First Month of Pre-Departure Training at IALF Jakarta (The Excitement)

The PDT (Pre-Departure Training) for 4,5 Monthers starts on 23 May 2016. We were divided into three classes depend on our field of study. M1 belongs to those with the economic background; M2 is for science while M3 is for awardees from social area. Since I’m going to pursue master in TESOL, I was assigned to be in 4,5M3 along with 8 other awardees (Rita, Umunnisa, Bang Rizal and I are from Aceh, Bang Andy is from Padang, Baim is from Malang, Heny is from Kendal, Mbak Tika and Mas Fajar are from Jakarta). 

It was a pleasure to be in a group with people who are different from you in many aspects. Although nine of us belong to social field, we choose diverse specific subjects. Bang Rizal and I, for instance, are going to study TESOL while Rita, Henny, and Bang Andy are taking Master of Education. Meanwhile, Mba Tika and Umunnisa are planning to study disaster management; Baim is pursuing Master of Law and Mas Fajar is intending to attend master of communication. Besides, we were also introduced to the teachers who will facilitate us with their expertise during the training such as Simon Hotchkiss as our core class teacher, Barbara as our cross-cultural understanding teacher, Simone as our study skill facilitator and Bu Rina as well as Pak Adi as our computer facilitators. 

I was overwhelmed by remembering names of classmates and the map of the building initially since it was hard for me to remember people’s names quickly and I am lack of spatial remembrance ;) but then I get used to it after couple of weeks . The learning atmosphere was so fun and engaging since our core teacher incorporated technology and excellent teaching approaches in the learning process. He emphasized us to read and write more since those two skills are pivotal in order to prepare ourselves for IELTS and Australian academic setting. He taught us how to take notes during a lecture by encouraging us to use symbols or abbreviations and drilled us how to use it effectively. To make us accustomed to reading, he required us to read at least 15 minutes every day. Therefore, he assigned us to read an article from a printed newspaper or an online one and then summarize it in our own words. Every after reading and summarizing a new article, we have to post them in our padlet account so that he and everyone in the class could see and exchange what we read and wrote. 

For me, the highlight of the first month was our outing which was initiated by the mentors. Yeay, the entire 4,5 monthers visited the national museum on 2 June 2016 exactly in our second week of training. It was such an awesome tour since we were able to expand our insights about our own heritage and culture as well as strengthen our bond as a team. Here is the group picture :)

I would say that the first month of PDT was full of excitements since the whole world is new. I was so excited to get to know my new classmates and teachers,  explore new places and facilities to learn,  find out about where to shop and figure out the public transportation system in Jakarta.  Although I found it challenging at first to adjust to a new routine and environment, thankfully I was able to manage all of them in the end.