Languages

Indonesian Trip

In the first week of the mid-year holidays, six teachers accompanied 29 students on Aitken College’s 9th Indonesian Study Tour. We travelled extensively through Central Java including visits to the famous Borobodur and Prambanan temples and Dieng Plateau located in the central highlands of Java.

I was also very impressed to see students making use of their Bahasa Indonesia skills when buying trinkets during our visit to the famous Jalan Malioboro in Yogyakarta (aka Jogja).  Yogyakarta is known for its traditional arts and cultural heritage. Students visited Jogja silversmiths and batik factories. The trip was very hands-on and students themselves tried their skills at batik, gamelan (Javanese orchestra) and Javanese dancing. 

Perhaps the highlight of the trip was a visit to a local Catholic school, Van Lith, where students had the opportunity to meet with Indonesian teenagers and share in various cross-cultural activities. The Indonesian students gave us demonstrations and lessons in Indonesian music while Aitken College students coached their Indonesian friends in the rudiments of AFL football and boomerang throwing.

After leaving Yogyakarta we flew to Bali where we stayed close to the town of Ubud, known for its handicrafts. Students learnt to cook a delicious feast, Balinese style, which we later got to eat; enak sekali! A personal highlight of the trip was the Bali Baik Bike tour where we naik sepeda through the rural villages and farmland of Bali.

The trip, our largest ever, was an enormous success. I was very impressed with the maturity of our students and the interest with which they approached the many new experiences offered to them. I would like to thank the other 5 staff members who made this trip possible: Miss Charlotte Beales, Ms Deborah Garlick, Pak Hilar, Bu Raida and Ms Sherry Sadler. It was wonderful to see students engage in so many unique cultural experiences which could not possibly be replicated in the classroom.

Mr Simon Adams

Head of Faculty Languages