Week 2 of Programs: Monday February 21, 2010

The first presentation of the week was at Medan State University. The room was filled with about 70 students, faculty, and administrators. Medan State is one of three universities in Medan. It attracts students from all over the country. Their specialty is teacher training. The appearance of the campus was as expected for a public institution in Indonesia. The campus is not pretty, but the students are eager to learn and are appreciative of the opportunity to go to college. The talk went as planned and the usual questions ensued. I am working with a different translator now; Rachma. Rachma has lived in the US for a few years and speaks excellent English. We worked just fine together.
The Consul General stayed for part of my speech and then left. It is clear to me that he is a very busy man and really cannot take too much time to attend to me . But that is fine, I do need some basic instructions and then I am off to do what I think needs to be done.
I was taken to a luncheon in honor of the Consul General. I stayed long enough to eat my lunch and then I had to leave to make the next appointment. Rachma and I went to a vocational high school. These high schools do not carry very informational names; merely called Government Vocational High School and then the name of the city. So I visited the one in Medan. Indonesians refer to these schools as SMK’s.
The SMK of Medan is the leading vocational school in the area of North Sumatra. The infrastructure is not pretty by any stretch of the imagination, but the students are absolutely adorable. The high school students of Indonesia bear very little resemblance to the attitudes of the USA variety. These students are all in uniform; most of the girls wearing the traditional head-scarf. They are respectful and eager to learn. I game my talk in a room with a temperature that must have been in the 90’s F. Despite the heat, the students seemed to be very interested. But it was at the end of the program that made my heart flutter. So many of the students wanted to have their picture taken with me. All of them wanted to shake my hand and several of the girls took my hand to touch their foreheads (a sign of great respect). I almost had tears in my eyes at this overwhelming experience.
I was then whisked away to a Education USA Fair. The Fair is sponsored by the Fulbright Foundation and provides an opportunity for students to learn about specific colleges. There were about 12 institutions represented. And, YES, Iowa State was among them!!
This day ended with some fatigue,  but some good feelings.