Indonesia
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This is the Google map of Indonesia |
I had the privilege to work as a teacher in Indonesia from August 2014- December 2016. My cousin's husband (now estranged husband) was the first one to arrive at Jakarta, Indonesia to work as a teacher. Then, after a year or two my cousin followed then later their firstborn child, a son, followed them to Indonesia.
After three years, I followed in Indonesia but not in Jakarta but in Jambi. I worked as a Science , Computer and Math teacher for primary students and as for the secondary I taught Science and Computer in Stella Maris School Jambi, Jambi, Indonesia.
It was my first time in teaching other subjects other than Science. It was also my very first time to travel abroad. I was nervous, over thinking and cannot got hold of myself in the notion that my desire to experience in working abroad would finally come true.
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2014-2015 I worked at Jambi, Indonesia and 2016 at Batam, Indonesia |
Jambi City was not that big yet at that and locals even suggested that their province was least popular compared to Jakarta and Bali. There were also some words that were similar to Bicol, Visayas and Mindanao.
During my last year in Jambi, Indonesia our school owner, a male Chinese - Indonesian together with another school owner of Stella Maris Jakarta, Jakarta, Indonesia, gave all of us a company break from teaching staffs to non - teaching staffs to Bali, Indonesia. It was my first time in travelling to Bali. Bali was fully loaded of tourists. Pork was allowed in that place since the main religion was Hinduism.
Working overseas really did had some perks. It could give you a wider perspective about the world, how culture could differ from one another and at the same time it could bridge the gap between or among societies.
After my contract expired at Jambi, Indonesia, I opted to not continue working there since my former grade school teacher who happened to be school consult for a certain school in Batam, Indonesia, offered me a job. So I went back for a while in the Philippines while waiting for the remaining months to be called in in Batam. My former teacher also asked me if I knew some teachers who were interested in working overseas, so I managed to call some people I knew.
Unexpectedly, I was called in first to replace a new teacher since that teacher got sick and needed to go back to the Philippines. So I came to Batam, Indonesia between February to March 2016. Toxic people kills the mood, the community. I referred someone whom I only knew from the halls of the graduate school from where I took my master's degree. I did not had any idea that she did something in Batam without my knowledge. I may have a gullible side but stealing my identity was total red alert for me, unforgivable.
My stay in Batam was not a good one. To be frank , I regretted working there. The school environment was not appropriate for mental health. I was not prepared for a real time " The Art of War" thing. It made me realize what I heard from other Filipino Overseas Workers from their own experience elsewhere that if they would be given a chance to work from abroad again they would avoid their fellow Filipinos to avoid unnecessary dramas, crab mentality and gas lightning.
Guess those types of experiences were part of human cycle. It could break and shape us to who should we become. But that did not deter me in traveling to other countries.
"You will never know how strong you can be if you are not willing to lose sight of the shore."- anonymous
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