–By Michaela Chinn and Katarina Krueger–

Kata and I wanted to show what a fun-filled adventure we have had while living in Central Java as Fulbright English Teaching Assistants (ETAs). We’ve worked hard to nurture meaningful relationships within our schools and communities and to learn about Indonesian and Javanese culture. In doing so, we have also maintained our identities as the outdoorsy girls from Tucson, Arizona and Seattle, Washington.

Our teachers and friends who are Indonesian typically are up for a selfie and tend to document their experiences through social media and videos, so we decided to show our experience in Indonesia through those same outlets. We hope that this video shows how the Fulbright ETA Program is a people-to-people program. Our Indonesian students, friends, and colleagues have enriched our lives by sharing aspects of their culture just as much as we hope we have enriched their lives teaching them about ours.

Editor’s Note: This video was created by Fulbright English Teaching Assistants (ETAs) Michaela Chinn and Kata Krueger. They live in Central Java and teach at local public high schools SMA N 1 Salatiga and SMA N 1 Bringin, respectively. They created this video as part of a recent performance event in Jakarta called “Indonesia Through Their Eyes,” held on January 11, 2017. The editors of Indonesiaful as well as the video’s creators hope you enjoy catching a glimpse of life in Central Java.