Day 3: Friday, October 11, 2024

 Welcoming Ceremony of SEA Teacher Batch 10 from UNSRI

We woke up earlier than usual because we wanted to perform our morning prayer. After that, we prepared our breakfast, which was sardines. We then took a shower and got ready for an important event that day: our welcoming ceremony, followed by a general lecture delivered by our Vice Dean from Sriwijaya University, Dr. Rita Inderawati, M.Pd.

Before attending the event, Kinan, Rama, and I went to Prince Hotel to meet Dr. Rita and collect the banner for the ceremony. We walked there, and it took approximately 12–15 minutes. Although it was quite a long walk, we enjoyed the journey while exploring the surroundings of Manila. After getting the banner, we returned to our dormitory at Santa Isabel to prepare ourselves for the event.

For this special occasion, we brought traditional clothes from Palembang. I was especially excited because I wore a handmade traditional outfit that I had prepared myself. I was really amazed by how beautiful the cloth turned out. While preparing, Kinan and I helped each other with our makeup and traditional outfits. Mine was a red and gold outfit, while my other friends also started preparing their own traditional clothes. The girls wore baju kurung and songket, while the boys wore tanjak, representing our Indonesian culture, especially from Palembang.

After getting ready, PNU students picked us up and we went to PNU on foot. We arrived quite early, at around 11 AM, even though the event was scheduled to start at 1 PM. While waiting, we practiced our group performance by rehearsing the song we would perform later. At around 12 PM, we had lunch together, which had been prepared by PNU.

At almost 1 PM, we went to one of the halls at PNU, where many PNU students had gathered. Wearing our traditional clothes made us feel like the center of attention because many students were interested in our cultural outfits. Although the event started later than scheduled, at around 2 PM, it was still an exciting and meaningful experience.

The welcoming ceremony began with a tongue twister challenge involving both Filipino and Indonesian participants. After that, we enjoyed several performances from PNU students. We were touched when they performed Indonesian songs, such as Indonesia Raya and Burung Kakatua, as a form of appreciation for our country. In return, we performed Indonesia Pusaka to introduce our own culture to them. We felt truly welcomed and appreciated by the PNU students throughout the event.

Following the cultural performances, Dr. Rita delivered a general lecture about international podcasts as a way to enhance 21st-century skills. The participants showed great enthusiasm by actively asking questions and engaging in discussions about the topic. This interaction made the session more meaningful and showed their curiosity toward new ideas.

After the lecture, we took several photos together to capture the memorable moment. The PNU lecturers also kindly gave us bread and mango juice as refreshments. After the event ended, we returned to our dormitory to prepare our belongings because Dr. Rita invited us, especially the girls, to stay in her hotel room that night. We were very grateful for this opportunity and appreciated her kindness.

We first went to the hotel to put our belongings there. After that, we went to SM Mall again to have dinner at KFC and accompany Dr. Rita in buying some souvenirs from the Philippines before her return to Indonesia in the following days. During our shopping time, we also bought couple of T-shirts and hats that we planned to wear during our activities in the Philippines.

When the mall was about to close, we returned to the hotel, cleaned ourselves, and spent some time talking with our friends before finally going to sleep. It was a meaningful day filled with cultural exchange, new experiences, and warm interactions with the PNU community.