The story of Kasenya Grant proves that Indonesia-Australia relations\nare not solely about official diplomacy between nations.<\/p>\n
Kasenya is a teacher who has taught the Indonesian language at\nBrunswick North West Primary School for 11 years, having previously\ntaught Science.<\/p>\n
Kasenya\u2019s journey with the Indonesian language began 30 years ago\nwhen she taught at a high school in Flores, East Nusa Tenggara. At that\ntime, she could not speak Indonesian at all and had to learn from books\nand her own students.<\/p>\n
Kasenya admits that she learned the most from the children in Flores,\nas they were not hesitant to correct her mistakes and did not embarrass\nher when she mispronounced something. Two years of teaching in Flores\nformed the foundation of Kasenya\u2019s language skills to this day.<\/p>\n
After returning to Australia, Kasenya went a long time without using\nIndonesian due to a lack of opportunity. However, her longing for the\nlanguage grew until she eventually had the chance to relearn it through\na government programme.<\/p>\n
Now in her classroom, her students, most of whom are not of\nIndonesian descent, are very enthusiastic. Kasenya mentions that they\nparticularly enjoy lessons about culture, especially foods such as nasi\nkuning and the experience of eating directly with their hands.<\/p>\n
According to Kasanya, her students enjoy comparing their own family\neating habits with those in Indonesia. Through these comparisons, they\nlearn that every culture has its own rules of etiquette, even if the\nmethods differ.<\/p>\n
Kasenya hopes that her students will understand one important lesson:\nwhen encountering a new culture, it is best to observe before judging.\nIn her view, that attitude is just as important as mastering Indonesian\nvocabulary.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, challenges remain. Kasenya only teaches for one hour\nper week, and the schedule is often disrupted by sports days or school\nexcursions, meaning her students only receive about 32 sessions per\nyear.<\/p>\n
Music as an entry point<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/indonesian-language-and-gamelan-flourish-in-melbourne-1788257047", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }