First Impressions

This photo doesn't even begin to describe just how excited I was to find something in my classroom with my name on it. As you can see, it says "Ms. Rachael" not "Ms. Elliott" because students call their teachers by their first names here. It isn't supposed to be more friendly or less formal it is just common and considered just as respectful to address someone by their last name. Even the Principle goes by "Mr. Philip" and not "Mr. Nash".

One of the first things we were told during orientation is that we are in a new culture now and this culture does things differently. Different doesn't mean bad, it just is different. Everyone has a tendency to believe that their own way of doing things are "better" or the "right" way when in reality there are many ways to do something and different doesn't equal bad.

To enter and live in another culture one must have an open mind. So here are some different things about living in Indonesia.

There is dust everywhere. The air isn't the cleanest living in the city, and even in my apartment, there is a layer of dust that accumulates after just a few days.

The above is one of the many reasons that people have a "helper" or maid come in and clean at least twice a week. I will be getting a helper here pretty soon so after a long day of teaching (6:45-3:30) I do not have to come back and wipe clean every surface in my apartment.

Age is respected here. While in America we are obsessed with youth, age is what matters here in Indonesia. I went shopping with the school Principal's wife and she has grey hair. Every store we went into the employees who saw here would place a hand over their heart as a sign of respect and say something kind to her.

The standard of living is lower here so things cost less. After learning how to do a rough conversion in my head of US dollars to Indonesian money, it quickly became clear that things cost a lot less. Which will make buying some stuff for my apartment that much easier.

Head scarfs and head coverings are common for women to wear as there is a large Muslim population, but not as common as I thought it would be. At the airport, I would say only about 1 in 5 women wore one and even at the mall it was only about 1 in 3. I don't "stick out" as much as I thought I would. In fact, there are so many different cultures that I am just another person in the melting pot that is Jakarta.

I am enjoying my stay here very much and am learning to live with and embrace these differences.

Here are some Indonesian words:

Sekolah means "School"

Pelita means "Light"

Harapan means "Hope"

So my school is Sekolah Pelita Harapan which literally translates into "School of light and hope."

My dearest wish is to be a light and a hope to these students.

-Rachael