I can say that my internship journey as an exchange student in Indonesia has been very fruitful. My eyes were opened to different cultures, beliefs and tradition and it gave me a wider perspective about the different teaching and educational systems that each country has. I have learned many things that I can bring as I become a teacher someday. This is an unforgettable experience. I will always cherish the times I had with my students and teachers in Indonesia. I am very grateful for SEAMEO for giving us this opportunity to experience all of this.
Having my student teaching practicum in a foreign country has helped me to grow and mature in my beliefs, behavior and competence and that it helps me adapt to the possibility that in the future our world may be very different, possibly characterized by fading borders or even becoming borderless. It also ushered me to understand the culture of Indonesia in a more constructive way, and my experiences abroad had influenced my interactions with people from other cultures on my return home. I really felt that the rich cultural experiences have enhanced and extended my professional and personal development and gave me a confidence to work with a range of ethnically and culturally diverse learners in my subsequent teaching posts on my return to my home country which is the Philippines. It also gave me opportunity to observe and work in an educational system which was often very different from those I had previously experienced.