KangGURU Magazine for April 2004

What is in the April 2004 magazine?

  Announcing the NEW Kang Guru FORUM Page on the KGRE website

Letter from Kevin - April 2004

Dear KGRE - ites,
Hi to all of you, and welcome to this April 2004 edition of the KGRE magazine. We hope that you enjoy the information and news that it contains. 

KGRE is always changing and growing. KGRE is about to launch a revised and updated KGRE Teacher Package. It is bigger than the previous package with more activities, more songs and more fun for students. Reading Class Sets will continue throughout 2004 and along with the revised Teacher Package will include many Competency Based activities and supporting information.

The English Clubs in the Kang Guru Connection continue to get stronger. We plan that by December 2004 the network will have 75 active and committed clubs. Ogi and I will continue to visit clubs during 2004 to support them with their activities. So far in 2004 I have visited clubs in Makassar, Wajo and Palu in Sulawesi and a club way out in East Lombok.

We often receive letters and emails from people who cannot hear KGRE in their local area. Is it difficult for you to listen to the KGRE broadcast? Maybe the reason is that there is no KGRE radio station in your area? There is one way you can help KGRE and help yourself at the same time. If you have a radio station in your area that may like to play KGRE, then go and talk to the station management about it. If they seem at all interested in broadcasting KGRE please contact us maybe we can talk to them as well. Then you will have KGRE in your area too.

Announcing the NEW Kang Guru FORUM Page 
on the KGRE website

During 2003 the FORUM Page received over 78,000 visitors! That represents about 26% of the total 'hits' on the KGRE website. It is without a doubt the most popular page on the website. Some people have suggested improvements to the FORUM. We have checked things out and we are happy to announce that in the near future a new style FORUM Page will be available for you to use. It will include a lot more information plus people using the FORUM will be able to submit their own Profiles including photographs for everyone else to see. Keep watching for this new FORUM Page - coming soon!

Click on the titles below and read selected articles from Kang Guru's April 2004 magazine. Of course there is a lot more information in the magazine plus loads of photographs, competitions and news.

  Places of Interest in Australia and Indonesia

Pelabuhan Ratu
Pelabuhan Ratu is on the south coast of Java near Sukabumi. It is often called 'Queen of the Sea' because it has many stories about Nyi Roro Kidul, the Queen of the South Seas. You can see beautiful sunsets every twilight and the sparkling lamps of fishermen's boats too. It's fantastic. On special days the fishermen hold holy parties. They throw sacrifices to the sea. That is for Nyi Roro Kidul. People can go to the holy party and they will be welcomed. At this beautiful beach you can water ski, sunbathe, make sand palaces or even drink daweugan (coconut water). There is also a fish market which sells many kinds of fish for oleh-oleh.

By Evi Dhalia Pratiwi, Sukabumi

Mindil Beach Sunset Markets in Darwin

These popular markets are on every Thursday from 5pm to 10pm, April to October; and also on Sundays 4pm to 9pm, June to September. There are lots of stalls selling a multicultural mix of great cuisine, crafts, produce and other items. There are also dance performances and musical entertainment. The parking area is choked with cars and it is amazing to see people flooding into the market area. The place is certainly a gathering point for both Darwinians and visitors. Some families even bring chairs and they enjoy food while watching the sunset. There is also a kind of small farm where children can play with farm animals like chickens, rabbits, sheep, dogs, ducks. It is a really wonderful place to spend the evening.

Listeners' Letters

I Respect AusAID!!
Firstly, I want to apologise because I have not written a letter for a long time. Thank you very much for your magazines. English is very important particularly to Indonesian students because it has become a compulsory subject in the Indonesian education curriculum. So reading your magazine is one way to improve my English, enrich my vocabulary and have entertainment in my spare time. Besides that, I also know that you have done many things not only for me but for my beloved country as well and we will never thank you enough for that. I am one of the Indonesian people who respect the programs of AusAID in my country. These programs have given many contributions to Indonesian people in developing their skills and awareness. I hope the AusAID programs such as IASTP, ACCESS, AVI, ACIAR and many others will continue to help Indonesian people to develop their country in all sectors and especially in the education sector. I wish you good luck for 2004. A special thank you for Kang Guru staff and crew. Have a nice work and good success. Thank you.

Sarullah
Palopo - SOUTH SULAWESI

Thank you for your great support Sarullah. Your letter is well written and I want to say that it is a pleasure to work in your country. I know that many Australians who work for AusAID feel the same way as I do. AusAID will continue to support programs such as the ADS scholarship program, KGRE, ACCESS and many others, so don't worry about that, okay? Good luck to you too in 2004 and beyond.

Wonderful Workshop!
Hallo my Kang Guru! This is my second letter. I am very thankful to you because I have been receiving your magazine twice since August 2003. And you are really interesting magazine for English learner and teacher especially for studying reading comprehension. And I am very interested in your KGRE Teacher Workshop segment. So, I try to open your website too. So fantastic! I can get some information about it. Finally I joined the workshop in Magetan. Oh wonderful. Mr Kevin showed me several methods in English teaching strategy that I did not know before. How easy teaching English is now and I hope this similar workshop can be done in Ponorogo next time. Mr Kevin, I would be very thankful to you if you could send me your KGRE Reading Class Set too, and here I send the letter from my Headmaster too.

Dra. Ririn Ida Mawarti
Ponorogo - EAST JAVA

It is great to know that KGRE is helping you and other English teachers with a very difficult job. You will be interested in our new Revised Teacher package for 2004 - more information in this magazine - page 9. As for a workshop in Ponorogo? Just invite me and then we can plan the visit. See you soon?

There are plenty more interesting letters in the magazine.
Make sure you have your own copy! 
Order it NOW!

Idioms Inggris

Did you know that Australians love to travel? They are quite famous for it really. They travel a lot around Australia and they often travel overseas. Thousands of Aussies travel right here to Indonesia every year as well. There are many idioms and slang expressions used when talking about travelling and holidays. They are quite common and used by all sorts of Australians. Here are some of them.

The first one is catch a plane or catch a bus or catch a boat. Now it doesn't mean to catch a plane or a boat because that would be impossible. Too big eh? It really means to go by or use - naik in Bahasa Indonesia.

'I leave on Saturday to go to Uluru. First we catch a bus to the airport and then catch a plane to Alice Springs. We should be at Uluru by this time tomorrow. I am so excited about this holiday'.

The second travel idiom is jump on board. To jump on board means to get onto or once again naik something.

'We waited until the train stopped at the railway station and then we jumped on board. We showed our tickets to the conductor. Then we found our seats and sat down and waited for the train to leave the station'.

Kevin recently chatted with David Ritchie, the Australian Ambassador to Indonesia, and his wife Jenelle about their favourite holiday destinations in Australia. During the conversation they used some great idioms.

'But generally speaking we just like to laze around and enjoy life and it's a very beautiful place'.

To laze around means to just relax and enjoy a quiet time. It may mean sitting beside a swimming pool, laying on the beach or just sitting in the garden reading a book. It means to do nothing - just relax.

Then Jenelle used a great idiom - to grab a little bit of time. It means to find some time to do something special.

'One of the tourist destinations I have really enjoyed is Jogyakarta. We went to Jogja partly on an official visit that David had to make, but at the same time we were able to grab a little bit of time and see some of the sights of Jogja'.

catch a plane/bus/boat - naik pesawat/bis/kapal
jump on board - naik
laze around - bersantai
to grab a little bit of time - mencuri waktu

For more idioms from KGRE - Click Here

'METRO This Morning'

Christina Pitch and Jason Tedjasukmana are news anchors for 'METRO This Morning'. Christina was born in Indonesia in 1979. Her mother is Indonesian and her father is Australian. Christina finished her high school years in Perth, Australia and her undergraduate and post graduate studies at Curtin University in Perth. Jason grew up in the United States of America. Jason and Christina both believe that a large number of Indonesians watch the METRO news program along with many foreigners. According to Jason it was one of the first English language news programs dedicated mainly to Indonesian issues. He says that if people want news specifically about Indonesia then METRO is one of the best sources in English. Both Jason and Christina, along with the rest of the team at METRO, are very busy people. They don't just read the news each morning but they are also instrumental in preparing it. They start work many hours before the news 'goes to air' writing and checking the stories so that the news they present is the best possible. You can hear Christina and Jason on KGRE during May and June talking about their backgrounds, careers and their English language experiences.

Sonja's Special Tips
Listening to English language radio, especially KGRE, is a great way to improve your English language skills. But watching English language films and television are also great ways to practise your English. Just ask Ari Wibowo.Watching early morning news programs such as 'METRO This Morning' can not only improve your English, but it allows you to find out what is happening in Indonesia and the rest of the world. Jason and Christina, along with the other members of the news team at METRO, present an excellent English language program each morning. Listen and learn at the same time.

Tourism in Australia

Port Douglas - Queensland

 'It's actually a climate that's not very different to parts of Indonesia - very tropical and very hot. It's beautiful and right on the Barrier Reef. We have spent a lot of time there over a number of holidays. There are plenty of activities to do including our favourites of bushwalking, swimming and just 'lazing around'. The weather around late December is very hot and humid because it's the wet season. In the middle of the year it's so much cooler, about 25oC. Port Douglas has some wonderful restaurants which we enjoy as often as we can. The nearby Barrier Reef is a wonderful area where we go swimming, snorkeling and looking at the fish. Did you know that the Barrier Reef is the only natural wonder that can be seen from the moon?'

Mt. Kosciusko - NSW
Mt. Kosciusko is the highest mountain (2,228 metres) on the world's flattest and smallest continent. The mountain does not rise up out of the surrounding contryside as do many of Indonesia's spectacular mountains. Elevation gain is minimal and the wide open terrain is scenic. In the winter there is deep snow on the upper parts of the mountain. The mountain is within a national park so no cars are allowed and the vegetation and wildlife is protected. Mt. Kosciusko was named by Polish explorer Paul Strzelecki in 1840. Actually, Australia does have some interesting mountainous terrain, including areas of the Blue Mountains, the crags of Tasmania, and even Mt. Townshend, a craggier peak about one km north of Kosciusko. 

The Kimberley Region - WA
Kununurra, the unofficial capital city of the region, is famous for Lake Argyle, a giant body of water more like an inland sea than a lake. Freshwater crocodiles cruise down the Ord River beside tour boats, while the wetland bird life and dramatic cliff scenery are superb. Nearby is the Argyle Diamond Mine which produces more than a third of the world's engagement ring stones. The Bungle Range is one of the most fascinating geological landmarks in Australia. These natural formations look like giant beehives but they also shelter cooling gorges, pools of cyrstal-clear water and fan palms which cling precariously to walls and crevices in the rocks. The Kimberley is as ancient as any place gets, and it will get into your bones.

Alice Springs – NT
Alice Springs is a great town from which to explore the Red Centre of Australia. The cemetery in Alice Springs has the famous artist Albert Namatjira in his final resting place. 'Henley on the Todd' is a sight to see (KGRE December 2003). By using Alice Springs as a base, travellers can explore such places as Palm Valley, the spectacular gorges of the McDonnell Ranges and Kings Canyon. In the McDonnell Ranges for example, there is evidence of Aboriginal art and their ancient culture to be found in the rock carvings and artifacts. For an unforgettable experience many tourists take hot air balloon flights over the McDonnell Ranges. What a spectacular view that would be!

Tourism in Indonesia

Root Bridge in West Sumatra
Root Bridge lies in the Pesisir Selatan Regency - West Sumatra in Puluik-Puluik Bayang. The uniqueness of the bridge is that it is made of the roots of two big Kubang trees that grew on both sides of the river. Root Bridge is used by villagers of Puluik-Puluik. Before the existence of the bridge people had difficulty crossing the river because the current was too strong and it is very dangerous to walk through. The real bridge was constructed in 1916 by Pakiah Sokan. It became famous since 1970, not only in Indonesia, but also around the world because it is the only one of its type in the world.

by Yurnawati in Padang - West Sumatra

Gunung Tujuh Lake in Jambi
Gunung Tujuh Lake is one of the many lakes in Kabupaten Kerinci in Jambi province. It is an amazing tourist place to visit. The location of Gunung Tujuh Lake is in Kecamatan Kayu Aro. It is about 50 km from Sungai Penuh to Pelompek village by public transport. Then people climb and walk for another 4 km or for 2.5 hours. The lake is surrounded by steep forest slopes and seven mountains. The highest peak of Gunung Tujuh Lake is 1,950 m above sea level. The length of the lake is 4.5km and the width is 3km. It is a volcanic lake and the highest in Southeast Asia. The temperature around the lake is very cold. Besides waterfalls you can also find animals such as siamang, elephants and birds. Gunung Tujuh lake is really beautiful with spectacular scenery.

by Okmi Astuti in Kerinci – Jambi

KGRE visited the restaurant twice in March 2004. Kathryn Elliott from AusAID Canberra accompanied KGRE on the second visit. Kevin and Kathryn sat down in the very smart and well laid out restaurant and enjoyed a fantastic meal. Kathryn was most impressed, especially with her fruit pancakes and ice cream. The restaurant is open to the public. Tourists often go to SMK 6 for lunch and that provides the students with valuable experience.The food is prepared, cooked and served by students. They are very professional. By giving real experiences in serving, for example, the students gain confidence and become more comfortable serving all types of customers. People who go there for lunch have to pay, therefore the food needs to be good and so does the service. For even more news and photographs - Click Here

Here's an e-mail received at KGRE on Wednesday, March 10th, 2004.

Hello Kang Guru,
We just read the website featuring the Makassar Tourism and Training Project at SMK 6 with Mr. Hubert Amann. As two Canadian consultants working near Makassar, we had the opportunity last year to be guests at the SMK 6 Restaurant when it first opened. We were greeted by friendly students, given great service and had a delicious meal. We were impressed. It was obvious that Chef Amann's excellent training program was making a significant impact on raising the standard at SMK 6.

Yours sincerely,
Ms. Gail Oglow and Mr. Garry Graham
Castlegar, British Columbia,
Canada

In 2003 applications for ADS were received from 4,624 people. Just over 600 applicants were chosen to proceed onto the interview stage. The academic interviews and English language test (IELTS) were held during January 2004. ADS scholarships were awarded to the successful candidates in February 2004. Their first step is to follow Pre-Departure Language Training with IALF in Bali or Jakarta. These language courses can be 6 weeks to 9 months in duration and some begin as early as May. Then the awardees go to Australia for two years to study in an Australian university. Good luck to all of them. 

If you want to know more about ADS then listen to KGRE during May and June. You can also check the ADS website direct - http://www.adsjakarta.or.id

Oz-Indo Connection

Youth Exchange Alumni at work in Palu
In Palu there is a group of young and enthusiastic alumni. Most of the members were AIYEP (Australia Indonesia Youth Exchange Program) participants. They are keen to stay together as a group maintaining connections with each other and at the same time putting their overseas experiences to work for the local community. Their activities in and around Palu are interesting. Jojo, for example (Adelaide/Mt. Gambier 1997), works 'on air' for RRI and has just recently begun his own interactive English language program each Sunday. Jojo has always been a great supporter of KGRE and now it is KGRE's turn to help him. His interactive show began on March 7th, 2004. Mila (Sydney/Orange 2001) works as a reporter at a newspaper in Palu. Yusri, Din and Mukrim all teach English in Palu and, together with the others, are currently considering the establishment of a second KGRE Connection language club in the city. 

ACIAR in Lombok

There is no denying that Lombok is a beautiful island. Visitors not only enjoy the beaches and the mountains such as Rinjani but they also marvel at the villages and the lush countryside. For much of the year, southern Lombok is quite dry. However when water is plentiful the rice fields in these areas are magnificent - rich and productive. Growing rice in Lombok has its problems though. Soil types and the availability of water present constant challenges not only to farmers but also to scientists.

 All five men are alumni of Australian educational institutions. Mahrup, Halil and Sukartono are Australian Development Scholarship (ADS) alumni. Kusnartha studied in Australia with support from the World Bank. They all completed their Pre-departure language training with IALF Jakarta and Bali before going to Australia.

Ari Wibowo is a well-known Indonesian actor. He has been acting since he was 17 years old. Ari began modeling as a catwalk model. Some reporters saw him and took photographs and asked whether he would be willing to do modelling for magazines. Movie producers approached Ari and asked if he would be interested in making movies. After some basic training in acting he began his acting career. Ari told KGRE that he learnt most of his English by watching movies. He admits that he is a movie freak. He grew up in Germany but moved to Indonesia when he was in elementary school (Kelas 5 SD). That is when he started learning English. Ari still has problems with dialects in English and says that he needs to listen extra carefully when chatting to an Aussie, for example, who has a broad accent. As far as his career is concerned, Ari realises that if wants to be an actor elsewhere in the world then English is pretty important. Ari spoke of his hobbies and leisure activities. He loves to get on his big Ducati motorbike and just go touring, whether it be to Bromo, Yogyakarta or elsewhere in Java. He usually goes together with a group of friends and they just ride, ride, ride. Scuba diving is another of Ari's passions and this hobby takes him to places such as Ambon and Bunaken. As far as music goes he likes Katon Bagaskara. A typical day for Ari begins early at 6am. Being a Christian he reads his Bible first then goes to the gym. After breakfast and a shower he goes to work. Work for Ari generally begins at 11am and finishes at 9pm. Ari returns home to watch movies on DVD or on satellite television.

KGRE would like to announce the KGRE Writing Competition for 2004. It's easy - just try it! In this competition the information you provide is more important than your English language writing skills. In other words, your grammar and structure do not have to be perfect. It doesn't matter what level of English you have or even if you feel your English is not good enough - still enter! Here is what you have to do.

Write a story of between 200 to 300 words. In the story you must use the words Kang Guru at least three times. Your story can be fact or fiction. It needs to be interesting and entertaining to read. Originality is very important and how easy it is to read and understand will mean a lot as well.

Be sure to enter before July 31st and you could win a holiday to Bali. In fact you can bring a friend with you. That means staying in a big hotel and an airline flight courtesy of KGRE, AusAID and the IALF. Wow!

List of all winners of the tasks in the DECEMBER 2003 KG magazine
(to be announced in mid-April)

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