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Ruminations by John McGlynn: P-4 + 4-H
Anyone who knows anything about Indonesia knows that Pancasila is the nation’s official ideology, the five principles of which include belief in God, a just and civilized humanity, national unity, democracy, and social justice. Anyone who knows anything about...
Ruminations by John McGlynn: Dismay This May (or “Home”)
The Idul Fitri holidays are now past but with millions of Indonesians unable to mudik—to go home for the holidays—because of Covid-19, there was much dismay this May in Indonesia (and much of the rest of the world) this year. This year’s Idul Fitri holidays were,...
Ruminations by John McGlynn: Not a Finite Commodity
It’s hot in Jakarta today with the noontime temperature around 32 Celsius and, what with everyone ordered to stay within the confines of their homes due to the Covid-19 virus running amok worldwide, it appears from media reports that this situation has given rise to...
Greetings from the Executive Director: February 2020
First-time visitors to Indonesia, who take the trouble to study Indonesian at language centers in Yogyakarta and elsewhere, often find themselves befuddled when they get the chance to test their newly-acquired language skills. To their dismay, what they have learned...
Greetings from the Executive Director: January 2020
Nadiem Makarim, Minister of Education and Culture, seems to take pleasure in shocking fellow Indonesians, particularly conservative-minded parents and educators with his out-of-the-box suggestions on altering and improving current schooling and learning methods. At...
Greetings from the Executive Director: November 2019
Storytelling has come a long way since the bygone days when people – young and old – used to sit around a venerable figure under a big banyan tree and listen rapturously to exciting tales of heroism, adventure and mystery. Oral storytelling was and remains in a few...