BRIDGE, Building Relationships through Intercultural Dialogue

Oleh: Petra Th Norimarna MEd

Vice Principal of Academic Affairs for MIS Elementary School

BRIDGE is a partnership program established by the Asia Education Foundation to connect Australian schools, teachers, and students with other counterparts around Asia.

BRIDGE itself stands for Building Relationships through Intercultural Dialogue and Growing Engagement.

It has been a privilege for me to have been chosen with three other Indonesian teachers from our school, to undergo a series of test to later on become a BRIDGE ambassador.

After the final interview, myself and my co-teacher whom passed the tests, were sent to Jakarta for a pre-departure training.

Furthermore, on July 31, we flew to Australia together with other 14 teachers from schools across Indonesia.

We spent one week in Melbourne for training where we also met our partner school teachers.

We were blessed to be partnered with Emmaus Christian College (ECC) in Adelaide, South Australia and met two of their teachers, our partner teachers.

After a week of training, getting acquainted with Australian culture and school system, the four of us flew to Adelaide where we were home stayed with Australian families.

I stayed with the Cheesemans, a family with both children studying at ECC, and whose mother, whom happened to be my partner teacher, also teaches at ECC.

Every morning, for two weeks I would commute to school with Mrs. Cheeseman and her children.

I would sign in, just like their teachers and follow the teaching schedule they have prepared for me.

I was requested to teach Indonesian both the language and culture.

I hope what I shared had given more positive insight towards their knowledge about Indonesia as a country, the culture, the people, and also the education system.