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Travel › Kang Guru Indonesia participates in an Australian Alumni Event, a MGMP teacher workshop and a visit to students at Sriwijaya University Language Institute in Palembang - June 2010
Kang GURUTravels to Palembang and Jakarta - June 2010
Kang Guru Indonesia participates in an Australian Alumni Event, a MGMP teacher workshop and a visit to students at Sriwijaya University Language Institute in Palembang - June 2010 (check out the video)
I left Dps mid –afternoon (saw KGI Champion Syahrir at the airport heading to Makassar) and arrived in Jakarta just 90 minutes later. It was a spectacular flight with big white, fluffy clouds most of the way against bright, blue skies. Jakarta was fine on arrival but within 30 minutes the heavens opened and the rain came down – cats and dogs actually! It rained so heavy that departures were delayed and my flight to Palembang didn’t leave until almost 6pm, an hour late.
It was luckily a smooth flight to Palembang arriving around 8pm. I was picked up at the airport by Hotel Horison. In the car with me was an ADS alumni from Jakarta. We got talking about scholarships AND how unbelievably clean Palembang was. I did not see any rubbish at all between the airport and the hotel – amazing. I looked into parking areas, in drains and gutters, around kaki limas and even on the roadside just out of the city – NO RUBBISH!
The next day I was picked up (on time) by the Organizing Committee from the MGMP Palembang to go to the workshop. There were 50 teachers at the half-day workshop and the morning went quickly. Participants were active and interested so that was good. KGI may return to Palembang some time in the next 6 months to do a full workshop but let’s wait and see.
In the afternoon I presented and fun KGI quiz activity at the Australia Awards Alumni function held at the Hotel Horison. Julie and Michael from ADS in Jakarta, and their team, held a full day seminar entitled ‘Professional Development Series’. Approximately 45 alumni attended and enjoyed the day of presentations and activities. It is hoped that some of these participants will want to return to Australia, with the Australian Government’s assistance, to complete Research Projects which can later be of valuable use to Indonesia’s development. Participants enjoyed a productive and enlightening series of presentations and hopefully they will be encouraged to begin work on their own professional development as a result.
On my last morning in Palembang I met with 70 students at the Sriwijaya University Language Institute. They were a fun group and were genuinely interested in KGI, the work of the Australia Indonesia Partnership in Indonesia, and in Australia generally.
There were loads of questions and they especially enjoyed learning that famous Aussie song, ‘G’day G’day’. Thanks to Ibu Erlina from the university for her support and interest in her students and in KGI.
Later that day I flew to Jakarta to attend the Ambassador's farewell function for Shannon Smith, head of the Australia Education International (AEI) based at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta. Shannon has been a great friend of KGI’s for many years and we wish him well in the future. I am sure we haven’t seen the last of Shannon here in Indonesia - he loves loving and working here.
I retuned to Bali on Friday morning the 19th of June.
