Something Really Cool That Is Going To Happen Sometime

The question I get asked most often about my impending trip, besides "are you excited," which I already covered, is "do you speak Indonesian."

This question is actually two questions, because it's asked with an uncertainty that indicates I'm also to answer the question of whether or not Indonesian is a language, which it is.  As far as I can tell from trying to read it, Indonesian is a mix of several languages.  Many nouns in Indonesian look to be English-influenced, although most words are nothing like English, and all the spellings look Dutch.  I could just look all this information up, but I did have some linguistics in college, and I feel like it will be more fun to try figuring it out for myself.

I do not speak Indonesian.  This seems to worry the people I know more than it worries me.  Part of that is likely because I don't do worry.  The rest is because people seem to think that I will be essentially unable to teach due to the language barrier.  I do not believe this to be the case, for a number of reasons.  The first is that the school has hired other Americans to teach English before, and because they hired me with the knowledge that I do not speak Indonesian, and that you can't learn a language in a month.  I would guess that the intent is for me to teach older kids who already know some English.

Beyond that, I know that I will have teacher aids assisting me.  I know that the school has three native Indonesians already teaching English.  I do plan on picking up Indonesian while I'm there, and I know that I was fairly good at languages back when I was learning French.  Most of that time, I had the aid of an above-average memory, but when I at my very best, I didn't.  I suspect I will figure out a system that works for communicating with my students.

I think the bigger adjustment for me will be how much authority I have in my new position.  Right now, I'm a substitute teacher, which makes me management in name only.  I don't have keys or detention slips or even an official name badge.  I lack all the tangible instruments and trappings of authority.  I generally have to persuade students to do things, rather than just telling them to.  I have to get by with charisma and very occasional intimidation.  I'm going straight from that to being in charge of teacher's aids and (or so I'm told) the three other English teachers, which means actually being somebody's boss.  I don't know exactly what being the head of the English department at a trilingual Indonesian school entails, but I doubt it involves a whole lot of convincing students to take notes on Mythbusters videos instead of snapchatting, using only my wits and charming personality.  I suspect there are easier ways for the person in the former position to get things done, and I wonder how long it will take me to figure those out.

I also wonder if the additional authority will turn me into a jerk, or into a bigger jerk than I am now.