Lembaga Pers Mu’allimin, Foreign Pals Community– A meaningful experience will always be etched in our minds, that’s how I felt when I went to Kampung Inggris in Pare, East Java. At that time, the first semester holiday had arrived. While others were busy enjoying their comfort and happiness, a question lingered in my mind, “Should I be like them, using my time to rest and have fun? Or should I use my time to seek new experiences?” It was from there that I thought of searching for a new experience while also improving my English.
The time came, and I went to Kampung Inggris, where I gained numerous experiences. Starting from the unique and enjoyable learning methods, I really liked how Kampung Inggris packaged their learning, not only making the audience happy but also providing a wealth of knowledge. Here, I was surprised by their devotion. I used to think that there were not many places like my boarding school, Madrasah Mu’allimin Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta, which had a diligent and fervent religious practice. However, it shattered my preconceived notion; there was an institution that didn’t use an Islamic name but had a strong religious culture. While others were busy with worldly affairs, there were still people here who were diligent in worship and prayer, even without such classy naming.
Moving on to how they teach, they don’t just focus on a small box called classroom; they are creative in creating learning methods outside the classroom, making us never get bored with the places they took us to, such as the beauty of the forest, river, and garden they have. This made learning enjoyable, and the teachers here don’t teach like most teachers in the classroom, focusing on all of us. Specifically for high school students, at that time there was something called IELTS learning, a kind of test to be able to register abroad (who wouldn’t want to study abroad, right?). In my opinion, this is very worth it because here I truly learned IELTS in depth, covering Reading, Speaking, Listening, and Writing – everything we obtained here. However, my only regret here is the short duration of our stay. Disclaimer: I was only here for about a week, so I didn’t feel the vibe too much. Still, I sometimes felt how the vibe here is, starting from always having conversations in English, even with a snack seller who also used English.
Therefore, in my view, this becomes a valuable experience that if I could do it again, I would definitely repeat it. And if I could come back, I would definitely come back here.
By: Kemal Athallah Putra Jen (Chairman of Foreign Pals Community 2023/2024) Editor: Danu Rahman Wibowo
