[Doing Teaching Assistant Abroad – 10 Muharram in Thailand ]

Asistensi Mengajar (Teaching Assistantship) is one of the implementations of the Kampus Merdeka Program from the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education Indonesia. Nanik Nor Laila, an English Language Education student of Universitas Negeri Malang, was selected as one of the 19 students from the Faculty of Letters to join the program. This program was held in Karbi and Phuket on 27 July – 23 August 2022. The delegates stayed in the boarding school for about a month in this program. 

Asistensi Mengajar (AM Thailand) aims to develop students’ competencies as professional teachers in the future, provide students with experience in learning and managerial majors in schools to train and develop their skills and expertise according to their majors, then improve students’ ability to apply their knowledge and skills that have been mastered into real life. During this program, we learned about the education aspects, their culture, and how we adapt to it. 

   Gambar 1. Making ‘Asyura Porridge

                                             Gambar 2. Reciting about 10 Muharrams’ Lessons

On 11 August 2022, Duangkaew Islamic School held 10 Muharram activities, such as making ‘Asyura porridge and reciting the lesson of 10 Muharram with one of the muslim clerics there. This activity had similarities with the culture in Indonesia, but the porridge was unique for me, as it had special ingredients and shapes, too. When I tried to eat it, it also tasted different from porridge in Indonesia. On the other hand, I was so amazed by their teamwork because they cooked it in a big frying pan alternately; all teachers and students also participated in this activity. It was so exciting and warm. In the last part of the activities, we ate together and gave porridge to citizens around the school. I enjoyed the time spent in Thailand; although our languages were very different, they were so gracious and made me so comfortable.