February 15

February 15th – First Presentations
My day began with a ride through the Jakarta traffic to the town of Cikarang. Cikarang is west of Jakarta and can be thought of as a sort of suburb and a part of the greater Jakarta metropolis. First a little bit about the traffic. Drivers drive on the left side of the road and cars have the steering wheel on the right. That little change is a bit disconcerting, but the motorcycles that appear to have drivers with a death wish are enough to strike fear into the heart of even the bravest.
We arrived at President University, the site of my first presentation. I was thrilled to see a large banner outside of the school announcing my visit. We had tea with the Vice Rector, a faculty member from Australia and others prior to the presentation. I found President University to be unique and very interesting. Begun in 2005, the university offers an all English environment. All courses are taught in English and there are signs in the hall to remind students to “speak in English at all times.” The school currently hosts international students from China and Vietnam and is hopeful to establish some exchanges with the US; a topic we discussed for some time. I was escorted to a large auditorium with a stage and another large banner. The room began to fill with students and faculty. I estimate the audience to be about 100.

The program began with a troop of Indonesian dancers. I was told that these students will be performing for President Obama on his upcoming visit. The students were talented and colorful. After the President gave a short talk, I was invited up to the podium and I presented the American Community College and Technical College system.

My talk was well-received and a lot of pictures were taken.

After lunch I was given a tour of the Mattel plant. The Mattel plant provides many internships with President University. I was impressed by the factory that makes the Barbie dolls for export. I was saddened a bit to learn that Barbie is not sold in Indonesia because the doll is too expensive.

In the afternoon, I presented a similar program to the Akademi Teknik Mesin Industri (ATMI; Indonesian Machinery Industry Academy). ATMI is a technical college that educates male students in manufacturing and machining. I presented to about 40 young men wearing white ATMI blazers. I also had a tour of the facilities. While the lecture classrooms were air-conditioned, the machine-shops were sweltering. But the heat did not dismay the avid learners.