Sidoarjo, my Indonesian teaching experience.

---

After a couple of nudges from friends, and because it seems a good idea, I'm going to start this blog to describe my experiences as a teacher of English in Sidoarjo, in East Java. I've been here 3 months now, and it's gone by extremely quickly!



I arrived in Indonesia just a month after finishing my TEFL (teaching qualification) course. It was March the 30th 2014, and it was a long trip to get here. I had a 12 hour flight, 9 hour stop in Mumbai, another flight to Singapore (3 hours, I think) a two night stop in Singapore to sort out visa stuff.... And finally, a 2 hour flight to Indonesia (Surabaya airport) . It was a rainy night, as it was still the wet season at this point. I had prearranged with my sponsor to be picked up upon arrival at the airport at 22:30, and was both nervous and excited. I walked through all the usual airport business; bustling people and the usual competition to appear to be the most urgent and busy of passengers. After sorting all the usual check-in, baggage claim (my suitcase wasn't lost, yay!!) and buying a packet of crisps and a bottle of water, I waited outside the airport terminal for my sponsor. Having arranged to meet at 22:30, I was beginning to get nervous by 23:30, and decided to locate someone who could speak English and ask to borrow their phone. This didn't take long, and the man even spoke with the sponsor for me in Indonesian, and elucidated as to my whereabouts in the airport. It turns out, that the sponsor, and two other teachers at the school, who wanted to meet me, had been waiting at the check-in gate for me since 22:00! We'd somehow missed each other as I'd walked through from my flight. Now, we drove to what was to be my home for my time here. I arrived at the house with them at around 00:30, and was shattered after so much travelling, and sightseeing in Singapore. The sponsor, Miko, gave me some food to last me until I got some cash, and they welcomed me to Indonesia before suggesting I got some sleep. Dylan and Rachel had also come to meet me, and seemed friendly and personable. I tried to get some sleep, though there was a raging thunderstorm and pouring rain. Also, in the bedroom I'm in, there are ventilation holes in the wall above the bed, which aren't covered, and so water spits in through them in small amounts when it rains... This is something I'm used to now, but that wasn't the case at that time. However, from sheer tiredness, I succumbed to slumber at last at around 02:30.

---