Thursday, September 27, 2019. Almost for a month, finally the final demonstration was began. However, before the evaluation time I prepared it as well as possible, so it would not disappoint those who taught me many things. In the final demonstration I taught about literary works from Japan, and I used Quiz Bee games or  Q&A as my strategy to teach my students. Fortunately, almost the students participated and there were no students who became a statue in my class. It wasn’t as my expectation, they were awesome! By the way, there were three who evaluated my teaching in the class. They were Sir Jarrent, Sir Joel and Ma’am Ruth. To be honest, It was the first time for me enjoying to teach in the class. Probably the best quotes to explain that situation “Diligence is the mother of good fortune”. Yey, I did it! After the final demonstration, they invited me and Novita going to CiTea to discuss the results of our practice teaching. They gave us advice on what we should do and don’t do during the class. Additionally, they praised us too much and for pretty sure, I couldn’t have done it without them.

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We felt sorrowful as we have little time to still stay. Novita and I didn’t want to lose the opportunity to visit many places there so we invited Kathleen to accompany us. Perhaps it was the last time we met her, but hopefully, we can meet her at another time. We spent our night together walking in the night market. “The more I stay, the more I don’t want to go home.” That’s what I felt during there.

Weekend time!

As usual, we would visit several places on the weekend. At 10 am we met with Sir Jarrent and his wife at the Nepo mall. before starting the trip we went to the supermarket to buy some groceries. After going around at the Nepo mall, we continued to visit the museum or Museo ng Kasaysayang Panlipunan ng Pilipinas. The Museo ng Kasaysayang Panlipunan ng Pilipinas provides a glimpse of Filipino social history in the past and today. It is housed in the mansion built by Mariano Pamintuan and Valentina Torres in 1890 as a wedding gift to their son, Florentino. The mansion has since served various uses:

1. Headquarters of General Antonio Luna in April 1899;
2. The seat of the Philippine republic in May 1899;
3. Site of the first-anniversary celebration of the declaration of Philippine independence on 12 June 1899;
4. Headquarters of General MacArthur in November 1899;
5. Station occupied by Japanese Kamikaze pilots during the Second World War;
6. The clubhouse of the United Services Organization, Inc. between 1946 to 1947; and
7. Hotel in 1949.

For more information about the museum, you may check the link ( http://nhcp.gov.ph/museums-2/museo-ng-kasaysayang-panlipunan-ng-pilipinas/ ).

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That day the weather was very good, so we decided to go to the market to buy some more foods. Sir Jarrent’s wife bought some food needs, such as fish, vegetables, fruits, etc. We also had a chance to try a food street. It tasted very good even though it was just a food street. We enjoyed our trip with Sir jarrent and his wife that day. Not only that, after arriving at the hostel, Sir Joel contacted us and invited us again to visit several places there. Our first place was the SM Clark, we went to with Sir Joel and Sir Nichol. By the way Sir Nichol was a student from the Angeles University Foundation and also he is a teacher at the Santa Barbara Campus.

We really enjoyed that day, because it was the right time to relax and have fun. After enjoying a few places in SM Clark, we decided to hang out at Starbucks. At that time was prayer time, I and Novita perplexed looking for a place to pray. Sir Joel gave us several choices of places to pray and we went around looking for that place. Alhamdulillah, we carried out our prayers on time in the fitting room. Initially, we were hesitant to pray there because maybe people would be confused about what we did in too long. However, we didn’t care as long as we could pray.

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Dinner time! We pretty much bothered them while we were there. Even to eat we have to go around looking for what we could eat. I found myself longing for meat, so Sir Joel tried to look for halal food. Once again, Alhamdulillah! We found Zarina halal food restaurant. I really appreciated their help, it was an unforgettable moment for me.

Meeting with the Vice President for Academic Affairs!

The vice president for academic affairs, Sir Archimedest T. David, invited us to visit his office on Wednesday, September 4, 2019. It was the first time for Novita and I met him. However, we seemed like have known each other for a long time, perhaps because Sir Archi was very friendly with everyone. We went to his office with Sir Jarrent, Sir Joel, and also Ma’am Dorothy.  Many things that we talked about while there. He taught us about Kapampangan language, he explained the history of Indonesia and Philippines and many more. However, Sir Archi also said that he knew a lot about Indonesia because he had visited Indonesia twice.

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The thing that made us most happy and proud when he said that our English was quite good and easy to understand. He said that when he visited Indonesia and talked with students majoring in English, he found it difficult to understand each other. that’s why I said, that as long as we talked we were like friends who have been friends for a long time. I hope that I can meet with him someday, whether in Indonesia or Philippines (again).

What do you think the things that most students like? Yappp, it is a holiday!

Hero’s day is held on August 26, 2019, every year in Philippines. At that time was the perfect moment because it was on Monday, so I did not need to go to school. However, although it was a holiday I must do my lesson plan. The second week was difficult at that time because I had already begun preparing the teaching material that I would teach. Lesson plans in Indonesia and the Philippines are very different. In the Philippines, you have to make a detailed lesson plan if you want to be a teacher. What will you explain in the class, what will you do, what will the students do, you must put it in your lesson plan. All the activities that you will do, you must write it.

 I think it’s good for those who want to be a teacher because it gives us an idea to be more specific to prepare activity in the class. However, you will think “Why I have to write all the student’s opinions? How do I know what will they say? Why the teacher should give me this task!”, I think you will grumble as I did:). Although at that time I complained a lot, now I get the effect. You need to know that the extraordinary people are shaped, they are not born.

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I just realized that there were lots of holidays during I was in Philippines. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were a holiday. Monday it was because of a Hero’s Day, while Tuesday and Wednesday at that time all schools were closed because of a tropical storming. I had nothing to do, just did the lesson plan again and over again.

Our routine activity every Saturday or Sunday was to visit places in the Philippines. That day Sir Jarrent invited us to see the activities carried out by the College of Education that they do every year, namely LET review. This activity is one of the activities that I think deserve to be imitated for universities in Indonesia, especially for majoring in education. They prepare their students to take the national examination, or in Indonesia, it’s called the CPNS exam. They are facilitated by the campus, students only need to focus on learning! That’s great!

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We stayed at Hacienda Gracia Resort in Lubao. We did many things while we were there. one of them was visiting Lubao Bamboo Hub and Eco Park. This place located by the riverbank in Sta. Catalina, Lubao, Pampanga, serves as both a protective shield to threats of soil erosion and as a booming eco-tourism destination since 2017. Lubao Bamboo Hub and Eco-Park is often visited for its bike lanes and pathways that offer a soothing vibe, as people take a refreshing stroll ahead. You can also do a fish spa, good for the removal of dead skin and the treatment of calluses, is also situated inside the park to pamper each visitor as if to complement a long walk in the park. Actually, you can see the same things in Indonesia. The atmosphere’s like when you’re in Indonesia. But I like that place!

Ninoy Aquino day is held on August 21 each year, so at that time on Wednesday, all schools were off. I used the day off to go with Novita to buy some food. Our first day at the hostel, Sir Jarrent has explained how to use tricycle, how much is the charge, etc. We could not always depend on Sir Jarrent. After full of consideration, we decided to go using the tricycle. At first, we were full of confidence until when we were on the way, we thought that this was not the right way when we went with Mr. Jarrent at that time. We were panic, I prayed endlessly so nothing would happen to us. I thought we were lost. Actually, we were indeed lost. Our first destination was to go to Robinson mall, but why I told the rider to go to the SM mall. Fortunately, we arrived safely at the SM mall. Although it wasn’t a place we wanted to visit, we were happy to be able to go there.

Day by day, we were getting used to the situation, doing observations at school from morning to afternoon, going out around the hostel, talking with new friends at the hostel, etc. Nothing special on this day, we just stayed in a hostel. By the way, our hostel had a cafeteria and almost the foods were Indian food, it was because almost all the students in my hostel were from Indian. when I knew that the cafeteria was selling Indian food, I was very happy.  I have never tried Indian food before. Tadaaaaa, I ate and tasted it. The taste was very different from Indonesian food, indeed Indians like spicy food the same with us, but the way they cooked a lot used onions in their cooking. However, I was happy even though I did not really like it, at least I’ve tried Indian food directly.

Observation day!

The first day we observed at school was a normal thing, because actually, we had made observations at several schools in Indonesia. However, after making observations to several classes, I could conclude that the way of learning of students in my city is different from the children in the Philippines. What is different?

1. The using of English

In Indonesia you can see the students perhaps will not pay attention to your explanation when using full English in the class, it’s because English is only as of the foreign language in our country. Meanwhile, In the Philippines almost 95% of the students can speak English well, not without reason, it is because English is their second language after Filipino.

2. The way of Learning

In Indonesia, we might think that examinations are not important in the learning process. But in the Philippines, they prepare everything before an examination. There are no handphones in the classroom, nobody can talk to each other while the exam. This is what I like most about the learning system in this school.

3. The Material of Learning

This is the biggest distinguish in the education system of Indonesia and the Philippines, when in Indonesia Junior High School grade 8 only learned about how to introduce themselves in English, giving and asking an opinion, how to make an invitation etc, whereas in the Philippines Junior High School grade 8 had learned about English communication through Afro-Asian literature. They learn how to improve their English by learning literature from other countries. How great they are! I hope Indonesia can be more advanced in its education system, especially in learning English.

Most importantly, at that school, we were not allowed to take pictures of students carelessly. The principal said that it was the privacy of students. Maybe you could take pictures while their faces were invisible, or in other words only their backs. Unless I have asked permission and the principal is permitted. Am I allowed or not? Let’s see in the next story, heheee…

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After doing some activities at school, we were invited back to AUF to celebrate a small party with students from the College of Education. Several lecturers and first-year students attended this event. This event has coincided with the explanation of scholarships that they could get while studying at the Angeles University Foundation. During the event, we talked to each other with the students. Definitely, we met new friends. You need to know, Filipino people very kind and friendly.

Time has gone by so quickly, the second day I felt I yearned my comfort zone at home. When I was there, I have to wake up early, meeting new people, learning the culture and habits of the people around me, and many more. I have to go through it to make my dream comes true. On the first day of our school tour, we were very enthusiastic. We visited the school where we would practice teaching, Santa Barbara Campus. This school is one of the private schools in Angeles City. I could see how the elite of this school was only seen from the front of the building, this school has elite facilities such as elevators, playing areas, cooking areas, museum areas, etc. Almost everything complete in this school. Amazed and speechless! That was an impression that I showed after school touring. We were very well welcomed! The staff who accompanied us ( I forget his name), introduced us to all the teachers, and the other staff.

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After being satisfied walking around the school, we continued to visit the Angeles University Foundation. We met our buddies, Rica and Kathleen. Not only our buddies, but we also met the dean and several teachers from the College of Education, Mr. Joel, and Ma’am Dorothy. They treated us very well! I miss them a lot anyway.

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The Angeles University Foundation is one of the best private university in Angeles City, I think not only in Angeles city however also in the Philippines (I am sure, you have to go there). This university has several separate buildings, including AUF Sports and Cultural Center, Medical Center, Professional School, and many more. What I like about this university is when they treat us like their students!

I went to the airport started from August 17, 2019. I had two flights, the first flight started from Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport Makassar to Soekarno-Hatta Airport Jakarta, then continued to Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport. The total trip I took was about 1 day, so I touched down in Manila on August 18, 2019. I was not alone. 4 students were appointed to represent the university to participate in this activity. I and Novita were selected to go to Angeles Foundation University (AUF). Meanwhile, the others were going to Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU). How lucky I am to be a part of AUF!

We were picked up by Sir Jarrent. He is the teacher of the Angeles University Foundation (AUF), as well as our coordinator while there. Before going to the hostel, he took us to the Japanese Restaurant. All many things we explained to him, such as “We cannot eat meat in other countries because of several reasons, we can only eat seafood vegetables, etc.” It was like a peculiar thing to say, but yeah we must! (You know what I mean hehe). Well, back to the story. After 2 hours, finally, we reached the hostel. How lucky we are (again)! The hostel and school were only intersected by the highway. Which means our school and hostel were very close. When we arrived at the hostel, we just changed our clothes and headed to the Robinson supermarket to buy some necessities that we might need while there.

What is SEA-Teacher? Why do we need to join this program?

The SEA Teacher Project or the “Pre-Service Student Teacher Exchange in Southeast Asia” is a project that aims to provide the opportunity for pre-service student teachers from universities in Southeast Asia to have teaching experiences (practicum) in schools in other countries in Southeast Asia.

Based on the SEAMEO seven priority areas for the eleven SEAMEO Member countries to work together to improve the quality of education in Southeast Asia, “Revitalizing Teacher Education” is one of the priority areas in the building and strengthening the capacity of teachers in the region.

The exchange is preferably for 4th-year students whose major are in math, science, English and pre-school. The duration is for one month and based on the mechanism of a cost-sharing basis. Students’ roles and responsibilities are assigned weekly during the one month period (observe, assist in teaching, teach and reflect). Moreover, the host universities will provide mentors to supervise and monitor the students throughout the practicum period.

Objectives of the Project

1. To enable pre-service student teachers to develop their teaching skills and pedagogy
2. To encourage the pre-service student teachers to practice their English skills
3. To allow the pre-service student teachers to gain a broader regional and world view
4. To expose future teachers to diverse teaching and learning situations and opportunities, and the value of flexibility.

I just copy and paste from the link of SEAMEO. For more information, you may click the link http://seateacher.seameo.org/. I suggest you join this program! You will not regret it!