The idea of being welcomed is no where more celebrated than in Indonesia!
When my school first got news of who their new English teacher was going to be, all of my social media sites suddenly blew up with messages and friend requests. Several students, teachers, and Bukittinggi community members messaged me and asked when I would be flying to Indonesia before I knew where I was even placed for my scholarship. In Indonesia, everyone's uncle and grandma uses the internet! When I arrived at my new cozy home after a four hour car trip from Padang to Bukittinggi, I was welcomed by my headmaster and a couple of teachers. They gave me papaya and fried bananas, cassava, and vegetables (snacks called gorengan). I was shown immediately to the bathroom which, to my surprise, had a Western-style toilet! I gave plush teddy bears to my housewarming party and slept that night with my spirits lifted from the warm welcome following the brutally long travel journey to Indonesia.
On my first day of school, I realized that my presence in the Bukittinggi community meant more than I had previously thought. While I only expected to have a quick introduction to the teachers, a few students and the headmaster, my arrival became one of the most memorable moments of my life. Expectations for me when I was just a kid came only from my close family, including my momma and dad.
