Howdy, Travis here.
We meant to blog and post pictures in the last few days, but exhaustion and a storm have kept us from going to the beach club to use their internet. My first week teaching has been really great -- the kids' eagerness to learn and the relaxed attitude here make for a fun and easy week. Slukat is a free after-school education center, so the children that come really want to be there. One thing I learned about Slukat is that it is not meant to be strictly for education. The founder, Mr. Agung, has said that the larger purpose of the school is character and confidence building. This means that a lot of our teaching is in the form of games and chatting with the kids: giving them the confidence to speak English as well as to know that they can achieve their goals in life. Although I had heard that the kids would be very happy to see us here, I did not anticipate how welcomed we would be by everyone in the surrounding villages. For example, if you are at a shop in Ubud purchasing something, you very well may get a discount simply by mentioning that you are a volunteer teacher at Slukat. I think the locals really appreciate that we are here to do something more than get drunk on the beach, even if they actually have no affiliation with the school. After a short week of teaching, we woke up early this morning to do a bike ride down Mount Batur. We were picked up, taken to sample all types of Balinese coffee and tea, served a tasty breakfast, and given bikes to coast down the mountain in the country side. Afterwards we had a big Indonesian lunch and got to play a traditional Balinese instrument, the Gamelan. All for around $25 US, with rides to and from where we stay. We have plans to go to another of Mr. Agung's schools tomorrow to motivate the children, because there is apparently a lot less going on out there. All in all, its been a quick and fun week, and all of us are looking forward to the next adventure.
Here are some pictures from this week:
We meant to blog and post pictures in the last few days, but exhaustion and a storm have kept us from going to the beach club to use their internet. My first week teaching has been really great -- the kids' eagerness to learn and the relaxed attitude here make for a fun and easy week. Slukat is a free after-school education center, so the children that come really want to be there. One thing I learned about Slukat is that it is not meant to be strictly for education. The founder, Mr. Agung, has said that the larger purpose of the school is character and confidence building. This means that a lot of our teaching is in the form of games and chatting with the kids: giving them the confidence to speak English as well as to know that they can achieve their goals in life. Although I had heard that the kids would be very happy to see us here, I did not anticipate how welcomed we would be by everyone in the surrounding villages. For example, if you are at a shop in Ubud purchasing something, you very well may get a discount simply by mentioning that you are a volunteer teacher at Slukat. I think the locals really appreciate that we are here to do something more than get drunk on the beach, even if they actually have no affiliation with the school. After a short week of teaching, we woke up early this morning to do a bike ride down Mount Batur. We were picked up, taken to sample all types of Balinese coffee and tea, served a tasty breakfast, and given bikes to coast down the mountain in the country side. Afterwards we had a big Indonesian lunch and got to play a traditional Balinese instrument, the Gamelan. All for around $25 US, with rides to and from where we stay. We have plans to go to another of Mr. Agung's schools tomorrow to motivate the children, because there is apparently a lot less going on out there. All in all, its been a quick and fun week, and all of us are looking forward to the next adventure.
Here are some pictures from this week:
Austin and Camilla with their afternoon class
Swingset and see-saw, Bali style
Daniel and Jelena with one of their classes
The "Honesty Store", where kids can get snacks, books, etc., and leave the money there. Just another example of how Slukat teaches more than just language and computer skills.
View from Mount Batur
Rice fields and terraces
The three amigos on the bike ride
Awesome lunch
Cool statue at the house where we ate
I'm fired up about Slukat! This sounds like an amazing oasis of learning. Thanks for the descriptive entries and the fabulous pictures. Keep 'em coming!
ReplyDeleteLynn aka Mom aka Mrs. Krause aka Ms. Morstead!