By Marcell Jonathan
International Education Week is one of many events held for all exchange students in the United States, because in that week we can share everything about the culture of our respective countries. International Education Week or IEW can be called starting from November 15 and ending on November 19. When IEW takes place, usually exchange students, like me, will give presentations about our country’s culture, ranging from traditional clothes, food, and more. On this occasion, I will share my experience during the IEW.
As a representative of Indonesia in the United States, of course I have to give everything I know about Indonesia. It is not an easy thing, considering that Indonesia is a country that has a lot of culture in it. When making and preparing presentations for IEW, I have to spend almost a week, where every day I have to get up at 3 am to make my presentation. As a result, I was able to make 60 slides for a presentation about Indonesia. Not only about Indonesia, but also I present and share knowledge and knowledge about my beloved city, Pontianak. Don’t forget to share photos of my school, friends, and also my family in the presentation.
I can be said to be very lucky, because people around me from family, friends, and even school support me to present my culture in front of the school. I get Monday’s turn to present, and the result? Extraordinary.
Unexpectedly, everyone who watched my presentation in front of the stage was very interested in everything I said about Indonesia. They were very active in asking and answering the questions I gave them. Even when I asked several people to stand in front and dance with me, unexpectedly many of them were very interested and stood with me in front.
While standing in front of the stage, I wore traditional Malay clothes, Teluk Belanga complete with sampit and climbing. When I first got on stage, I thought my friends at school didn’t like the clothes I was wearing at the time. However, it turned out that they really liked it. Many even said that they really wanted to wear the Bay of Belanga clothes at that time. I also told them about batik, a special Indonesian fabric, and showed them how to dress batik, bringing my own batik.
At that time, I spent almost 56 minutes presenting all my slides to everyone in the school. Not a short time, but they were very satisfied with what I gave them. I teach them how to speak Indonesian, tell them which tourist destinations I recommend in Indonesia, what foods and drinks I like in Indonesia and also in Pontianak, and I even show photos of my classmates in Indonesia. I just hope they can understand what I’m saying and also they have an idea about Indonesia itself or even they have a dream to visit Indonesia someday.
There are still many things I really want to tell you, but one thing is for sure. I am very satisfied and happy with my IEW presentation. IEW week is the most fun week in my opinion. Maybe my presentation and delivery on stage was not perfect at all, but I am very proud, considering that my friends are increasingly interested in Indonesia. That’s my story this time, see you again someday!
