Designing and building with .....?

It is 50 times stronger than oak (a type of wood), lighter than steel or concrete, flexible and looks good. It can be used to build bridges, buildings, create floors, walls, clothing, paper, jewelry, in aeroplane construction, scaffolding, medicine, musical instruments, weapons, vinegar, cosmetics, animal feed and it is also a vegetable.

It is a favourite meal for elephants and pandas, it is sustainable and environmentally friendly and some varieties can grow up to a meter a day and the plants prevent soil erosion.

What is this magic material? It’s bamboo of course!

Bamboo has been used for many years not just as a construction material but for other uses too. Did you know Thomas Edison used a carbonized bamboo filament in his experiments with the first light bulb - and that light bulb still burns today in The Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC.

Authorities encourage the use of bamboo in building low-income housing after natural disasters. These houses are strong in both hurricanes and earthquakes. Traditional beliefs say that being surrounded by bamboo can restore calmness and stimulate creativity. Be careful though, bamboo is also a favourite hiding place for snakes.

LEGO - building blocks of fun

Even in this age of computer games and digital toys, LEGO is still a popular toy all around the world. Seven LEGO sets are sold every second! LEGO was designed in 1932 by a carpenter from Denmark. The name LEGO comes from the first two letters of the Danish words Leg and Godt – which mean ‘play well'. LEGO was introduced in 1948. The basic design of the bricks haven’t changed since then so if you bought a LEGO set today they would still connect to bricks bought in 1950!

In 2006 a team at LEGO Land Park in Denmark built a model of the world’s largest passenger plane, the Airbus A380 super jumbo. It was made in eight different colours and used 75.000 bricks. It was about 3 m long and took more than 600 hours to build. This just goes to show toys which have a classic design don’t have to be high tech and on screen for children (and some adults) to enjoy.

A. These buildings have at least two uses. One is for pumping water and the other is for grinding grain. They are also used as lookout towers. You can find these buildings all over the world but mainly in just one country, Holland. It is famous for these unusual buildings. Picture No ___

B. This building was named after the largest of the five bells inside the tower. It took 13 years to build and was completed in 1856. It is 316 feet high. Picture No___

C. An architect from Denmark took four years to design it. The model took 7 years to build and the real building took fourteen years to build. Picture No ____

D. The building was completed in 1975. It is called the National Monument. It is 137 meters tall and has a museum in the basement. On the top of the building there is a flame covered in 35 kilos of gold. Picture No ___

E. In 1192 a wealthy widow left 60 coins to start building this bell tower. Construction began in 1173 and the building was eventually finished in 1350. Picture No ___

F. These buildings are some of the biggest man made constructions in the world. It took about 27 years to build each one. The most famous of them can be found in Egypt. Picture No___

G. This structure was built, rebuilt and maintained between the fifth century BC and the 16th century. Its main purpose was for protection. It is about 6.500 kilometres long. They say that one million men used to stand guard along it. Picture No ___

H. This building has a striking modern design. It is 321 metres high. It is used as a hotel. It cost 650 million dollars to build. It has become the iconic building of this Arab state. Picture No___

• How?

I am Aditya Wirawan. I am a STKIP student of English in the first grade in Banjarmasin. I live in Pangeran Gg. Rahman RT. 13 RW. 05, No. 62 Banjarmasin Street. I am interested so much in English but I have no better way to study English. My marks are always bad. I hope you can give me advice, ways or methods of how to study English in order to be better at it. That’s all for my letter. I wait for your reply.

Aditya Wirawan
Banjarmasin
SOUTH KALIMANTAN

Hello Aditya, learning a new language is not easy. You need a lot of practice. There are so many ways you can do to improve your English. One way is to read English magazines such as Kang Guru and be sure to listen to English radio as well. You know that you can get a free Kang Guru magazine and you can also listen to Kang Guru radio every Sunday on FM 97.6LPP RRI Banjarmasin at 16.00. Don’t forget to practice your English with people around you, your teachers, your friends and even your family. Good luck with your English!

• What a great calendar!

I just want confirm that I received the amazing calender from Kang Guru. I was so surprised to get a package from the postman. I was impatient to open it. Thank you a lot for that. I gave one calendar to my office, one to my club headquarters, two for my English teachers and some for my most active students. They are very, very interested and want to know even more about Kang Guru now. If I’m allowed to give suggestion. I guess it’d be better to make it bigger and what about making it a folded calendar so that we can put it on our office table?

Wawan
Durenan, Trenggalek
EAST JAVA

Hi Wawan, it’s great that you have received the magazines and the calendars. I hope you stay in touch with Kang Guru and thanks for your suggestions about the calendar. Hopefully we will make one for 2009.

• My Club and Youth Center

I am Gama and I represent my English Club. We want to be part of the KGCC. Our English Club called Cemara, is part of our West Sumatera Youth Center Program. We have about 20 active members but it could more since so many teenagers come to our youth center. Our activities are watching movies, discussions, and giving some training about HIV to teenagers in
English. Please help us.

Gama
Kerinci
RIAU

Dear Gama, the KGCC network is currently under review. Please stay in touch with Kang Guru and we’ll let you know as soon as any decisions are made. In the meantime - stay active and interesting!

Let’s start with giving someone the shirt off your back. Look at this example: I know I can always depend on my friend Harry. I can call him whenever I need help. He would give me the shirt off his back. This idiom suggests that Harry would give me all his money, possessions even the shirt off his back – that's a real friend, right?

Would you give someone the shirt off your back?

The second idiom is to get hot under the collar. A collar is at the top of a shirt or jacket and is often fastened around the neck (kerah). If someone gets hot under the collar it usually means they are very angry. Sandy got very hot under the collar when his brother pointed out he was wrong. Have you ever been hot under the collar? The opposite meaning to hot under the collar would be to keep your cool. This means staying very calm.

Do you like to wear formal clothes or are you more comfortable in casual gear? If you heard someone say –‘Wow look at those two people, dressed up to the nines’ would you think they were wearing formal or casual clothes? To be dressed up to the nines means you are wearing formal clothes - or very fashionable clothes. They must have been going to a wedding or something, they were dressed up to the nines.

Just imagine if you put on your best clothes and sat waiting for your friends to call. But they never arrive. Someone might say – ‘Oh look at you, all dressed up and nowhere to go!’ Here’s another example – Kevin phoned to say he had to work late, so there I was, all dressed up and nowhere to go! Has this ever happened to you?

Another pair of words which English learners sometimes find confusing is to wear or to use.

People quite often say:
I like using blue jeans and a T-shirt.
I like using a hat that is fashionable.
I will use my favourite shirt tonight.
I’m using a skirt and black shoes.

Whereas to wear / wearing means to have something on your body as a piece of clothing.

For example:
I’m wearing a hat.
Yana is wearing a wedding ring.
Roni likes wearing sneakers.

To use / using means to do something with a machine, a method, an object, etc. for a particular purpose.

For example:
I’m using my dad’s car.
Can I use your phone?
I have some equipment you can use.

Sinta and Budi from the Joeys went to the Fashion Show last night. Sinta ____ jeans and a floral shirt. Budi decided to ____ his favorite checked shirt with his Levi jeans. They both ____ Kang Guru caps too. Budi was late because he was ______ public transport. Sinta ______ her friend's handphone to call him to see where he was.

Have you looked at the front cover of this magazine? What are some of the trends, fashion items and icons, and designs in the collage from Kang Guru.

Here’s one – the Chrysler Building in New York, an architectural icon since the 1930s. It is art-deco in style and always immediately associated with the Big Apple.

Designing Big Things and Little Things

Can you imagine how long it takes to design something really big? What about a new jet such as the huge Airbus A380? So, just how BIG is the A380? Check out these facts: 74 meters long, 80 meters wide and 25 meters high. It can carry a maximum of 840 passengers. Each wing, for example, has a surface area of 845 square metres with 25,500 different components. There are 360,000 metres of wiring, piping and ducting to control the hydraulic power systems in addition an astounding 750,000 fasteners (nuts, bolts and rivets).

And what about a cruise liner such as the Queen Mary? It is 339 meters long and 72 meters high and can carry 2,620 passengers and 1,253 crew. That’s a lot of people! On the ship there are 2,500 kilometres of electric cable, 500 kilometres of ducts, mains and pipes, 2,000 bathrooms, 80,000 lighting points, 3,000 telephones, 8,800 loudspeakers, and the ship has 17 decks that tower 60 feet meters above the water.

Imagine all of the components - nuts, bolts, wires, rivets - needed to make these two huge 'people movers'. But what about little things too? Imagine the thought, planning and design that needs to go into a new operating system for a computer OR an iPOD or even a new model handphone. Amazing! They don't just appear by magic, you know!

‘Striking’ buildings

Architect designed buildings are usually unique. Each
architect has their own style and taste of design.

Architect designed buildings quite often create a lot of criticism. One major criticism is because of their unusual or futuristic design. Some people might enjoy those buildings but some don’t. These innovative works of design raise questions, create criticisms and even controversies. Look at some striking buildings in different places in the world. You can judge yourself whether you like these buildings or not.

Casa Milà, commonly known as La Pedrera in Barcelona, is the largest civil building designed by Antoni Gaudi. The apartment block was constructed between 1906 and 1910. It was built for Roger Segimon de Milà. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

audi designed very unique buildings. As you can see it’s unusual and very curvy. The outside of this building is shaped like an ocean wave.

Federation Square, Melbourne, Australia

Federation Square is a cultural site in the city of Melbourne. It was first opened on the 26th October, 2002, so it’s fairly new. It consists of various buildings including a radio station, art galleries, a museum, cinemas, exhibition spaces, restaurants, bars and shops. Federation Square is right on the edge of Melbourne's city centre just opposite the Flinders Street train station. The open space is popular for all kinds of performances, rallies, cultural gatherings, celebrations, and for just 'hanging out'. This striking building always draws attention from passing pedestrians. Some people like it and some don't. What do you think?

Tetaring Restaurant in Nusa Dua, Bali -
a unique construction using bamboo.

Deputy Head of Mission at the Australian Embassy, Ms Louise Hand (in black jacket) said she was very pleased by the level of interest in Australian high fashion following the inaugural Australian fashion parade in South Jakarta.

Ms. Hand said the show featured a number of eye-catching designs that had been extremely well received at the recent Rosemount Australia Fashion Week in Sydney.

“Australia’s fashion industry has grown tremendously over the last decade. Some 60 Australian labels are currently exporting their designs to boutiques and department stores in Asia, Europe and the United States”.

In another event, the first Australian Fashion Parade, held in Kemang, 12 prominent Australian designers showed their designs to an Indonesian audience. Australian Ambassador to Indonesia, Mr. Bill Farmer, said he was delighted to see this latest collection of Australian fashion designs on show in Indonesia.

“Our fashions also take their cue from Australia’s outdoor lifestyle and environment. This is particularly the case for the new, maverick generation of designers who take their inspiration from Australia’s surf and beach culture, graffiti and street art.”

The akubra comes from Australia. What is it? SMS the answer with your name to Kang Guru before April 31st and you could win caps from Kang Guru.

Chapel Street, South Yarra is renowned for its award-winning restaurants, stylish bars and cool cafes, and of course fashion. Bridge Road, Richmond is the place for shops and bargain warehouses. Each season’s range of clothes, shoes and homewares is on sale at clearance prices. It usually takes me the whole day to explore the shops on both sides of the road. Smith Street, Fitzroy is well-known for sports factory outlets with bargain prices, such as Nike, Adidas, Puma, Converse, etc. Various cafes, bookshops, bars are spread along the street. It is very busy at the weekends and I often drop by there on my way home from the city. Queen Victoria Market (QVM) is a must-see place in Melbourne and has over 1,000 traders selling bargain priced fashion and souvenirs, fruit, veggies, seafood and meat. It also sells imported gourmet foods to tempt our taste buds. Meanwhile second-hand shops such as Savers, the Reject Shop, Opportunity Shops, and Stavros (Salvation Army) are the right places to go for second-hand items. Remember that in Australia most shops only open from 10 am to 5 pm from Monday to Friday. Many only open for a half day on Saturdays.

Adi Witono Waluyo, an ADS awardee studying for his Master of Adult Education degree at La Trobe University, Melbourne is an old friend of Kang Guru.

Truly Australian made?

If you travel to Australia you might find it difficult to find souvenirs which are made in Australia. If you go to souvenir shops most of the things (like key rings, T-shirts, toys) are made in China. It’s sometimes hard to find something which is actually made in Australia. What about UGG boots then? Yes, UGG boots are Australian designed and made. What are they? Well, they are actually soft, warm boots made from sheepskin.

They are normally worn in winter but actually people like to wear them throughout the seasons. They can be used from indoor slippers to everyday shoe wear. UGG boots are not only popular in Australia but also all over the world. UGG boots are very comfortable, the inside texture is soft and they keep feet warm. Sheepskin is naturally thermostatic and a good insulator. These boots will keep bare feet warm in temperatures as low as –1°C and cool in temperatures as high as 26°C. So if you go to Australia buying a pair of UGG boots will be a great souvenir/oleh oleh for yourself. They are Australian made and you can't find them anywhere in Indonesia! They are a bit expensive but they last forever.

Ethnic Fashion

Different cultures have always had their own style of dress related to the way they live. Here are some examples of clothes around the world. The Tuareg people, who live near the Sahara desert in Africa are unusual because the men wear a veil. The blue cotton veil is three metres long and covers the Tuareg man’s head and face. They wind it around themselves to keep out sand during sand storms. The Japanese national dress is the kimono. There are no buttons or fasteners on a kimono. It is held in place with a sash called an obi. In Argentina cowboys are called Gauchos. They wear baggy trousers called bombachas which can easily be tucked into their boots. If a South American woman decorates her hat with flowers it means she is looking for a man to marry. Batik, famous in Indonesia, has been made in Java for more than 1,200 years.

Pictures from top to left: Tuareg man, Gauchos, Kimono and Batik.

Low Rider Fever

Maybe you are wondering what a Low Rider is. It’s not a car or a motorbike but it’s actually a bicycle. On Saturday nights groups of youngsters in Bali like to ride in convoy through the city. They find a spot to sit and display their bikes. What is so special about these low rider bikes? They are a type of modified bicycle originally from America. They became popular in Indonesia in 2006. ‘Superman is Dead’ popularized the bikes in their music video clip. Many people have become interested in Low Riders because of their unique shapes. There is an unusual gap between the saddle and the handlebars. The bikes have a colorful design and unusual accessories. There are three different types: The Low Rider, small, quite low to the ground, The Cruiser which is little bit higher than the Low Rider and The Chopper, which has high handle bars. These Low rider bikes are good for leisure cycling but not for a long distance cycling. The original low rider, from America, cost up to 12 million Rupiah which is the same price as a motorbike. Wow!

The low riders have inspired kids in Bandung, Jakarta and Bali to create their own low riders. Alit, a fifteen-year old SMP student was interested in making his own low rider bicycle. He used his own old bike and repainted and modified it. He said he spent 2 million Rupiah on it. He painted his unique bike bright red and gave it sparkling silver wheels. Since the low rider trend is booming in Bali, kids now spend their time either modifying their bikes or riding them around the town. A good way to get exercise and I think it’s a good way to help fight against global warming – don’t you think so?

• administration rooms - one room for teachers and one room for the principal
• a library or media room
• a canteen/store room
• a student activity/resource room
• a praying room
• toilets - 2 for girls and 2 for boys and 1 for teachers
• a guard room and
• a residence for the Principal and a dormitory for teachers (these are optional, but as these schools are often built in remote areas, the teachers can stay close to their place of work)

Building Bridges in Indonesia under the Eastern Indonesia National Road Improvement Project (EINRIP)

Australia is providing Indonesia with an interest free loan of $300 million. This money is being used to improve the condition of the national road and bridge network in most provinces in Eastern Indonesia. Australia is also providing about $28 million in grant assistance to help with the planning and design of these roads and bridges. Some existing bridges are being repaired although in many situations new bridges will be built to replace bridges in poor condition.

At the moment, EINRIP is designing a 98 metre long bridge that will be part of the Tohpati-Kusamba road in Bali. This bridge will be a pre-stressed concrete girder bridge. The bridge will cost around 12 billion rupiah.
Another bridge which has just been designed is a 260 metre long bridge in North Sulawesi. This bridge crosses a wide river that often has very high and rapid floodwaters. The new bridge will be higher and longer than the old one. This bridge will cost around Rp 31 billion.

Even though these two bridges have different styles and designs, they all are constructed to support their own weight (dead weight) and the weight of the traffic that must go across them. Bridge designers or civil engineers must also consider other factors such as the weather, strong winds and earthquakes when designing bridges.

Before an engineer or bridge designer at EINRIP can begin working on the design of a new bridge, a substantial amount of information is needed first –

• a plan of the site
• physical requirements of the bridge
• weather and environmental
• topography of the environment
• soil and substrata conditions of the planned site
• local conditions like the accessibility for the transport of equipment, materials and structural elements that must be used for construction
• environmental requirements regarding the aesthetic quality of the bridge
• health and safety requirements such as noise, vibrations and its compatibility with adjacent sites near the bridge.

Bridge destroyed, Manado - Gorontalo road,
June 2006. New bridge expected in 2008/2009.

The inaugural Australian Alumni Awards 2008 were held on the 16th of February 2008 in Jakarta. The event recognised the outstanding talent, achievements and contributions made by Australian alumni in Indonesia. Did you know that about a third of all Indonesians studying overseas choose Australia as their preferred place of study? Dr. Shannon Smith and Ms. Felicity Pascoe, and their hard-working team from Australia Education International (AEI) based at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, organized the awards event. Nominations were invited from people all over Indonesia. In celebration of the 2008 Australian Alumni Awards, Kang Guru has produced a special CD. It contains 3-4 minute audio excerpts from just 18 of the many interviews Kang Guru has done with Indonesian alumni of Australia here in Indonesia over the past 7 years. Here are several of the alumni featured on the CD and what they can be heard talking about. If you are thinking of studying in Australia then their comments, and comments from the others on the CD, may be of great interest to you. http://www.kangguru.org/ausaidprojects/2008-alumniawards.htm

It is estimated that there are more than 30,000 Australian alumni living and working in Indonesia today. Many of the Australian alumni are high achievers and leaders in their fields. They include Ministers of State, successful entrepreneurs, academics and researchers, designers and popular musical talents. Australian remains the most popular study destination for Indonesians who study overseas. Check out the terrific Aussie Alumni website for yourself –

http://www.ozmate.com

Tommy Tjokro from METRO TV in Jakarta (pictured with Dian Krishna at the recent 2008 Aussie Alumni Awards evening) talks about:
* his initial ELICOS course and his various fields of study in Australia.
* his course changes while in Australia.
* how his career in the media in Indonesia came about since returning from Australia.

Vicky Sibi from Manado talks about:
* her life in Australia as a seven year old student at Clifton Hill Primary School in Victoria.
* her mother studying for her Ph. D. in Australia on an ADS scholarship.
* her English language level when she went to Australia and how quickly she picked up the language.
* her fond memories of excursions as a part of her school life.

Rachman Ida and her daughter, Zara are from Surabaya and Rachman talks about:
* her ASTAS scholarship to Australia from 1997 to 1999.
* her career as a Lecturer in the Communications Dept, Airlangga University, Surabaya since 1993.
* her second scholarship (ADS) to do her Ph D in Media Studies at Curtin University in Perth in 2002 - 2006.
* the university study style in Australia and her particular studies in Australia.
* taking her daughter to Australia with her and Zara's school experiences at primary school in Australia.LAPIS-ELTIS in Indonesia

Iffah Al-Batul is the founder of Eidelweiss English Language Club in Guluk-Guluk, Madura - a wonderfully active language club that has built up a strong association with Kang Guru over the past few years. But now Iffah is also a Master Trainer for LAPIS-ELTIS, an AusAID supported project in Indonesia. Iffah has recently completed her 6 month Cambridge ESOL ICELT and Training of Trainers course at IALF Bali as part of her preparation to become an ELTIS trainer. These 34 ELTIS Master Trainers from East Java and Lombok are responsible for delivering English Language Upgrading and Communicative English Language Teacher Training courses to English Teachers from Madrasah Tsanawiyah (MTs) from selected locations in East Java and NTB over the next two years. Iffah taught her first class course of English Language Upgrading Level 1 from 21 January – 1 February at the IAIN Sunan Ampel campus in Surabaya. She was part of a team of 6 Master Trainers who taught 84 MTs teachers over the two-week course.

"Teaching ELU 1 was such a good experience for me as it was my first time teaching adult learners - it was challenging as the trainees were different ages and there were different abilities in the class, but everything went well. The 6 month Cambridge ICELT program I took to become an ELTIS Master Trainer helped me 100%. All the trainees were very impressed by our teaching methods"and they said they wanted to learn how to teach like this too".

Choosing a career in design

The digital media revolution means that customers are no longer happy just to see a still photograph on a page. They want to see moving images, sound and interactive text. As a result the demand for skilled artists, designers, animators, multimedia authors and people who can create, design and produce this type of material is high. Have you thought about a career in design?

Just a quick search on Google and it’s amazing to see all the different types of design courses available at universities around the world. You could study fashion and textile design, industrial and furniture design, transportation design, interior design, video design, graphic design, digital and virtual design or even theatre design. While learning about different skills on each of the courses, students are also usually taught about how to use that skill in the business world. One thing for sure is that computers and electronic technology play a big role in design courses nowadays. Cars and bridges can be designed using a computer and computers can do the calculations much more quickly than a human brain.
However you don’t need to be a qualified architect to design a new room or even a new house – just go along to your local computer shop and buy an inexpensive program. Magazines in shops and on the internet will tell you how to redesign the interior of your home to be up-to-date with ‘innovative new designs’. But I think it might be a good idea to get a qualified builder to build it for you!

Natural fashion materials

People have always made clothes from whatever materials were available in the areas they live. Leather is processed from the skins of animals such as the cow and the camel. The caterpillar of the silk moth produces silk as it spins its cocoon. Sheep are the most common source of wool. Goats, llamas and alpacas also provide very soft, fine wool. Cotton is made from the soft white fibres of the cotton plant and flax is dried and spun and woven into linen. Some people also use the skins of crocodiles and other reptiles to make bags, belts and even clothes.

How smart are you?

Are you smart? Can you think quickly or cleverly in difficult situations? Well today many machines are designed to be smart. You can buy smart cars, washing machines and clothes driers, refrigerators, air conditioners and even window shades which automatically open and close depending on the sun! The Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur were designed as intelligent buildings. They have features which coordinate and manage tele-communications, the environment and temperature, power supply and lighting, fire and smoke control, evacuation & emergency procedures and building security. Using the latest designs in chip technology machines are able to do more tasks and adjust their mechanics to outside influences. But is this always good? The staff at Kang Guru say machines which clearly show what they are doing are the best types of machines. Machines with complicated instructions and rows of beeping red lights are confusing. Kang Guru staff don’t like them very much. Are you quick at learning how to operate smart machines?

One SMK student with a great future ahead of her is Lutviani from Manar in West Sulawesi, who is studying fashion and design at SMK 8, Makassar. She is 14 years old and in her first year as a design student. Maggie interviewed her at school in Makassar in December 2007 and here is what Lutviani had to say –
· I‘ve always loved art and I just like clothes.
· I really like classical clothes. They are really flattering.
· I prefer classic lines. Trendy clothes are too tight and too clinging. They make me look too skinny.
· My favourite fabric is cotton. In the tropics, natural fibres like cotton, silk and linen are the best. They are cool and comfortable to wear.
· One day I’ll have my own design studio. In Paris, of course!

When where these things first used? Can you match these inventions to when they were first used?
1. silk 2. zips 3. safety pins 4. bone needles 5. buttons 6. Velcro 7. buckles 8. shoe laces 9. the wire coat hanger	A) 30.000 years ago B) The Bronze Age C) 3500 BC D) Ancient Rome and Greece E) 1795 F) 1849 G) 1903 H) 1913 I) 1951

The Kang Guru Connection Club network of English language clubs has been a part of Kang Guru since 2001. The very earliest clubs included the Excellent Club in Jombang, the Space Club in Bandung, the Pioneer Club in Prenduan, Madura and the Best Forum Club based in Makassar. During the past seven years, several hundred clubs have joined the KGCC. Some have stayed as members and some have not. Did you know that three of those original four clubs are still members of the KGCC – amazing! The KGCC has certainly been successful. It is a credit to the leadership of those clubs over the years and to the enthusiasm of their members – thousands of members in fact.

During the early part of 2008, Kang Guru will be reviewing the KGCC network. The main point of this review is to see how Kang Guru can better provide support for the many hundreds of language clubs that want to be linked with Kang Guru. What can be done? What is the best way to do this? How can better results be achieved? Perhaps you have some ideas that may help Kang Guru to answer these questions. Why not send your ideas to Kang Guru as soon as possible? Kang Guru would love to hear from you - Ayu’s KGCC email address is kgcc@ialf.edu

Kang Guru went to Banyuwangi in February on a hectic but wonderful 5 day trip. First Ayu and Sue visited RAKA FM to meet the Kang Guru listeners. There were about 50 members of Raka English Club, Fragrant Water and Charming English Club, Galaxy English Club and of course RAKA radio announcers too. Ayu and Sue were bombarded with questions. Everyone joined in with some games before photographs were taken - memories.

Al Azhar held a one day English event at their school in Sempu and they invited Kang Guru to attend. It started in the morning with an English Poetry Reading Competition and a Miss Club Competition. Both Ayu and Sue were amazed by the talented participants - their English was great! Then they met together for the club meetings with Fragrant Water and Charming English clubs. Lots of questions there too. Umi, from USEF Jember (KGCC #71) also came over to Banyuwangi with 3 USEF members. They also joined the meeting and that was a big surprise for Ayu. The small get together type event was boisterous with lots of games and prizes. Then Sue and Ayu returned that evening at 7 o'clock to enjoy some club performances - dances, songs, a drama and a band. They were both thoroughly entertained!

Thanks to Pak Widodo, Romo Sulis (SMK Agustinus) Ibu Dyah, Tato, Mumpuni (Al-Azhar), Nining (RAKA FM), Umi from Jember and everyone else too. Fantastic!

Ayu, Kang Guru's new club person, visited Lombok in January and met the KGCC members there. The meeting was held at Café Delicio in Mataram. There were about 12 people from the ALFA English Club, Sasak English Club, L’GENDA English Club, Gado-Gado English Club and SMANDA English Club. We had a very nice dinner and the clubs gave lots of input and good suggestions for Kang Guru to think about for the future. It was great to hear that both the ALFA and Gado Gado clubs took the time to meet with members of the AIYEP group in Lombok in January.

What a great chance to practise their English with Aussies!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Borneo English club (KGCC #097) held a Kebaya Fashion Show at SMA Meliau on the 27th February, 2008. The purpose was to encourage teenagers in West Kalimantan to wear the kebaya on special occasions and to promote kebaya as Indonesia’s traditional costume. It also showed that wearing a kebaya is not at all old fashioned. Well good luck and please send Kang Guru some photos, okay?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

St Antonius school in Purwoharjo is not a member of the KGCC network but Pak Widodo, the Principal, is a good friend of Kang Guru. Last year, during Ramadhan, the school held a fashion parade. The muslim students in the school wore muslim fashions and the rest of the students could wear anything they wanted. Look at these students dressed to the nines.

What are they wearing? Match the Joeys' names with the clothing items below. Their names? Check out the stickers above.

Who is wearing a floral top? ...........
Who are wearing a plain shirt? ...........
Who is wearing a spotted blouse? ..........
Who is wearing a striped top? ...........
Who is wearing a checked shirt? ...........

Now look at the numbers on the Joeys Fashion cartoon and match them with these anagrams.

1.sgnirrae 2. ecalkcen 3. triks 4. trihs-T
5. trihs 6. tleb 7. srekaens 8. pac 9. gabdnah

During 2007, e-learning activities were offered by Kang Guru to SMP teachers and their students These cross-cultural e-learning exchanges were conducted between English language classes within Indonesia - see Sept/Dec. magazines 2007 for more information.

Here's what the 40 students at SMPO Negeri Cimahi in Cimahi, Jawa Barat thought of the Joeys e-learning activity held in Oct. - Nov. 2007. Their teacher, Pak Agus Suganda reported that the students said the e-learning was terrific for:

learning more about another culture in Indonesia
sharing knowledge about their area
using English for a real purpose
making new friends from another region

Would you, and your English teacher, like to be a part of the next e-learning activity? During March - April 2008, a third e-learning activity will be organized by Kang Guru. To be eligible for this third e-learning exchange, your teacher must be registered on the Kang Guru teacher database - get your teacher to contact Ayu at Kang Guru and register right now! Ayu's email address is joeys@ialf.edu

In mid March, Ayu will contact all teachers on the database by email with full details. The topic for this round of cross-cultural e-learning exchanges will be SPORT and hopefully some of the exchanges will be with Australian students too. And guess what? The June 2008 Kang Guru magazine will also have the theme of SPORT. Fantastic! Register NOW!

A Great Vocabulary Game

Teachers at Kang Guru workshops always love the games - just like their students. They often write and ask us for more ideas for games. Here is a simple game to get your students thinking quickly in English. It can be played at any time during the lesson. It is probably best to play the game in small groups. A little competition between the groups can be good motivation.

• Make sure you impose a time limit each round so the students don’t waste time. It’s very simple.
• The students write 1-10 on a piece of paper.
• Give the students category, for example - write 10 nouns/verbs in English beginning with the letter S or write 10 words in English of things made of wood / glass / metal / plastic or write ten words in English of things that are bigger/smaller than you, etc.
• The students only have 30 seconds to complete the task.
• The winner is the group who finish first (with the correct spelling).
  
  

Kang Guru's Teacher e-NEWSLETTER

Last year Kang Guru invited all teachers with email addresses to join our Kang Guru database. Many of you have joined already and after each workshop we add more names and addresses. Last year we sent e-NewsLETTERS to almost 1000 teachers and the good news is this year in January/February we sent almost 2000. That’s a lot of teachers! The e-NewsLETTERS is a way to share information and Kang Guru welcomes your input. Do you have any suggestions for topics for the April e-NewsLETTERS? Please email your suggestions to Sue at Kang Guru - srodger@ialf.edu

Have you used either the SMA or SMP Packages from Kang Guru with your students yet? Why not? Each package is only Rp 125,000 (for either cassettes or CD). If you want to have both audio cassettes and CDs, then the price is Rp 150,000. Fantastic!

Please send your money by pos wesel or bank transfer to KGRE:

Nama account: IALF

Bank: Bank Central Asia Cabang Hasanudin
Alamat: Jl. Hasanudin No. 58, Denpasar
No. account: 040-1-470-289

Note: For any order made by bank transfer, please send or fax the transfer slip to the KGRE office with your name and phone number.

Dewi Sandra has given Kang Guru 10 copies of her latest CD. They are autographed as well. To win a copy just send an SMS to Kang Guru before April 30th, with the answer to this simple question - What is the name of Dewi's latest CD?
Be sure to include your full name and address on the SMS.

Sally is originally from Surabaya and admits that she was quite a rebellious teenager. As a teenager, she would take her clothes and cut them up, change them and create her own style. Often Sally did that to actually shock people. Even today Sally is a very provocative and innovative designer. Her trademarks include mixing materials that don’t usually go together – such as chiffon and leather. She loves to use shiny materials in her outfits along with feathers and as already stated, lots of leather. A pair of boots that Kevin saw in the shop were a prime example of that type of exotic and daring combination – feathers and leather. Many of her wonderful designs were displayed during the Aussie Alumni 2008 Awards.

Sarong Day in Oz

When Ayu was teaching in Australia last year, she took traditional Indonesian clothes with her so that students in Australia could experience wearing them. Aussie kids find it hard to wear a sarong. They can’t breath and sit properly in a sarong. They also think that a sarong is only for women and not for men.

Some of them laughed when the boys put on sarongs. They loved the colours and the patterns but they said that they would probably never wear a sarong again. They also agreed it was a good experience for them. Do you wear sarongs to school? Probably not. No wonder they felt strange.

Fashion in Australian High Schools

Australian school outfits are quite different to Indonesian high schools’ uniforms. In Indonesia the uniform for high school students is the same all over the country. However in in Australia it is different from one school to another. There are usually two uniforms - one for summer (hot weather) and one for winter (cold weather). In summer, when the temperature can be very hot, the boys go to school in shorts with a shirt or a polo shirt. The girls wear a skirt.

Now, footwear is also important for some fashionable kids. Almost all boys and some girls wear surf brand sneakers with or without socks. Sandals are also popular, especially the types with laces that can be tied around the leg. Flip-flops aren’t allowed at school. When the colder weather arrives school the fashion also changes. Students go to schools in their trousers or jeans with a shirt or a long sleeved top plus a sweater over it. Most of them will also wear a scarf around their neck and some will wear a beanie hat. Everyone will be wearing winter shoes or boots. What about jewelry or other accessories? Big silver ring earrings and the latest trendy sunglasses are popular with the girls. The boys…well, they try to be cool with their surf watches and the trendiest sunglasses.

Juni Widaryanti, Indonesian Teaching Assistant in Macksville High School and Bellingen High School, New South Wales, 2007.

Students at Belingen High School dressed for school.

Harajuku

Harajuku refers to the area around Harajuku Railway Station in Tokyo, Japan. It is the center of Japan’s most extreme teenage cultures and fashion styles. The center of extreme teenage fashion is Takeshita Street and surrounding streets. These streets have many trendy shops, fashion boutiques for not only teenagers but also for adults. There are also used clothes stores, fast food outlets and historical sights.

Sunday is the time when many young people gather around Harajuku Station and engage in cosplay (costume play). Many are dressed up in crazy costumes to resemble animal characters, punk musicians, etc. Now Harajuku has become one of the popular school excursion destinations for Japanese students. Agnes Monica and Gwen Stefani are two celebrities who often dress in Harajuku style. So what do you think of Harajuku style? Do you like it?

How to dress in Harajuku style?

1. Mix and (mis)match different fashions.
2. Dress in layers - layer your clothes: sweaters, vests, or jackets over blouses over t-shirts, dresses worn with leggings, and so on. Layering clothes allows you to mix and match a wide variety of different styles, and adds more interest to your outfit.
3. Customize your clothes - second-hand clothing and do-it-yourself styles are popular in a Harajuku outfit. Use scissors and glue and make your store-bought clothes uniquely yours.
4. Accessorize - add any wild accessories you have, such as belts, earrings, hair clips, jewelry, and handbags. Remember, accessories can be colorful and loud, and they don’t have to match your clothes.
5. Wear whatever looks good to you - Harajuku is a way of dressing in whatever looks good to you.

If you think a striped top will go together with spotted skirt or pants then why not wear them?

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Year 8 students wearing their summer uniforms at Woolooware High School

P4TK Bahasa and Kang Guru

In recent Kang Guru teacher workshops in Sidoarjo and Nganjuk (Feb. 8 and 15/16), Kang Guru was happy to welcome Pak Fathur, Pak Djodi and Pak Taufiq from P4TK Bahasa (Pusat Pengembangan dan Pemberdayaan Pendidik dan Tenaga Kependidikan), the Indonesian Education Department's English Language Training Center in Jakarta. These senior trainers threw themselves into the various workshop activities and said afterwards that they were very happy to be included. Kang Guru anticipates further workshop cooperation over the next few months with Kang Guru providing workshop activities in other provinces within the current P4TK training schedule.

On the Road with Kang Guru

It’s only March and Kang Guru has already traveled to many places Indonesia! There have been workshops in Sorong, Purwoharjo, Pamekasan, Sidoarjo and Nganjuk. Sue had a unique club meeting on a beautiful tropical island inhabited by bats. Kevin attended an Aussie Alumni dinner in Surabaya and the Australian Alumni Awards 2008 in Jakarta. Sue and Ayu have been judges at an English poetry reading competition, a Miss English Competition and a humourous story telling competition in East Java. It’s fantastic to see so many active teachers motivating their students to use English. We have also visited club get-togethers and played games and watched performances by club members. Phew! March sees Kang Guru in Ambon, Mungkid and Bontang! When do the Kang Guru crew sleep!

Check the Kang Guru Calendar for Travel Plans - http://www.kangguru.org/kgrelatestnews.htm

Ayu - ELT Media and Communications Co-ordinator

For the first part of 2008, Ayu Kusumastuti, a long time English teacher at IALF Bali and friend of Kang Guru, will be working with Kang Guru in Bali. Ayu has had a great deal of Aussie experience and is quite well-known in Bali as an event organizer. She is often wild and funny, and knows lots about everything.
One of Ayu's main tasks at Kang Guru between January and June 2008 is to help with the review of the Connection Club network in Indonesia. As a part of this, Ayu will be visiting many clubs. She has already visited clubs in Lombok and East Java - http://www.kangguru.org/kgretravel.htm

Ayu, second from left, with members from the Gado Gado and Sasak English Clubs in Lombok in January 2008.

Kang Guru's studio at IALF Bali

The most important thing in producing Kang Guru radio programs is a modern recording studio. In May 2007, Multimedia IALF Bali, moved to their new and fabulous studio. The new studio is located on the 2nd floor of the IALF Bali main building. It is divided into a vocal booth and the control room. All walls are double layered and have acoustic foam and gypsum board. Windows are heavy double panes (1.0 mm glass). All doors are made from strong wood, heavy solid and a double thickness. All floors have thick pile carpet with heavy padding underneath.

The equipment used for producing programs includes the sound-proofed vocal booth, a computer connected to a mixer, a sophisticated tape recorder and microphone setup for recording. There are also two other computers connected to TV/DVD which are used for video material recording and editing.