Monday is the last day I teach, I have prepared everything and hope to provide satisfactory results for my Buddy, CT and SI. Before I entered class,my CT sent me a message “sir can you please come here at confidence, 8.30 they just want to take a picture with you” ahhhhh I was immediately moved. As soon as this self went straight to the confidence class and met with the students, some of them gave words that really made this heart touched, and also they gave some letters that would later become memories for me. I also give a little motivation for my students to always be confident.

Finished with confidence I rushed to the competence class for my final demo. The last 10 minutes, SI gave me time to take photos with the students, really I was touched by my SI treatment, how lucky I was to meet them. Has buddies like Wyshalee, has CT like Ma’am Salvatera, and SI like Dr. Catama. I feel to be the luckiest among my other friends.

On this Monday, practicum students and students exchange had a dinner together at a place to eat near Public Market. Hahaha, I was very happy there, could sit joking together while enjoying the food, because it was very rare for us to gather all of them. The dinner also celebrated the birthday of one of the students practicum named shopia. She is very funny and funny, there is no end to the jokes that she issues.

By the way, the fourth week is my last week here, and the activity that I will do is complete my blog and portfolio. I’m actually not very good at writing blogs or portfolios, so I just pour what I want to tell in this story.

On Thursday 26 September 2019, Dr. Catama invited me and Annisa to share stories about Islam and Indonesia in his class. There Annisa and i shared about Islam, and answered some questions that they might have long been curious about Islam, such as the prohibition of eating pigs, why women use Hijab, why men are allowed to have four wives, and also whether there is a relationship between Islam and terrorists. That is their main questions related to Islam, of course I am also very interested in answering and rectifying things that have been strange for them all this time. Like why terrorists are always associated with Islam, I answer that Islam is the most peaceful religion and for example when Islam is at war, we are not allowed to hurt children and women even if they have weapons or hurt Islamic soldiers. And also after the war, enemy soldiers were only made prisoners and not slaves, they were still treated like humans. From the example above, it is clear that there is no connection between Islam and terrorists. And please note, terrorists are not part of any religion. They are just a group of people who don’t have a heart and a sense of humanity.

And on September 27, 2019, was the closing day of the ceremony with the SLU. Starting at 3:00 p.m., at the closing time, I and my friends from Indonesia wore our traditional clothes. I use the traditional Dayak clothes, which Dayak is one of the largest tribes in Indonesia precisely in Kalimantan.

At the closing ceremony, we conveyed our impressions while at SLU, as well as the buddies and Mentors. After delivering an impression, enter the presentation session. I only brought a poem because I didn’t have talent. I managed to make a room feel the emotions that are in poetry, I am very happy with it.

After finishing the closing ceremony, I hurried to meet my supervisor who had just finished teaching in his class to take some photos and give a souvenir gift.

On Sept. 28. 19 we were invited to attend an interview, where we recounted the experiences we had received, and what I could apply in Indonesia.

And on September 29, 2019, we departed for Naia Airport, my flight at 09.00pm to Jakarta. Either sad or happy feelings that whack themselves. I really love this city, baguio, and this great campus, SLU, and friends from the Philippines. I will miss them, and for sure you will be the main topic for me to tell my friends in Indonesia, how great the Filipinos, especially SLU students.

The third week is a teaching week, for this week I have 8 meetings to teach, 4 at Observ by SI and 4 times observed by CT, with this 5 times observations have been completed with CT and only 1 meeting left with SI.

At the first meeting this week on Monday my content was education, my strategy was a debate. I want to know the extent of students’ knowledge about educational goals and what reasons they know about school for their daily lives. Completed of my confidence immediately rushed to competence with different content, about “The Origins of Rome”.

After the first, second and third meeting, I continued to improve myself, which was my weakness. And of course, I always fail in improving time management in class, this is because the teaching time is only 60 minutes, whereas in Indonesia it is 2×45 minutes or 90 minutes. I am really facing a serious challenge, starting from the basic difference, and also the difference in teaching time. Until the last meeting this week, again I failed again in improving time management, especially in completing what was in my lesson plan. With all humility,Buddies, CT and my SI always give support to me, provide motivation and inspiration.

The knowledge given by CT and SI, I do not use for myself, sometimes I also share with my students which is related to the content of the lesson. Come to think of it, I more often discuss content which is related to the moral message of life.

On Saturday, I only focused on working on the Lesson Plan, for the last demo on Monday, I had to give my best, after all the motivation from my CT and SI. After I made the Lesson plan, I went to my buddies to ask for corrections and asked for some suggest. Finished in the correction I immediately met my SI. When my SI saw my Lesson Plan, he had no comment with my Lesson Plan and he also said that your Lesson Plan was very good. Wahhhh this is a new spirit again from my SI, I was very happy with it.

On Sunday, we were invited to a city tour to Northern Blossom and spent around 2-3 hours traveling. Northen blossom is a flower garden near the city of Baguio.

This week I received an evaluation sheet from Seameo to give an assessment of my teaching practice. And this week too, my days were very busy making Lesson Plans and thinking about teaching strategies and mastering material topics.

This week is a team teaching week with my CT, I only did team teaching several times, and this week I did a teaching practice, namely in the confidence class with the topic “Sharing about Indonesia” and observed by CT, the children were so enthusiastic when I share stories about Indonesia, about different varieties, enormous cultures, and natural beauty.

In the BCNHS school library, I always talk with students who happen to be practicum teaching in here, I also often ask to teach how to make lesson plans, how to control students in the class, and also often exchange Movie hehehe.

Also, on this second week, Friday, September 13, 2019, the school was closed, according to the information I had heard due to the anniversary of the city of Baguio. And on Friday, the second week, on Friday prayers I met with Mr. Hud from Malaysia, I was very happy to be able to meet with a Malay family. We talked a lot with him after the prayer, he told his story why he was in the Philippines, almost 1 hour more I talked with him.

On Saturday I went to SLU to meet My Way to ask for guidance in making the Lesson Plan, and after making the Lesson Plan, we were invited to go to SM with the Buddies. Wow, it’s quite refreshing right after I finish working on the Lesson Plan. In SM i bought several items that caught my attention, such as bags and clothes.

And on Sunday, we were invited to a city tour because the weather was very supportive. The first destination is Melchor Hall, the Philippines Military Academy, and the second destination is Tam-Awan Village, and the third is the Bancab Museum.

I am on a trip for more than 12 hours. At 6:00 am arrived at NAIA Airport and picked up by Ma’am Geraldine who was waiting near the money changer counter. The trip from Manila to Baguio takes around 7 hours, which includes a break for breakfast and lunch.

Arriving in Baguio, I was allowed to rest first and at 3pm later me and friends would be invited to go to the public market to buy the items needed and exchange my money which was still in dollars.

In this program in batch 8 placed in SLU, we have 4 people, and all from Indonesia. Annisa and I are from economic education, Fauzia from physics education, and Wafa from English education.

The opening of this program officially began on September 2, 2019, at the Alejandro Roces Board Room, Saint Louis University at 09.30am – 12.00pm. At the opening ceremony I was introduced to Buddy, CT, and my Instructor Supervisor. My buddy is named Wyshaleen Pilando and I call her My Way, and my CT is named Mildred M. Salvatera. She from social studies, especially in history, and my Supervisor named Bryan V. Catama. it will be these three people who will accompany and guide me during the program.

I was sent to practice teaching at Baguio City National High School, one of the most famous schools in the city of Baguio. At BCNHS I will teach History Courses at Level 8, where I with the basic Economics, this is a challenge to be an extraordinary experience for me. My Cooperating teacher, Ma’am Salvatera, handles 5 classes, namely Confidence, Competence, Courage, Coherence, and Chivalry.

Each subject has 1 hour lesson with 60 minutes duration. The first 10-15 minutes are motivational sessions, the next 40-45 minutes are presentation sessions and the last 5-10 minutes are generalization or application sessions from students.

On September 6, 2019 or Friday, I asked for permission to go to the mosque at 11pm, because I had to pray on Friday in congregation and my buddy wyshaleen took me by riding a taxi. Arriving at the mosque, I shuddered with amazement, because the mosque’s worshipers were very numerous, and my heart felt very calm when I heard the Adzan for the first time I set foot in the Philippines. After Friday prayers at 1.30pm, I returned to school by taxi.

On September 7, 2019, I was invited to join the class of high school students, the knowledge I got in that class was how to motivate the class before the lesson began, how to manage the class, and how to appreciate students when successfully answering or asking questions. By the way, every weekend we are invited to take a walk around the city, but unfortunately on Sunday, September 8, 2019 the weather here is not support, where the rain is very strong and the winds are strong, so it is not possible to go around the city. So I just stayed in the dorm and read material about the content that I was going to teach.

Name: Agus Reza Sa’bandi

Date of Birth: December 1, 1998

Home Address: Jl.A.Yani Km 5, Kel. Bakarung Kec.Angkinang, Kab.HSS,
Prov. Kal-Sel, Indonesia

Email Address: Sabandi40@gmail.com

Status: Single

Nationality: Indonesia

Instagram: http://instagram.com/setangkai_sajak