The class meets once a week, scheduled from 7:00-9:30 a.m. on Fridays. (No classes meet between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. on Fridays, a break to allow Muslim students, staff, and faculty to attend mid-day prayers at the on-campus mosque, if they wish.) The students are mostly in their second semester at Ubaya, enrolled in one of the three tracks offered by the Economics College: accounting, management, or economics. Since there’s great variance in their English language proficiency and they are used to being taught in Indonesian, their usual lecturer will accompany me to class and act as an interpreter. I’m responsible for Chapter 4 in the textbook, “The Price System and Elasticity.” It’s a solid plan and I’m eager to spend time with these 50 young people.
But the best laid plans…
Early in the week I am slated to teach introductory microeconomics, the usual professor tells me that she “may not” be able to attend the class with me but that she will be there “if her schedule is open.” I’ve been in Surabaya long enough to know that this is her way of telling me that I’m on my own and she won’t be there to interpret. It’s time to formulate Plan B. I’ve figured out enough about the teaching culture to realize that since she’s taught this course before she almost certainly has a PowerPoint file already prepared covering the material for Chapter 4. I ask if it would be possible for me to have a copy and she readily supplies it.
I spend roughly 20 hours translating the slides from Indonesian to English, for my own peace of mind. It also proves to be a great way to pick up some Indonesian vocabulary related to economics. Little do I know how glad I will be that I took time to do this.
[A short sidenote on economics vocabulary. Demand is “permintaan”. This makes sense since “minta” is “request”. I learn that “perubahan” is “change in” and supply is “penawaran”. Fortunately, some words are the same as or close to their English equivalents: slope and elasticitas, for example.]
Come Thursday I’m back to feeling good about my class preparation. I’ll teach in English and use the Indonesian PowerPoint slides to help orient the students as I go along. No problem-lah!
Friday morning I’m at Ubaya by 6:15 after a half-hour cab ride. It’s hot and sticky (upper 80’s for temperature and humidity both) but it hasn’t rained –yet. I stop by the central office to pick up the key for the computer cabinet and the “presention” papers, attendance forms for me and the students to sign. The class meets on the fourth floor of one of the academic buildings and I’m feeling lazy so I proceed to the elevator and push the “” button.
Nothing happens.
No whirring, no doors opening, no bell.
Uh-oh. Maybe when the sweet, helpful, elderly gentlemen at the central office told me I didn’t need the computer key because “lampu matih” (light dead) he didn’t just mean the bulb for the LCD projector. I traipse upstairs and, already beginning to “glow” from perspiration, my hunch is confirmed: no electricity. Time to improvise Plan C.
To make this long story slightly shorter, let me just say that I rose to this challenge. I taught in English sprinkled with my newly acquired Indonesian economics vocabulary, wrote on white boards a mixture of math, English, and Indonesian, and tried to ignore the fanning and brow-mopping of the students and the rivulets of sweat running down my own arms underneath my culturally-appropriate long-sleeved blouse.
Afterward I felt both exhausted and exhilarated from stepping up and performing well in such an unfamiliar and unexpected environment. It’s been a while since I felt such a sense of achievement from one class meeting.
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