Halo! My name is Aurelia Tan, but everyone in Indonesia calls me Lia. I am 22 years old, and I am an English Teaching Assistant with the US Fulbright Program. For 8 months, I will be teaching English to 10th-graders in Padang, Indonesia. Indonesia is a Southeast Asian country made up of thousands of islands, each having its own culture, dialect, and specialty. Padang is on the island of Sumatra; it is a city between the Indian Ocean and the Barisan Mountains.
I was born in New York City (NYC), but my parents were born in Indonesia. I grew up in Elmhurst, Queens, a NYC neighborhood with many Indonesian immigrants. Indonesian is my favorite cuisine, and Elmhurst is the best place to find Indonesian food in NYC (in my personal opinion). My favorite dish is sayur asem, which is a vegetable tamarind soup that directly translates to "sour vegetables." I also speak in Indonesian with my parents! Did you know that New York has the second largest population of Indonesian speakers in the United States? In New York, I get to be surrounded by Indonesian culture, yet I have never visited Indonesia prior to this.
As I immerse myself into life in Indonesia, I can not wait to share all my new experiences with you all. Let us head into this exciting journey together!
Want to learn how you could be a Fulbright Scholar like me? The Fulbright Program is the United States government's flagship international exchange program. Fulbrighters foster mutual understanding between the United States and partner nations, share knowledge across communities, and improve lives around the world. Learn more by clicking here!
