Paparazzi and Calamari (6/16/11)

Best. Day. Ever.

Slight exaggeration. But seriously, we had a very productive and efficient day. It was full of meetings and programs and great dialogue with school administrators. We started the day with a visit to Universitas Al Azhar Indonesia, a newly founded private Islamic school. Its goal is to help provide leadership and corporate training as well as the teaching of Islamic values to all of its students. They of course accept students from all religions, but many Muslims are attracted to this school because of its emphasis of traditional Muslim values and character. Al Azhar is only 10 years old, but with many corporate sponsors and faculty with endless credentials, it sees itself on the rise to compete with other universities at the international level. Their facility was very impressive…as were their photographers. Our job there (or so it seemed) was to smile and shake hands and pose for the incessant photographers. I couldn’t walk down the hall without being blinded by the flashes of half a dozen cameras. I had never experienced something like that, and decided I should be flattered and cooperate. I practiced my candid poses, which the paparazzi captured. I know they’re going to use them in fliers or brochures…I better get some royalties for my service today!

 Today was our first real chance to have a panel discussion with prospective students where we could address some of their concerns about coming to school in America. They asked great questions about students’ involvement in producing more organic foods, the possibility to have a double major, and whether or not America (ISU specifically) would be a hostile environment for Muslim students, and many more. Dr. H allowed us to answer most of them and I’m glad that we got a chance to speak on behalf of Iowa State. Everyone has a different area of expertise and we were all able to share tidbits of our experiences and knowledge.

After the cameras ran out of film, we went to visit the Public University of Jakarta, Univeristas Negeri Jakarta. This has been my favorite school visit so far. It even rivals petting that dancing monkey or running through the jungle. UNJ is known for its teacher training programs at all levels from Early Childhood Education to Education Management and even a program for teachers of Special Education. Some students did a short presentation on ISU and the Ames community, and afterwards we took questions from their educators. Most of the questions were directed at Dr. H in regards to the partnership that ISU is trying to form with Indonesian schools. The plan, which is already in place with some Chinese schools, is for students to take a year of courses at their home university, and then transfer to ISU to finish their degree and graduate with an ISU degree. The faculty of UNJ was VERY interested in this partnership and we got to spend a lot of time listening to some great dialogue between their professors and ours. One man in particular stood out to me. He was the most vocal and the most knowledgeable about what he wanted for UNJ and how his university could benefit from an agreement. He spoke fluent English and gave very eloquent suggestions to Dr. H. All I could think while listening to him was “I want to know him. I want to have a conversation with this individual.” Luckily, the school offered to buy us dinner and he joined us at the restaurant. I sat down beside him and the English professor and we had small talk for a little bit before I started asking him questions. People…It was fascinating. One of the best conversations I’ve had. Turns out he is Prof. Dr. Hafid Abbas, the Vice Minister of Law and Human Rights for the Republic of Indonesia (yeah…I had to look back at his business card). He works at the US Embassy and serves as a guest lecturer for UNJ. We talked about everything from Indonesian politics, religion, and culture to the different educational systems he’s worked with. I was mostly interested in the religious environment of Indonesia and their views towards American culture. This blog will not hold all the information in our hour long talk PLUS all my enthusiasm about being able to meet and converse him…so for now I’ll just include that I really enjoyed the company of the UNJ faculty. Outstanding staff. Amazing experience.

Now, I think I’m going to go watch the nightly volleyball games, cheer on the I.T. team, and go to bed. We have an early morning (leaving at 6am…WHAT?! Pray for me…dad, you know I need it!). So goodnight all J