Aussie family adapts to 'pesantren' life<\/p>\n
Duncan Graham, Contributor, Surabaya<\/p>\n
Like any good Aussie lad, Simon Welsh, 11, plays a straight bat.
\nBut that doesn't stop him falling for a googlie tossed by his
\nsister Eloise, 8. To the critical observer of backyard cricket
\nhe's clearly out, leg-before-wicket, though it's true a passing
\nkitten obstructed his line of sight.<\/p>\n
Inevitably there's a protest; it should have been a no-ball.
\nBut everyone else in the house is too busy to umpire. The
\nneighbors are nonplussed and the dispute fizzles out as the cat
\nis not prepared to take the blame.<\/p>\n
In the background the TV broadcasts news from Down Under. Dad
\nand Mum discuss their kids' school assignments round the kitchen
\ntable. It looks like typical Australian suburbia. The only
\ngiveaway is the maid at the sink.<\/p>\n
That's a luxury language teachers Alistair and Julienne Welsh
\ndidn't have in their seaside house in Torquay, Victoria. That
\nwas the home they left for two years to work for Australian
\nVolunteers International in East Java.<\/p>\n
Their workplace is now a big Nahdlatul Ulama pesantren
\n(Islamic boarding school) near Probolinggo, a town best known as
\na base for exploring nearby Mt Bromo.<\/p>\n
In Australia Alistair lectured in Indonesian at Deakin
\nUniversity and Julienne taught Indonesian at the Christian
\nCollege in Geelong. Now the couple use their considerable
\nabilities and experience to help Indonesian teachers of English
\nlift their skills and develop resources.<\/p>\n
Any Australian teaching Indonesian in Australia would have no
\ncredibility if they hadn't studied, worked or lived in Indonesia.
\nYet thousands of Indonesians who teach English across the
\narchipelago have never been outside their country.<\/p>\n
This is not their fault. The huge imbalance in wages, job
\nconditions and cost of living make travel to an English-speaking
\ncountry difficult for most Indonesian teachers, while Australians
\nare restricted only by their will.<\/p>\n
\"I first got interested in Indonesian at high school through
\nan enthusiastic teacher I had for six years,\" said Alistair. \"I
\nlearned then -- and it remains true today -- that there's no
\nsubstitute for a good teacher.<\/p>\n
\"I pursued Indonesian at university then spent three months in
\nYogya and got hooked.<\/p>\n
\"Later I spent time teaching in Maluku. We then went to the
\nCocos Islands (an Australian possession south of Java where the
\npopulation is mainly Malay) as teachers.\"<\/p>\n
The couple met in Darwin where Julienne was coordinating
\neducation exchange programs between Australia's Northern
\nTerritory and East Indonesia. So, after so much experience, why
\nleave secure and pleasant jobs in Australia and move north?<\/p>\n
\"It's definitely not a CV-boosting exercise,\" said Alistair.
\n\"But after 10 years out of the country we thought it necessary to
\ncome back and recharge the batteries, particularly as so much has
\nchanged in government, politics and use of technology.\"<\/p>\n
\"We also needed to build our understanding of Islamic
\neducation,\" said Julienne. \"In the past I've been heavily
\ninvolved in administration and this is a great chance to get back
\nto grassroots learning.<\/p>\n
\"Although we've been to Indonesia many times we've never
\npreviously worked in a pesantren. Fortunately the one we've been
\ninvited to is very progressive and welcoming. I dress modestly
\nbut I'm not required to wear a headscarf.<\/p>\n
\"We've been surprised at the students' discipline and
\nenthusiasm, and the campus facilities. These include a well-
\nequipped language laboratory.\"<\/p>\n
The pesantren has about 7,000 students. It does not allow TV
\non campus, so the students don't get the chance to see English
\nlanguage programs that many Indonesians use to pick up speech
\npatterns and vocabulary.<\/p>\n
Compensation comes through a FM radio station run by staff and
\nstudents. This broadcasts the popular Kang Guru English language
\nprogram produced under an AusAID (Australian Aid) grant.<\/p>\n
A major problem for Indonesian teachers of English has been
\nthe lack of suitable resources. Textbook pictures of well-rugged
\nlittle blond kids building snowmen before the village church
\ndon't exactly resonate with pesantren students in the tropics.<\/p>\n
So, in association with English lecturer Sugiono, the
\nassistant principal of communications at the pesantren, the
\nAustralians are designing and writing textbooks specifically for
\nIslamic students.<\/p>\n
\"Building student motivation and self-confidence is extremely
\nimportant,\" said Sugiono. \"It's interesting to learn from
\nAlistair and Julienne that the problems we face as teachers here
\nare not that much different from those encountered in Australian
\nschools.\"<\/p>\n
Sugiono has applied for a merit-based Australian Development
\nScholarship to study at an Australian university, and if
\nsuccessful will spend two years away from Indonesia. A condition
\nof the award is that skills learned in Australia will be passed
\nonto his colleagues at the pesantren.<\/p>\n
The Welshs brought their two children to East Java to expand
\ntheir horizons and better understand their neighbors. The kids
\ncontinue their schooling through the Victorian Education
\nDepartment's distance education program.<\/p>\n
Lessons and assignments are mailed to and from Australia and
\ntheir parents supervise the children's work at home.<\/p>\n
The family has rented a house off-campus to preserve their
\nprivacy. But they live in a nearby village well away from other
\nWesterners; they eat Indonesian food in the local warung, and
\nchat to their neighbors in Indonesian.<\/p>\n
\"We're here to improve English language skills, teaching
\nmethods and assist with the new competency-based curriculum,\"
\nAlistair said. \"We're working to build the capacity of teachers
\nso when we return home their language teaching abilities will
\ncontinue to grow.<\/p>\n
\"But our other goal is to enhance Indonesian-Australian
\nrelationships.\"<\/p>\n
Apart from living in the community and demolishing, through
\ndaily activities and lifestyle, the many myths about Westerners,
\nit also includes introducing pesantren students to the
\ncomplexities of sport.<\/p>\n
Like most Australian families the Welshs are fanatical about
\nfootball and cricket and believe sport is a great way to
\ninteract. Alistair has already spotted a local boy with a perfect
\noverarm action that he thinks might become the next bowling
\nsensation when Shane Warne retires.<\/p>\n
If the Indians, Pakistanis, West Indians and even the English
\ncan beat the Australians at their own game, why not Indonesians?<\/p>\n
Caption: The Welsh family in East Java: (from left) Alistair,
\nSimon, Eloise and Julienne.<\/p>",
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