Our Teachers Write
Sumatra
I had been living in Indonesia for two months and, despite making many weekend trips to places in Java, I was yet to leave the territory itself. This all changed when one Sunday evening I was sitting with a friend of mine, Holly, trying to decide how we should spend the day off we had, the upcoming Tuesday for Islamic New Year. With guide book in hand, we tried to work out how far we could travel in one day with the only condition being that it must be a sufficiently exciting way to spend our first day off in Indonesia. The realisation that leaving on Monday night after work finished would give us extra travelling time and so a greater distance was possible (and desirable for sleeping purposes) meant that we set our sights on getting to Sumatra and back in the space of 36 hours.
The bus left from just outside EF Tang City and, as I had the later finish, Holly met me at work and from there we crossed the road to begin our adventure. It all started smoothly as no sooner had we crossed the road, when the bus we wanted to catch pulled up. Having checked it was indeed going to the ferry port in Merak, we hopped on and attempted to find the best seats where some sleep might be achieved.
It was just after midnight when the bus arrived at Merak (sleep count: 30 minutes) and from there it was easy enough to find the ferry. We jumped aboard and looked for seats where we could spend the next 4 hours. As luck would have it, we sat down close to one of the crew members who came over to practice his English with the only westerners onboard. However, after about an hour of small talk, we were only interested in one thing: finding a good place to sleep. The crew member told us that there were sleeping areas provided. However, upon realising we would have to pay the equivalent of £1 extra for this, we decided to take the sensible option of sleeping on the floor. This is where it pays to make friends with the crew as we were provided with newspaper and a fenced off area in which to rest: what more could 2 weary travellers want? Not to mention there was one point when I awoke to a random man sitting, smoking, singing and possibly keeping guard of us two ladies as we slept in our enclosed area. Indonesians will always go out of their way to help someone.
The ferry soon arrived in Bakauheni (sleep count 2.5 hours) and we stepped foot on Sumatra. However, in order to enjoy the day, we had to find a bus to take us to our chosen town: Kalianda. This proved more difficult than expected as not only were there many busses at 4am but there was also the choice of quality of bus. However, given that we opted to sleep on the floor rather than pay for comfort, choosing the economy bus was neither a hard nor a taxing decision to make. Within about 15 minutes of getting off the ferry, we were on a bus on our way to Kalianda.
The bus journey provided another opportunity for conversation with the locals, although this was hampered by the lack of understanding and the insistence by the other person involved to keep repeating the same conversation over and over again, about where the bus had departed from, where it was going to and that it wasn’t taking the most direct route. The bus finally arrived on the outskirts of Kalianda (sleep count still 2.5hours) at around 5.30am. With no map to guide us, we picked a road to take on the basis that it had a statue at the top of it. Luckily, our reasoning proved to work as after walking for about 20 minutes we spotted an Indomaret – the surest sign that ever there was that we were approaching civilisation. After walking for another 15minutes we arrived at the Tourist Information Centre, handily located in a hotel, sat down for breakfast and worked out what we were going to do for the rest of the day.
Over breakfast we decided that our best plan was to head for Gunung Rajabasa, climb up it and then relax in the hot springs at the bottom. The guide book had listed the volcano as easy to climb so we jumped on ojeks, convinced that our day should continue as smoothly as it had been going so far. However, it soon turned out that choosing your path up a volcano by allusions to poetry (The Path Not Taken, Robert Frost) is not necessarily the best navigation tool! We also seemed to be fairly aware of this as well as we stopped to take a photo of the fork in the road ‘in case we got lost’ so we would know where we could try a second attempt. However, just as way leads on to way, we soon ended up with no inclination to turn back and try an easier path. This resulted in us scrambling up steep combinations of mud and rocks, striding through vegetation which was waist high, stumbling across an odd graveyard with scarecrows and finally having to admit defeat when we realised that; firstly, we had no clue where we were, secondly, we were unsure how to get any further up the volcano and finally, that we were being stung and bitten by all sorts of things and that it would probably be an idea to employ some common sense and work out how to get to the hot springs. The only problem was that we had left the path a long time ago and so we resorted to using trees as obstacles as we started sliding down the mud.
Somehow, we eventually arrived without further injury into a village, looking like we’d been walking up the volcano for a month rather than just a morning. Our sense of navigation finally found us and we soon arrived at the hot springs, ready to relax and recover from the morning’s exertions. With the evening upon us, it was time for coffee and to embark on the trip home. This was less comfortable than the trip out as the various plant and insect stings prevented any travel from being comfortable. However, in order to get back to Java and the return to work on Wednesday, we had to put up with a 10 hour journey filled with itching and stinging, our only souvenirs from an otherwise fantastic day out. Although we arrived back in Tangerang exhausted (sleep count still only 2.5 hours) and in pain, we could not think of a better way we could have celebrated the beginning of a new year.
Kalimantan
The Christmas holidays provided a second attempt at organising a successful trip and also gave us another beginning of a new year to celebrate. This time round it was the turn of the Gregorian calendar and the start to 2011. The chosen destination was Kalimantan as, for our first Christmas in hot weather; the Equator seemed the best place to be to celebrate. With the flight booked for Christmas Day, we spent Christmas Eve preparing an extremely traditional Christmas Dinner of peanut butter sandwiches, noodles, cookies and eggnog (all homemade). However, leaving the flights to be booked by the member of the travelling team who wished to find the biggest discounts meant that we were arriving on the evening flight and so may not be able to complete our wish of celebrating Christmas at the Equator Monument to ensure we were at the right spot. Thus, our plan B was to turn up to the airport in time for the early afternoon flight and attempt to talk our way on to it.
The first part of the plan was executed to perfection as we arrived at 1pm for the 2pm flight. No sooner had we arrived though, our hopes were dashed as we were informed by the check in staff that the flight was fully booked. Undeterred, we checked in for our actual flight and headed to the gate of the 2pm flight in the hope we might be able to talk our way onto a fully booked flight. Again, we were unable to persuade the staff to change our flight and instead were rather purposefully escorted to our actual gate where we sat down and prepared for the five hour wait that was in store for us. This passed surprisingly quickly and we were soon left with only an hour wait when disaster struck: we decided to ask a member of staff about our flight and if we were definitely at the right gate. We were informed that we should move, a decision we would regret ninety minutes later when we still hadn’t boarded our plane and, upon asking where it was, were informed that it had taken off without us and that the next flight wouldn’t be until the morning. We had planned to celebrate Christmas at the Equator but had to resign ourselves to celebrating at the airport.
Despite this, we had the problem that we did want to go on holiday and so we went to speak to the airline staff, in particular to establish why we had been sent to the wrong gate when we asked which one we should be at and also why the plane had left without alerting us (really what we were after was a free ticket each to compensate for the mix up). Unfortunately, progress was slow and the airline staff seemed to be reluctant to accept responsibility. At some point in the discussion though, we managed to find a common language: football. Once the staff had discovered that I lived near London and we had proceeded to have a conversation about British football teams they knew along with their star players, the ice was broken and soon we were told that we could take a flight the following morning at 6am at a quarter of the cost of the original ticket. We realised we wouldn’t get anything better and decided to take it.
With a new flight booked the decision to be made was what to do for the eleven hours we had to wait. The first item on the agenda was where we were going to stay. Despite only living half an hour away from the airport, we were reluctant to go back home so we decided to camp out at the airport; why on earth would we ever pay for two cab rides in one day – preposterous! However, there was one slight hitch; the airport closed overnight as there were no domestic departures. Undeterred, we saw a sign for the waving gallery and decided that that would be good enough (what difference is there between a ferry’s deck and an airport’s gallery?). Again, we managed to obtain newspaper from the staff, grabbed some food and went on a hunt to find the best spot to sleep outside on the waving gallery. Determined not to miss our second flight, the alarm was set and we attempted to get a good night’s rest.
When we awoke, it was time for the second attempt and this time it was a success. We boarded the flight, realised we had also been given an upgrade and sat down in our seats on the plane to await our landing in Pontianak. Once there, we headed to the centre and set off for the Equator Monument. We arrived, took the obligatory photos, drank the obligatory eggnog and sang the obligatory Christmas carols before sitting down for coffee and the chance to work out how we would spend the next week. We got in touch with our Couch Surfing friend who lived in Ngabang and realised we could easily get to his house by taking the bus. On arrival, we were shown the local delicacies and the fayre which had arrived in the town a couple of weeks before us. The next couple of days were filled with trekking through jungles, swimming in waterfalls and meeting many people around the town.
Despite having a fantastic time in Ngabang, we decided to move on after a couple of days. Singkawang was the next destination on the list and again we were greeted by a Couch Surfing friend who was just as keen to show us the surrounding area and temples. All the locals we met were keen to stress that we should return for Cap Go Mey celebrations in February and celebrate the calendar New Year at the beach. However, the decision had already been made to return to Ngabang for New Year’s celebrations there. Before leaving Singkawang, it seemed a good idea to book the return flight to Jakarta, something which had not been considered up until that point. With ticket arranged, the journey back to Ngabang was taken.
New Year was again seen in on a moving vehicle. However, rather than the bus-ferry combination for Islamic New Year, this time around we were on motorbikes, in the middle of a convoy of motorbikes driving around the city hooting and making as much noise as possible whilst fireworks went off above our heads. This was meant to be the last thing we did in Ngabang before heading back to Pontianak by bus and on to the airport. However, the ticket was changed having been persuaded to stay for more waterfalls on New Year’s Day. This proved to be the right decision to make, partly helped by a friend having a contact at the airport who was able to rebook the flight with minimal cost. However, Sunday morning came around and it was time to leave Ngabang to make sure the third flight of the trip wasn’t missed. Unfortunately, we got to the airport in time for it and within ninety minutes we had landed back in Jakarta, ready to return to normality the next day.
Thailand
Having celebrated two new years on different islands, we decided that the third new year of our travels would also have to be celebrated in similar style. Chinese New Year conveniently falls around both Holly’s and my birthday (we were born a day apart) and so the planned destination is Thailand. Like always, transport seems to be an issue as with two and a half weeks to go before the trip, flights have yet to be booked. Nevertheless, to be able to achieve a hat trick of New Year celebrations makes everything bearable. We just need to make sure we have the newspaper ready for wherever we end up...and a British football jersey!
Sarah Hird (Teacher)
Indonesia
Jakarta (being the place where most EF Swara teachers live) seems a reasonable place to start, so, on to the travel writing. Owing to an insistence that I avoid drinking stories, (if I didn’t, this would be a novel), I will admit that fun stories are a little thin on the ground. It may be where you’re going to live but theres not as much to do as in most big cities. There is however Ragunan Zoo. Most people when faced with a South East Asian zoo usually go anywhere else. They have a reputation for being small, overcrowded, and generally unfit for housing anything. Ragunan isn’t. Almost all of the animals have plenty space, and are healthy. Even the Komodo dragons.
I have been involved in the Jakarta reptile society for some time, and know most of the people in it, or they know me. Being the only white member tends to make me stick out a bit. It was a quiet day (Ramadan, so not many people go out to do much activity), and we were bored, so we went to the zoo. All went well until we got to the Komodo Dragon enclosure and started talking to the keeper. It turned out that we had mutual friends, and, because we knew the same people, and he knew that I was used to being around large reptiles, I was invited down into the pit. It should be stated that these things are big. Forget what you’ve seen on TV, up close and personal they are huge, kind of like a Sherman tank. They are also incredibly fast, and incredibly territorial. I went down the ladder, and bravely looked a large male in the eye. I was in control, I could do this, it was sound asleep. Unfortunately the female wasn't. It took one look and set off across the pit quickly, I did the manliest thing I could think of, and ran like hell up the ladder. Most people would say that it is difficult to climb a bamboo ladder quickly, whilst wearing loose fitting flip-flops. On the other hand most people were not being chased by a bloodthirsty beast, hell bent on tearing out their throat. I think it must have taken me about 2 seconds to scale a 4 meter ladder, I looked down expecting to see the thing staring up at the bottom, a little annoyed that dinner had just escaped. What I saw was the guide looking up at me, sat on the Komodo’s back, petting it. Oh yeah, and laughing, a lot.
Ok, I accept that in the grand scheme of things it wasn’t a very bright idea. Could have been handled a little bit better by me (by saying no), and indeed only happened because of special circumstances – mutual friends. I suppose it does go to show that Indonesians are very friendly, and trusting. Or that I am incredibly, incredibly stupid. One of those.
Sticking with the topic of animals, if you’re into wildlife Indonesia is the place to be. The rainforests are lush, and teeming with life, not just the big noticeable stuff, but with small insects. Or not too small, yes the ant is that big, I didn’t do anything with the photo.
They were both taken in Gunung Leuser national park. The place was something else, teeming with life and absolutely unspoiled. It’s the home to the only wild Sumatran Tigers left, and one of the few places you can see truly wild Orangutans. We were there for a week, and in the first three days I had seen more wildlife than I had ever seen in any place in my life.
The first day was just walking through the jungle to get to our base camp. The walk wasn’t the easiest that I have ever done but it was well worth it. The heat and humidity were stifling, but the place gives some amazing plant life. It also means you have to be very careful when you’re walking. There’s the Indonesian equivalent to poison ivy, which apparently lasts for about two days if you get stung. It also looks like five or six other plants, which made the walk more interesting. The orchids and flowers along the way were simply stunning.
Eventually we got into what could be called difficulties. The trail was slippery and in places caked with mud, so our guide brought us up onto higher ground. In front of us was a 12 foot wide gulley, with a large tree over it. The guide checked it and walked over, followed by the four of us. Three of us made it across. There’s something about seeing your friend hanging from a hastily grabbed vine over a fifteen foot drop that really should inspire feelings of fear, and make you run over to help. Unfortunately our first question was “What are you doing up there?”
We went on until we came to a high earth bank. The thing was about 80o to the ground and we were only getting up it by climbing. It was at this time one of us decided to tell us that she was scared of heights. The first part of the way up was 8 foot high and topped by a tree root, looked high, and not what you need when you’re scared of heights. I was in front of her on the slope so I went back to help. The rain forest has an amazing knack for rotting things quickly. I found a bit of deadfall that looked sturdy, handed it down and we used it to pull her up. I’ve never told her that the half I was holding fell apart about a second after she walked past me.
The end of the climb From front to back Jason, Lisa, Pak Johan (the guide) and Ben.
The drop is just off to the back right of the picture. The bit that no trees are coming up from.
Below – the camp site. I guess the strenuous walk in fear of falling to our death was worth it really.
The end of the first day was a lot more relaxing. After a long lunch/dinner and a relaxing swim we went looking for orangutans. Even though there are Orangutan preserves in a few places in Borneo and Sumatra the Orangutans are not wild. Most are rescued, and regularly come to the ground to feed and forage. The wild ones never come down to the ground at all.
We found a family of Orangutans after about an hour of walking. The guide also informed us that he could smell a large predator somewhere close, or at least the scent marks from it. He also gave us the single best piece of advice that I have ever been given in my life – what to do in a tiger encounter. Owing to bad light we went back to the camp, and called it a day.
The next day we went on a far easier walk to the orangutans, and set up for a morning watching them and following them through the forest. The orangutans, for their part, wanted us to leave. Either that or they love throwing branches. Thankfully orangutans are very bad at aiming. Person twenty feet in front of my tree? Throw the branch straight down. They do compensate for this by moving right above you, and if they can’t find a suitable branch they pee on you.
This was about as close as they got. It was also about the last we saw of them. About ten minutes after this was taken they moved into the upper canopy and started feeding (and raining seed shells on us). Unfortunately we were otherwise occupied.
A bit earlier I said that I was given the single best piece of advice in my life. It was: If a tiger comes, stand in a circle facing out, and do not run. If you run, you die. As we were all staring directly up at the trees, a small rabbit ran out of a bush, and through the middle of the group. That would be fine if it wasn’t followed by a long, angry growl and the sounds of something large moving through the undergrowth. It’s amazing how quick you move when the guide says “tiger”. As we stood waiting we all got a tap on the shoulder from the guide. We also got a spear. It was getting obvious that the encounter was a little closer than the guide was comfortable with as well. We had spent about thirty minutes waiting, all the time hearing low roars from the surrounding jungle as the tiger circled us. On the other hand I had a wooden spear to protect myself. What I wanted more than anything else at the time was for the tiger to come into view, and possibly a change of underwear. It circled, growled, and generally had everyone panicking. The damn thing never did bother to show face.
Paul Harrison (Teacher)
I have now lived and worked in Jakarta for approximately 10 months of a 12 month contract which I am already considering extending. The initial acclimatization to Jakarta's hectic and bustling lifestyle was a little daunting, but I have received lots of help and guidance from very friendly staff and fellow teachers in Pluit, north Jakarta. The School is well placed for shopping and eating and is only a short taxi ride from all the night-life you might want in central Jakarta.
The people are generally friendly and polite (despite recent developments) and I have not witnessed any of the much publicized dangerous elements of life in a big Asian city. If you do want a break from city life at the weekends though, we're only a few hours away from beautiful beaches and landscapes as well as fantastic temples and historical sights.
I realize this seconds like a holiday brochure but it is a good life (my first experience of working abroad) and you earn enough money to live well too.
JOE (Teacher)
I have lived in Jakarta for about 14 months, and so I am in my second contract. It was my first job out of college, and so I did not really know what to expect. I arrived and most everything was as I had thought , hot, sunny, crowded. There is no denying the positive and negative aspects of living in Indonesia.
Indonesia is certain to entertain in some capacity. If you are used to being pampered and love having things done for you, perhaps you should stay at home. Every day here is a new adventure and a surprise. I live in a middle class neighborhood, and yet many around here do not speak English. For me, this is a bonus because I certainly feel like I am in Indonesia.
The teachers in the house and I are the only non-Indonesians in the neighborhood, and for us we love it. You will be treated like a local celebrity ,everyone is eager to say hello and shake your hand, not to mention show you the nearest eatery or next holiday celebration. So far my neighborhood has invited me to: climb the greasy pole for Independence Day (you just have to be there to know what that means); participate in Idul Adha; attend a couple weddings; invite me to meet a new baby; countless meals in home; meet sons, daughters, and spouses; and much more. I play futsal (indoor soccer) every Saturday with my local friends, and I play tennis every Sunday. There are local gyms with western quality equipment, pool halls with beer, and plenty of shops selling traditional things. I have been able to essentially take 5 major vacations every year , taking me to the islands of Sumatra, Kalimantan (Borneo), Papua, Bali, Lombok (my personal favorite), and Flores.. There are nice beaches a few hours from Jakarta, and seeing the famous volcano Krakatoa is a must.
Obviously, as with every place, Jakarta has its drawbacks as well and it would be wise to know these too. It will be more polluted than back home for sure, and at first the language barrier can be difficult. The hurried feel in Jakarta is more than noticeable and there are few sidewalks for running. There are essentially no parks, so you must go elsewhere for your outdoor adventure (although the Botanical Gardens and Taman Safari Park are in Bogor , half hour drive). It may take a couple weeks to fully grasp the culture here but after that I feel most would enjoy the laid-back lifestyle of Indonesian time If you can get past the pollution there are really no problems. I stayed for a second year, and I know two others in my house will do the same. .
Work itself is quite rewarding. The students here are generally more respectful than what I was when I was younger, and your D.O.S. and others are eager to help. I was a fresh college graduate with no teaching experience, and that tells me that if I can do it , most others could too. The schedules here are not too demanding , most of the time I work between 20 and 24 teaching hours, plus time to prepare. The other teachers are really nice and we have a lot of resources to help us. Sometimes it can be frustrating when things break down, but that can obviously happen anywhere. The laid back atmosphere of the staff is a huge bonus, and the D.O.S. gives you plenty of time to get your “swagger" in the classroom. Teaching in my school is turning out to be one of the best decisions I have made in a really long time. I would recommend this for anyone who wants to try something different , something besides the 9 to 5 of the Western world. I think if you are in the mood to hit the road, Indonesia is really a special place.
Mark Walenta ( EF Tanjung Duren)
I have been here in Jakarta for 8 months of a 12 month contract. So why come to Indonesia or Jakarta in particular? Apart from training which can help people thinking about doing the diploma, I also came here for the surfing.
The nearest beach area is Pelabuhan Ratu, which is approximately 4 hours away from Jakarta (or 6 hours or 8 hours; it depends on your luck with taxis or buses). It is basically a small fishing village with numerous types of reef and beach breaks suitable for all levels. That gets me out of Jakarta virtually every weekend.
As a city Jakarta is exactly that; a city, with all the trappings, good and bad, that go with a city. It's smelly, it's busy, loud and relatively fast, it is both modern and quite shabby. If you want clubs they're here, if you want good restaurants they're definitely here.
So if you want a good lifestyle then you can have that here, it's not for everybody, its unique, stressful, annoying but surprising, fascinating and amusing. If you can handle things going wrong and deal with it effectively then you'll like it but if you want everything to work first time, every time you'll be disappointed and should stay at home. If you can handle it then come over. I did and I'm doing okay. The surfing is world class and the teaching? That's up to you.
STEPHEN (Teacher)
I have been working at EF Tebet in Jakarta since January 2007 and can safely say that the last 21 months have been the most amazing and happiest time of my life. The support, training and development I have received from my managers have been outstanding, and at the end of my first year I was promoted to senior teacher which is giving me the opportunity to develop new skills which go much further than teaching.
As with everything you have to give in order to get but it's been worth giving. I've learned more during my time with EF than I had done for years, and feel that my skills are acknowledged and valued. But it's not all about teaching. There is a fantastic team of teachers, course consultants and support staff at the school who are a pleasure to work with, and the students are a constant source of joy.
And it's not all about work either. Indonesia is an amazing country for anyone willing to see. It remains to be a never ending eye-opener, and my learning both in and out of EF has become an ongoing process. I have learned enough Bahasa Indonesia to be independent which has been very important. EF have been great at looking after me but some independence helps to build a healthy work life balance and has given me the opportunity to experience life in Indonesia. Jakarta is certainly not a beauty but her kampung areas have an incredible and unique friendliness and charm, her modern centre caters for most cravings, and there are beautiful scenery and good beaches close enough to get to on weekends..
Finally, despite all the new impressions, the new challenges that working in a busy and competitive environment brings, everything I've learned at the school and all the hours I've worked here, stress very rarely makes an appearance. I believe this can only be because teaching at EF Tebet is very satisfying indeed, and because I've never felt alone with the demands of work or life in a new and different environment..
Jorg Gnutzman (EF Tebet)
