Geoff Hill is a 2017 New Colombo Plan Mobility Grant recipient from La Trobe University. Geoff is undertaking the Indonesian Language Teacher Immersion Program at Sanata Dharma University.
Q: Why did you decide to undertake the ACICIS program?
I have always wished to go overseas and when the opportunity arose from a discussion with my Indonesian lecturer in Australia, I was overly eager to study aboard.
Q: What classes are you currently enrolled in?
PPL – Program Pengalaman Lapangan is a placement-based unit of work. Each week I attend SD Kanisius Demangan Baru and engage in regular classroom activities.
FLOTE – Foreign Language Other Than English, is a compulsory section of the ILTI course, which ultimately supports future educators to teach Indonesian language as a foreign language in Australia. This subject has been very enjoyable with learning opportunities not available in regular language classes in Australia.
Morfologi Bahasa Indonesia – This subject focuses on the linguistics of the Indonesian language and how particular words are formed the process in which they were formed. This unit is quite challenging, however, in order to teach the Indonesian language I believe this knowledge will be invaluable.
Cross-Cultural Understanding – Cross-Cultural is about understanding the similarities and differences of Indonesian culturals in comparison to the rest of the world. As a foreign student I believe this is very important, as learning cultural norms goes hand-in-hand with learning the language.
Language Learning Assessment – This subject focuses on how to implement and use assessment with learning a language and assessment in general. This is primarily a teaching subject and is taught in English, which eases the level of difficulty.
Q: Are you involved in any clubs/societies at the university?
At the moment I am not involved in any extra-curricula activities, however looking to join the rock-climbing club at Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Q: How do you think your experience with the Indonesian education system will shape your future role as an educator?
My time within the Indonesian education system will be invaluable experiences in not only learning the language but also how the language is traditionally taught in schooling. As a future educator, I believe it is important to immerse yourself in as many ways as possible before being able to truly teach a foreign language. Also from my experiences through PPL, I am able to witness how English is taught as a foreign language and takes this as a guide in teaching Indonesian as a foreign language in Australia.
Q: What do you like to do in your spare time in Yogyakarta?
The thing I am most looking forward to in my spare time is to travel and explore this great country. Throughout all my studies of Indonesian language, I have longed to visit Flores and Palau Komodo.
Q: What is your favourite food/place to eat?
My favourite food at the moment would have to be a chicken and vegetable hotplate with a big es jerek to finish it off. Hayati Speciality Coffee for their Oreo pancakes is my favourite place to eat.
Q: What is your favourite Indonesian word/phrase:
Terlalu mudah – ‘too easy’
Q: What places in Indonesia have you visited during your semester so far?
- Merbabu
- Taman Sari
- Malioboro
- Kraton
- Alun-Alun
- Green Village Gedangsari
- Ngandong beach
