Thank you very much with all my heart!

Six months have passed, or rather flew, and it's time to make a final report.
My experience has been outstanding in the village of Keji, work with teachers and children of MI Keji gave me a lot of emotions. Expectations were exceeded in some ways.
As for life in the village, of course I had to put aside all my background, my rhythm and my habits, and adapt quickly to new environment. The secret is flexibility, but it lacked the support of the people. Integration has not been difficult, I felt considered and appreciated very quickly, on both sides there was a mutual interest in knowing and open. Every morning around from home to school, so short distance as well as rich in characters and situations, there was a sort of ritual cycle, greetings and smiles with grandparents and children, and even if it was clear I was going to school, they always ask...where are you going? Have you already taken a shower? And day after day, question after question, the knowledge of the Indonesian language has improved and with it the content of our conversations.
As for my work at school, the language was the main problem early. Being in a class of children all new and trying to teach English..in English, which they have not yet mastered, involved a decreased concentration and a score of eyes staring into space!
But I will never forget the enthusiasm with which I felt welcomed by these children during the early days, their curiosity about a newly arrived foreigner, that they almost contending to get me to teach in their class. The first week was for my adaptation and served to break the ice, alongside the old English teacher who now is gone. Then it was easy to take off all fear, malice, and shyness, to make way for the initiative.
I start by saying that this was my first experience as a teacher, then with all my limits of course, I tried to understand what was the general English level of children, and so set a work plan to follow. At first I focused more on the fun, try group games which could give us fun together and at the same time begin to learn something. After a while it was perhaps time to begin to get serious, focusing on teaching. The school provides many useful and innovative tools, which in my imaginary of self-funded school in a small village in Indonesia, did not expect to find. Computers, Internet, video projector. So I tried a little of everything in addition to the classic book, unless I could find one that could capture their attention. English popular songs, educational cartoons, educational digital games.
What has been lacking for me was the continuity of work and frequency of lessons, which could maintain a high level of training of the children. I came in a period of constant interruptions, with exams and holidays. In terms of selfish, I was fortunate enough to have some time to turn this great country, and participate and share important moments for the community, such as during the Ramadhan. Also in the last, there was a very friendly and confidential relationship with the students, which made it difficult to recreate in the classroom the teacher-student relation, rather than a playmate. This was obviously one of my initial goals, but also presents the dark side of the moon. In this way, it was more difficult to require attention more participatory and involve working at home. Even being a volunteer temporary, they also know that I’m passing, and I can’t influence their final evaluations.
However, I also was pleased to make some extra activities. For example, after starting to train a group of students during the afternoon, I proposed a soccer tournament that involved other schools. This was immediately well received and carried out mainly through the efforts of school leaders and youth of the village. Also for the end of the school year, it has been realized many performances, I personally helped the staging of a story (Little Red Ridding Hood) and exposure of photo, made previously by children themselves on a specific theme, which has also included an exchange of photographs with an Italian school in Rome, in my neighborhood, with whom we made a small twinning, to have a constructive debate on a different reality, at the level of habit, culture and religion.
This comparison also provided a moment of live conversation on Skype, a free software for videocall, to give children the opportunity to speak face and face eachother, and train their English, in addition to become familiar with some aspects of ICT.
Finally I wanted to greet and thank the entire school making a small fundraiser with the help of my friends in Italy, who have supported us financially to buy many books, encyclopedias and DVDs that have enriched the school library and I hope can be enhanced by the interest of the children.
Posted in this blog page, probably it may appear that the work has been enormous. Actually six months here were not exhausting at all, I had much time for me and many funny and unique moment. But above all, none of what I wrote could be realized if back to me had not the support and encouragement by school manager and the other teachers, wonderful and available people, who were always ready to help if I needed, to suggest and give advice on what to do, to develop new ideas and encourage students to follow me, in addition to leave large spaces initiative.
So there is no other way to end these lines if not to thank everyone, without exception; to thank all the people of Keji and thank the school, students, teachers and managers, for helping me live my volunteer experience like my more intense adventure in my life, without making me suffer the absence of my family, my friends, my land.
Thank you very much with all my heart!

Marcello Viola