Shortly after arriving in Bangka, we went to the beach to relax, chat and sip coconut water. This particular beach is more of a recreational beach. Every year there is a large motor-bike race on the beach. Families also gather to eat, chat, and relax. As the sun set, it was time to head home. We stopped at the mosque (masjid) for Faisal (our host) and his daughter to pray. Most mosques in Indonesia include large bronze drums which are an Indonesian national symbol. The drums are played in addition to the Azan (call to prayer) to call muslims to prayer.
1 Comment
There appears to be a higher number of ethnic Chinese and Malay. This is also reflected in architecture, food and design. Today I am leaving Jakarta for Bangka, an island off the coast of Sumatra. I'm traveling with fellow teacher Jeff Nichols (also from Chicago).
After a discussion of the Indonesian education system, we went to Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (literally translated: "Beautiful Indonesia Miniaure Park"). This park was designed by President Suharto's wife after she was inspired by a trip to Disney land. It contains a bit of everything--a zoo, a replica of indonesia built in a pond, museums, temples, and life-size replicas of the houses that exist in the numerous Indonesian provinces. One of the highlights of the mini park was the zoo. Unlike Americans zoos, one is allowed to go right in with some of the animals. Here, I'm filming members of our group petting a Komodo Dragon (native to Komodo Island) in Indonesia. After 28 hours traveling I am finally in Indonesia--specifically Jakarta. Jakarta is a bustling city with lots of motorcycles and scooters zooming precariously through cars and buses. People are very kind. Many signs are posted in English. There are also many mosques--some of which are open-air. My fellow teachers and I arrived at 5pm at our hotel. We will be visiting schools tomorrow and going to a cultural theme park. Follow me on twitter at #sethbrady9 In Los Angeles on way to Hong Kong. Had to give away two NCHS T-shiatsu to make the weight limit. Will be in Jakarta at 1:05 pm on Friday. 28 Hours total! Teachers for Global Classrooms (TGC) is a program unded by the US Department of State to increase global competence among teachers in order to achieve the goal of increased global competence among our nation’s students. Each year the program awards fellowships to teachers throughout the United States. These teachers complete a one semester course focused on developing the tools necessary to bring about greater awareness of global issues and to get
teachers and students to become global citizens poised to act on issues that affect us all. After completing the course, teachers are assigned a host teacher in one of several countries. Teachers then travel to the host country to learn about their culture and education systems. Teachers from the United States observe course, co-teach courses, and develop curricula with their host teachers. They also forge partnerships that continue long after their country visits. As of the writing of this post, (May 31, 2013) it a little less than year ago that I learned I was accepted as fellow in the TGC program. During this past year, my participation in the various aspects of the TGC program radically transformed my perspective on the world and education. The online course brought new challenges, concepts and methods that made me consider globalization, education, and teaching in entirely new ways. As I considered how to practically implement everything I learned from the course, I attended the TGC conference in Washington DC and met several teachers many of whom had already implemented projects with their students that were consistent with the TGC goal of acting on global issues. Though the TGC experience has been the most rewarding professional development experience of my career, in a little less than a weekI’ll be traveling to Indonesia and experiencing another culture and system ofeducation firsthand. |
AuthorSeth Brady teaches Comparative Religions and World Cultures at Naperville Central High School in Naperville, IL Archives
September 2014
Categories |