Indonesia Expat - issue 270

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I N D O N E S I A' S L A R G E S T E X PAT R I AT E R E A D E R S H I P

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Education and Patriotism Encouraging Learners to Make Their Own Future Graduation in the Age of Pandemic … and many more

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THE EDUCATION ISSUE

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Indonesia Expat Issue 270 | March 3 – 31, 2021

INDONESIA EXPAT

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Edo Frese

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Dear Readers,

Contents

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Dian Mardianingsih (Jakarta)

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06 School can be frustrating. Is this a waste of time? Do I really need to know this to get a job?

Truth be told, education is one of the most important tools out there.

Students obtain greater knowledge and understanding of subjects that are, in one way or another, applicable in their daily lives. Even so, education is obtained through practical experiences outside of the classroom, or should I say, online classroom.

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It’s been a long year since schools transitioned to online learning. The Indonesian government announced earlier this year that schools in Jakarta won’t be reopening any time soon. This news brought frustration to students and parents alike. Ultimately, nobody knows when schools will reopen once again.

Students are graduating via Zoom, teachers are continuing to bring their utmost to the curriculum, parents are trying their best to be support systems – the online learning saga is something we never wished for or imagined in our lifetime. Kudos to all involved on this path!

The world is changing, so everybody might as well take advantage of it.

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PT. Koleksi Klasik Indonesia 17th floor, Pondok Indah Office Tower 3, Jl. Sultan Iskandar Muda No. 29, Pd. Pinang, Kebayoran Lama,

Indonesia Expat has prepared some compelling stories this Education Issue from a oneyear reminiscence of online learning, pandemic graduations, career counselling, patriotism, tutoring, and therapy.

Education doesn’t stop right after university. Together, we learn from each other and experiences; we endure.

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Jakarta Selatan 12310 T: +62 21 2953 8871

MEET THE EXPAT Grow Confidently with Tutors at A for Effort

08 OPINION Going Back to School

10 EDUCATION Education and Patriotism

12 COUNSELLING Let Education and Career Counselling Help You Plan

14 TUTORING One Year of Remote Schooling: The Anniversary that Students, Parents, and Teachers Could Have Done Wirhout

20 FOOD AND DRINK Indonesian Comfort Food Presented by The Café

22 BUSINESS PROFILE Mental and Emotional Freedom 101 with Stephanie Dekker

Happy reading!

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23 SNA MEDIA CLUB COLUMN Why Social and Emotional Learning is Key for the Youth Right Now

Edo Frese Opinions expressed in this publication are those of the writers and the publisher does not accept any responsibility for any errors, ommisions, or complaints arising there from.

24 SELF-LEARNING Encouraging Learners to Make Their Own Future

No parts of this publication can be reproduced in whole or in part, in print or electronically without permission of the publisher. All trademarks, logos, brands, and designs are copyright and fully reserved by PT. Koleksi Klasik Indonesia.

28 AFTER SCHOOL Graduation in the Age of Pandemic: Finding Comfort in Uncertainty

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Grow Confidently with Tutors at A for Effort

I do have moments that I have to stop myself from not overdoing things, but I think it’s a mindset. Anything is possible if you put your mind to it, regardless of how busy you get.

doors to local students as well. When I was a student, international schools in Indonesia would only accept foreign passport holders.

However, after the 1998 economic crisis, many foreigners left the country and international schools started to accept Indonesian students enrolling, resulting in schools becoming even more intercultural.

Likewise, there are also many great local schools available now. National Plus schools offer international curriculums such as the IB program or IGCSE, which has increased chances for both international and local students to continue their education abroad now more so than before.

Looking at the students we currently teach from international schools, I do notice a lot of similarities I had as a student; the same challenges, workload, and pressures these students face to excel. Many students have aspirations to continue their education abroad, and evidently, their current school grades play a vital role in determining which universities will accept them. We have many bright students who turn to tutoring in their final two years to ensure they score their best possible grades during their IB and AP years which are pivotal for their next step.

Charmaine Heilijigers (image by Advan Matthew)

C

harmaine Heilijigers found herself back in Jakarta after relocating around the world as she grew up.

She had always been fond of maths and science, thus leading to establishing her tutoring company, A for Effort. Charmaine shares with Indonesia Expat the wonders of tutoring and how it makes students grow in confidence.

Charmaine, please tell us about yourself.

I’m from the Netherlands but was born in Jakarta where my parents were working.

Growing up, I moved around a lot; primarily between Asia and Europe. After graduating from high school in Jakarta, I continued studying international business at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam and then moved to the United States where I completed my MBA in finance.

I spent most of my professional career in Amsterdam working in finance and auditing before I moved back to Jakarta. I moved almost five years ago with my two daughters. I’ve lived in Jakarta for 18 years, on and off. I loved growing up in Jakarta as a child and for me, it’s important to give my daughters the same upbringing I had.

I’m a single mother raising my two girls and

I want to be able to show them how we as women are capable of achieving anything we strive for.

You spent a few years growing up in Indonesia, and now you’re back.

How’s it been so far?

It’s been great. I think the community here is wonderful and Indonesia has progressed in so many ways. The country is continually developing and it’s amazing to see how much has changed over the past few decades. I think, especially for expats, it’s become a great place to live since it’s modernised more and many international products and services are now accessible in Indonesia.

Growing up here, the options were far more limited, and I think the quality of living here has generally increased except for the evergrowing traffic issues we continue to deal with.

Do you notice any changes in the education system now that you’re not an international school student?

In general, there are more options available for students nowadays. The choice among international schools has increased, and international schools have since opened the

Indonesia Expat Issue 270 | March 3 – 31, 2021

What are you busy with these days?

A lot! I work best under pressure and I like to stay busy with various things. The more responsibilities and tasks I have, the more energy it gives me and pushes me to work harder. A large portion of my day is spent working, whether it’s training the tutors, coordinating our classes, taking care of our finances and marketing, or strategising our next step.

Besides work, I raise my two gorgeous and very energetic girls while also being very dedicated to working out; an early morning yoga session, an afternoon HIIT workout, or an evening boxing session. Work and my children take up a lot of my time, however, I’ll always ensure that I have some time for myself, time to spend with friends, and time to dedicate to my health and wellness.

Our familiarity with international curricula, particularly in maths and science, gives our tutors the chance to thoroughly understand the material and expectations of the students’ goals.

That said, I know from my own experience how hard the current closure of the schools for face-to-face lessons is for families. It puts a lot of stress on the shoulders of parents and students. Many students miss direct feedback from their teachers. A tutor who responds to the individual learning needs of a child can be a great help in this situation.

Take us on the journey of A for Effort’s establishment, Charmaine.

When I first moved back to Jakarta from Amsterdam, I was eager to work again.

However, it had to be on a part-time basis because my daughters were still very young. I started tutoring students from international schools, focussing on the subjects of maths and economics since they’re closely related to my professional background. Soon, I added science as an option, and the overall demand for tutoring increased rapidly.

To keep up with the growing demand, I had to turn the private lessons into small group classes. I eventually hired additional tutors to accommodate the rising number of students.

It was important for the tutors to carry out the lessons using the same approach that the students were used to from my lessons, namely being interactive, engaging, and fun lessons that the students would actually look forward to attending. I also decided to limit our services to only maths and science tutoring because these were the two most requested subjects.

Students notably had to receive the same quality of tutoring and the same overall tutoring experience no matter which tutor was assigned to them. This required finding tutors with the right credentials and personality and to provide them with sufficient training to standardise our teaching method.

We are fortunate to work in close collaboration with several international schools, and we are familiar with the curricula followed at these schools. Teachers often contact us when their students require or have requested additional, tailored personal support. We align our lessons with the student’s curriculum and can therefore provide tailored services to each of our students.

Specialising in a few subjects has allowed us to provide high-quality lessons in a focussed area. Our familiarity with international curricula, particularly in maths and science, gives our tutors the chance to thoroughly understand the material and expectations of the students’ goals.

With a group of dedicated tutors, we now have our own offices and private tutoring classrooms in Kemang offering three formats: private lessons in our classrooms, online Zoom lessons, and home visits.

It’s almost a year since online learning was imposed. What are your thoughts on online tutoring?

Do you think this can sustain even post-pandemic?

Looking at our students, I’ve noticed that online learning has impacted them in

Indonesia Expat Issue 270 | March 3– 31, 2021

different ways. Age and personality both play a huge role. We have students who are now performing better than pre-pandemic; they have fewer distractions and are very dedicated to their schoolwork. A void seems to be filled and they’re making the most of this situation. Together with the full, undivided attention of our tutors, they can now catch up on any lost topics and progress ahead of the class. We have also come across many students who have fallen behind since the start of the pandemic so we help them catch up.

A for Effort’s online lessons were first introduced in March 2020. It was important for me that our online tutoring held the same level of interaction, engagement, and fun factor as our regular lessons did – the same experience should be given and never become a passive lesson. We closely monitor to ensure quality with the tutors and through surveys with the students and parents.

Online tutoring will definitely become a permanent service post-pandemic. We have established a tutoring formula that works for the online lessons and has proven effective for students. The ease of scheduling an online session brings many benefits to the students and I think we have all become so accustomed to social distancing and living through a virtual world this past year that this will linger on for some time to come.

The regularity of using online platforms has even allowed A for Effort to continue tutoring our students who have since moved abroad during the pandemic. We remain flexible with our working hours to cater to various groups of students, including those living abroad. Our familiarity with the

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various international curricula, namely the US Common Core, British and Australian curriculums, IGCSE, IB, AP, and more, has allowed us to guide students who have since moved back to their home and are following their local curricula.

In your opinion, is having a tutor beneficial for a student?

Definitely. Tutoring shouldn’t be carried out in a way that students become dependent on tutors. A tutor is there to explain the material, to guide and to help the student see they’re capable. Having a tutor could make a student less confident if the student gets too dependent on them, thus a sense of loss and low confidence appears when taking tests and exams without having their tutor around.

A for Effort places a strong focus on explaining and simplifying the material for the student to apply in various settings.

Not memorising, but understanding and subsequently applying their knowledge to different scenarios, which is often what they’re ultimately tested upon. Given the fast pace of their classes at school, students often don’t have the chance to fully dissect and understand the material to this extent on their own.

As long as a tutor is there to help students enhance their confidence and knowledge through a variety of methods, having a tutor can definitely be beneficial for students.

If you could give one piece of advice to our readers on getting a tutor, what would it be?

The tutor should definitely be knowledgeable about the subject matter, to the extent that they can confidently explain the material

in a simplified and engaging manner.

Engaging and interactive lessons are crucial – it’s the best method to retain the material presented.

The bond between the student and tutor is also very important as the tutoring environment should be one the student feels comfortable to ask any type of question, no matter how silly they might think it is. The tutoring sessions should also be enjoyable to attend because students already spend a large portion of their day in a school environment.

What’s next for A for Effort?

Currently, we’re in the process of expanding by adding more tutors, which is always a gradual process because the tutors need to get sufficient training before they can commence with their lessons.

We’ve received many requests from clients to assist children with a wider range of subjects to accommodate their online learning, particularly for younger students, so we considered adding more subjects to our services. Since our specialty is maths and science, we can only limit our tutoring assistance to these subject fields.

If we were to add other subjects, a gradual process would be needed due to the training involved, acquisition of resources, and a thorough understanding of these curricula at the various schools.

This isn’t something I’d like to step into without proper preparation, it’d otherwise impact our tutoring quality. I’d rather stick to maths and science since I don’t necessarily think the demand for other subjects will be as high post-pandemic.

Nevertheless, computer science is a subject that I’m considering expanding into since it’s closely related to our current offering. Many requests for computer science tutoring come in, so I see this as one we might add.

How did you find maths and science when you were in school?

I always liked maths; it was one of my favourite subjects. I liked its challenge and was intrigued by finding the right answer.

I found science fascinating since it can directly relate to real-life scenarios.

Nevertheless, I found them both challenging whenever I missed out on some topics.

Especially with maths, it became very difficult to follow the subsequent topics and then it snowballs. It takes a lot of courage to ask your teacher to re-explain something in front of a full class of students.

When I attended university, I noticed that several materials taught in my IB maths courses were repeated. I always tell students that the effort they put into their lessons now will definitely pay off and will set them ahead of their class. The more they invest now, the less effort will be required later.

You moved a lot growing up. How did it impact your studies?

It has its pros and cons, but the pros definitely outweigh the cons. Moving and transitioning into a new school environment is tough for any student, both academically and socially. Adapting to a new curriculum, a new school culture, and new social circles has many consequences. We’ve seen this

with several students transitioning from abroad and needing tutoring to help get them back on track.

Growing up in different countries truly opens your eyes to many different cultures and experiences, allowing you to adapt to new environments and new people. These experiences will last a lifetime. Along this journey, you’ll come to see how much you grow as a person. Growing up abroad allows children to learn to.

Although the transitions between schools might have been challenging, ultimately being able to attend international schools allowed me to get a better education than if I’d have stayed in my home country. This also became evident once I started my university degree and I realised that a lot of the material had already been covered in high school.

You want your daughters to have the same upbringing as you did.

Why is that?

Growing up as a so-called “third culture kid” has so many benefits that’ll continue to reflect in their future. I, as a child, learned a lot; I was introduced to many things which I wouldn’t have been exposed to if I’d have stayed in the Netherlands all this time.

I felt the benefits in my professional life, it was easy for me to adapt to a new work environment and culture.

The international school environment is great for children to grow up in too, with the many subject choices, extra-curricular activities, and generally higher quality of education.

How important is education to you?

Education is very important for anyone, and it extends beyond academic benefits.

Students learn to see what they are capable of, increase their self-esteem and confidence, it shows them how hard work pays off, and it gives a vital foundation for their future wellbeing.

Within a school environment, students learn how to work together as a team, manage their time, and deal with working under pressure. The importance of a proper education amidst this pandemic has become more evident than ever. My daughters are impacted on several levels, especially on their emotional wellbeing, by not physically going to school.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself, Charmaine.

I am very passionate about dance, fitness, and yoga. I grew up as a dancer, having a background in classical ballet, and eventually turned to various types of dances and travelling to different countries to showcase our performances. I enjoy choreographing and performing – I’m still actively taking dance classes and workshops.

Dance and fitness bring a nice balance to my work life, and I find it important that I devote time to this every day. I consider it my “me time” to rebalance and refocus.

A FOR EFFORT Phone/WA: +62 819 1100 1203 Email: info@aforeffort.org Website: www.aforeffort.org

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Indonesia Expat Issue 270 | March 3 – 31, 2021

opinion

Indonesia Expat Issue 270 | March 3 – 31, 2021

GOING BACK TO SCHOOL

BY PRAMOD KANAKATH

T

he online learning saga has been too long with us, or so it may feel. It all started back in March 2020 after the Indonesian government announced the first two COVID-19 positive cases in the country, detected in the same month. Most schools were not comprehensively prepared for such an unprecedented change in the style of offering lessons.

Talks started with Zoom, MS Teams, Google Docs, and a number of other online apps that would become the norm by replacing the physical classrooms, the whiteboard, textbooks, pens and the pencils. Many who thought that it was a temporary adjustment to meet the requirements of the conditions revised their understanding and got ready to face an inevitable change – from real to virtual.

While online learning has not been easy for both teachers and students, it has brought about several benefits that should stay with us for a long time. High school students preparing for final exams came under heavy pressure, forcing them to be more responsible and attentive during lessons. There was solid evidence of peer pressure coming under check as many started shedding their inhibitions and fluently expressing their ideas. In a real classroom situation, teenagers’ attitudes are often driven by peer pressure, however, when lessons went online, more of them started participating in discussions, responding to questions more confidently than they would do sitting at their desks. Nevertheless, it must be noted that online lessons for children under eight years old presented a different story. Here is where many parents struggled to keep education sustained in the comfort of home.

What’s more, online learning opened up new possibilities for enhancing technological know-how.

The shaky start, in the beginning, was characterised by ignorance of app maneuvres, practical challenges in administering live lessons and conducting online assessments. As these continued into some valuable months, users realised the importance of mastering the art of online learning. Novices started to upgrade their knowledge of handling different buttons, using breakout rooms, designing and doing assessments using apps, among a number of other features. To a great extent, the real classroom experience was given a respectable makeover, making sure normality was not completely obstructed.

If this is an interregnum we have undergone, or are still going through, then we will have to prepare for a homecoming in the near future. Getting back to school after holidays is not something teachers and students are unfamiliar with, but this return may be equated with an astronaut returning to earth and

attempting to set his or her feet firmly on solid ground.

It will involve speaking through masks, reinventing social establishments within classrooms whilst social distancing, holding a pen and using paper after months of typing, and on top of it, keeping the spirit of teaching and learning alive while following health protocols.

Now is the time the teachers and the taught need to get their priorities set before getting back to classrooms.

Achieving continuity must be one of the first items on the agenda. It would be a good idea to start with a few lessons dedicated to a detailed recap of the topics and skills covered during home learning. The pace of the lessons must has been slower than usual in most schools, however, rushing into units in order to finish the syllabus before the end of the academic year would be a bad move. A list of topics and skills must be planned and prepared in advance to form a realistic picture of what can be taught and learned. This must also reflect the structure of the major assessments students would usually take every year.

Going back to school might be delayed for this age group; virus cases are still going up and wary parents would definitely like to stretch the current trend a little bit more.

Students will no doubt require more preparation for a comeback than teachers. They should start working on regaining the routine that sees them off to school early morning, being fresh and mentally ready for tasks and discussions. Some schools have been strictly asking students to wear uniforms during online lessons and this is one of the first steps that can pave way for a smooth comeback. Group and extra-curricular activities may be put on hold for a while, but blended learning - half face-to-face, half online - should be able to make sure that students have plenty of opportunities to communicate and interact with peers and teachers.

Parents of kindergarten and elementary children have a more challenging role to play. Kids sitting in front of a PC monitor and trying to listen to their teachers are not the same as teenagers following instructions from their teachers online. Consistent assistance and handholding methods are the need of the hour as far as tiny tots’ education is concerned. Going back to school might be delayed for this age group; virus cases are still going up and wary parents would definitely like to stretch the current trend a little bit more. Having said that, they should prepare enough activities for their children within the house and at less crowded places like botanical gardens and agricultural farms to follow up with the lessons from their teachers.

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education

Indonesia Expat Issue 270 | March 3 – 31, 2021

Education and Patriotism

BY DONNY SYOFYAN

© Husniati Salma

E

ducation is an important instrument to enhance knowledge and instil values. The serious contemporary problems involving young people such as juvenile delinquency, intolerance, and indifference to the nation need to be addressed in a subtle fashion. Any attempt to have students love for the nation – instilling a sense of patriotism – is in dire need of and calls for tangible and compelling ways.

It is more frank to say that a love for the country is so more about value instead of cognitive gain. There is no clear relation between higher academic grades and the act of patriotism or feeling patriotic.

I recall a primary school boy getting off his bicycle to salute the f lag during the Heroes’ Day ceremony in the town square of Blitar in 2019. He went viral and drew a lot of sympathies; the 10-year-old student, Raihan, was awarded a bicycle by the Blitar City Police. Raihan's act shows how the love of his homeland arises from one’s dictate of conscience, suggesting that values speak louder than grades and maturity when it comes to patriotic acts, despite their simplicity.

The relation between patriotism and children or the youth need not be stereotypically implemented; assuming they are not yet mature and do not understand the essence of love for the homeland.

Considering their young age, some may believe that any attempt to instil a patriotic spirit in young people must be carried out with a doctrinal approach. What we are likely to dismiss is that encouraging a sense of love and defence of the country for children and young people must go handin-hand with the progress of the times they are familiar with.

Given the fact that today’s young people, better known as millennials, are very cyber literate and adept at using gadgets, cultivating the spirit of nationalism in the younger generation needs to be done visually. This must be through education, whether at school or college. The visual approach to nationalism promises at least two benefits.

First, it will create a ref lective learning tradition. Teaching students the spirit of patriotism through visual products, such as films or video clips via YouTube, is a fast and effective learning medium. Why? Visual content provides students with lots of information in a short time, enriching their perspectives and encouraging their ability to reflect. For example, listening to Bung Tomo's impassioned speech taking place in Surabaya in 1945 will make students’ blood boil and their hairs stand up. They might further stand up while saluting or reciting takbeer, following what Bung Tomo said.

Those are spontaneously done and without coercion.

After watching the heroic speech, some students should begin to find out what led to Bung Tomo's speech. Why did the British army attack Surabaya? Why did the Indonesian people and soldiers decline to raise the white flag and surrender their weapons obtained from the Japanese troops? Their capability to find answers to all events leading to Bung Tomo's speech will enrich students' perspectives and ramp up their ability to ref lect on the essence behind the heroic event.

Psychologically speaking, the provoked soul sparked by the speech of a hero will likely change people for the better, much more

Encouraging a sense of love and defence of the country for children and young people must go handin-hand with the progress of the times they are familiar with. than good marks on assignments and exams in history at school. High marks often stop at the cognitive level, but the awakened soul will build and contribute to society.

Second is the maintenance of the collective memory of the nation. Scapegoating children or the youth for their poor understanding and acts of patriotism will not change them for the better, losing their strong grip on the nation’s collective memory. On many occasions, juvenile delinquency is tightly bound to their disappointment with the tension between expectations and bitter reality, high ideals and harsh truth. They rebel and create havoc with a view to getting attention. Their disappointment is multiplied when they have no room for self-actualisation. Things become worse as they confront crises of paragon seen from widespread bad news rather than stories that push positive civilisation.

In this context, media activists such as journalists, inf luencers, and TV station owners – either mainstream or social media – need to produce positive content that builds a sense of pride for Indonesia’s younger generation. The Ministry of Education and Culture might collaborate with media activists, involving teachers and students through educational content. They need to be exposed to future challenges and opportunities, among others these are the demography bonus and will be the fifthlargest economy in the world by 2045. While they take pride in some accomplishments of young Indonesians, like Southeast Asia’s number one YouTuber Atta Halilintar, or the most active netizens in the world, they must also be prepared for the tangible challenges of the future and opportunities from now on.

Teachers need to realise that jargon, challenges, and opportunities in the future are required to be transformed into students’ fresh collective memories as actors of the next human history. Reminding them of the collective memory of the past as the identity of this nation is not wrong: we fought for independence instead of it being gifted by the colonialists; we are blessed with peaceful, abundant, and rich soil (gemah ripah loh jinawi). Yet the past collective memory will not be vivid until it is accompanied by real-time understanding, being something that the youth encounters here and now.

The writer is a lecturer at the Faculty of Humanities, Andalas University

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counselling

Indonesia Expat Issue 270 | March 3 – 31, 2021

Let Education and Career Counselling Help You Plan

BY MIRELLA PANDJAITAN

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raduation cap thrown off up high, joyous cheers fill the hall. Graduation day; a momentous occasion in life. At that euphoric time, did you know what you wanted to do afterwards?

Most of us didn’t. Most of us are still unaware. That’s no problem; navigating towards the future can be scary, unclear, yet exhilarating all at the same time.

Discussions with parents and peers can be one way to identify the directions necessary for you to navigate towards your aspirations. There are also educational and career counselling services. They can help you assess your specialised interests, talents, and abilities. You’ll get to fully focus and be guided on resources to achieve your education and career goals. After all, education counsellors are initial partners to help prepare school plans and future careers.

Fredy Subrata

Take SUN Education Group as an example. It is the largest and trusted international education consultant in Indonesia with high integrity. SUN serves based on its motto “One stop solution for overseas education”, and continually serves thousands of students across 28 branch offices throughout the country; representing more than 300 leading universities from 17 destination countries.

Its CEO, Fredy Subrata, described an education counsellor as “a guide or consultant in finding schools and future career information which includes finding the right program based on a client's interest.” Fredy explained that the information gathered is thorough. The destination country, school, and living costs are suggested according to a person’s budget, registration information, required documents, visa and residence arrangements, and many more are just some of the details garnered.

“Almost all levels of society who are concerned about the future of their school and career need an education or a career counsellor as a starting point for discussions to find the latest information so they don't make inaccurate choices,” Fredy noted.

He views education and career counselling as very important for students. Given the advancement of today’s technology and information, as well as the rapid changes constantly occurring, students and their parents can dive into a rabbit hole of information. There’s a lot to consume. It can cause conflict when making a decision, as well. It’s best to have professionals capable of showing a suitable direction.

SUN, for instance, has counsellors who are regularly trained by overseas university advisors from institutions the company represents. Thus, up-to-date information is assured.

Counselling on future education and, ultimately, future careers is advisable to take. Time, energy, and never-ending discussions can find an endpoint.

Indeed, counselling helps students get comprehensive advice on careers, courses, and jobs. Students are then enabled to make a properly informed choice and understand the options available once graduation day comes. Other than that, a well-trained and effective counsellor has a special role to play in facilitating effective vocational guidance, properly adapted to the individual's potential. Lifelong learning is essential in modern society, thus, adaptation to lifelong guidance is encouraged.

“Of course, counselling is beneficial if you’re serious about your future in university and your future career,” enthused Fredy. What are your ambitions? What are your academic interests? Counselling is very important as a base. Doubts and confusion can be shaped into certainty and clarity.

It is key for students to have complete knowledge and understanding of the available courses and their interests for the sake of their future.

Students have a sense of responsibility to effectively take part in the decision-making process as well. Counsellors help clients to identify strengths and weaknesses, make better decisions, have a clearer idea, set direction and goals by evaluating your options and identifying the steps needed to reach those goals.

Apart from being free, these counsellors are like "friends" who you have on hand to share information, tips, and tricks. This is especially valuable concerning important and detailed matters such as application deadlines, scholarship information, preparation of important documents for visa applications, etc. “You’ll be surprised to learn that there are so many benefits of undergoing counselling,” said Fredy.

Fredy described SUN’s typical session as well-trained, professional, friendly, communicative, and informative.

SUN’s consultants prioritise the interests and future plan of its clients. Most activities, such as Education Expo, language preparation (IELTS, TOEFL, SAT, GMAT, GRE), webinars, university or college applications, or visa applications are done online during the pandemic. Nonetheless, off line counselling can be done at the nearest office upon special request.

“Use counselling as your safety net; not only is it free of charge, it’s very useful and informative. We’re officially representing and are trained directly by the university’s partners overseas with the most updated information available in the market,” Fredy pointed out in his message.

Perhaps students and parents are interested, yet clueless about where to start. There are many ways to contact SUN. Call or WhatsApp its hotline at 0821-33343536 or visit www.suneducationgroup.com or it’s Instagram account @ suneducationgroup. There’s even an app, both on iOS and Android; simply search “suneducationgroup”.

Fredy reveals that SUN organises its own Education and Career Expos, usually in January, March, and September and they are conducted annually. The upcoming Education Expo plus Virtual Campus Tour is on March 6–7, 2021.

Counselling on future education and, ultimately, future careers is advisable to take. Time, energy, and never-ending discussions can find an endpoint. Like Fredy concluded, “SUN accepts everyone who aspires to continue studying abroad, including expatriate children. Where else can you communicate openly and comfortably with the help of a trained counsellor, instead of being answered by a robot or AI?”

14

tutoring

Indonesia Expat Issue 270 | March 3 – 31, 2021

One Year of Remote Schooling: The Anniversary that Students, Parents, and Teachers Could’ve Done Without

O

ne yea r ago, when one international school after another closed their gates and switched to online schooling, no one would have dared to predict that schools in Indonesia would have stayed closed for such a long time.

This thought was simply inconceivable, even if it became clear pretty quickly that the COVID-19 pandemic would haunt the world for a while longer. Yet here we are, one year later, and richer in some knowledge, and also richer by a few grey hairs, and it is still not clear when the schools can go back to some kind of normality.

We believe that this is a good time to look back and think about what our kids have learned and what we as their parents have learned, too. Most importantly, we should think about what we can do to support our kids even better in the upcoming months when online schooling will probably remain a reality for a few more months.

one-on-one guidance during this turbulent transition to online learning, where many schools needed to set-up their online learning system and interactive assignments first. For quite a number of students, the switch to remote schooling, in the beginning, meant learning by themselves, at home, alone.

Students of any age learn new skills via an exchange and communication with their teachers and their peers – that was missing, particularly at the beginning of the crisis. This is not meant as a criticism towards schools: All schools with which we are in contact through our students have tremendously improved their online schooling services within a short time.

“One of my greatest struggles with online school was to keep on task and get my work done. A for Effort has continued to be a great help.”

– Ellie, 11th grade JIS student

A for Effort is a tutoring centre for Math & Science that caters towards the needs of students of all ages attending international schools in Indonesia. A short time after the school closures, we noticed that many of the students that took tutoring sessions with us needed more support and guidance than ever before. Students were longing for private tutoring where they could receive

After the summer at the latest, it became clear that remote schooling would stay a reality for a prolonged period. We have observed a similar development with many students: At the very beginning, some of them were actually happy to be allowed to stay at home, it was something new and exciting that involved the intensive use of

website: www.aforeffort.org

tech devices. The second phase started when they realised that staying home alone and only being able to communicate with friends and teachers online is not fun if it is the only possible way. We saw a phase of frustration with many students that peaked as it became clear that schools would also stay closed into the new year. Quite a number of students fell behind, which ultimately impacted their grades. These students especially benefited tremendously from their one-on-one sessions with their tutors.

Since the restrictions in Jakarta were eased in October 2020, A for Effort has once again been able to offer one-on-one classroom sessions and personal home visits following our strict protocols. Of course, we continue with online Zoom sessions as a third option, but we saw that many parents and kids gladly accepted off line sessions following the protocols, allowing students a change in their current learning environment.

In the last few weeks, we have observed the third phase that many students are in with regards to their feelings towards online schooling: They seem to have adapted and are much better able to get on with it. Of course, they want to go back to school but many of them seem more resilient than a few months ago, some even taking this chance to fully concentrate on their studies, and with the help of A for Effort, to even get ahead.

Phone/WA: +62 819 1100 1203

“The tutoring has given my daughters the confidence to participate in their online school maths classes and they’re able to complete their school assignments with a better understanding.”

– Adéle, mother of year 3 and 6 NAS students Online or remote schooling doesn’t only add pressure and stress for the students, but also for the parents, especially if parents find themself in the role of teacher for their kids.

Any parent knows that it is difficult for kids to take school-related advice from their own parents. We hear from many clients that it is a great relief once a professional tutor takes over and supports their kids.

We all hope that there is soon a light at the end of the tunnel and that schools in Indonesia will be able to open completely, or at least offer hybrid solutions for students.

On the other hand, it is pretty clear that there will also be restrictions for the school system in the longer term and even if schools can reopen, there might still be phases of online learning.

If your kid is struggling with online schooling or if you feel that the pressure for you as a parent gets too much, consider consulting a professional tutor. A for Effort is here to help you and your kids.

Email: info@aforeffort.org

food and drink

20

Indonesia Expat Issue 270 | March 3 – 31, 2021

Indonesian Comfort Food Presented by The Café

BY MIRELLA PANDJAITAN

J

akarta is looking gloomier and mistier than usual.

No, it’s not the infamous dangerous air pollution shadowing the capital’s tall skyscraper this time – it’s rainy season!

I’m one of those people who seek comfort foods during the rainy season. The Indonesian versions of heart-warming dishes are definitely not to be missed.

There are tons of soups, rice, and noodle dishes to choose from. It gets overwhelming at times so it’s nice to know a one-stop eatery spot like The Café at The Mayf lower, Jakarta – Marriott Executive Apartments.

Nasi Ayam Bakar Rica-Rica

“Nasi bakar is currently on-trend. It’s delicious, easy to cook, and has become a familiar dish in Indonesia,” said Chef Angga. He suggested to refresh up with some of the drinks that come along with the set, namely cranberry tea, ginger crunch, and coffee spritzer.

You can find The Mayflower, Jakarta – Marriott Executive Apartments in the heart of whimsical Jakarta, connected to Sudirman Plaza and amidst the central business district surrounding the HI Roundabout. Its food and beverage outlet, The Café, is on the lobby level, opposite the residence’s reception area.

Chef Angga explained that “localising foods is another way to focus and embrace this country’s beauty. Food is something kept near and dear to our hearts, regardless of where we are. I want diners at The Café to experience some of the much-loved delicacies Indonesia has.”

The Café is a compact, rectangular area, only offering indoor dining. During micro PPKM, it accommodates 50 percent of its capacity, narrowing down options to five tables with a total of 10 diners allowed.

Residents and executives working around the Sudirman area regularly patronise The Café, especially during lunch breaks, since its opening in 2007. Diners are served with an array of local and international delicacies amongst its modern ambience, set according to the Marriott standards; decorated by Indonesian-inspired oil paintings hung on the walls, Javanese wayang figures, and mini gamelan instruments, as well as shelves filled with colourful kerupuk backed by a shiny-black display wall. The Café truly caters to an intimate and indulgent dining experience.

Since Marriott had the vision to boost Indonesian cuisine across its properties, this residence’s Head Chef, Angga Febrian, has concocted several enticing dishes. He has dedicated more than a decade to travel around the Middle East, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi, to work at bountiful five-star hotels, living for his true passion in the kitchen.

He’s back in his homeland now and is eager to explore and experiment further with local ingredients to make diners fall in love - or love even deeper - with Indonesian cuisine.

You don’t have to live at this residence, nor work nearby, to get your hands on Chef Angga’s take on local comfort foods. The Café provides orders and delivery right to your front door too.

Red Bean Strudel

Tenderloin Steak

Next is Nasi Barbar, short for nasi bakar banyak rasa. Savour the rice mixed with spices covered by banana leaf and left to grill, served with flavourful vegetables, fish, chicken, squid, etc. Seven different variations of Nasi Barbar are available, presented with tempe, tofu, salad, and a drink for Rp45,000 nett. Yes, you read it correctly – a full meal, set to keep you satiated and happy, for below Rp50,000!

Indonesian comfort foods are not only highlighted at The Café. Valentine’s Day may have passed, yet the romantic dinner for two promotion has stuck around. For Rp250,000 nett, you won’t have to turn your kitchen upside down to create a loving, intimate dinner with your significant other.

After all, love isn’t expressed solely on Valentine’s Day. This Valentine-inspired dinner presents two options of appetisers, main courses, and desserts respectively to choose from. Cranberry tea is included as well. Devour the salted pickle, tenderloin steak, and red bean strudel if you need an idea. The pickled bean sprouts and carrots are light and refreshing; the tenderloin steak is cooked to medium-well perfection; and the sweet raspberry sauce dominates the thick red bean paste, covering the croissant-like pastry on top.

A wholesome meal may not be what you’re seeking. Perhaps you’re in the mood to have some cold bottles of beer and munch on light snacks without the fear of mass crowds, or at least go anywhere else but home to enjoy some beers. Beer Craze it is then. Get two bottles of beer, either Heineken or Bintang, plus one snack of French fries, mini burger, or mini pizza for merely Rp100,000 nett!

So, what has Chef Angga prepared?

Let’s start with the crowd-pleaser: The Business Lunch Package starting from Rp75,000 nett. Perhaps you require a new menu for your next virtual or off line company meeting? Well, this package is right for you! It’s a crowd favourite amongst executives because of its mouth-watering Indonesian comfort foods such as The Café’s best-selling Nasi Ayam Bali and Rawon Iga Sapi. In fact, Chef Angga revealed his personal favourites are these dishes as well.

Try the Nasi Bakar Ayam Rica-Rica, Nasi Bakar Cakalang, and Nasi Bakar Vegetarian on a misty afternoon. Ayam RicaRica is known for its burst of exotic herbs and spices used to create a dark yellow colour. Spicy for some tongues, but this shredded chicken in a spoonful of rice and soft tempe will make you forget about your spicy horror experiences.

Meanwhile, the cakalang variant, a type of fish commonly eaten in Eastern Indonesia, looks red and spicy. Worry not; it has a surprisingly sweet f lavour embodying the thick, brown-coloured fish meat. If you’re a plant-based eater, the vegetarian version incorporates greens and mushrooms sauteed on the side.

Nasi Bakar

Food is something kept near and dear to our hearts, regardless of where we are.

I want diners at The Café to experience some of the muchloved delicacies Indonesia has.

The Café is truly a one-stop destination to get your comfort foods, be it Indonesian or western. Expect to spend Rp60,000-350,000 when you dine in or order for delivery.

After exploring Indonesian comfort foods, which one is your favourite?

THE CAFÉ AT THE MAYFLOWER, JAKARTA – MARRIOTT EXECUTIVE APARTMENTS Sudirman Plaza – Indofood Tower, Jl. Jend. Sudirman Kav 76 -78, Jakarta 12910 Operation Hours: 6-10am (Breakfast) / 11am-9pm (All-Day Dining) Tel: +6281110616444 Web: www.marriottexecutiveapartmentsjakarta.com Instagram: @meamayflowerjkt

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business profile

Indonesia Expat Issue 270 | March 3 – 31, 2021

Mental and Emotional Freedom 101 with Stephanie Dekker

H

appiness is a feeling we all aim to have. What exactly is happiness?

Stephanie Dekker BSc., MSc., MSc., MA, a counsellor based in Jakarta, discussed with Indonesia Expat about mental health issues that have been taking a higher toll amidst this pandemic. Take a deep dive into understanding ourselves better from Stephanie’s expertise.

Stephanie, tell us about yourself.

Why did you choose to settle in Indonesia?

I’ve been an expat my entire life due to my father’s job. It’s a childhood I cherished.

After my post-secondary education, my parents happened to be living in Jakarta.

While I was visiting my parents, I met my husband who was also working. After a short time, we both fell in love with Indonesia.

We lived in Medan and have travelled all over, finally settling in Jakarta with our two children. Indonesia is a beautiful country filled with incredible people and potential.

My family and I have been so lucky to call it home for the last few years.

You’re passionate about psychotherapy and the ways goal-setting, truth-telling, and emotional connection can make a profound difference to someone.

Where did this passion come from?

I’ve had the opportunity to meet people from all over the world from a variety of backgrounds and religions. I found that despite culture, we all have a few common threads that bind us: our humanity, our basic needs for survival, and the complexities of the human mind. I’ve been fascinated by the way perspective, attitude, biochemistry, biology, and community can impact our degree of happiness. I pursued this curiosity through my academics and eventually into my professional life.

What are mental and emotional freedoms?

Victor Frankl famously said in his book “Man’s Search for Meaning” that the last human freedom is the attitude with which he chooses to approach any given set of circumstances.

By this, Victor meant we have the power to control how we feel about, react to, and engage with any situation we are faced with. It’s often a major goal of counselling to achieve this level of control, and it can be defined as mental or emotional freedom.

It’s when you’re comfortable with life happening with you, and not to you.

If we can get to a place in our minds where, regardless of how difficult the times we face, we can calmly and reasonably react, then we have managed emotion freedom.

This is, however, quite a complicated and lengthy process. It’s something that can take years to master. The value of this process is better found in the journey, as opposed to the destination.

bed. It’s up to you to decide how to create that control in your daily life.

When we identify what we’re grateful for, we can shift our perspective more towards optimism.

As a counsellor, you practice cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) or talk therapy. What is CBT? Cognitive behavioural therapy is one of several different approaches to talk therapy commonly practised today. It’s used in a variety of cases from depression and anxiety to marital issues. CBT assumes the idea that each person holds a variety of core beliefs that are established along with their lives from a variety of circumstances and maintained for a multitude of reasons.

Core beliefs are not something that we consciously think about, however, they guide and dictate our daily behaviour.

CBT assess what those core beliefs are, why they were established in the first place, how they have been reinforced, and then decides if these core values are beneficial for you. If they’re not, we work together to change the core beliefs into something more conducive to the behaviour you’re hoping to exhibit.

Essentially is assessing the way we think to change the way we feel to change the way we behave.

What can we expect in a session?

The first session is a time for questions and a general “getting to know you”. The client goes over what their main concerns are and what their preferred goals would be by the end of the process. Most sessions are not done in person nowadays. Some clients much prefer this; they can engage from the comfort of their own homes. Others attend therapy as an escape from their lives and really enjoy the process of removing themselves from their usual environment to spend time working on themselves.

What are the topics or reasons we can consult you with?

I’m available as a consultant to help anyone achieve a specific goal they’re hoping to accomplish. I don’t diagnose or prescribe.

I can help on a consulting basis to give you tools to help manage emotions and behaviours and generally work towards feeling better. Feel free to get in touch the first session is always complimentary.

During this time, we can have a discussion to establish if I’m the right person to help you out, or if you need a referral.

Being vulnerable is hard for some of us. How can clients open up?

A central tenant in the world of counselling is the therapeutic alliance. This is the

relationship between the counsellor and the client. Study after study shows that there’s a strong positive correlation between therapeutic alliance and the therapeutic outcome. Simply, if the client and counsellor get along, then the work will be more effective.

Two opposing camps suggest counsellors should reciprocate vulnerability to foster vulnerability. Others suggest that this can create a hazy boundary between professional and client. Personally, I think it’s important to show your humanity. However, in the same breath, an experienced therapist will know when it’s time to listen and when it’s time to share.

Most of the time, clients show up to a session for a specific reason and they’ve reached a point where they’re ready to have that discussion. Sharing vulnerable information and personal details can be very intimidating. One great thing that comes with therapy is that conversations are entirely confidential. This can help with that feeling of safety and, consequently, help the client to be comfortable enough to open up.

How can we ground ourselves in times of being overwhelmed and stressed?

Anxiety is a condition that comes from the fear of a future potential situation. There are several different types of exercises that we can do to help control these irrational fears.

Once we establish that our basic needs are being met, we can move on to examine some other potential factors that are making us feel stressed or overwhelmed. We look to control the things we can to make us feel less insecure about our current situation.

The unpredictability of these times can be quite triggering for anxiety and depression symptoms. Humans love routine and predictability. It makes us feel safe and in control. This is something that’s been lacking with constant changes and the increased stress of everyone staying home.

In these times, it’s important to establish a routine. It can be as brief as a morning coffee ritual, or a workout followed by breakfast. For those at home with kids, implementing a strict night-time routine that allows everyone to work together to wind down for the day; dinner, bath, book,

Social interactions are very much missed nowadays. How can we maintain these?

We’re lucky to be living in a time where we can see family and friends across the world at the click of a button on our phones.

Setting up meetings with our loved ones should be regular and often. It might seem like a simple suggestion, but it’s an impactful one. Everything from virtual book clubs to virtual cooking classes can be shared experiences we do together while maintaining our physical distance.

As social beings, we thrive off community.

We need to find ways to create in our pandemic world. An alternative social interaction could be something super simple. We don’t even need to be talking to each other. I’ve read studies where mood was improved when people connected through Facetime and simply worked from home in each other’s presence. It can make us feel less alone knowing that someone is doing the same thing as we are, regardless of whether they’re next door or on the other side of the world.

Share with us your thoughts on mental health issues and awareness in Indonesia.

Mental health issues in Indonesia are similar to those in the rest of the world.

They range from cases of depression to severe cases that need psychiatric treatment.

One thing that is still quite rampant here is the stigma associated with mental health issues. This is slowly dissipating in parts of the Western world, but it also remains a huge part of the problem. I’d love to say that things are getting better, but unfortunately, we are living in a time where mental health is particularly fragile, even for those who had never experienced mental health issues before. Large-scale, unwanted changes and uncertainties can result in some impactful consequences.

Some people don’t believe mental health exists. What would you like to say to them?

We all have physical and mental health. Just like our physical health, we need to work to maintain our mental health. This is not something that anyone is exempt from. Of course, some people might feel more capable of dealing with life’s difficult circumstances than others. However, this doesn’t make anyone less strong or less competent. Just like we work to keep our bodies in shape, we must work to keep our minds in shape.

I don’t subscribe to the idea of forcing my beliefs onto anyone else. Those who don’t believe mental health exists to the point where they feel that they do not need to work on strengthening it are limiting their abilities. We can always improve our mental strength.

Indonesia Expat Issue 270 | March 3– 31, 2021

Is your podcast, Beyond the Session, another way for you to educate the public on mental health?

Developing the podcast was such a rewarding project for me! I’m in the process of producing season two and it was something that came about in a bit of a desperate moment.

It started midway through 2020 when I was struggling with the changes forced upon me concerning COVID-19. I felt that my career trajectory had changed; I was overwhelmed with homeschooling, keeping our two-year-old entertained, we were all on top of each other and constantly living in fear of disease. It was a release for me - a way I could feel as though I was contributing and helping from the comfort of my home office. I had thoughts and feelings that I felt someone might benefit from hearing about, and it evolved into a bit of an educational expression of my experiences.

What should we focus on this year from mental and emotional perspectives?

Gratitude. The research behind the power of gratitude is indisputable. In times of turmoil, we must focus on the good things.

I understand that this can be difficult when

you’re literally scared for your life, your future, or your stability, but it’s a practice that rewards hope. When we identify what we’re grateful for, we can shift our perspective more towards optimism.

I’m not suggesting we lie to ourselves and say everything is all sunshine and rainbows - no.

We should specifically pick the good in our lives at that moment and highlight them to help breed hope. When we’re thankful, we can recognise the potential for happiness.

That little spark is all we need to foster and help it grow.

We know that 2021 won’t look too different from 2020. This means we need to make sure that we have the physical and mental stamina we need to get through it. Gratitude is one practice that can help us achieve this.

How can we get in touch and book a session with you?

The best way to get in touch with me is via this email address info@stephaniedekker. org. You can also visit my website at www. stephaniedekker.org and you can find “Beyond the Session” on any podcast streaming platform to listen to my podcast.

Thanks, Stephanie! Stay healthy and safe.

Why Social and Emotional Learning is Key for the Youth Right Now

BY KELLEY JOY CHEN

“Humans are social beings and it is important for them to possess social and emotional skills to survive and thrive in their social settings.” - Garima Srivastava

A

cross Indonesia, thousands of schools have been closed since March 2020. This has prevented students from having normal social interactions and gaining knowledge opportunities from school. Many families have tighter financial constraints and face increased problems with economic issues, while those who can afford to stay home may be communal, physically keeping their children away from their friends and the outside world. Social media use has drastically increased amongst the youth, being a significant and, to some, only form of communication with the outside world. For many teens, the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns have increased feelings of isolation, depression, and anxiety.

Therefore, it is important for Indonesia as a country to focus on social and emotional learning (SEL). It can strengthen us as individuals and as communities, especially during uncertain times. Simply put, “Emotional skills talk about identifying, expressing, and managing the emotions, while social skills are about making connections, relating to others, being able to negotiate, and build relationships with peers, adults and colleagues,” wrote Garima Srivastava, an IB teacher at Pathways School Noida in India.

With students today, SEL can create more positive attitudes such as confidence, empathy, and persistence, as well as having a sense of purpose. They will be better equipped to navigate through stressful situations, and would have a more optimistic and positive outlook towards them. Schoolwise, students can have increased academic performance, with self-confidence allowing them to focus more and study better, achieving better grades. Businesses and industries, as stated by Forbes, are starting to name emotional intelligence and agility among the most desired workforce skills. They can solve problems and work together to function at levels far beyond – in the classroom, at the future workplace, and at home. Each of these qualities can help students in the long-term to grow and pursue their own wants and dreams.

The good thing about social and emotional education is that it can be practised by virtually anyone today, at both inschool and out-of-school environments. As put by UNICEF, access to key social services and mental health support, whether through schools, parents or other centres during this time must be a priority; supporting children remotely wherever they are.

Parents can practice active listening by listening to their child’s emotions and validating them, talking them through it, and explaining what they can do in response to their child’s questions. Make it a routine; remind them to celebrate even the small things and engage in creativity together. Teachers can schedule regular check-ins with students and their families, creating positive teacher-student relationships that are important during these times. Even in the post-pandemic era where schools reopen, investments in social-emotional learning through quality education and skill development must be increased to ensure a generation of children and young people are not left behind.

“Parents and teachers need to be the best possible role models for children,” said Marc Brackett, founding director of the Yale Centre for Emotional Intelligence, in an interview with Yale Medicine. “That’s why we target our training to adults first. If you’re feeling highly anxious and stressed out, you need to demonstrate that you can handle your feelings.”

In a socially distanced world, applying social and emotional learning in schools and households can serve as a reminder to children that they are not alone. It also benefits them by preparing both younger and older children to survive and thrive in future social settings and the working world. By benefiting their present wellbeing and future opportunities, social-emotional learning is power.

24

self-learning

Indonesia Expat Issue 270 | March 3 – 31, 2021

Encouraging Learners to Make Their Own Future Jakarta Intercultural School empowers students to be independent, lifelong learners

of the JIS Middle School is that students are exposed to a variety of experiences and are encouraged to try something new. By the time they reach Grade 9, the start of high school, they are prepared to thrive in the adult world, gaining even greater independence and facing more responsibilities as self-regulated individuals.

JIS High School Vice Principal Ryan Campbell described the basic philosophy behind it as preparing students for success by treating them as if they were already successful young adults.

“They are given increasing independence through our Honor Pass system, emphasis on self-advocacy, and a vast amount of course options to choose from,” he elaborated.

Honor Pass is a 75-minute block of free time students have every other day outside of break time, in which they can meet with teachers, work on projects with classmates, visit the library, or simply relax between classes. Both a right and a privilege, Honor Pass is meant to strengthen students’ time-management skills and is considered an essential part of the JIS High School experience.

N

ow more than ever, schools have their work cut out for them to equip students with the skills they’ll need to navigate an increasingly globalised world and also thrive in their chosen path. With the multitude of challenges they’ll face at university and in the workplace bound to change rapidly, it’s increasingly clear that the need for them to adapt and think critically as confident, independent, life-long learners is crucial to their success.

According to educators at Jakarta Intercultural School (JIS), it is important to foster these traits from an early age through the planned, purposeful expansion of choices and responsibilities from kindergarten all through Grade 12.

“We believe that children must be prepared to function successfully in a changing world. Our role as educators is to support that journey by providing a safe, nurturing environment,” explained JIS Head of School Dr Tarek Razik. “We encourage each child to think critically and independently, and to develop a love of learning and selfmotivation by attaining academic and personal goals.”

At JIS, students are empowered to choose, to take charge of their own learning experiences, he added.

Those experiences, from lessons and electives to co-curricular activities, are supported by robust, interrelated academic programs — JIS Early Years in Pondok Indah, Elementary School in Pondok Indah and Pattimura, and Middle School and High School in Cilandak — that are as rigorous as they are relevant, inclusive, and coherent.

Connecting them are immersive teaching and learning strategies based on self-driven inquiry and exploration.

“Children are competent learners with an innate curiosity about the world, so even as early as kindergarten, JIS students are

provided multiple opportunities to explore and engage in their natural curiosities; they are prompted to ask questions and reach logical conclusions,” said Razik.

We believe that children must be prepared to function successfully in a changing world. Our role as educators is to support that journey by providing a safe, nurturing environment.

All throughout, they are guided and observed by experienced educators as they make supported, independent decisions.

These may range from setting up their own home learning spaces, planning then carrying out service-learning initiatives, and choosing electives that will allow them to pursue their interests, to tailoring their own preparatory program for university consisting of International Baccalaureate (IB) or Advanced Placement (AP) courses.

As students progress through the grade levels at JIS, they are given access to a broader, more diverse range of choices and responsibilities. An important part

Farheen

Grades 11 and 12, the veritable menu of courses for them to choose from is expanded yet again as part of the academically rigorous IB and AP programs. Recognised internationally, both offer specif ied subjects that allow participants to focus on developing the skills and knowledge they’ll need for whatever field of study they decide to pursue after graduation. AP coursework is also available to Grade 10 students, one of the few schools in Indonesia where this is an option.

“This carefully structured pathway toward university means that as a student progresses through high school, they are in turn growing as an independent individual,” Campbell said. “This increased freedom comes alongside increased responsibility and we find that our emphasis on service learning and thinking of others is another vital part of helping students develop the maturity they will need for success at university and in adult life.”

For students, this extensive approach is undeniably challenging, but the agency they have over their own learning makes their experience all the more satisfying. JIS Class of 2020 graduate Farheen, for example, felt that by simply asking her what she wanted, JIS gave her “a voice I never knew I had.”

“JIS’s inquiry-based and student-driven approach to learning has taught me how to truly stand on my own two feet, instead of being dependent on my teachers for information and additional resources,” she said. “I’ve discovered the intricate balance between being resourceful and asking for support, a combination I know will be super handy at university. I hope to use this newfound confidence and empowerment to make a difference in my new home.”

“Home” for Farheen is currently the University of Pennsylvania, where she is pursuing a dual degree at the Ivy League College of Arts and Sciences, and Wharton School of Business. She is one of six students in her class to be accepted into Ivy League universities. Other JIS graduates have moved on to attend such prestigious institutions as Harvard, University of Cambridge, Cornell, Seoul National University, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (K AIST), Stanford, University of Toronto, and Boston University.

“We are a very fortunate and well-resourced school [that] treats every student uniquely.

By the time students are ready to apply to university, they have had every opportunity to identify and apply to the course that suits their individual profiles,” Campbell added.

“It is all of these things and a lot more than when our young Dragons walk across the hallowed JIS graduation stage, we know that they are ready to stretch their wings and fly successfully through university and life beyond.”

26

reading culture

The Library, an Incubator of Learning and New Understanding

F

or some, a library could be someone’s cocoon to dismiss the outside world.

But when was the last time you stepped into a library?

NoahJon Marshall is currently the Head Librarian at Bali Island School (BIS), alongside two Indonesian library staff members. Noah has been a librarian for nine years, living around the US, Saudi Arabia, and now Bali.

Originally from the Schenectady/Saratoga area of upstate New York, USA, Noah revealed librarians trained in and who want to work in the US need to have a Master’s degree and take additional education credits to be certified to work in schools.

“When I finally earned mine in summer 2012, the American public-sector economy was still in bad shape from the 2008 ‘Great Recession’ and public funding was still at low levels. The job prospects of full time, salaried employment there weren’t good,” explained Noah.

An American school mostly for working expatriates’ children in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia contacted him after seeing his resume online. His grandparents had actually lived there brief ly in the 1970s when his grandfather was a consultant with Saudia Airlines. It just seemed to be a weird but timely mix of interesting factors – plus an urgency to start working.

Noah eventually accepted the job; he was willing to go to extremes to avoid sustained unemployment.

Then, in 2016, after five years in Saudi Arabia, the Head of School at BIS at the time reached out via an international teaching or employment website called Search Associates. “I had some interest from schools in Italy and Bulgaria as well but ultimately, I took the job here because a teaching colleague of mine had told me if I didn’t accept an offer to work in Bali, he would never speak to me again, since Bali is his favourite place in the world,” he said.

Many aspects go into a “good” library. To Noah, the most important is knowing who the users are. Beautiful buildings, top of the line technology, and hundreds of shelves of the most important books alone will not create a “good” library if no one utilises it.

“You need to be able to offer people what they want and need. Ref lecting their culture, interests, and backgrounds are essential, as well as being able to meet their academic needs,” explained Noah. A school and community should see themselves reflected in its library.

Noah describes BIS’ library as wellresourced considering the size of the school.

The school’s library had a healthy, generous budget before COVID-19 hit, resulting in approximately 26,000 books in the physical library space, with another 14,000 or so throughout the campus via individual classroom book collections. About 1,300 new books a year are added to the library.

The digital age has brought a pretty strong collection of digital resources and databases to the library, as well.

“We can offer good service in large part to our two Indonesian staff members, Ibu Agung and Ibu Kadek. They handle a lot of the daily logistics stuff that ensures a smooth-running program. Agung has multiple library certifications and licenses – a real library professional. Kadek has come to us more recently and has also become an important part of the running operations,” said Noah.

Hours and hours are spent in a library to do assignments, to research on topics, or to simply kill time reading favourite books. After all, a library should be comfortable enough to stay and focus. BIS’ library has a large common area space, an outdoor terrace, a classroom dedicated to instruction, and a “quiet study” room. “I think we have established a comfortable, inviting, inclusive atmosphere for all our users. We pride ourselves in extending extra effort to accommodate our users’ needs and surprising people with the 21st-century approach to librarianship while learning that people sometimes don’t generally associate with libraries,” said Noah.

Noah believes being a librarian is a misunderstood profession, but a lot of that can be blamed on librarians themselves.

“Some fail to advocate for themselves and their institutions, likewise, some don’t necessarily like to be outgoing and engage their patron base. That said, some dynamic ones are doing incredibly creative things,” explained Noah.

He enjoys the f lexibility, freedom and creativity the job allows. It is kind of a mix of multiple jobs. Being a librarian is distinctly different than a teacher. Serving the library’s users is the most important and fulfilling aspect, and librarians have the resources and authority to work with their users in incredibly unique ways.

“Librarians have something to offer everyone,” said Noah. Many types of librarians are involved in many different industries and projects, from archives to hospitals to museums to schools. As to common misconceptions from his profession, Noah’s heard that he’s apparently allowed to read all day and that the services of libraries have been replaced by internet search engines. “I understand why these falsehoods are perpetuated, but I also can easily point to reasons why both are untrue,” he said.

This doesn’t necessarily mean having a huge collection of resources. A library’s staff’s effort and enthusiasm for doing everything within their power to fulfil the needs of the people who walk through those doors are vital. It’s a form of public relations, too.

People can still be served at a high level of effort, creativity, and accommodations. The

staff also try and solve problems, even if the questions aren’t answered perfectly. David Lankes, an Information Science professor at the University of South Carolina, wrote, “The mission of libraries is to improve society through facilitating knowledge creation in their communities” in his book, “The Atlas of New Librarianship”. This favourite quote of Noah explains libraries should be less physical-only spaces, and more like incubators for learning and the creation of new understandings. This cuts across all subjects, cultures, and demographics.

“When we offer services, classes, or reading recommendations, the question most etched in our mind is; are we making new knowledge possible? Are people able to walk out of here a better version of themselves because of the access and learning environment we’ve created here? We, along with all of the staff at BIS, work hard to ensure the answer is always yes,” said Noah.

Noah describes Bali’s overall reading scene as lacking a coordinated public library system and its innumerable benefits that come along with a few Taman Bacaans and small local libraries. However, the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival is a real gem. He attended the 2019 conference. “I read two or three books I loved just from being exposed to the authors at the event,” he said. Besides worldwide names coming to the island to share their experiences and work, Indonesia has an amazing collection of talented authors that deserve serious attention.

“A f ter the basic human needs of nourishment, shelter,and relationships, reading is probably next. Reading as well as the ability to find, discern, and build understandings and connections from any sort of stimulus or information is one of the foundations of education and of growing as a person,” said Noah.

Knowing everything and finding something new to learn about are possible with reading.

All of the world’s problems that have been solved, essential inventions, and milestones in the modern era involved reading and thinking. “It moves us forward,” he said.

Everything that exists can be understood in some form simply by reading about it.

Besides, reading brings increased knowledge, awareness of history and current events, improved vocabulary, the ability to better participate in social conversations, understanding, and discovering interests and preferences, etc.

Indonesia Expat Issue 270 | March 3 – 31, 2021

Noah understands the problem of people falling off the reading bandwagon. Someone might be used to read a lot growing up, but nowadays, excessive struggles and excuses to pick up a book arise more than they’d like. Considering easy information can be accessed via digital devices and the avalanches of information being published every day, it is now effortless to access information but it has also never been harder, simply because of the potential for overload and overstimulation.

“I believe everyone, regardless of their reading history, can find something to read that’ll grab their attention and drive them to learn more. It takes finding the right topic at the right time and then being paired with the right resource in the right way; it can be celebrity gossip, quantum physics, or the history of cooking,” he explained.

Plenty of reading opportunities include articles, transcripts, blogs, news, or Tweets.

“Librarians should be meeting people’s needs and trying to spark that interest that someone can then run with themselves.”

Noah sometimes asks reluctant readers about their goals or what they want their future to look like. Depending on the answers, he can usually make a credible argument on how reading can help them get there.

Annual sales of ebooks were up 20 percent at the end of 2020, compared to roughly the same period in 2019 in the US. Highly inf luenced by the pandemic, Americans are buying more and still reading. Ebooks account for anywhere from 10-20 percent of all books sales. In total, all book sales in the US increased about 8 percent from 2019.

Data from 2018 shows that paper books still account for 80-85 percent of all book sales worldwide. Almost 700 million books were sold in 2017 and almost 750 million in 2020. More books are being published nowadays, including the absolute explosion of comics and graphic novels in the past 15 years. Digital devices have played a big part in rewiring text consumption. “I think it’s a combination of the instant gratification we get from digital inputs and social media notifications, the increasing reliance on devices, our busy and overwhelming lives, and the pace at which new information and news come streaming at us,” said Noah.

Noah teaches library classes at BIS. Students ages 3 up to Grade 5 come in for weekly lessons in information literacy, literature, searching digital resources, examining the quality of those resources, critical thinking, technolog y, reading comprehension, researching, history, current events, sociology, writing, and even gaming. Noah doesn’t have regularly scheduled classes with students in Grade 6-12. However, he assists them and their classroom teachers with research, projects, and college essays.

BIS’ library aims to be the leading library for literature, resources, research, information, media and critical literacy skill acquisition, and the realisation of intellectual pursuits for professional and personal needs in Bali for members of the BIS community.

“Likewise, to support the creation of knowledge, the enjoyment of literature, and the instilment of critical literacy skills to further the successes of and for those people, whatever it is they want to pursue,” Noah concluded.

28

after school

Indonesia Expat Issue 270 | March 3 – 31, 2021

Graduation in the Age of Pandemic: Finding Comfort in Uncertainty

BY LINA HUTCHINSON

P

reparing to graduate high school has found me entering a new world of university applications and trying to find a concrete plan for my future. Similar to many students across the world, the finish line I have been running towards for the past twelve years of my life is now so close and, yet, I find myself afraid to see what lies behind the tape.

At some point between the rushed deadlines and high school movies, this idea that I had to know everything and have a set plan by the time I graduated fostered itself inside of me. As my classmates asked each other to proofread emails to admission centres, I felt left behind and terrified of how unfamiliar things suddenly were.

However, I know that the uncertainty that I face now is not a new feeling. In March of 2020, it was announced that schools in Jakarta would be closed for two weeks.

Unfortunately, “two weeks” ultimately led to a year without setting foot on a school campus. Similar to many students around the world, my senior year was spent in front of a screen in the comfort of my own home. Though many of us were luckier than others, the pandemic saw the world stand still and uproot itself all at once, and for everyone, the feeling of familiarity was soon forgotten.

As well as trying to keep up with the changes in completing school work online, the already-daunting world of university applications and high school graduations started to change. Teachers are now

scrambling to ensure students meet grade requirements as exams are getting cancelled around the world.

Universities are adjusting deadlines and interview processes to accommodate health protocols. Suddenly, a system that I believed was new to me personally, had become new to everybody.

In the past year, we have seen the greatest minds around the world uneased and flustered with the changes the pandemic has wrought upon us. Politicians have been forced to make tough decisions, educators have had to adjust curricula, and doctors have done all they can to find answers and keep people safe. People have lost jobs, broken relationships, faced personal struggles, and have learned to exist with uncertainty.

The truth is, every day is uncertain. Life can bring about new challenges, questions to answer, and mistakes to make at any point, for anyone.

The pandemic has taught us that, no matter how comfortable or prepared we are with the world around us, things can change at any second. Still, we continue to adapt.

Many have fought tirelessly on the frontlines of the pandemic to provide safety and care to others. Others have learnt to work or learn from home; establishing routines of a “new normal”. Undoubtedly, there have been many mistakes along the way. Microphones accidentally left on in Zoom calls and TikTok cooking trends gone wrong. Nonetheless, people have continued to persevere and find solutions.

I now realise that graduating from high school and facing this new chapter in life is just another discomfort to overcome. The truth is, every day is uncertain. Life can bring about new challenges, questions to answer, and mistakes to make at any point, for anyone. Instead of living in fear, I am now trying to find comfort in uncertainty.

Becoming confident in our abilities to adapt and find solutions is what allows us to keep growing and learning as human beings. For a lot of students at the moment, interview screenings, final deadlines, and learning to be independent may be new but it will not be daunting forever. Once these challenges have been overcome, we will continue forward towards every uncertainty life has in store for us with the confidence that we can, indeed, adapt and grow.

© Honey Yanibel Minaya Cruz (Unsplash)

How Parents can Support Children for Long-Term Online Learning of phenomena. As the education sector is itself immersed in long-term online learning (or possibly hybrid learning), what can parents do to support their child’s learning experience in the long run?

Uncertainty for our children’s future remains despite the development of the COVID-19 vaccine and its recent deployment to the masses. After almost a year of adjusting to this pandemic, it is fitting to say that it has forever changed the way we live our lives: the way we interact with one another, the way we communicate, the way we work, and the way our children learn. Parents all over the world have been upfront about their struggles. Millions of social media posts have gone viral, spreading a spark of laughter and hope that we are not alone in this struggle.

The world is constantly changing and our children must be ready to face whatever challenges may come in the far and near future. They must develop the necessary life skills to prepare them to learn from any kind

1. Self-care for Parents Home should be a place where children are allowed to express themselves, feel accepted and appreciated unconditionally, and be able to freely explore their abilities. In order to do this, parents must first feel emotionally at ease at home. It is difficult to help others when you are struggling yourself. Maintain a positive mindset and designate a safe place at home where you can dedicate “me-time” for yourself. Parents should also model a positive mindset to their children; with increased interaction at home, children are more likely to keep a similar mindset.

2.Create an Emotionally Safe Environment at Home With that positive mindset, parents can now help their children in facing difficulties or when they are experiencing uncomfortable emotions. Start by validating their feelings and acknowledging whatever emotions their children are experiencing. Children want to feel understood and unconditionally accepted by their parents. Parents may

also give a calming touch to their children by gently hugging, stroking, and showing them affection. This makes children feel comfortable and also strengthens emotional ties with their parents. Parents should also encourage and support their children’s hobbies. Parents can also involve their children in doing daily chores at home, introducing them to journaling, and helping them stay in touch with friends and family online.

3. Choosing the Right Partners in Education Parents should pay close attention to the online learning system their children’s school applies. Do their children enjoy and actively engage with their learning activities? Is there two-way communication between students and teachers? Does the school provide support and collaborate with the parents and caregivers? These are several points that parents need to look out for in their children’s online learning system. With the proper stimulation and routines, our children can become self-regulated leaders from an early age.

Sekolah HighScope Indonesia provides learners from preschool to high school with developmentally-appropriate opportunities

to make decisions in an academic setting that shape both mind and character with 21st-century skills to face the current and future challenges. Contact our schools and let us show you how we apply a brain-based curriculum to provide what’s best for learners during these trying times.

For admission inquiries please contact: info@highscope.or.id

30

insight

Indonesia Expat Issue 270 | March 3 – 31, 2021

EdTech in Indonesia: The Tip of The Iceberg undoubtedly connected to COVID-19 and online schooling.

It’s clear from the ASK Consulting Investing in Indonesia Education webinar that the success of EdTech in Indonesia depends on the PPP model, where the government provides the infrastructure and the private sector runs the business under an agreed framework and on developing systems and meaningful incentives for teachers.

Channel News Asia says, “to realise Jokowi’s vision, his administration will spend around US$36 billion for education in 2020, according to a state budget proposal released in mid-August.”

© Agung Pandit Wiguna (Pexels)

J

okowi has a dream. In his 2019 inauguration speech, he spoke about Human Capital Development and Indonesia’s 2045 vision. There are a couple of reasons why this is interesting. The first is because 2045 is when Indonesia turns one hundred, which in itself will be a landmark year. But 2045 is also the date to become "an advanced country with an annual income of Rp320 million per capita or a monthly income of Rp27 million per capital," he said.

A lot of things have to happen for this dream to become a reality, but most observers would agree it’s heading in the right direction and it could actually happen if there’s an investment in human capital.

Developing Human Capital Dictionary.com defines human capital as the “collective skills, knowledge, or other intangible assets of individuals that can be used to create economic value for the individuals, their employers, or their community.” That translates to education, but what exactly is that and what does it mean?

In 2016, Elon Musk said current educational systems were flawed as they basically focus on “downloading data and algorithms into your brain. It’s actually amazingly bad in conventional education because it’s more like a chore. The more you can gamify the process of learning, the better.”

Does that mean we should make learning more fun? Or more relevant? Or both?

More than a year after schools across the country closed their doors and classes went online, maybe young Elon was prophetically right because education is definitely going through a paradigm shift with a lot of kids questioning the point of teaching “things” while ignoring the fundamental of “why” teach them in the first place. There’s also

the question of learning social skills, which traditional schooling does and distance learning has yet to properly address.

Real-World Experiences Maybe we need to find some kind of balance because there’s no doubt education is moving away from academic disciplines in dedicated bricks-and-mortar institutions into more practical and relevant real-world experiences. There are strong arguments to support the premise that COVID-19 has accelerated this trend.

Year-12 (K-12), very little to higher education and nothing to physical education.

This seems to underline the idea of education focusing on relevant skill sets to support Industry 4.0 rather than traditional academia, but how this becomes reality isn't simply a question of wishing it to be so.

In Indonesia's case, this can only be done through Public Private Partnerships (PPP) and that’s where investment opportunities are enormous.

This could be why Jokowi’s appointment of the Gojek founder, Nadiem Anwar Makarim, as Indonesia’s Education Minister is a significant step towards creating a more appropriate educational system for the 21st Century and one that's better suited to dealing with such a diverse country as Indonesia.

The Growth of EdTech Ruangguru, Indonesia’s largest EdTech startup, which was founded in 2014, is a good case in point. According to Kr-Asia, they offer courses for school students but expanded into the professional market through a Skill Academy in September 2019 and managed to raise Rp150 million by the end of that year.

Bloomberg suggests Makarim’s “experience in information and technology is also extremely useful in designing and adopting new digital systems… (to) contribute to developing an education system that generates high-quality and innovative research that tackles Indonesia’s most pressing issues.” The founder of GoJek knows all about successfully addressing pressing issues using digital solutions.

Ruangguru offers classes and courses on topics including entrepreneurship, communication, and investment strategy, among other skill lessons and has business owners and directors as mentors. As of December 2020, they have online courses for more than 100 subjects and more than 22 million users across the country, say KrAsia. That’s a big market and Ruangguru is not the only fish in the pond.

Public Private Partnerships I was listening to a webinar last week on “Investing in Indonesia’s Education” by ASK Consulting and the Indonesia Education Forum. The big takeaway was a global investment in EdTech, or Educational Technology, has skyrocketed, but what's interesting to look at is which sectors of education are getting the interest and, most importantly, the funding as it seems to be leaning more towards B2C consumer companies and corporate education, with a smaller percentage going to Kindergarten to

Other players in Indonesia’s EdTech market include Cakap, which “experienced a 3,000-percent increase in traffic during the first quarter of last year, compared to the same period in 2019, which was not only boosted by language lessons but also by new skill classes.”

Kr-Asia cites the World Bank as saying “EdTech platforms in Indonesia have seen a 200 percent growth in average in the number of active users and the number of app downloads in March 2020.” This is

The Start of a New Tomorrow We’ve seen private-sector investors keen to tap into this potential but they are reluctant to do so as long as there are so many prohibitive and complex regulations around education. The good news is the government does seem to be addressing the issues and taking steps to de-regulate, so this could be a good time to ride the waves of change.

The EdTech trend and digital empowerment in Indonesia are only just beginning.

Especially as a 2019 Pew Research Centre report on populations show that Indonesia has a median age of 30-years-old or younger and a quarter or more people are below the age of 15.

We think the positive impact these trends could have on local communities and the future of this young nation should be taken seriously if you're interested in investing in Indonesia.

At Seven Stones Indonesia, we believe in the power of this positive mindset. We believe in helping our clients, partners and communities create a better world by adapting to change and focusing on what matters most to them. We deliver solutions, peace-of-mind and we help businesses grow, which is why we support educational and digital initiatives as much as we can.

We see where the problems and roadblocks are but we’re also seeing opportunities; opportunities to focus on quality instead of quantity; opportunities to create and develop alternative energy and manage waste; opportunities to improve infrastructure and opportunities to help build stronger, more sustainable communities through improved education and health.

If you or your business shares our vision and you're looking for innovative ideas and ways to have a long-term positive impact let us know. We’d love to help!

Send an email to: hello@sevenstonesindonesia.com

Sources: Channel News Asia, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Globe, Bloomberg, Kr-Asia, Investopedia, EdTech Hub, Pew Research Centre, ASK Consulting and the Indonesia Education Forum, Tempo

32

Indonesia Expat Issue 270 | March 3 – 31, 2021

BALI

Nyepi Long Weekend at Tugu Hotels & Restaurants Nyepi Day is the Balinese Saka Calendar’s New Year, where the island of Bali turns off all lights and sounds, stops all traffic, puts a pause on all worldly activities, and meditates, while complete silence and serenity reigns over the entire island.

Taking pride in being Indonesia’s cultural guardian, every stay with Tugu Hotels is to immerse various experiences that guests can only have in the hotels. Suiting every mood and preference, each of Tugu Hotels has curated meaningful stay experiences and reflective for your Nyepi break.

Hotel Tugu Bali Immerse in pure relaxation and experience Balinese New Year, a 24 hours of complete silence and tranquillity in the spiritually atmospheric Hotel Tugu Bali starting from Rp1.6 million++ per night for a minimum of two-night stay throughout March. Enjoy daily breakfast, daily high-tea with local delicacies, sunset cocktail for two at Ji Rooftop, and complimentary kids’ activities including one kids’ cooking class. Stay a minimum of three nights and get a complimentary 90minute massage of your choice at the Waroeng Djamoe Spa. Call +623614731701, +6281337020904 or email bali@tuguhotels.com for more details.

Hotel Tugu Lombok Travel back to centuries-old legends of the Mahabharata and the slow pace of Lombok paradise at Hotel Tugu Lombok starting from Rp1.4 million++ per night,

BALI

A Gift to Remember Dedicated Specially to Parents Alila Villas Uluwatu has created a wonderful well-deserved escape package called Gift to Remember, specially tailored for parents with peaceful relaxation and oncein-a-lifetime memories available from February to June 2021.

Perched at the edge of the Uluwatu cliff, Alila Villas Uluwatu offers a romantic getaway for parents to celebrate the spirit of Valentine’s Day or indulge in a second honeymoon.

for a minimum stay of three nights throughout March. Take long walks on the pearly white sandy beach, indulge in romantic dinners by the sea under the stars, and luxuriate in your jungle tub serenaded by the whispering waves.

Enjoy daily lavish breakfast, sunset high tea with homemade delicacies, and complimentary water sports activities (snorkelling, kayaking, paddle boarding).

Call +623706120111, +6281937995566, email lombok@tuguhotels.com or visit https://tuguhotels.com/hotels/lombok for more details.

Hotel Tugu Malang Discover the Instagrammable colourful Kampong Warna Warni, explore the rolling hills of plantations and the majestic waterfalls, hop around between the numerous temple ruins that surround Malang, a city that, once up a time, was the centre of several ancient kingdoms. Stay for a minimum of two nights, starting from Rp988,000++ per night throughout March. Enjoy daily lavish breakfast, daily Siam-style afternoon tea, private hotel tour, bicycle or becak tour or cooking class for kids. Call +62341363891, +6281334919097, email malang@tuguhotels. com or visit https://tuguhotels.com/hotels/malang for more details.

Hotel Tugu Blitar Escape and discover the most romantic legends of an ancient kingdom in Hotel Tugu Blitar, the only luxury boutique hotel in town featuring a collection of Javanese antiques and artworks that tell the romantic tales of the history of East Java starting from Rp925,000++ per night for a minimum stay of two nights throughout March. Enjoy daily lavish breakfast, daily afternoon tea, visiting Kawisari Coffee Plantation and the Penataran temple. Call +62342801766, +6285335551326, email blitar@tuguhotels.com or visit https://tuguhotels.com/ hotels/blitar for more details.

“The romance of Valentine’s Day is not only for young couples and not only for February. Alila Villas Uluwatu wants to keep the romance alive for parents,” said General Manager Hemal Jain.

The package starts at Rp6.5 million nett per night inclusive of daily breakfast for two, a one-time romantic spa treatment for two, a one-time romantic floating cabana dinner, and morning yoga.

Nothing unites the world like travel, and nothing more so than #travelwithpurpose.

Parents can take this opportunity to experience Balinese culture and interact with communities on a more meaningful and positively impactful level. A minimum stay of two nights is required to experience the journey to the fullest.

Email uluwatu@alilahotels.com for further information and bookings.

How to Cope with COVID-19? Can I Still See My Doctor?

COVID-19 Testing? Health Certificates?

A lot of information is available on COVID-19. For those of us who are living in Jakarta or elsewhere in Indonesia it is important to stay as healthy as possible. GOOD PRACTICE provides information on COVID-19 on line. We have organised health talks and webinars for international schools and embassies. Send us an email if you want to know more.

GOOD PRACTICE PROVIDES NON-INFECTIOUS STERILE CONSULTATION HOURS.

HOUSE CALLS ARE PROVIDED FOR EVERY CONDITION INCLUDING VACCINATIONS AND CHILDHOOD IMMUNISATIONS.

Are your vaccinations still up to date? Did you get a flu vaccination?

How are your other conditions controlled? If you are suffering from hypertension or diabetes for instance, you have to make sure those conditions are managed well. Please make sure you have your regular check-ups and that your supply of medication is sufficient. You can even consider an immune boost, which we can also provide at GOOD PRACTICE.

Best of all is that you now can have a consultation with anyone of our medical team from whatever location. We have introduced TELECONSULTATIONS. Via an app, GP Now, you can connect with us directly.

Identify a clinic that you can turn too with your concerns. A clinic that can advise you about your symptoms. Now it is especially important that the communication between your good self and a trusted medical practitioner is well understood.

Basically, you let us know what time you would like to consult a doctor and we will appear on line at the desired time. If any medication needs to be provided, we will arrange this to be sent out to you.

What to do if you have any symptoms? Talk to a trusted medical practitioner. Also, if you consider that you need COVID-19 testing, you should talk to a medical practitioner. Please note that we offer both PCR swabs and Rapid COVID-19 tests and serological antibody testing.

GOOD PRACTICE can help you with all the above. We now also provide you with direct contact to our medical practitioners from any location in this world!

GOOD PRACTICE is open as usual. We provide house calls and we also provide COVID-19 testing (we can also come to your house for testing). HEALTH CERTIFICATES can be provided by GOOD PRACTICE.

Dr Steven Graaff, MD, MRCGP, the founder of Good Practice Clinic is a graduate of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Before completing his formal training in General Practice in the UK, he worked in several hospitals, occupational health and general practice in the Netherlands and the UK. As a medical professional with international experience,Steven decided to start his own clinic – Good Practice, in Jakarta

Just send GOOD PRACTICE a simple email to info@goodpractice. co.id and we will send you the link.

It is important that you identify a clinic that you are comfortable with. GOOD PRACTICE has patients from 71 countries (Jamaica and Namibia have been added to our list). Our all English speaking team implements international guidelines. We provide highly personalised care. Try us!

Jl. Bangka Raya #106B Jakarta 12730 Tel. +62-21-7183140 info@goodpractice.co.id

www.goodpractice.co.id

34

Indonesia Expat Issue 270 | March 3 – 31, 2021

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