As an English Literature and History student who strongly believes in the importance of bridging international understanding, I view cross-cultural exchanges and foreign language-learning as an excellent way to promote global communication. For this reason, I was immediately interested in the English Instructor internship at UIN Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang, an Islamic university in Malang, Indonesia. Having been born and partly raised in Jakarta, I was further drawn to this position because it offered me the opportunity to apply my English language skills, prior teaching experience, and cultural knowledge to benefit university students and staff in the place of my roots.
UIN Malang’s mission is to shape well-rounded scholars, professionals, and leaders guided by Islamic moral teachings. The Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs founded the UIN Malang in 1961, and it currently has 16,000 students in 39 programs of study. The University also has an International Class Program with courses taught in English, Arabic, and Bahasa Indonesia. The program admits exceptional undergraduates from various disciplines with the aim of producing internationally oriented students who are fluent in all three languages. Although I am not receiving academic credit for the English Instructor internship at UIN Malang, it has helped me immensely in realizing my educational and professional goals. I am interested in working in academia and teaching at the university level. Through this internship, I was able to envision what such a career would be like.
During my internship, I was responsible for teaching English to students in the International Class Program, as well as to teaching staff in the Faculty of Law. I taught two classes a day and held a thesis clinic weekly. Most undergraduate classes had around twenty pupils, and the staff class had nine people. Lectures were ninety minutes long, and I adjusted the material to suit different levels. To prepare for the classes, I created lesson plans that covered grammar, conversation, writing, and reading comprehension. Moreover, I edited student papers and theses written in English to check for spelling, grammar, and flow. The internship offered a high degree of autonomy: since there was no pre-set curriculum to follow, I had full control over the class material. As someone who enjoys independent work, I was grateful that UIN Malang entrusted me with so much responsibility and trust.
Although the experience of being an English Instructor was overwhelmingly positive, it was challenging in certain moments. Teaching lecturers and professors at first intimidated me: being an undergraduate, I felt that positions had been suddenly reversed and that I was out of my depth. Indonesian culture is also hierarchical in terms of age. As a result, the possibility that I was somehow overstepping and transgressing the value of deference toward elders worried me. During the first few days, I also felt slightly awkward lecturing to students, since I viewed them as my peers, and I was not sure how to negotiate power dynamics. Lastly, the autonomy I had in terms of designing lesson plans created pressure: I wanted to lead stimulating classes, but I had to experiment with different methods before realizing what worked best.
My concerns about were quickly dissipated due to the kindness and warmth with which people received me at UIN Malang. I was surprised and touched at how enthusiastic students and staff were to have me at the university, and I enjoyed practicing my Bahasa Indonesia as much as everyone else enjoyed practicing their English. Many students and staff were also interested in knowing about Canada and the West, so discussions were always enlivened by mutual curiosity. Some of the most memorable aspects of the internship included the time spent outside of classes, when students and staff invited me to explore Malang and East Java, and I got to know them more personally.
I would like to thank my internship supervisor, Ms. Nurul Istiqomah, as well as the McGill Arts Internship Office, for guiding me throughout this experience and offering their continual support. I would also like to extend a special thank you to Ms. Martine Vanasse, without whom this internship would not have been possible. The Martine Vanasse International Experience Internship Award funded my living expenses and transportation costs while in Malang, and I cannot overstate my gratefulness toward Ms. Vanasse’s generosity. This internship was as much of a learning experience as it was a teaching one, and I’m incredibly thankful for all that I have been able to discover and the memorable people I have encountered along the way.
