Kang GURU Magazine - December 2006

Front Cover: 'A Cityscape' by Bundhowi

Readers' Favourite Cities to Visit from a KGRE Forum Competition
Welcome Letter from Kevin
Listeners' Letters
Idioms Inggris
BIG Winner - KGRE Free Flight Competition
Cities in Australia
Cities in Indonesia
Unique Cities
The Joeys Club
Australia Indonesia Partnership - Indonesia Update
Literature
Oz-Indo Connections
Kang Guru Connection Clubs
Kang Guru in the Classroom
Entertainment
Different Pond Different Fish
KGRE News room
Kang Guru Radio English all across Indonesia
Cities of the Future

The most interesting city in Indonesia is Denpasar. Denpasar is the capital city of Bali. What makes this city most interesting to me? Firstly, Denpasar offers spiritual tourism. Secondly, the Balinese are a homogeneous people with a strong traditional culture supporting a place of tolerance and peace. Religion and culture live together in peace. Thirdly, Denpasar is an example of how outsiders cannot influence local people and culture to change their values and traditions. Last but not least, Denpasar is near both Kuta and Sanur beaches. They are very beautiful.

From: Hastangka in Yogyakarta

TASK 2. SMS ONLY!
Which city is this? (It is in Tasmania)

I think the most interesting city in the world is Singapore. If I ever have a chance to visit other parts of the world, I would love to visit Singapore. One of the reasons I love Singapore is for shopping. There are many shopping places for you to look around; Marina Bay, Bugis, Chinatown, Geylang Serai, Kampong Gelam, Arab Street and the last one and the biggest I think is in Orchard Road. Singapore - a heaven for shopaholics.

From: Asep in Pontianak

Oz-Indo Connections

I was very interested in the April 2005 edition about Oz-Indo Connection. With respect to the Muslim Exchange Program from AII, I am very grateful that you are able to bridge Islamic institutions in Indonesia with Australian Muslims. Thanks to AII for your help and I salute you for your programs. Through programs like this we can get in touch and keep our good relationship together. In my PonPes, my friends and I are eager to be visited by the native speaker from Aussie and we welcome you any time.
Yuli Rahmawati
Bojonegoro - JAWA TIMUR

Dear Yuli, We agree that programs such as the Muslim Exchange Program are important. We’ll keep bringing you news of any other programs like this, which help Australians and Indonesians get to know each other better.

Persistence Pays

I would like to inform you of my present activities. I always listen to the radio and watch English programs on TV and I record them. I have two cassettes, one for news and the other for music programs. I listen to them every day. I also record movies. I think my new activities will help me improve my ability, especially in listening. One thing I can’t understand is when I hear your voice on KGRE. I can catch what you mean but it’s so difficult for me to understand what people say in a movie. I just catch several words but I can’t catch all of their words because they say something fast. But it doesn’t matter, I will not give up doing it and I think it will help me improve my pronunciation and my vocabulary.
Diyah Yuli Aryatik
Pamekasan - JAWA TIMUR

Hi Diyah, Don’t worry if you find movies difficult to understand. I find Indonesian movies more difficult to understand than news programs too. That’s because the language in movies is very colloquial and often includes a range of accents. Be aware that sometimes the expressions used in movies aren’t polite. So, although it’s useful to know them it’s not always good to use them. However, watching movies is a good way to improve your listening comprehension, even if it is a slow process. I think it’s great that you’re persistent, even when things are difficult. That’s the only way to learn a language isn’t it?

Bima Calling

I am a student from Bima in West Nusa Tenggara. Now I am a student at Bima Senior High School No. 1. Maybe you know Mrs Fenny, an English teacher in my school. I like her so much because she can teach us very well. And do you know Rahmat Hidayatullah, a student from my school? He is my neighbour and I like him because he is a smart student. He can speak English well and I want to study English with him. I think KGRE is a good radio program because we can get not only education but also entertainment when we listen to you. I always listen to your programme on Pelangi Radio in Bima.
Satkar Ulama
Bima - NTB

Dear Satkar, Mrs Fenny must be a very good teacher because your English is great for a year 10 student. I think listening to KGRE helps too. Rahmat also gets the magazine, so maybe you can read it together. Perhaps you could enter the KGRE competitions together too. You might win a prize, but more importantly, it’s a good opportunity to practise using your English.

IAPBE Course in Jombang

By joining the Indonesia Australia Partnership in Basic Education (IAPBE) course I got a lot of knowledge and information that I didn’t know before. I think it is good for my teaching if I can make English fun. When my teaching is boring my students are passive. I want to develop as a teacher and help them to become active.
Paris Setyo Wilujeng
Jombang JAWA TIMUR

Dear Paris, We think IAPBE is a great AusAID program (See Sept. 2006 magazine and listen to KGRE program 5312 for more information about IAPBE.) As you said, teaching and learning need to be fun. This means that students (and teachers too) need to be active. That doesn’t always mean physical activity, but it does mean that students must be actively engaged in the learning process. They learn best when they’re doing a variety of activities and then using their learning in enjoyable ways. In Indonesian you have the acronym PAKEM to describe this process. KGRE classroom materials are designed to help teachers teach English in this way.

the big smoke

A long time ago country people started calling cities ‘the big smoke’ because of all the smoke produced by factories and by people heating their homes and cooking. It’s possible that indigenous Australians were the first to use this expression because cities were the opposite to what they were familiar with.

'My brother’s gone to the big smoke to look for work.’

a one horse town

This type of town is a very small town that is quiet and where very little happens. There is not much action there and it is a pretty sleepy sort of place.

'I grew up in a one horse town. There was only one grocery store and nothing much to to do in the evening.'

city slicker

This idiom can be used when talking about someone from the city who has sophisticated manners and wears fancy clothing. Generally people who live in ‘one horse towns’ use this idiom to describe people from the ‘big smoke’.

the talk of the town

People often use this idiom to describe something or someone that everyone is talking about. Perhaps something odd has happened or somebody has done something out of the ordinary.
‘Have you heard about the new Mexican restaurant? It’s the talk of the town. The food’s great, but a bit spicy for me, and it’s not expensive. They also have Mexican dancers performing.’

Melbourne

Melbourne, also known as the Garden City, is the capital city of Victoria. It has approximately 4 million inhabitants (penduduk). Actually Melbourne was once the capital city of Australia – that was between 1901 and 1927. Melbourne is popular for many reasons. The River Yarra runs through the middle of the city and people say it is the only river in Australia that flows upside down. It is also said that Melbourne can have four seasons all in one day. The weather in summer can change very quickly from very hot to quite chilly within just 30 minutes. This often happens in summer as ‘cold fronts’ pass over Victoria towards the end of very hot days. Melbourne is also famous for its science and art museums, live theatre including The Australian Ballet, and sport, especially Aussie Rules Football. Beautiful parks and gardens are dotted all around the city and these attract many families each day. Children play and parents relax! The Melbourne Zoo is another favorite and is just like a giant park but with animals. The Botanical Gardens, right in the middle of Melbourne, is perhaps the most well-known park. Here’s what Addie MS from the Twilite Orchestra has to say.

"My favourite city in the world is Melbourne. It's got the vibe that I like. In Melbourne I can see concerts, operas, the transportation is very easy, very clean and very safe. The thing that I like most from the Melbourne is the Botanical Gardens. I like gardens, I like parks, and when I'm in Melbourne for sure I'll be in the gardens for hours. Sometimes I just go to the garden, bring my iPod and I will read a book and I will sleep there for hours. Everything is beautiful. But Botanical Gardens is my favourite park."

Samuel Rizal, an Indonesia actor, told KGRE that the beaches in Melbourne are 'so clean and refreshing' that they are his favorite places to visit in that city. Listen to KGRE in January for Sammy's interview about acting, travel, English and sport.

Darwin

Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory – the Outback State. Darwin has just 300,000 inhabitants. Some locals say it is more like a big country town than a city. The first people to live in this area were the indigenous Larrakia people. They have lived in the area for possibly 40,000 years, and continue to do so today. Darwin has a tropical climate like Indonesia but Darwin has cyclones (topan) . Most of the city was destroyed by Cyclone Tracy in 1974. Did you know that Darwin is the closest Australian city to Indonesia – just 90 minutes by plane from Kupang? Did you also know that Darwin is closer to Jakarta (2735km) than to Canberra (3144km)?

Canberra

Canberra is the capital city of Australia. Around 325,000 people live there. It is not in a state like Sydney or Melbourne but in a territory - the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). Canberra is ‘halfway’ between Sydney and Melbourne. Canberra was designed and built to be the capital city of Australia. Construction of this new city began in 1923 and it finally became the center of government in 1927. The newly built House of Parliament (1988) is in the center of the city. The name Canberra, according to the local indigenous Ngabri people, is taken from the word kambera meaning “meeting place” in the Ngunnawal language. Parks and gardens are everywhere with Lake Burley Griffin providing a central focal point in the layout of the city.

Sydney

Sydney is probably the most easily recognizable city in Australia. With iconic features such as the Opera House and the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge, sometimes called the ‘coathanger’, Sydney is the largest of all Australian cities. It has approximately 5 million inhabitants. The suburbs of Sydney can be found on both sides of the magnificent harbour. Fantastic ocean beaches such as Bondi and Manly are close to the city center. Other highlights include the Taronga Zoo, one of the world’s truly great zoos. Taronga Zoo was officially opened on October 7th, 1916 and is located on the shores of Sydney Harbour. It is a great favorite with Aussie families and tourists. The Olympic Games were held in Sydney in 2000, 44 years after they were held in Melbourne. Sydney is the headquarters of the Australian Rugby League.

Makassar

The best things that Makassar has for visitors are lots of malls for fantastic shopping activities and a wide variety of traditional, delicious food. As Makassar is a centre for eastern Indonesia, it is a great place for business and travel. The port of Makassar, Pelabuhan Paotere, is very important and very old. Traders used to travel from Makassar to Australia hundreds of years ago to trade with the indigenous people of northern Australia. That’s over 2900 kms pulang pergi. Places such as Losari Beach and Fort Rotterdam in Makassar, and wonderful Toraja, are further reasons why this part of Indonesia is the BEST.
BEST FORUM Club (KGCC#003) and Pioneer English Meeting Conversation Club (KGCC#021) - Makassar

Jogjakarta

Jogjakarta is an historical city which has maintained its history until now. It was a stronghold of the Dutch in Dutch Colonial times and it was once the capital of the Republic of Indonesia. The Kraton and the Sultan of Jogjakarta makes Jogyakarta very interesting and important. The many temples, including Borobudur and Prambanan, also attract many visitors. It’s a center of culture for people who produce many kinds of traditional handicrafts and art works. Food is great in Jogyakarta with gudeg being the most well-known. Jogjakarta is an educational city with several outstanding universities such as Gajah Mada. It’s a friendly place with nice weather and beautiful panoramas and is not polluted like some other big cities. Rentauli M. Silalahi in North Sumatra

Surabaya

Surabaya is Indonesia's second largest city. Surabaya's name comes from the words sura (shark) and buaya (crocodile), which have been told in local myth fighting each other in order to gain the title "the strongest and most powerful animal in the area". Now the two animals are used as the city's mascot, the two facing each other while circling the city's monument, the 'Tugu Pahlawan'. Surabaya is famous for that monument plus the zoological gardens, opened in 1916, and the Majapahit Hotel, formerly The Oranje - an important place in the story of Indonesian Independence. Tanjung Perak is the gateway to Madura and one of Indonesia's busiest ports. To the south, Surabaya is a major contact point for people travelling to Malang and Mt. Bromo. The Grand Mosque of Surabaya is the largest mosque in East Java, while the Cheng Ho Mosque was the first mosque in Indonesia built with Chinese style architecture. In November 2006 the new Surabaya airport was opened.

Jayapura

From 1910 to 1962 Jayapura was known as Hollandia. Jayapura became Kota Baru on October 1, 1962 and then in 1963 it was renamed Sukarnopura, after President Sukarno. At the end of 1968 it was finally named Jayapura. The name means ‘City of Victory’ (Sanskrit Jaya: “Victory”, Pura: “City”). It is situated on Teluk Yos Sudarso. Flying into Jayapura’s Sentani Airport is fantastic because of its location close by magnificent Lake Sentani. The port city of Jayapura sits on the coast and has a population of around 250,000. This includes many people from other parts of the Indonesian archipelago. You will find museums, hotels, an assortment of restaurants, banks and markets for shopping in beautiful Jayapura.

And How About This?

Ocean liners are often referred to as 'floating cities'. They can be enormous. They have plenty of people 'living' on board. Those passengers have access to all the services and facilities found in a regular city - housing (cabins), sports venues, restaurants, rubbish collection, police services, firemen and even doctors and dentists.

Sister Cities

Do you send letters or emails to a penpal in a different town or city or even in a different country? Can you imagine if everyone in your town or city was writing to someone from another city? Did you know that some towns and cities in Indonesia have sister cities in other countries. For example, Darwin and Ambon are sister cities and Semarang has been the sister city of Brisbane since 1993. Bandung is the sister city of Fort Worth Texas and Jakarta is sister city with at least 8 other big cities such as Beijing, Los Angeles, Rotterdam, Seoul and Tokyo.
So what are sister cities and what are they for? Cities are paired with similar cities from different countries so citizens can begin to understand each other’s customs and culture. They can also develop education, sporting, trade and tourism links. Darwin has been involved in the Sister City movement since 1982. Darwin and Ambon became sisters in 1989. Community leaders from both cities, such as government officials and business people have visited each other’s cities to exchange ideas and promote trade. An Ambonese dance group went to Darwin and performed at many schools. There have been student exchanges as well as computer project exchanges between staff at Ambon University, Kupang University and Northern Territory University, Darwin. Does your city, town or even province have a sister?

What is a Megacity?

While researching for this magazine KGRE came across some new vocabulary to describe huge cities. Words such as megacity, megalopolis and agglomeration came up. Sue looked them up in a dictionary and found that they are all synonyms of each other. Synonyms are words or phrases which have the same or nearly the same meaning as another word or phrase.

An agglomeration, a megacity or a megalopolis is the built up area (kawasan yang dikembangkan) of a central place including the suburbs or satellite towns. The population of this area must be more than 10 million people. We can call Jakarta and the satellite towns of Bogor, Bekasi and Tangerang an agglomeration or a megacity.

In 1950 there was only one megacity. New York was the only city with a population of more than 10 million. The population of New York today is almost 22 million. In October 2005 there were more than 25 megacities and this number is increasing as more people move from rural areas to urban or city areas. Tokyo and Seoul are both megacities. The population of the Tokyo agglomeration is 34.2million and 22.3 million people live in Seoul (picture right).

· Budi is the member who looks after all correspondence. He is short-haired and very rajin - they call him Budi Rajin. He goes to a private school too.
· Sinta wears a flower in her hair and Fatimah always wears a jilbab.
· Samuel has curly hair and a big smile. Ali sometimes wears a peci.

http://www.kangguru.org/joeys.htm

Indonesia Update

AusAID, the Australian Government's Overseas Aid Program, aims to help reduce poverty in Indonesia by supporting sustainable development. The Australian government will provide an estimated AUD$344.3 million (Rp 2.3 trillion) in aid to Indonesia in 2006-2007. As Kang Guru always says, and as AusAID is proving, "Good Neighbours Make Good Friends."

Eco Tourism in Bali

Bali certainly has an interesting culture and people from other countries, and from Indonesia, want to know more about it. Eco-tourism is becoming one of the most popular tourist activities in Bali. Yayasan Wisnu, a Balinese NGO - Jaringan Ekowisata Desa (JED), is a very active NGO promoting eco-tourism in Bali. Assisting with this development is an AVI from Adelaide. Virginia has been working with the team from JED since March 2005. Virginia helps with marketing and has so far assisted with website and brochure development, developing the capacity of local people to be good guides and setting up effective links with other tourism operators and agents. Virginia has also helped out with English language training, first aid training and cross-cultural understanding.

But who wants to go to see local villages? Participants include tourists who want to see something of the ‘real’ local culture and life and even some scientists and others interested in the environment and ecology. Profits from the tours stay in the villages but it isn’t only the money that is important. Village people like talking about their culture and lifestyle – educating those from other countries in particular. Participants learn in a very direct way about life in Balinese villages and for many people, the language experiences are an added benefit. Virginia says that these interactions are probably the highlights of the tours.

Virginia Simpson is based at Yayasan Wisnu, a Balinese NGO - Jaringan Ekowisata Desa (JED)

Handicrafts Worldwide

Anton, an AVI, has been in Jakarta for almost 2 years. He is based in a yayasan, or LSM, called PT. Pekerti Nusantara – a people’s handicraft foundation. Anton is there as a business marketing and communications manager. He is helping with the development of small handicraft communities and community development. Pekerti has 40 – 45 village cooperatives and micro businesses mainly in Bali, Lombok and Java. Up to 3,500 people benefit directly from their activities. Aceh has recently joined the yayasan’s activities producing their specialty - traditional embroidered bags. Anton and his fellow workers are very proud that yayasan products are now sold throughout Indonesia and in places such as the USA, Australia and Europe. Of the fifteen countries selling these products, Italy is the biggest market. What does Anton like most about his work with these cooperatives? He says that it is being able to make a big difference by just doing little things – playing a small role but having a big impact. Increasing people’s incomes in these traditional villages has really made Anton very proud of the communities he works with. Anton has been involved in the writing of proposals for funding. He has taught others in the organization to do this too. Pekerti have been quite successful in securing funding, for example, for building houses in Jogjakarta for crafts people affected by last year’s earthquake. Anton loves the people he has been working with and is keen to stay on in Indonesia. Good luck Anton.
Anton Clarke is a Business Communications and Marketing Consultant with Yayasan Pekerti. insert graphic

KGRE's AusAID Pages

Find out much more about AusAID in Indonesia by looking at these pages on the KGRE website.

http://www.kangguru.org/ausaidprojects/
http://www.kangguru.org/ausaidprojects/ausaidarchives.htm

TASK 8. Answer this simple question. How many people benefit from the work of Perkerti? Ten people will win a colorful photo frame from the Pekerti Foundation.

KGRE would like to congratulate Margaret and her enthusiastic team at Ponpes An-Nuqayah for their hard work and their success. KGRE has worked closely with many of the ISELP teacher trainers for the past two years. KGRE congratulates ALL of them on a job well done for education in Indonesia. The ISELP program from AusAID will finish in December 2006.

The Grand Opening Ceremony of the Language Centres - December 19th, 2006

Both Lonely Planet and Fodors have detailed websites you can visit and find out lots of information too. Next time you are in an Internet café why not visit www.lonelyplanet.com or www.fodors.com and plan your next trip?

KGRE at The Festival

At the third ‘Writers and Readers Festival’ in Ubud, KGRE gave a workshop to 18 high school students from five different schools in Bali. The three hour workshop was conducted in English. The students began by asking each other questions about their favorite music. Then, in groups of three they wrote interviews based around the information they had discussed together. The students practiced their interviews in English before recording them using KGRE mini-disc recorders. The interviews were then transferred onto laptop computers. The students were shown how KGRE edits material for the KGRE radio show. Some of the students even tried editing their own interviews. The time passed really quickly and all to soon it was time to finish. Sue and Cheryl would like to thank all the enthusiastic students who attended the workshop. Listen for some of the workshop on KGRE radio soon.

The 3rd Ubud Writers and Readers Festival

Stories are a great way to get to know your own culture, especially about the past. In Australian schools it is usual for school students at all levels to study the works of Australian writers. On the opening night of the Ubud Festival, tribute was paid to Pramoedya Ananta Toer, the famous Indonesian author who died in April this year. His novels, especially the Buru Quartet, tell stories which show how social, political and historical forces came together to create Indonesia. One of the speakers at the tribute mentioned how important it was to know your own historical background and how this can be done through novels. Many of the writers who attended the festival have published novels or poems which reflect life in their country.

Here are short profiles of four of the famous writers who attended and gave presentations at the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival.

Anita Desai was born and educated in India. She has taught at universities in America and in England. At least three of her books have been nominated for the Booker Prize. Her books often tell about the problems women and the unprivileged face in society in India.

Putu Wijaya, a Balinese author, lives in Jakarta. He is a journalist, a playwright, a novelist, a short-story writer and film/theatre director. Some of his writing has been translated and performed worldwide. Many of his stories are about
everyday life.

Pam Allen is an Australian who teaches Indonesian language at the University of Tasmania. She is also a literary translator. In 2005 she translated Indonesian writer Ayu Utami’s novel, Saman. She has also written many books about Indonesian fiction and is especially interested in minority ethnic voices and gender issues.

Made Taro used to be a teacher. Now he is a leading figure promoting traditional games and storytelling for children. In 1979 he set up the Kukuruyuk Foundation to inspire local children with stories, games, singing and theatre. He is very interested in preserving the skills of oral storytelling. Made Taro has been awarded the Indonesian literary Rancage award.

Sport is a universal language. Events such as the recent World Cup, the Olympic Games and Asian Games Doha (November to December 2006) always bring countries and people closer together, don’t they? In July 2006, staff from Muhammadiyah and the Australian Embassy played a game of football in Jakarta. The Australian Ambassador, Mr. Bill Farmer, led the Aussies against Muhammadiyah’s team, which included the Minister for Sport and Youth, Adhyaksa Dault, who scored three goals. Others included the Minister for Forestry, MS Kaban, and the head of Muhammadiyah, Din Syamsuddin. The winners? Well, apparently it was a 4-4 draw. What a great example of friends having fun with friends through sport and on an international level!

Cooking Up a Storm

Australia’s Ambassador, Mr. Bill Farmer visited Pesantren Al-Nur in Depok during the fasting month. He enjoyed visiting the 250 orphans who live at the school, including playing table tennis with them and hearing them play traditional Islamic music - orkes rebana. He also cooked some tasty noodles for the children’s fast-breaking meal.

Young Acehnese to Australia

In early September, a group of 20 young orphans from Aceh went to Australia. They performed traditional Acehnese dances at Australian schools and universities. They were lucky enough to climb to the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. One special event was being reunited with volunteers from Australia who travelled to Aceh the week immediately after the 2004 tsunami. “This trip is a celebration of the significant relationship between Muhammadiyah and Father Chris Riley’s Youth Off The Streets, an Australian charity organization,” said Australia’s Ambassador to Indonesia, Mr Bill Farmer. After the 2004 tsunami, the two organisations signed a historic Memorandum of Understanding, forming a partnership to provide accommodation, care and education for orphaned survivors of the tsunami. The Australian Government has promised 1.7 trillion rupiah (A$250 million) to help Indonesia recover from the tsunami - health, schools, infrastructure, livelihood, housing and governance.

Geoffrey Saba and Piano Master Classes

The Australia Indonesia Institute (AII) always supports great activities which promote cooperation and friendship between Indonesians and Australians. These include the Australia Indonesia Youth Exchange Program (AIYEP) and the Muslim Exchange Program. In September 2006, AII arranged for world famous Australian pianist, Geoffrey Saba, to give a series of piano workshops for young Indo-nesian pianists. These Master Classes were held over a three day period in the Australian Embassy theatre in Jakarta. Geoffrey spent valuable time with the students listening to them playing selected pieces and then offering practical advice on how they can improve their playing. What a terrific opportunity for those students! Thanks AII, and also special thanks to Fiona Hoggart, Cultural Attaché at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, and her team, for all of their hard work.

Active in Lombok

The Sasak English Club in Praya, Central Lombok, is very active. Not only do they have a program which helps members improve their English language skills, they also invite native speakers to their meetings. In addition, they have a plan to take English to the villages in their area. Their program includes telling young people about the dangers of drug use through club activities. That’s a great idea!

Lucky in Cianjur

On the 9th of September, Cheryl travelled to Cianjur to visit the Sky English Club. This was as special visit as the club won a POUCH bulletin competition. Cheryl went there to deliver the prize, a big CD/cassette tape player/radio. She was impressed by the standard of English and the fact that they’d all read the latest POUCH. However the thing that impressed Cheryl most was that the club was prepared to take a risk and speak English even though they might be making mistakes. If someone didn’t know how to express an idea in English the others helped. This is a good example of a ‘safe’ environment and it obviously works well for this club.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Teachers often send letters or emails to KGRE or ask us at workshops, this question - How do I make my students active?

• Active students need an active teacher.
• Keep students focused on their task with interesting activities and follow-up.
• Set classroom rules about volume so the students are not too noisy but still interacting effectively.
• Vary the activities in every lesson so you and the students don’t get bored.
• Plan activities which involve using more than one skill, such as reading and writing, or writing and speaking.
• Make sure there is a reason to be active, such as to get the correct answer or produce something to show the rest of the class.

So be a good role model and don’t give out a worksheet then sit in your chair while the students work! Be active and move around the room, helping and encouraging your students.

Teacher Exchange Programs

For over 20 years there has been a very successful teacher exchange program running between the Northern Territory (NT) in Australia and Eastern Indonesia. Pak Umar, one of the three teachers for 2005-2006, teaches at SMAN 2 in Sumbawa Besar. KGRE asked Pak Umar about some of the differences between teaching in Darwin and teaching in Indonesia. According to Pak Umar, one of the biggest differences was class size. In Darwin there were about 25 students in each class whereas in Indonesia the classes are much bigger. Smaller class sizes enabled Umar to choose a wider variety of activities to do with the students that he had never tried before. Pak Umar says this was a good experience and he feels more confident now about trying out different activities in Sumbawa. Pak Umar enjoyed living in Darwin. Darwin-ites were very friendly. He travelled to other cities in Australia but liked Darwin best. Together with Ibu Neddy from Seram and I Ketut Sudana from Denpasar, Pak Umar returned to Indonesia in June 2006.

Calling ALL
SMA English Language Teachers

Kang Guru in the Classroom's SMA Package is now ready and waiting for you. Kang Guru, with support from AusAID and the IALF, have created this wonderful new Teacher Package to assist English language teachers at the SMA level. This new package has been designed to complement and support the competency-based curriculum and has been specially written to include genre-based activities introduced in the 2004 curriculum. The 80 plus activities have been designed by KGRE to give student’s the opportunity to improve their English skills, especially listening.

The Teacher Package includes three Classroom Activity Booklets, one for each SMA level, 1-3. Included in the package are high quality CD’s (or cassettes) to be used with the activities in each book. The recordings give the students the opportunity to hear English being used naturally by a variety of speakers, including many Australian voices.

The Teacher’s Guide, written in English and Indonesian, includes a helpful chapter for teachers on the most effective ways of using audio recordings with students in the classroom. Included in the guide is detailed information about the different genre taught at these levels. There is also a helpful chapter on the process of writing, which teachers are encouraged to develop with their students at this level. There are many ideas for teachers to help them develop and extend the activities in this package. There are ideas for fun activities (warmers) to begin your lessons and tips for keeping students active, interested and motivated. Take the time to read this fully - it is worth it!
The three Classroom Activity Booklets contain 25 activities each which teachers can use in their classrooms. The first ten activities in each booklet are based on the genre types taught at each level and give sample texts followed by a variety of activities. There are suggestions for pre-listening activities, extension and follow up activities and useful ideas for including students’ own writing in their portfolios. The remaining activities in each booklet contain a variety of cross-cultural topics, idioms, songs and quizzes. Answer Keys and Tapescripts are provided to make it even easier for teachers.

TASK 6. Listen to KGRE radio during late December or early January - Show No. 5406 and answer this simple question.

What is the name of the Letto song played in program 5406? You can also check the KGRE Interviews Page on the KGRE website. Six winners will win an autographed copy of ‘Truth, Cry and Lie’ from Letto.

Musik Academia

Indonesia’s Twilite Orchestra, led by Addie MS (see KGRE Sept. 2006 magazine), held the 6th Annual Musik Academia Concert at Istora Senayan last September. Besides wonderful symphonic music from the orchestra, Australian opera singer, James Egglestone, sang with the orchestra. Other perfomers included Delon, Sherina, Kevin Aprilio, the Twilite Youth Orchestra and Twilite Chorus, as well as university choirs from STIE Perbanas, Atmajaya and IBP. You should look out for Twilite’s next performance and go along and enjoy music at its best! Well done Addie MS - KGRE salutes you.

KGRE Celebrity Interviews Offer -

Would you like a copy of KGRE’s free ‘Celebrity Interviews’ Compilation CD/cassette? It is easy! Just write to KGRE and request a copy on either CD or cassette. The CD or cassette comes with a tapescript so users can follow the interview segments more closely. Teachers can also use this material with their students. GiGi, PADI, Shanty and Delon are featured on ‘Celebrity Interviews’ No 1. ‘Celebrity Interviews’ No 2 will be available soon featuring Anggun, Addie MS, Tommy Tjokro, and Letto.

Ramadan in Australia

At the end of each year Brisbane is a particularly beautiful city. For one thing, the jacaranda trees are in bloom. Parks and gardens are alive with color. Tari is studying in Brisbane, Queensland and she loves it. In a recent email, Tari told KGRE about Ramadan in Australia. Here’s part of her email:

‘Now is the time when the parks and gardens are all in bloom... flowers are everywhere. In the University of Queensland, where I am studying now, there is a small mosque. We usually do the tarawih prayer there. There is always food for breaking our fast. The food is provided for free. The people providing the food are from different countries so the food is always different too. The beauty of it is that..we can taste different kinds of dishes from various countries. Besides, we also meet many new friends from many countries like China, Saudi Arabia, India, Iran, Malaysia, Brunei, etc. The Indonesian Muslim Society has its turn to provide food too. Two weeks ago we had soto ayam and last week we had urap, bakwan, es buah, and other “yummy” Indonesian food. Overall, I think there is no need to worry about fasting in Australia.'

Tari is from Makassar

Variety is the Spice of Life

Over the past two years Cheryl has spent a lot of time in Surabaya. She now works at KGRE in Denpasar. Cheryl finds the contrast between these cities and Australian cities very interesting.

'What I notice most is the mix of residential, business, industrial and shopping areas in Indonesian cities and towns. In Australia these areas tend to be separated more, although that isn’t always true. Travelling along a street in an Indonesian city is fascinating to me because I might see a big hotel next to a bakso warung, a family home next to a mosque or temple or church, a school next to a motorcycle repair business, a traditional market next to a bank. And everywhere people are living above their shops, and there are newspaper stalls, kaki limas, minibuses waiting for passengers and people just sitting and talking. I love that variety. As we say in English, ‘variety is the spice of life’. I think Indonesian cities are very lively and interesting places to visit.’

Cheryl, KGRE staff

Jakarta Never Sleeps

‘The most surprising thing about Jakarta for me is that the city never sleeps. I come from a small country town in the South West corner of Western Australia and even our restaurants close at 9pm. Jakarta is always awake, never asleep.

Lying in bed back at home I might hear a car pass my house late at night but in Jakarta there is always a car or motor bike whizzing past the house and tooting its horn. It is very exciting. I love it. Anytime I want I can go and find a place for es cendol, nasi goreng or sate that is open. It’s great to be able to ride a motor bike around the city late at night and always see people out, moving around, eating or just sitting around having a chat.’

Anton Clarke, AVI Jakarta based at Pekerti Foundation

From Surabaya to Sydney

Jossy studied and worked in Sydney for four years. Her studies included secretarial, travel & tourism and hotel management courses. During this time she worked to support herself, and one of her jobs was in a nursing home.

‘One of the biggest differences I noticed between Surabaya and Sydney was the number of nursing homes in Sydney. Many elderly people in Sydney spend the last years of their lives in nursing homes, but in Surabaya they are usually at home with their children and grandchildren. One of the most interesting people I met and cared for in a nursing home was the son of the man who built the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I lived not far from the bridge and in my free time I liked to visit it because the view over the city and harbour is very beautiful.’

Jossy, Office Manager, IALF Bali

Suryadi is a very, very dedicated young teacher from Pondok Pesantren Al-Amien in Prenduan, Madura. In mid 2006 he and his team organized a wonderful KGRE Teacher Workshop and a KGCC Get Together in Pamekasan, Madura. Suryadi has also run several other teacher activities and language club activities, many of them in conjunction with Margaret Rollings, ISELP teacher trainer in Guluk Guluk. It is great to have him as part of the KGRE team. Suryadi is a shining example of friends helping friends, teachers helping teachers and champions helping everyone!

Ririn lives and works in Kediri, East Java. Besides being a keen and popular interactive radio presenter on Radio Bonansa FM in Kediri, Ririn also works hard assisting AusAID’s ISELP teacher trainer, Mark Avery, in Kediri. Ririn has plenty of good ideas too to help local students and her radio listeners. In mid-November, Ririn went with Sue (from KGRE) to Pasuruan and Probolinggo visiting radio stations assisting them with their interactive English language programs.

Syahrir has been associated with KGRE for over 5 years presenting KGRE on RRI Makassar. He has also been leading the Best Forum Club, KGCC #003 for many years. Syahriri and his helpers from the other KGRE Connection Clubs based in Makassar have organized 2 wonderful Club Get Togethers – fantastic! Syahrir works hard with local English teachers in Makassar and is always happy and keen to promote and support the work of KGRE. He is particularly helpful in finding new radio stations for KGRE.

CITY / TOWN

Ambon
Balikpapan
Banda Aceh
Bandar Lampung
Bandung
Bangka
Banjarmasin
Banjarnegara
Bantaeng
Banyuwangi
Belitung
Bengkalis
Bengkulu
Berau
Biak
Bima
Blitar
Bogor
Bukittinggi
Denpasar
Ende
Fakfak
Genteng, Banyuwangi
Gorontalo
Jakarta
Jambi
Jayapura
Jember
Jembrana
Jepara
Jombang
Kediri
Kendari
Klaten
Klungkung
Kupang
Kutai Barat
Lhokseumawe
Madiun
Magetan
Makassar
Malang
Kosayu
Malangbong
Mamuju
Manado
Manna
Manokwari
Martapura
Mataram
Maumere
Medan
Merauke
Nabire
Natuna
Ngada
Ngunut,
Paciran

RADIO STATION

RRI Ambon
RSPD Balikpapan
RRI Banda Aceh
RRI Bandar Lampung
RRI Bandung
RRI Sungailiat
RRI Banjarmasin
Cakra Dipayuda FM
Radio MBS Bantaeng
Suara Habibulloh
Radio DMP
Suara Matra Wijaya
RRI Bengkulu
RSPD Berau
RRI Biak
Pelangi FM
Persada FM
RRI Bogor
RRI Bukittinggi
Casanova
RRI Ende, Suara Kelimutu
RRI Fakfak
Gandrung FM
RRI Gorontalo
RRI Jakarta
RRI Jambi
RRI Jayapura
RRI Jember
Swara Bahana
Prima Jepara FM
Surga FM
Bonansa FM
RRI Kendari
Radio RWK FM
Radio GSP
RRI Kupang
Radio Kutai Barat
RRI Lhokseumawe
RRI Madiun
RKPD Magetan,K@NeSM@FM
RRI Makassar
RRI Malang,
FM Voice of El-Hamdi
Radio Malangbong
Radio PLS
RRI Manado
Mitra FM
RRI Manokwari
RSPD Banjar
RRI Mataram
Sonia FM
RRI Medan
RRI Merauke
RRI Nabire
Berlian FM
The Farmer’s FM
Tulungagung Radio SMK FM
Persada FM

CITY / TOWN

Padang
Paiton,
Palangkaraya
Palembang
Palu
Panjalu,
Parepare
Pariaman
Parigi Moutong
Pasuruan
Payakumbuh
Pekanbaru
Pelaihari
Pemalang
Pesisir Selatan
Ponorogo
Pontianak
Probolinggo
Purwoharjo,
Purwokerto
Ranai
Ruteng
Samarinda
Selayar
Semarang
Serui
Sibolga
Singaraja
Sintang
Solok
Sorong
Sragen
Sukabumi
Sumbawa
Sumenep
Surabaya
Surakarta
Tahuna
Tana Toraja
Tanjung Selor
Tanjungpinang
Tarakan
Tasikmalaya
Tegal

Temanggung
Ternate
Tidore
Timika
Trenggalek
Tual
Tuban
Tulungagung
Waingapu
Wamena
Way Kanan
Yogyakarta

RADIO STATION

Suara Padang FM
Probolinggo SMANJA FM
RRI Palangkaraya
RRI Palembang
RRI Palu
Ciamis Irgi FM
JAMS FM
Dhara FM
Pro-Wajar
Suara Pasuruan
Radio Arief
RRI Pekanbaru
Tuntung Pandang
Radio Yobel FM
Mandala FM
Romansa FM
RRI Pontianak
Bromo FM
Banyuwangi Raka FM
RRI Purwokerto
RRI Natuna
RPD Ruteng
RRI Samarinda
Contrend FM
RRI Semarang
RRI Serui
RRI Sibolga
RRI Singaraja, Swara Teknika
RRI Sintang
Gapilar Rasisonia
RRI Sorong
RSPD Suara Sragen
Radio NBS
Oisvira FM
RRI Sumenep, Rasda FM
RRI Surabaya
RRI Surakarta
RRI Tahuna
Swara Tamborolangi
Radio Pelajar
RRI Tanjungpinang
Beo Persada FM
Pastway FM
Radio Citra Pertiwi, Suara Slawi Ayu
OFA FM
Radio Hikmah
Swara Indonesiana
Radio Gema
ADS Radio
RRI Tual
Pradnya Swara
RIZ FM
RSPD Sumba Timur
RRI Wamena
RaDa Way Kanan
RRI Yogyakarta

Water Problems in Megacities

Too Much Water

Some huge cities are experiencing difficulties with water. Rapid population growth and urbanization means that farming areas near the cities where water used to drain to are now housing estates or factories. The water has nowhere to go and often causes floods in other areas. Another cause of flooding is people littering the environment and throwing their rubbish into rivers. Rubbish blocks the flow of water to the sea and floods occur. Clearing mangrove forests causes erosion of the coastline and can cause terrible floods inland. Climate change and unusual weather conditions such as El Nino are also causing flooding. An increase in temperature is causing the ice at the polar-regions to melt more quickly and this causes sea levels to rise. Does your town or city experience flooding every year? What are the causes? Is there a solution?

Not Enough Water

As cities grow, the problem of enough water for everyone increases. Megacities have to pump water, often from far away. Water from the sky is free but if wells and dams dry up people have to buy water. Some poor families in slum areas of megacities use 20% of their income to buy water. This water is not always clean and so more money has to be spent to buy fuel to boil the water before it is safe to drink. A lack of clean, fresh water can lead to an increase in diseases such as diarrhea, cholera and typhoid. In megacities, water systems are often very old. Poor management of these systems such as cracked and leaking pipes causes a lot of water to just disappear. Systems, which take away wastewater and sewerage need water to work efficiently. If there is not enough water to treat the dirty water then people’s health is at risk. Is there enough safe drinking water in your city?

Green Belts and Green Spaces

Living in a large polluted city can be very tough. Pollution can affect our health.We need places to go to breathe fresh air and relax. City planners include green spaces into cities to counter the effects of pollution. Green spaces can be parks or gardens where all people can go to have fun, play games, have picnics and watch wildlife. These green spaces are important too as they are known as the ‘lungs of the city.’ The trees and plants act like sponges that help to remove some of the pollution, and clean the air. Monas Park in Jakarta (a green space) has an interesting addition to its facilities - a ‘wellness belt’. A path of stones has been laid and people are encouraged to walk over them barefoot as a type of reflexology. The village of Ubud, Bali, has added to its attractions with the opening of the Botanical Gardens. If visitors get tired of shopping or visiting museums, they can relax in the lovely Ubud gardens.

A Green Belt is a strip of land around a city. Having a green belt around a city improves the air quality and provides city dwellers with access to natural environments for relaxation. Does your city or town have a green belt or green spaces?

Changi Airport - Singapore

Changi Airport is almost a city in itself. Around 3,050,000 passengers used the airport in July 2006. Passengers waiting for a flight often like to relax. Changi passengers can relax either in a coffee shop, a the shopping mall OR in nature itself – in one of the several ‘green spaces’ dotted throughout the airport. These quiet and cool spaces are so natural – there are real trees, shrubs and flowers. These tranquil areas definitely do help passengers to relax. These Changi ‘green spaces’ are therapeutic. Did you know that making a ‘green space’ of your own doesn’t necessarily mean needing a lot of money? Maybe you are interested in creating such a space in your school, your village or your home. Do it and enjoy the results.