Teaching (and learning) in Bali

Hi everyone! I am Michela, I am 20 years old and I live in Italy. I study management engineering in Milan and my dream job is to become the Italian minister of education. I have always dreamt of volunteering abroad, but every time I tried to apply the prices were very high and I couldn’t afford it. I found IVHQ right before giving up my dream, and they helped me realizing it. They supported me in every step of the project: from the application process to the end of my amazing two weeks. I choose to Volunteer in Bali as an English teacher. Why Bali? I don’t know. They had so many different destinations and choosing one was very difficult, so I just followed my instinct and picked Bali and, believe me, it was the perfect place. I am one of those people who get bored very easily, but Bali always offers so many different activities and experiences that you could stay here for a year and still have new things to try. Their culture is inspiring, the people are as nice and happy to help as you can’t even imagine. Why did I choose to be an English teacher? To answer this question, I have to tell you a little bit about myself. My life changed completely when I was given a scholarship by one of the most prestigious schools of Milan. While I was growing I realized that the difference between my friends who lived in Pero (the small town I live in) and me was that I was actually learning what there was outside the box. I started middle school without knowing a word of English and I finished high school considering myself almost a mother tongue. I've made friends all over the world, I traveled, I studied, I learnt how to interact with cultures that were completely different from mine. And none of this would have been possible if I hadn't been taught English. This language represents a chance for everyone to be understood and considered in a world governed by people who have no interest in growing critical thinking in poor and non-developed populations. I believe in the power of instruction more than in anything else. I am firmly convinced that the only way humanity is going to improve and empower itself is by extending education in the entire planet. By teaching kids English we can not only give them the possibility to interact with the rest of the world population, but we can also give them a chance to think critically and become citizens of our world. My first day teaching I was amazed by the curiosity of my kids (yes, I consider them a little bit mine too). They had so many questions, if they finished an exercise they wanted another one immediately, if I taught them how to introduce themselves on Monday, on Tuesday they would come to me the moment I walked into class to let me see that they remembered everything. On my last day I wanted to try something different: I wanted to teach the verb “to be”. Everybody told me that would have been too hard for them, but I thought they were worth a shot. So, I asked if a member of IVHQ could help me translating what I was saying in Indonesian. After one hour my kids were screaming the verb “to be” as loud as they could. They were happy, they knew they had learnt something new, and they were proud of themselves. And I was proud of them too. My last day was also the day before Independence Day, a very important holiday here in Bali. I could hear other children playing outside our class, so I asked my students if they wanted to end the class earlier and go play with their friends. What they answered made me cry of joy and think a lot: “No miss, we’d rather stay here and learn with you”. We went on learning that day, and as soon as the class was over, we ate chocolate laughing for another hour. When I got home I thought about the difference between us, citizens of developed countries with very good education systems and them. And the more I thought about it the more it was clear: we study because our parents, the society, the job market, want us to study. They study because they are passionate, because they are willing to communicate with the world, because they know how important it is. They don’t have marks. They don’t want to copy. They want to learn. I came here thinking I would have taught something, but at the end I was the who learnt the most.

Thank you IVHQ for giving me the opportunity to grow and for giving them opportunity to learn and have a voice in this world.