On 16 September, four of the Year 10 Indonesian students and both students from the Year 9 class had the opportunity to go to Indonesia with their teacher, Mrs Nathan, for an intensive learning program run by ACICIS. Throughout this trip they were able to use their knowledge of Indonesia and put their language skills to the test.
Over the period of nine days they went to both Jakarta and Yogyakarta, meeting old friends and making new. This trip allowed the students to learn more about Indonesia and improve on their language skills and techniques in a entertaining and enjoyable environment.
Here are some of their comments:
“Indonesia was definitely one of my favourite experiences and I will never forget it. I loved the classes we attended at the university even when they were 2 hours long. They were interactive and fascinating that you could learn a lot while having a great time. Having been in an Indonesian environment everyday, we could soak in and understand the Indonesian lifestyle and culture first hand. I enjoyed all the significant historical sights we visited and all the authentic food we tasted. This whole trip will never leave me and I will cherish all the memories we shared with our friends and new ones.” – Gwyneth
“This trip to Indonesia helped immensely with my understanding of Indonesia and my ability to use the language. It was an amazing experience seeing Indonesian culture up front and meeting new people and to also have the opportunity to be able to use my Indonesian in
such an environment. The ACICIS program was awesome and it was a really fun way to learn and improve Indonesian. One of my favorite things about the Indonesian trip was being able to bargain in the markets. It was lots of fun attempting to bring the price down while using our Indonesian skills. The people there were so friendly and were always smiling. I also really appreciate how close we all have become with one another and how close we still are. I don’t think I’ll ever forget this trip to Indonesia and I hope I will be able to go again next year.” – Shona
“Going to Yogyakarta was a good experience as it’s my first time going there. It was very fun to go there with friends and watch them as they stutter a lot. This trip was supposed to be a learning program but I actually feel like it was a holiday instead of a learning program. I really
enjoy going the various religious side. I am very happy that I was able to go back to my home country and that I could speak my own language. At Indonesia we walk so much and we had a great tour with the ACICIS program and I was a little bit disappointed because I was the least fittest out of all of us. At least I enjoyed most thing and I really wanted to go back to Indonesia again.” – Ivan
“Indonesia was really good, i really enjoyed it. I personally would have wanted to stay there longer, it was just so different to Australia, so much to do and so much to learn. I think my Indonesian skills improved dramatically just as a result of hearing it spoken to me frequently. I
really liked the learning program, I think it perfectly balanced work and fun, and picked the perfect teachers and tutors to carry it out. I really enjoyed everything all round, but especially Yogyakarta and Dimas.” – Sean
“Going to Indonesia was an amazing experience and increased my ability to communicate in Indonesian. The program run by ACICIS was exciting and really challenged the students involved. This trip will be one that I’ll never forget as it really opened my eyes to the Indonesian culture and made me fall in love. I think it was a real blessing to go and learn and grow not only in the subject but also with friends and with God. Mrs Nathan encouraged us daily to take the next step in learning and it helped us to push ourselves further and work harder.” – Gloria
“It was a wonderful experience to go to Indonesia in September. There was so much to learn about the language and the culture of the people. My Indonesian language skills have improved greatly. The program, run by ACICIS, was fun and interesting even when we were sitting in the classroom working. We also went exploring different places in between all the learning which was very eye opening as we could see how the people of Indonesia live and we also get to see three temples which was exciting too. We built great relationships with our fellow classmates during the trip. I hope to go again next year.” – Luritha
The trip was an incredible learning experience. It has influenced the students to come back and take their skills to another level. As they grew in skills and techniques within the Indonesian language they also grew in bond with their fellow classmates.
