Pandaan Two

This time, unlike the previous training, the audience was picked selectively. All of them were nominated by their local lurah and no one came from an established school where English is an integrated subject. This method of selection has its own downside, though. Almost none of them spoke English. Their comprehension level is, hmmm, very low. But you know, it's alright. They're the ones who DO need the knowledge desperately. They're thirsty for the techniques. And so, I felt needed more than ever before.

The sessions were then conducted in full bahasa and I had to translate every word presented in my power point slides. It was my turn only after 2 sessions with my teammate and I had to continue the rest of the part until the last day. Compared to their colleagues from Kerawang, Bekasi and Tangerang, their spirit of sharing was quite low. Only some were willing to demonstrate their skills/ techniques. Later I found out that even though they have their seemingly extroverted personalities, they're reluctant to work or be known as individuals. They love doing things in groups.

Oh yeah, did I say extroverted? They do like to have fun, chat with each other about ANYTHING. Their tones are fun to listen to and I found myself laugh so loud (silently, of course) at the way they pronounce or choices of words. It's so refreshing. It's recharging in terms of my Javanese language acquisition. And it made me so happy.

Though they talk loudly and their choices of words are sometimes considered as rude, I enjoyed being with them. No pretensions. No faking. No formality that could make one choke. It's all genuine.

Before the end of the sessions, I had a chance to connect to the net (yes, it worked in Pandaan, too. Thanks to my mobi.) and showed them the websites that they can browse. At the end of the session I had an idea to present two CDs (because those are the number of empty CDs I brought with me at that time) to the most active participants. The content of the CD is 9 copies of children activity books in pdf format that I thought would be very useful to them. Besides, it's quite a saving since the cost of a book can be around Rp 300,000.

I showed them the websites that provide the series too just in case the others who didn't get the CD want to download the series. In a way, I encouraged them to have their own internet line and I asked them to save money to have their own line if their school cannot provide them with one. I know it's a tough chance. Their salary is around Rp 100,000 - Rp 150,000 and I don't know how they could live their life with only such amount. To motivate people when you know the situation is sometimes one of the hardest things to do as a trainer, don't you think so?