / Daily Life / Indonesia / Peace Corps / People / Teaching
Tag Archives: Tefl
Bondowoso / Daily Life / Indonesia / Peace Corps / People / Teaching
Teacher Problems, #7
Bondowoso / Culture / Daily Life / Indonesia / Language / Peace Corps / People / Photography / Teaching
Rhymes On Paper Hearts
For a multitude of reasons – some of which are admittedly strange – elephants have been on my brain. So when I encountered this poem back in January, I paid extra attention. This poem then led to an entire month of English Club focusing on poetry, which culminated in some pretty decent rhymes (for the … Continue reading
Bondowoso / Daily Life / Indonesia / Peace Corps / People / Teaching
Supercali$#@!#%$!
A short video I made last semester – December 2012 – of my Indonesian students in English club attempting to say “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.” In return, I attempt (and fail miserably) to say the Madurese equivalent of a complicated and nonsensical phrase, which is so difficult it can’t even be spelled. Continue reading
Bondowoso / Culture / Daily Life / Indonesia / Music / Peace Corps / People / Photography / Teaching / Travel
A Drive Around Bondowoso
November 15th marked the first day of the Islamic year: Muharram 1, 1434. To celebrate this, all the students and teachers from my school take a motorcycle drive around Bondowoso every year. As a Peace Corps volunteer, I am not allowed to ride a motorcycle (which is the reason why I was feeling left out … Continue reading
Bondowoso / Daily Life / Indonesia / Peace Corps / People / Photography / Teaching
(PCV-Specific) Teacher Problems, #4
Bondowoso / Culture / Daily Life / Indonesia / Peace Corps / People / Teaching
The Weight of A Cultural Difference
The following was written before in-service training in Surabaya. I am standing in front of the mirror in my room, analyzing every curve at every angle. Am I fatter? I think to myself. I don’t look any different. I try different clothes on to check. Nothing looks different, but after one-too-many comments on how I … Continue reading
Bondowoso / Daily Life / Indonesia / Peace Corps / People / Teaching
Teacher Problems, #3
Bondowoso / Daily Life / Indonesia / Peace Corps / Teaching
Teacher Problems, #2
Bondowoso / Culture / Daily Life / Indonesia / Peace Corps / People / Religion / Teaching
On the Twelve Months of Islam
Though I’ve been a fasting wimp during Ramadhan—unlike many of my fellow PCVs—that does not exempt me from learning about Islam during this important month in my community. Last Sunday, August 5th, was the 17th day of the month of Ramadhan, which is the day known as Nozulul Qur’an. This is the day the Islamic … Continue reading
Bondowoso / Culture / Daily Life / Indonesia / Peace Corps / People / Photography / Religion / Teaching / Travel
Welcome to Ramadan
To kick off Ramadan all of the schools in my area participated in a “Welcome to Ramadan” parade, which started at 7am, Wednesday morning. The younger elementary and middle school students led the parade and the high school students— which includes my school—ended it. As a teacher at the school, I was asked to walk … Continue reading
Teaching Like A Rock Star
Teaching in Indonesia is kind of like being a rock star. You spend 90% of the time preparing to perform—I mean teach—and 10% of the time in front of the classroom. Many times you repeat the same show—I mean lesson—over and over and at the end the kids want to take their picture with you … Continue reading
Thoughts of a Cynical Volunteer
(* I reserve the right to change these thoughts throughout my Indonesian tour.) While I know the Peace Corps is extremely worthwhile and I will gain a lot from the experience, I didn’t actually join the Peace Corps to help myself. I came here to help others. However, I am reluctant to think that teaching … Continue reading
