Life is a journey, not a destination

“Life is a journey, not a destination.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hello, my name is Moniqua.

My time in Malang, Indonesia, has been a testament to the above quote. I had not planned on this stop in my journey, but I would have regretted missing out on this experience. I left the US hoping to revitalise my passion for education, and my hopes were fulfilled. Not only that, but I also believe my first year was a year of healing. There is something about coming to a place where everything is unfamiliar that allows you to explore even the unknown or overlooked passions within yourself. I had been hiking in the past, but visiting Bromo, Tumpak Sewu, Mount Ijen, Coban Pelangi, and various places on Flores Island in Labuan Bajo further inspired my hiker’s heart. I began cycling again and enjoyed the curiosity of the locals at “bule” sightings. The kindness found on each cycling adventure motivated me to keep exploring this beautiful and, at one time, absolutely unknown place to me. Now, Malang feels very much like a home away from home.

I was also blessed to have wonderful housemates who encouraged me to see all that is beautiful here, even in moments of missing the familiar beauties of home. They became lifelong friends quickly, like long lost sisters. We have even made plans for reunions in various destinations to continue exploring together. This was just the community experience within the English 1 house. I found an even greater blessing in the community I was able to form within the city. For my first birthday in Malang, I gifted myself piano lessons, a healthy meal plan, and a personal trainer. This gave me an Indonesian Ibu, or mother figure, in my piano teacher, my first Christian church family, increased motivation to lose weight, as I have lost over 20 kg in my year and a half here so far, and a greater appreciation for the Indonesian interpretation of different healthy international foods.

My first church family tried with great enthusiasm to help me learn both Indonesian and Javanese, but I am only fairly confident with two words of the latter: “Mongo”, which can mean “excuse me”, “pardon me”, “you may pass”, “see you later”, and more depending on context, and “Maternuwun”, meaning “thank you”.

Indonesian practice has been a bit easier, at least within the contexts of food and shopping. My favourite Indonesian word is belum, meaning not yet. This word helps remind me to enjoy and celebrate my second year here well, which I have named my year of clarity. Remembering that I came to rejuvenate my joy of teaching, I now have a clearer path forward for what comes next along this journey.

Work life

I was fascinated to learn how literacy is taught in Indonesia. As a fifth grade Reading Language Arts teacher, I had ideas that were heavily based on learning through reading different genres from various authors. It took some adjustment to accept that leisure reading, or any reading outside of textbooks, is very rare for students here. This both challenged and excited me. I enjoyed bringing storytelling and writing into the classroom. Role play activities were particularly effective in developing speaking and listening skills. Some students truly enjoyed getting into character. Others were more hesitant, but many gained confidence through storytelling practice.

Student behaviour has been very mild compared to my experience teaching in the States, but I still began each new class by setting expectations for how we would interact. This took age and language ability into consideration. With Small Stars up to around HFE, this mainly involved restating the three rules set by English 1, which are to speak English, listen to the teacher, and be kind. Expectations for older students required more explanation. While the goal is to speak English all the time, students are encouraged to ask peers for help when unsure of an English word in Bahasa Indonesia. In urgent situations, we consult Google together.

Listening is expected not only when the teacher is speaking, but whenever anyone has the floor. I emphasise that this is an opportunity to learn from peers, who may use vocabulary or expressions that support understanding in different ways. In this environment, we are all learners. Finally, we move beyond simply being kind to showing respect. Drawing from my experience as a camp counsellor and director, I ask students to consider respect in three areas: ourselves, our neighbours, and our surroundings.

Respecting ourselves means remembering our purpose for being in class and prioritising it over distractions. I also encourage students to advocate for themselves by asking for repetition, definitions, or spelling when needed. This is a high level of self-respect and ensures they get the most from the class. Respecting others involves understanding the motivations and perspectives of classmates and teachers. Respect for our surroundings includes practical actions such as throwing away rubbish, not intentionally damaging property, and writing only on appropriate surfaces.

This process can take time in the first meeting and should be reinforced as needed. I remind students that these agreements are made at the beginning and are upheld throughout the course. I also build relationships by starting each class with check ins. I ask how they are feeling, how their day has been, and what made it good or challenging. This adds a conversational element that students appreciate, even when they experience productive struggle distinguishing between emotions and daily experiences. If students mention competitions or events, I make an effort to remember and follow up the next time we meet.

I believe this foundation supports everything else students learn at English 1. We cover vocabulary, grammar, speaking, and listening, but without first establishing a supportive environment, classroom management becomes difficult. The introductory phase of each course helps gain student commitment and shows that learning is most effective when they invest in their own growth. Not every student responds positively, and some express disinterest openly. I try not to react with negativity, instead choosing to build relationships through these moments. I have not been perfect, but I believe I have grown stronger as an educator with every challenge along this journey.

In summary, beyond hoping to love teaching again, I arrived with very few expectations or goals. I allowed this opportunity and adventure to draw more from me than I could have imagined. I did my best to keep an open mind, a soft heart, and a desire to understand more than to be understood. From this came healing, clarity, hope, and joy.