KangGURU Magazine for December 2005

Healthy Lifestyle and Living

The Importance of Water
The human body is a water machine. Without water our bodies would not 'work' properly at all. Every life giving and healing process that happens inside our body depends on water. The human body is made up of over 70% water. Our blood is more than 80% water. Our brain is over 75% water and the human liver is an amazing 96% water! Proper digestion depends on a healthy intake of water. To get the full nutritional value from the food we eat we must consume plenty of fresh water.

Vegetarians and Vegans
Indonesia has some of the best food in the world. Dishes such as nasi goreng, opor ayam and beef rendang or seafood, especially prawns and fish, are extremely popular all over the country. But are you familiar with the terms vegetarian and vegan? The concepts of being vegetarian or especially vegan, are not common in Indonesia. Someone who is a vegetarian does not eat meat, poultry or fish. People who are vegans do not eat any products of animal origin. This includes not only meat, but also dairy products (milk, butter, cheese), eggs and even honey. The strictest vegans don't wear leather, wool or silk and also avoid health and beauty products made with ingredients derived from animals. Some people who choose a vegan diet do so because they are allergic or insensitive to dairy products or eggs, although most choose veganism because of ethical concerns. Most vegans have a deep commitment to ending the exploitation and mistreatment of animals.

Healthy Forests - Healthy People
Check the KGRE website for fantastic information from Ms Dina Satrio from the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) who explains why forests are important for our health. Some of the reasons include:

Forests are important for keeping our water clean. Forests provide healthy, edible plants such as nuts, leaves, ferns, fungus, fruits, and spices. Forests are a source of recreation, which can also be good for our health.

*** The Australian Government, through the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), provided CIFOR with over $600,000 in core and project funding in 2004.

Obesity
A 1999-2000 study in Australia indicated that over 20% of adult Australians aged 25 years and over were overweight. Of these 7 million people, 21% were obese (gendut). Data collected in 1995 indicated the proportion of overweight or obese children and adolescents aged 2-17 years was 21% for boys and 23% for girls. Long term health conditions such as diabetes, heart and circulatory conditions, high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol were more commonly reported by obese and overweight women and men.

Keeping Healthy and Alive on Busy Roads On a recent trip to Madura, Kevin noticed several interesting things on the road. In Surabaya for instance, there is a new regulation for motorcycles. The front light of the motorbike must be switched ON during the daytime, as well as at night. This is for safety reasons as it makes the motorbike and rider easier to see for motorists and other road users, including pedestrians. Did you know that this rule has been compulsory in Australia for many years? In fact in Australia it is impossible to turn OFF the headlight at any time when the engine is running on the motorbike. In Madura Kevin noticed many banners supporting this concept. Local authorities are certainly promoting the idea and helping people to be safer on the roads. What do you think of this idea?

Change of Addresses
Remember, if you change your address please tell us here at KGRE. Then we can change your details on the KGRE database. We have also changed our email addresses too. The kangguru@ialf.edu is still valid for general matters, but for a more personal service try these email addresses:

Kevin - kdalton@ialf.edu (website, KGCC, radio programs, AusAID projects in Indonesia)

Rachel - rpearson@ialf.edu (feedback or questions about KGRE teaching materials such as Reading Class Sets and the new SMP Teacher Package)

Ogi - oyutarini@ialf.edu (travel plans, workshop bookings, visits to English clubs, radio stations)

Alwi - asatmaka@ialf.edu (teacher package orders, merchandise)

                    Tjok - tningrat@ialf.edu (magazine orders)


Listeners' Letters

Practice Is Important
I'm a student of seminary SMA Lalian in Atambua Timor NTT. This is the first time I have written an English letter. I read your wonderful magazine for the first time when I borrowed one from one of my friends in my school. I am also a member of the English club in my school. I usually join the English club on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. When I was still in junior high school I met a tourist at the market. I tried to speak English with him but I could not. Since then I have the challenge to study English. I have the motivation to speak English because I want to go around the world. In seminary I always practice my English conversation with my friends in my class. My English teacher is Sr. Rosalia Laot RVM. If she teaches us she tells some jokes in English. I like my teacher. Please send me your next edition of the magazine.

Petrus Aus Gregorius Talk
Timor - EAST NUSA TENGGARA

That's a fantastic letter - we cannot believe that is your first letter ever! Well done! It is terrific that you have an English club to practice with. English clubs are a really fun and an effective way to practice and improve your English. You are definitely a motivated student to go three days a week and you obviously study very hard. I am sure you have seen a really big improvement in your English as a result. The KGRE crew send you, your teacher Sr. Rosalia and all your classmates and English club friends a big, "Hello". Well done all of you.

Problem with KGRE Website
I have looked at the new KGRE website design. It's interesting and gives a lot of information about your programs. Unfortunately it's difficult for me to open some parts. I tried to open your latest stories but it didn't work. A few weeks ago before having the new design website, I opened the stories part and it worked. Kevin, is it possible if the songs in Kang Guru package not only use Australian singers but also Indonesian singers. For instance, Koes Plus. He's very famous in the 70s but we can often still hear his songs. One of his famous songs is 'Why Do You Love Me'.

Fitriah
Jombang - EAST JAVA

Dear Fitriah, Sorry to hear about your problems with the website but can you please try again. We have been working on the website a lot and it should be okay now. We are always looking for artists to feature on KGRE so thanks for your suggestion. We do play Indonesian singers singing language songs - Marcell, Delon, AB Three, Padi, GiGi. In the new SMP package (see page 13) we feature Peter Pan, Kris Dayanti and Glenn Fredly.

Freaky Face?
First of all let me introduce myself. My name is Prita Prametya Kirana. I go to Al Hikmah Secondary School in Surabaya. I'm in grade seven. The reason why I really like learning English is because of my dream. I have a dream that I will go to King Khaleed, a very famous school in Australia. So I must have good English. But I have a problem with English. I am good at writing but not in speaking. I never enjoy speaking English because I think speaking English is difficult and makes my face look freaky and I can't be confident. Can you give me some tips that will make me more confident? Love Prita.

Prita Prametya Kirana
Surabaya - EAST JAVA

Hello Prita, thanks for your superb letter. You are right; your writing is really good, especially as you are only in grade seven. What about your speaking problem? I know that everyone who reads your letter will agree with you. Everyone who learns a language feels like they have a "freaky face". That is such a great description. It is exactly what your face and mouth feel like, isn't it? All we can tell you is that, if you practice you will feel more comfortable and you will get used to it. Try and practice speaking English with your school friends as often as you can. Don't forget they feel exactly the same as you. So they will not laugh or make you feel bad. Always be supportive and encouraging of each other. Try and practice in front of the mirror too. And you will see that your face does not look "freaky" at all. Did you see Kevin's interview with Shanty in the August 2005 magazine? She speaks really great English and she is really natural and fluent. And her face is beautiful when she speaks English.

Successful Teacher & Students!
In this letter I enclose some of my students' opinions about the KGRE Reading Class Set for April 2005. After doing the activities with my class, I felt satisfied with the result. It seems successful because 98% of my students got more than 65%, which is my school minimum pass mark. I did activities with 2 classes and got the same good results. The most popular article was the Crocodile Hunter and the Idioms Inggris article. The students enjoyed these activies very much. They loved talking about the flora and fauna. Thank you very much KGRE.

Feny Dwi F., S.Pd
Bima - WEST NUSA TENGGARA

Hi Feny, thanks for your really great letter and feedback. We really appreciate this kind of feedback from teachers and students. It helps us to make our teacher materials better. Thanks for all your ideas about puzzles and vocabulary too. We will try and include some of them in the next Reading Class Set. Don't forget we will have four magazines and four Reading Class Sets in 2006. They are still FREE for teachers!

Thanks also to your fantastic students - Rahimat Hidayatullah, Nurhasanah, Ainurrafiqah and Wahyu Ady Sulistyo - for their letters and feedback. We are delighted that you had fun and enjoyed the activities. Especially because it was your first time ever to listen to cassettes in class. You obviously did really well. We hope you enjoyed the August Reading Class Set just as much. Write to us again soon, OK?

Idioms Inggris

A very common idiom in Australia is being under the weather. It means you are not feeling well.

"You don't look well today, what's wrong?".

"Nothing bad really, I'm just feeling a bit under the weather."

So-so and off colour are similar to under the weather.

"How's Kevin?". "Oh, only so so. He should really get some sleep and then he'll feel better."

"Sally won't be at the meeting this afternoon, I'm afraid. She's gone home."

"I'm not surprised. She was looking a bit off colour this morning."

A fiddle is like a violin. It is often used in folk or classical music. To be played well, a fiddle has to be finely tuned so that the violinist can make it sound really good.

"I heard your dad wasn't well?".

"Oh, he's fine now, he is as fit as a fiddle." In other words he is 'finely tuned' - very well and ready for action.

If you are fighting fit, then you are at the peak of your physical and mental health. You are so fit that that you are almost ready to fight in a boxing match.

"I would like to run the Jakarta Marathon next year."

"Really? You will need to train hard and be fighting fit to do that!"

If you are in good shape then you are able to do a lot of physical activity without getting tired.

          "I think I'm in fairly good shape and should be able to swim 25 lengths of the pool this weekend."

under the weather, so-so, off colour - merasa sedikit kurang sehat/tidak enak badan

as fit as a fiddle - sangat sehat
finely tuned - dalam keadaan sangat sehat
fighting fit - dalam puncak kesehatan
in good shape - dalam kondisi sehat

Vocabulary Learning Tips - making vocabulary cards
We get lots of letters from KGRE readers asking for tips on learning and memorizing vocabulary. It is very important to learn some new words every day. If language learners do not learn a few new words every day their progress will be very slow. Remember it is even more difficult to remember words if they are not used regularly, especially in the few days after learning them. Why not try this idea - it really works!

Take a topic area, such as health, and make list of words and phrases you need to learn.

Get some paper or card.

Cut up the card into pieces about the same size as a business card - that's about 9 centimeters long and 5.5 centimeters wide.

Take one piece of card and write a word or phrase in English on one side.

Now turn over the card and write the word or phrase in bahasa Indonesia on the other side.

Take another card and write a different word or phrase in English on one side and the translation on the other side.

It is also very helpful to write an example sentence in English too.

Make as many cards as you need.

Keep the cards in your bag or pockets and whenever you have time, take out a card and look at it.

First look at one side and try and remember the translation on the other side. Then turn the card over and check.

          Do this whenever you can and you will find that you learn lots of new words and you won't forget them
          either.

Healthy Lifestyle and Living - Healthy Lifestyles of KGRE-ites
So many people have written wonderful emails, letters and cards to KGRE giving their ideas on how to lead a healthy life, both physically and mentally. The suggestions and ideas have been great and we want to share some of them with you. Most people talked about the importance of healthy food and clean water. Many mentioned the importance of physical activity, such as sport, while others mentioned unhealthy activities such as smoking and drugs. It is interesting that so many people mentioned smoking as being so unhealthy. It is not only very unhealthy for the smoker, but also for those who are nearby and breathing in the smoke from that person - this is called passive smoking. If so many people know that smoking is bad for their health, then why do so many Indonesians smoke? What do you think?

Smoking is very dangerous for our body, especially for our lungs.
Rizka Noviana Indriyani in Magetan, East Java

We should be friendly to our neighbours and to all people we meet - giving a smile to everyone is a great idea to be happy and healthy in your heart.
Miftah Amaliya in Kandangan, South Kalimantan

Drinking plenty of clean water is important. I drink a glass of water before I go to bed every night and as soon as I get up each morning. It helps my circulation.
Nur Azizah in Banyumas, Central Java

Many people like to drink juice in Indonesia. Try this juice - banana, carrot and spinach. This juice is very good for people with anemia. Celery, watermelon, and carrot or apple juice is also very good. I drink these juices everyday for a healthy body.Hindra Pramana in Blitar, East Java

I do plenty of exercise every morning. I pull up water from the well (manually) before I go to school. I do not have a pump machine. It is good for my body and makes me feel fit at the start of the day.
Almendo Theo Lindra, Yogyakarta

We have to eat good, nutritious food, including fresh vegetables and fruit so that we get the right amount of proteins, vitamins and carbohydrates to be healthy.
Eka Wahjuningsih in Jember, East Java

When I first entered SMK 2 Klaten I joined 'Young Red Cross' (Palang Merah Remaja) and I followed many of their activities. Now I know more about good health and I can help people too. I give blood regularly too, although the first time I felt faint. I have learnt so much from this group that now I know my life is much happier and healthier too.
Slamet Riyadi - Klaten, Central Java

Instead of sport like basketball or swimming, I do other things for fitness. I usually dance, especially Balinese dancing. Dancing makes me sweat and makes me fit. Dancing is just like exercise. Dancing is more a traditional fitness activity. I do jog sometimes too.
Dirasandhi S. Putri in Nusa Dua, Bali

Everyone wants to have a good life, a healthy life. But not all people can have it. It depends on themselves. If they can keep their body well then that is good, but also being healthy in the thinking department as well.
Ivana Gozali from SMA Tri Ratna in Sibolga, North Sumatra

Serve a variety of vegetables from different colours and cuts. For example, you could serve some slices of carrots, steamed green leafy vegetables, and steamed or fried potatoes cut lengthwise (resembling the well-known 'french fries') accompanied with some steak or peanut sauce. Carrot-pineapple-tomato skewers (satay) are also great to make and eat.

Cook vegetables in different ways every day - steaming, boiling, frying, stir-frying, baking or grilling. If you serve two vegetable dishes at once, make sure that the two dishes are prepared differently - one stir-fried and the other boiled, for example.

By making vegetables an enjoyable dish, children will enjoy them as a treat. They will no longer be a threat to children's taste buds (rasa pada lidah), and no longer an annoying occasion for parents to force, urge, and push their children to eat greens (green vegetables).

Healthy Lifestyle and Living - Ade Rai
Ade Rai is a famous athlete and professional body builder in Indonesia. After graduating from university he became very involved in his sport. "One of the interesting things about this sport is this sport can make you look better because you as young guy usually you want to look better. Let's say if you are heavy you wanna look slimmer. If you're too slim you wanna look heavier, you wanna look athletic. So this sport can provide your need." Ade actually became interested in physical strength through arm wrestling. He really enjoyed arm wrestling at university and was determined to become as strong as possible. He was soon the national arm wrestling champion and in fact he still is. KGRE asked Adi about the time he spends on strengthening his body.

Ade's advice for eating properly is pretty simple really. Don't miss the important meals such as breakfast, lunch and dinner. Eat nutritious food and make sure you eat all of the food groups including carbohydrates, protein, fibres and vegetables - eat a variety of food. "I eat carbohydrate, protein and fat and fibre and vitamins and minerals. I take multivitamin and minerals for my supplement. I eat rice for carbohydrate also brown rice oat meals. For protein I eat white meat and red meat at the same time but one thing for sure I try to avoid food that is fried - food that contains a lot of fat. I like milk, ice cream, cheese but the thing is I cannot eat as often as a lot of people here in Indonesia, but I drink non-fat milk."

Ade's devotion to the sport means that he travels a lot promoting healthy lifestyles in schools, sports clubs, malls and sporting events. He is also passionately involved in "Badan Narkotika Nasional" and "Badan Narkotika Propinsi" which both promote the latest information and warnings about drugs to young people. Ade is particularly against steroids in the sport of bodybuilding and is working hard to make sure that they do not become a problem here in Indonesia as they have overseas. Another great interest of Ade's is health education in schools. He is concerned about the lack of information given to students about nutrition, for example.

BINGKUANG - Indonesian herb plants
(this article is the winner of Task 2 from the KGRE August 2005 magazine)

Bingkuang, a symbol of Padang, is a kind of tropical fruit in Indonesia. It is not a seasonal fruit. This fruit grows underground. It is similar to a potato but the difference is in growing it. With bingkuang the plant's flower seed is planted in the ground. Bingkuang has an off-white skin. It has white flesh. The longer it is kept, the sweeter taste it will have. If the skin is damaged it will rot easily. This fruit can help prevent stomach and colon disease. It can also help to lower body temperature if someone has fever. It can help make our skin soft and smooth. It is often used as ingredient of traditional food like rujak and sari buah.

Written by Yurnawati
** In English, bingkuang would be classed as a vegetable.

Literature - 'Flowers On The Cliff Edge'  by Renny Yaniar  Part One

Amelia's house was in a quiet place. It was a hilly village. The garden of her house was very beautiful. Flowers with various colours grew there. Amelia grew some roses. She's a nature lover. One day Amelia closed her book. She felt tired after studying hard. She stood by the window. She could see the mountain from there. It was a beautiful bluish green.

"How beautiful. How wonderful it would be if I could reach the top of that mountain without climbing."

"If you want to fly up there, follow me," said a soft voice. Amelia was surprised.

"Who are you? Why did you come in without permission?"

"My name is Yuli. My home is a bit far from here. I want to be your friend, Amelia," said the girl.

"You know my name," said Amelia.

"I often hear your mother calling you," Yuli answered. She reached out her hand to Amelia. Amelia shook
   Yuli's hand.

"Why is your hand so cold? Are you ill?" asked Amelia, worried.

"I haven't been to school for few days," said Yuli.

"If you were sick, why aren't you in bed now?" asked Amelia.

"The fresh air will make me better, Amelia," said Yuli. Yuli pulled Amelia's hand. She wanted Amelia to follow
   her.

"Oh, no. I cannot go now. I must do my homework."

"Okay. How about tomorrow?" asked Yuli

"Yes, you are welcome to come back tomorrow. My mother will make some delicious cakes for me. You must
   taste some Yuli," said Amelia.

"Thanks Amelia. You are so kind." Yuli waved to Amelia and then she was gone. Amelia's mother was puzzled
   to see her daughter talking alone.

"Who were you talking to Amelia?" her mother asked her.

"Oh, I was talking to Yuli, my new friend," Amelia answered.

"But I didn't see anybody," said Amelia's puzzled mother.

"This wasn't my fantasy, Mom. Yuli is my real friend. Her house is a bit far from here. She'll come again
   tomorrow. I had promised to give her the cake you make," told Amelia.

"You are a little bit strange," thought Amelia's mother, shaking her head again.

The next day, the sun shone brightly. It was just seven in the morning when Amelia looked outside the window and saw Yuli behind the fence.

"Oh, you are here. But why do you look sad?" asked Amelia. Yuli didn't speak. There were tears in her eyes,
   falling down her cheeks ...

Renny Yaniar is a children's story book writer living in Jakarta. Renny has written 31 children's story books. In June 2002 Renny's book 'Lautan Susu Coklat' won the Adikarya IKAPI (Indonesian Publishers Association) award for the Best Children's Story.

My Sister Sif' - A Book Review by Oceana Pastor-Elsegood

Hey! Hey! Kang Guru. My name is Lidya. This is the first time I have written a letter. I am studying at Al-Hikmah Junior High School in Surabaya. I want to give you a good idea! How about if you add comics and some lyrics in your magazine? OK? Thank you Kang Guru.

KGRE: Hey Lidya! Thanks for your letter.We hope you like our new character, Whiz. Listen to him on the radio too, okay? He is really funny and interesting.

JOKES
"A country man comes to a town called Medan. He was in his old car when suddenly it broke down (mogok). He tried to find a workshop (bengkel). He found one but the sign in the window said 'buka 24 jam/open 24 hours'. "Oh no", he said. Then he found another one but still the same message. Then he sighed, "What funny people in this city. If they need 24 hours to open then how long will they check and repair my car."

Sent in by Rentauli in Pematangsiantar, North Sumatra.

Q Can a kangaroo jump higher than the Empire State Building?

A Yes, of course, because a building cannot jump!

Sent in by Mahjati Abidah from Klaten, Jawa Tengah

duck's bill - mulut bebek, webbed feet - seperti kaki bebek, claws - cakar

AusAID in Indonesia

APS Awardees Ready for Study In Australia
The first group of Australian Partnership Scholarship awardees completed their EAP (English for Academic Purposes) training at the IALF in Bali in October. These awardees will commence their postgraduate studies in Australia in January 2006. These awardees are part of a total number of 350 awardees who will be undertaking EAP throughout 2006 at the IALF in both Jakarta and Bali. 

The EAP program is a great way for the awardees to prepare for academic studies in Australia as well as to meet new friends and experience a new educational approach to studying a language. The closing ceremonies held at the IALF in October were a time of great celebration for these awardees - but also tinged with a little sadness as many of them will be studying at different universities in Australia.

For those of you thinking about applying for an Australian Partnership Scholarship in 2006, don't forget the 2006 APS application round which commences on May 8th 2006 and closes on July 14th 2006. There will be 250 scholarships available for postgraduate study and awardees will be able to choose from over 40 higher education institutions in Australia. The key requirement to be eligible for an APS is firstly that you have a minimum English language proficiency of IELTS 5 or TOEFL 500 and a GPA of 2.9. In addition, all applicants must also be either an employee in the public or private sector and work within a field closely aligned with the APS priority areas: Public Sector Management, Economic Governance and Education.

More information is available at www.apsprogram.or.id or by contacting the APS office on (021) 527 7648

Dr. Esterlina Ayuni, Head of the Health Office in Jayapura told KGRE waht their team discovered by checking houses and shops (sweeping) in the regency. They found that 80% of the salt being sold and used is in fact iodine salt. That is terrific, isn't it? Esterlina said that future plans include having the local government and legislative make a positive rule about the availability and sale of iodine salt in Papua.

AusAID and other agencies are doing a lot of work in Asia with this problem of lack of iodine in the diet.

The Indonesia Australia Specialised Training Project (IASTP III)
Training is very important. On-the-job training is also important for people who are already very good at their jobs. Perhaps they need special extra training in a particular area or maybe in a new field. This is exactly the sort of training that AusAID's IASTP III project does in Indonesia. This training was put to the test immediately after the October bombings in Bali - Hospital Preparedness for Emergencies and Disasters (HOPE). The Indonesia Australia Specialised Training Project Phase III arranged delivery of HOPE training for 51 medical and health professionals across the Province of Bali in July 2005, on behalf of AusAID.

The HOPE program has been developed to provide training in responding to/managing large scale disasters such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, or bombs in developing countries where the level of hospital-based technology, equipment and systems may not be so well organised or developed. As a result of this training, a province-wide coordinated medical and emergency response plan was put in place in July 2005. It involved all major emergency service providers, hospitals and health centres.

Sanglah Hospital in Bali was the centre of the response. Sanglah Hospital has received attention, building and equipment upgrades and training from the Australian Government since the 2002 Bali bombings. HOPE training definitely made for a much better and more coordinated and effective response immediately after the October 2005 bombings in Jimbaran and Kuta. IASTP III is now considering extending the training to other eastern province hospitals in major hubs, such as Jayapura, Surabaya and Makassar.

Drug abuse is an increasing problem throughout Indonesia. A recent community survey, although limited, indicates that 0.5% of the entire Indonesia population are currently addicts. This equates to some 1 million people, with approximately 50,000 of those being in Jakarta alone. It is estimated that there are approximately 150,000 injecting drug users (IDU's) throughout Indonesia. Similarly, the Government of Indonesia believes that there are between 90,000 to 130,000 people who are HIV positive, of whom about 42,000 are IDU's. The Indonesia Australia Specialised Training Project (IASTP) has been providing training on drug information and surveillance for several years. In 2005 the direction for this training moved to a focus on drug interventions. IASTP III has been training two groups simultaneously, one consisting predominantly of medical professionals, and the other predominantly of counselors and other psychosocial professionals. The first group of courses occurred in Denpasar and Manado in June 2005 and the second group in Batam and Medan September 2005.

HIV/AIDS Project in Papua
Dewi Wulandari is the Media Relation Officers for Komisi Penanggulangan AIDS Propinsi Papua. Together with other members of her team she is working to better educate people in the Jayapura area about HIV/AIDS. Current activities include a weekly radio program called Mari Kitorang Bertanggung Jawab (MKBJ - Let Us Be Responsible) at RRI Jayapura. The program began in May 2005 and is broadcast once a week - every Monday morning for 20 minutes from 6.10am to 6.30am. Its main aim is to provide information about HIV/AIDS, to improve people's awareness and to ask people to be responsible about HIV/AIDS. HIV/AIDS is not only a government problem or a problem for certain people, but HIV/AIDS is everyone's problem and all people in Papua should be responsible for trying to prevent HIV/AIDS. The program attracts many interactive callers and many, many questions about HIV/AIDS. One special activity was to ask questions about HIV/AIDS and invite listeners to answer via SMS messages. The program received hundreds and hundreds of SMS messages with the correct answers, so that was a job well done, don't you agree? People in the Jayapura area are finding out a lot of information about HIV/AIDS thanks to the activities of Komisi Penanggulangan AIDS Propinsi Papua, AusAID and RRI Jayapura.

Other very successful activities included cooperation with the Panitia Pelaksana (Implementing Committee) of the Indonesian Football League. Every match played by Persipura - the Jayapura Football Team - is broadcast live on RRI. Volunteers distribute information about HIV/AIDS and the football commentators announce HIV/AIDS information to the spectators.

A Slice of Life
Chandra Galih Permana lives in Bandung. Chandra is 26 years old and was one of the very first people to organise a KGRE Connection Club back in 2001. In fact, The Space Club was the first Connection Club that KGRE ever visited. He is now fully involved in a new venture - a very important one for him. Something very close to his heart. Chandra is a hemophiliac (orang yang mengalami masalah dengan pembekuan darah). Now he is working to help others who have hemophilia, particularly in West Java. On July 28, 2002 he established the West Java Hemophilia Society.

The recent increase in costs for their medicine (40%) is not helping their situation at all. He is also working with overseas NGOs as well. Chandra has 62 fellow hemophiliacs on his list in West Java.

For more information please contact Chandra at:
Yayasan Peduli Hemofilia (Care for Hemophilia Foundation)
Address: Jl. Pajajaran Dalam No.93 A/72, Bandung 40174, West Java.
Email: hwestjava@yahoo.com

Surfing Is My Life
Tipi Jabrik has been surfing almost all of his life. He started when he was 5 years old. It was almost natural for him to go to the beach everyday back in those days. Kevin asked Tipi why he started so early. "I start surfing when I was so young ... we live close to the beach. We live in Jalan Double Six and that's only like 200 meters from the ocean so we go to the beach almost everyday." As his skills in the water increased Tipi began to travel a lot and not just in Indonesia. He has surfed in Hawaii and he says that was probably one of his most memorable adventures. Besides surfing, he is also very interested in photography. After years of having his photograph in surfing magazines around the world Tipi has taken up photography as a hobby, but also as a part of his job with Quiksilver. Some of his main Public Relations responsibilities are to represent the company, take care of the media and to organise surfing contests which Quiksilver supports. Tipi says that Quiksilver is really a lifestyle company. He believes if people want to have a healthy lifestyle then they need to be active and healthy and Quiksilver is there to help them. What makes Tipi's lifestyle a healthy one?

"I think myself as a healthy person because I really look after my diet. I try not to eat too much fried food. I eat a lot of vegetables. I don't eat meat that much and I surf almost every day to keep my body fit. Surfing is enough to make your body healthy but ... I do a lot of stretching. Stretching is very important for any activity ... to loosen up your muscles ... I like to eat sweets but I try not to eat it too much. I drink a lot of water, that's really important."

My Holiday Trip to 'Snowy Australia'
I flew to Sydney first from Denpasar with my mum and some friends. We went to the Aquarium, Sega-World, the Maritime Museum and my favourite, the USS Vampire battle ship. It was awesome! On Sunday we went on a plane to the Snowy Mountains. We had to settle into an apartment first and then rent skiing gear. But the next day we went to the snow! I took snowboarding classes with my friend Dylan. We had four layers of clothes on top (vest, t-shirt, sweater and thick jacket) and two layers of trousers (boxers not included!). We wore a helmet and special snow goggles to protect our eyes and we had stylish snowboards. A snowboard is like a skateboard without wheels and a lot bigger. We wore special boots to clip on or strap on.

The first day was cold, and wet, and sometimes miserable. It was freezing. With a teacher, we learnt how to stand up on the snowboard, and do the 'falling leaf' technique. It was hard work and you have to be fairly fit. The second day was bright and sunny. We could snowboard from the very top of the easy slope. We took a chairlift to the top - that was cool! It is like going up an escalator, except you are high above the snow, and you have skis or snowboards hanging off your feet. The third day was hard. We went to Blue Cow Mountain by underground railway. There was snow everywhere. I went down the slope at least 10 times or more. Overall, it was so awesome. I would like to do it again. After my snow holiday we came back to Indonesia. Sent in by Raditya Santosa, an SD student in Bali.

Oz-Indo Connections

Nutrition
AusAID supports the Nutrition Education Campaign for NTT and NTB from the World Food Program.They have contributed US$155,150. This program will focus on strengthening the various parts under the nutrition education campaign, with special attention given to NTT and NTB. The program covers the NTB districts of West, Central and East Lombok. It assists 38,000 students in 203 schools, plus 26,000 children under 5. It also assists 8,500 pregnant women and lactating mothers in 336 posyandus.

WSLIC 2

Avian (Bird) Flu
Bird flu is an infection caused by avian (bird) influenza (flu) viruses. These flu viruses occur naturally among birds. Wild birds, for example, carry the viruses in their bodies but usually do not get sick from them. However, bird flu is very contagious among birds and can make some domesticated birds, including chickens, ducks, and turkeys, very sick and can even kill them. Bird flu viruses do not usually infect humans, but several cases of human infection with bird flu viruses have occured since 1997. The Indonesian Government is naturally concerned about this situation and so is the Australian Government. The Australian Government has provided over $15 million in assistance to Indonesia to help fight the threat of avian influenza in our region. This funding will help Indonesia improve its response to a potential outbreak in key areas such as detection, diagnosis and containment of the virus, public awareness-raising and information-sharing.

MTTP in Papua
SMK 1 Jayapura is set high up above Jayapura harbour. It was one of the schools in Papua which worked with AusAID's Makassar Tourism and Training Project (MTTP). MTTP finished in early 2005 but the effects of the project's work are still treasured in Jayapura. The Principal of SMK 1, Laura Holle, is very proud of her school's involvement with MTTP. Facilities and equipment provided through that AusAID project are still in use and in excellent condition. On the day KGRE visited SMK 1, the students were undergoing Competency Assessment with two competency assessors from the local industry - Pak Budi from the Yasmin Hotel and Haris Loji from the Ermashita Hotel. These men are both involved in the tourist industry in Jayapura and they are the best people to really assess whether SMK 1 students are competent or not.

Kevin was also happy to hear how fondly the teachers at SMK 1 spoke of Francis De Silva - a keen supporter of KGRE and a hard working member of the MTTP team. Laura studied in Australia in the early 90s under a scheme established by the Indonesian Government and the Government of the Northern Territory. Her Vice Principal, Ibu Elisabeth, also studied in Australia in the mid 90s. With these two wonderful ladies in charge of SMK 1, the school will continue to provide excellent tourism-related training to students in Jayapura. And the school itself? Spotless and clean and with a beautiful garden! What a great atmosphere to have!

Kang Guru Connection Club Network
KGRE flew to Palu in Central Sulawesi in late August to meet Connection Clubs and present a Teacher Workshop. The workshop was organised by Pak Yusri, leader of the Posisani English Club in conjunction with DIKNAS and Ibu Marfuatun from Amalia Orphanage in Palu. When Kevin first arrived at the workshop venue he was met by students all dressed in traditional clothes and shaking spears at him. It was in fact a traditional welcome presented by 25 students from the Amalia Orphanage. 

The traditional welcome continued with a dance performance inside the venue. The students were beautifully dressed - so bright and dazzling. The members of the welcoming group also joined in our meeting with students from KGCC's based in Palu - the Posisani Club and the Nurul Ihsan Meeting Club. There are two other clubs ready to join the KGCC network - The Dolphin based at RRI Palu and the Welcome English Club based at UNTAD in the Economics Faculty. Hi to Pak Jojo, a keen interactive presenter at RRI Palu. Kevin appeared on his English language program and Jojo certainly has a lot of listeners and a lot of good ideas.

Pak Suryadi from nearby Pondok Pesantren Al Amien gave a presentation to teachers at the workshop about the KGRE Connection Club network. His Pioneer English Club, based at Pondok Pesantren Al Amien, is very active and has been a keen member of the KGCC network for a few years now. Earlier this year KGRE joined together with the Pioneer English Club to hold a KGCC Get Together for all clubs linked with KGRE in the area. There were over 150 members at the meeting. The Pioneer English Club also organised a Teacher Workshop at the Prenduan and is presently organising language clubs in Pamekasan and Pontianak to join the KGCC network. Thanks Suryadi! The weekend finished with a one day visit to nearby Pamekasan to see Sapi Sonok. What a wonderful spectacle that is. What a wonderful place Madura IS!

KGRE met teachers, students and visited RRI in Jayapura and Sorong in August. Kevin met students at SMK1 and SMA 5 plus 250 students from various schools at a special student meeting held at SMK 1. There is a very strong interest in language clubs so hopefully some new clubs will be formed soon. Hello to Sophe (right, in the pretty pink shirt), English language interactive radio presenter, at RRI Jayapura and to the staff at RRI Sorong. KGRE recently received a letter from Dr Felix Duwit at the Selebe Solu Hospital in Sorong. Felix has begun a language club at the hospital for staff (see picture on blue background right). That club meets every day from 1-2 pm. They also listen to KGRE every Tuesday. As Felix says, learning English is very important for them and for their careers. Keep up the good work and KGRE will see you soon.

Kang Guru in the Classroom Teacher SMP Package, 2005-2006

KGRE and the IALF (Indonesia Australia Language Foundation) have created a new Teacher Package to assist Indonesian teachers of English who are teaching SMP level students. The activities are designed for elementary to pre-intermediate level students. The activities have been designed to complement and support a competency-based curriculum and have been specially written to match topics in the new 2004 SMP curriculum.

The package includes three Classroom Activities booklets, one for each level SMP 1 - 3. There is also a comprehensive Teacher's Guide for using the activities in the classroom and giving tips and ideas about how to create activities. There are four CDs (or four cassettes) in the package. Three CDs contain audio recordings to accompany the activities in the Classroom Activities booklets. There is an extra music CD with songs by Australian, Indonesian and international artists. The recordings offer students the chance to hear English being used naturally by a variety of different speakers, including many Australian voices.

English Teachers in Papua - So Enthusiastic!
Students and teachers alike in Jayapura and Sorong are wild about English and also wild about KGRE. Laura J. Holle (Principal of SMK 1), Eduard Tampubolon, Edwin Karundeng and Setiasih from SMK 1 and Rianto Allolinggi are shining examples. They organized a wonderful series of English language events for KGRE. Many thanks go to all of them for their hard work.

Ello grew up in a musical family. Ello is from Ambon and has actually been singing since 1996. Less than a year ago he decided to take up singing professionally. His dad is a composer and his mother is a singer. Ambonese are well known for their musical ability. Both Glenn Fredly, a cousin of Ello, and Ruth Sahayana are from Ambon. Like many Ambonese, Ello and Glenn have a great vision for Ambon. "....we both have a very great vision for Ambon, Ambonese people because you know erm we're proud as Ambonese because their sense of arts you know. Their sense of art is so extremely I don't know, it's very good, you know we can build Ambon, we can make industry in Ambon with arts industry so I think I need support from every people who's listening and you know do something for Ambon."

Ello likes Jamoroqi, Stevie Wonder and Maxwell. Ello is a real musician and not just a singer. He plays guitar and piano. He would like to learn to play the trumpet, saxophone and maybe even the violin. Ello wrote eight of the ten songs and produced several of the songs on 'Ello'. A new album could be due next year and Ello has already started working on the songs for that.

Ello and English? Ello started learning English in elementary school and then high school but he also took some language courses too. Ello told KGRE, '....but the most important thing if you wanna be a fluent English speaker you have to speak and you have to, you have to practice ...'. Ello also added that watching television has helped him a lot with his English language studies. KGRE asked Ello if he has any English language songs on his album or if he sings any in his shows. '.... in my album not yet, not yet, I will, but in my gig I brought some English songs like 'Waiting Fans' from Bob Marley, 'The Most Beautiful Girl' by Prince and 'Because of You' by Kate Martin.

KGRE spoke with Ello on the morning of one of the biggest rock concerts that he had ever performed at the Soundrenalin Concert on Pulau Serangan. Kevin asked him if he was nervous. "I always get nervous every time I go on but what makes me even more nervous coz this gig, this event is you know kind of rock thing and I don't do rock, I do pop, R & B". Other artists at the gig included Slank, Peter Pan and Iwan Fals.

When you see that Ello is coming to your town, it doesn't mean he is coming on his own. In fact he may have up to 10 or 12 people with him including assistants and technicians plus the band. "Ya I have this concept in my head that solo artist like me will be better if they use their own band you know. I have my own band. Six of them. There is bass player, guitar, keyboard, percussion, and another keyboard." One further interesting point that Ello spoke about was how he tries to give his audience something different each time he performs. "You know people buy my tickets not to hear just the album ya. They need something new, maybe I'm gonna put the rap thing then in the middle of the song. I don't know, something different. I always perform everything differently". If Ello is coming to your part of Indonesia make sure you go and see him. (At their interview in Bali, Ello told Kevin that he loves watching television).

KGRE December Magazine Cover
The 2005 KGRE Photograph Competition Winner is KGCC # 093, Sandhy Putra English Club in Bandung - the photograph shows two school girls buying fruit at the market. Now that is a healthy choice for sure! Congratulations and a brand new Samsung digital camera is coming your way. Runners Up include Sugiyarti from Yogyakarta (preparing a healthy meal), Excellent Club #026 in Jombang (ready for a healthy activity - football) and Amrullah in Sumba (cleaning up their environment). Each of those three entries will win a non-digital camera.

Different Pond Different Fish - Lain Lubuk Lain Ikan

We have something a little different for you today on Different Pond Different Fish. Try our Cross-Culture Quiz. DON'T look at the bottom of the page yet! Read the questions below and try and guess the correct answers, a, b, or c. Then check your answers at the bottom of the page! Have fun!

If an Aussie says "Let's go Dutch" when they invite you out to dinner, they mean:

Let's go to a Dutch restaurant.

Let's wear Dutch traditional costume.

Let's pay for our meal separately.

You are walking down the street with an Aussie friend when she/he slips on the pavement. Would you:

Laugh because you are embarrassed.

Give them your hand and ask if they're okay. 

           Pretend not to notice.

You are at a party at an Aussie friend's house when someone offers you a beer. You are a Muslim. Would you:

Say 'yes' out of embarrassment.

Explain that drinking alcohol is forbidden by the Koran.    

          Politely refuse and ask for an alternative.

Don't Drink While Driving
In a car with a group of friends one day in Melbourne I saw a big banner in the street which read 'If you drink and drive you are stupid.' I said innocently, "Of course people can drink while driving." All my friends responded, "It's you who is stupid, not the banner, Siti. It means if you drink alcohol before or while driving." I didn't know that 'drink' in that context means 'drink alcohol.'

(Siti, a teacher from IALF Bali)

The Basic Health Care System in Australia by IALF's cross culture teacher, Sonja.

Visiting the Doctor
In Australia, people on a very low income are entitled to free medical care. If you are approved for this you will get a "healthcare card". With this card you can visit the doctor and also get medicines for free from the pharmacy. Everyone in Australia is entitled to subsidized health care called "medicare". Medicare means you can go to the doctor for treatment or buy medicine and you do not have to pay the full price. For example, if you have to buy medicine you will only have to pay 25% of the cost.

Many people get a salary and medical insurance from their employer. But if their employer doesn't give them insurance they usually get their own insurance with a private company. They usually pay some of their monthly salary directly to the insurance company. Then, if they get sick or have an accident they don't have to pay for treatment. Many people have life insurance too. So if a husband or wife dies, their spouse will receive some money.

KGRE English Language Interactive Radio Presenters' Network

On August 4th, 2005, seven eager and hard-working radio people met at IALF Bali for a two day meeting. All seven present English language interactive radio programs in their respective cities. They were invited to meet with each other, and with KGRE. The main reason for the meeting was to begin the process of forming a KGRE English Language Interactive Radio Presenters' Network. In the past KGRE has assisted and encouraged English language interactive radio programs in many parts of Indonesia. KGRE wants to encourage more radio stations to further develop, or even introduce, their own interactive program. KGRE plans to produce a set of 'Hints and Suggestions' to help radio stations and their interactive presenters to do this.

On Day One of the workshop each participant described their own programs and talked about some of the difficulties and successes they had experienced since beginning their programs. It was interesting to note the variety of differences between programs. The seven enthusiastic participants considered many interesting questions about their programs and about KGRE.

What are the most common problems in presenting interactive programs?

How were, or how can, these problems be overcome?

How can members of a Presenter's Network help each other?

What makes an interesting interactive radio program?

          How can we make English language interactive programs interesting and appropriate for language
              learners in our listening audience?

Final sessions were based on the how KGRE and the participants can best develop a Presenters' Network during 2005-2006. How can KGRE help you AND how can you help each other and how should KGRE go about 'selling' English interactive programs to other radio stations? The involvement of participants is going to be important in this part of the network's goals. If you know of, or if you are, an interactive radio presenter (English language) then why not ask them to contact KGRE. Maybe they too can join this new and exciting network of people helping people across Indonesia.

Hobbies and Leisure
Write to KGRE about your absolutely favourite hobby or leisure activity. Tell KGRE why you are so interested in that activity, how often you do it, what are the benefits you get from it and how important is it for your happiness. Maximum length - 250 words. Please send a good quality photograph of you doing your favourite activity. Five winners will win a selection of English books on Hobbies and Leisure from Australia. Many of the letters, emails or postcard entries will appear in the March 2006 KGRE magazine. Entries due before Jan 31, 2006.

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