In Indonesia, it’s always a nice gesture to bring a little ‘Australiana’ gift for the various people you will meet during your program.
These needn’t be expensive, but even something little will go a long way and be greatly appreciated. I suggest participants consider different kinds of gifts for the different groups they will meet, including:
- Australian souvenirs for Atma Jaya student buddies and children you may meet through field visits (e.g. caps, t-shirts, stickers, colour pens, and soft toys such as little koalas);
- Some ‘nicer’ Australiana office souvenirs for your colleagues and/ or Host Organisation mentor (e.g. a nice pen set, nice coasters/ tea-towels, a nice 2017 ‘Australiana’ diary/ calendar, Australian mugs/ teapots, picture frames
For DSPP and/or JPP students’ field trips
We might be travelling to a small school that has been set up for refugee children living on the outskirts of Jakarta, about two hours away. This is a small not-for-profit school run by volunteers that relies on donations. In the past, ACICIS students have brought English-language classroom teaching resources for the school, and these have been gratefully received (e.g. English language learning resources, posters depicting Australian places/ culture, basic English books, etc.).
Again, these needn’t be expensive, but if you’re able to pick up one or two basic resources, this would make a wonderful donation to the school and help them develop their resources. The children range from ages 4 – 17.