How would you like to go to Australia and live with an Aussie family? More than that, how would you also like to work in Australia in a position that can only be described as challenging and different? Fitri from Banjarmasin did these very things just late last year when she went to Sydney with the Australia Indonesia Youth Exchange Program (AIYEP), an Australia Indonesia Institute  (AII) supported program. So did Hendrik from Manado, Zulkifli from Riau and Ari from Kupang.

Listen to KGRE during April and May 2003 for more news from some of the participants in this wonderful program.

Fitri and Ari went to Sydney first and then onto Orange, a large country town in central New South Wales. They both taught Bahasa Indonesia in a primary school there and found the experience very interesting indeed. But teaching in the school was not the only source of learning they experienced. Living with an Aussie family had its share of surprises as well. A magazine stand and a selection of magazines in the toilet was just one surprise. Another surprise was the 'dry' toilet area - no bak mandi and no splashing water. There were plenty of tissues though!

Fitri, together with Hendrik, also had a work placement together back in Sydney which is somewhat surprising. They worked for the Australian Football League (AFL). Basically they accompanied footballers when they visited schools to promote and teach the game of football to school students. KGRE isn't so sure what they did on these 'work activities' but it would have been fun to see the action on the footy field. Hendrik also worked for Grace Bros. in Sydney in their retail department. Grace Bros is a large department similar to Matahari here in Indonesia.

Zulkifli was placed in three secondary schools in suburban Sydney. What is interesting here is that all three schools were Christian and Zulkifli is Muslim. As it turns out, Zulkifli was swamped with questions about his religion. Many of the high school aged students were very keen to learn more about the Muslim religion and the lifestyle that he has in his hometown of Pekanbaru.

The eighteen Indonesian participants in the 2002-2003 AIYEP have returned to Indonesia. Unfortunately their eighteen Aussie counterparts were unable to accompany them back to Indonesia this time. Nevertheless the Indonesian participants continued with their involvement with the program for a further two months in Makassar, South Sulawesi.



Here is a little of what Ari had to say to KGRE about his experiences in Australia. You can listen to his interview with Kevin from KGRE during April and May 2003 on KGRE radio across Indonesia.

A    My name is Adrianus Ngongo. I'm from East Nusa Tenggara
      province. Now I'm studying at er Widya Mandira Katolik
      University  in Kupang.

K   You went to Australia  with the Australia Indonesia Youth
     Exchange Program. When did you go?

A    I went to Australia on the 7th of October and we arrived there
     on the 8th of October, 2002.

K    And like Fitri you stayed in a hostel or in a YWCA for for a five
     or six days?

A    Yes, we stayed in YWCA  for five days.

K   What was your first impression of Sydney as a city?

A   I think it's amazing because it's very clean and not so many
     people I found in the streets. It's very different with what I saw in
     Jakarta. In  Jakarta there is a lot of people in the streets. While in
     Sydney I saw  very few people in the streets. Also the
     transportation is really good.

K   So in Sydney did you see many motorbikes?

A   Oh no, not so many motorbikes.

K    Mikrolet?

A   No, only buses and trains.

K   What are the differences between trains and buses in Sydney to
     trains  and buses in Indonesia?

A   In Sydney the trains and the buses are very disciplined. The bus
     will come at nine and will arrive there exactly at 9. In Indonesia
     you can't do that.

K   Where did your host family live?

A   My host family lived in North Sydney

K  You stayed in Sydney for a while and then you went out into the country to Orange. What was that town like and did all of the AIYEP participants go to Orange?

A   We are all went to Orange  and we stayed there for about three weeks. 

K   What did you do in Orange, just a holiday?

A   No, we did some work placements and I was working in Glenorie  Heights Primary School, a school especially intended for students  from troubled families or from Aboriginal families.

K   What was your job at that school?

A   I taught Indonesian for two or three times and then I supported the students working groups. Maybe mathematics or maybe to do their English.

AUSTRALIA INDONESIA YOUTH EXCHANGE PROGRAM (AIYEP)
in Australia.
8 October - 8 December, 2002

Eighteen youths from Indonesia have participated in the Australia Indonesia Youth Exchange Program (AIYEP). They all joined an orientation program in Australia for about 3 months from 8 October to 8 December 2002, which included programs of home-stay and work experience in government institutions and in private companies in Sydney and Orange, New South Wales. Their program was specially designed so as the participants could learn about the Australian culture, and on the other hand to introduce the Indonesian culture to Australian people.

After finishing their programs in Sydney and Orange, the Indonesian participants visited Canberra from 2 to 7 December 2002 for a joint orientation with the 15 AIYEP's participants from Australia. All participants then were invited by the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra for a dinner reception at the Embassy, on Thursday, 5 December 2002. On this occasion, the two groups sang some folk songs from Indonesia and Australia respectively, and at the end they presented a wonderful performance together - singing and dancing.

Having many unforgettable moments, the Indonesian participants finally completed their program in Australia and returned to Indonesia on 9 December 2002. Unfortunately, the Australian participants could not go along with them due to the advice from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) that they should not travel to Indonesia in the wake of the Bali bombings. However, the Australian participants will have the opportunity to visit Indonesia in next year's AIYEP.

Participants in the Australia Indonesia Youth Exchange Program (AIYEP) having pictures taken with the Indonesian Embassy's Charge d'Affaires Ad Interim, Mr Imron Cotan and Mrs Eni Cotan.

Click Here to see photographs of events (as outlined above) at the Indonesian Embassy, Canberra.

Return to Archive of AusAID Project Reports

Latest KGRE News
Home | Radio | Travel | Joeys | Connection Clubs | Interviews
Magazine | Stories | Idioms Inggris | Oz Indo Connection | KGRE Shop
Forum | Quickies | In the Classroom | Aussie Alumni | KGRE in Indonesia
AusAID | Competitions | Language Tips | Different Pond Different Fish | Contact Us