Beginnings of my Journey

The journey began when I was 14 or 15...and I have not looked back!

On that first journey to Indonesia...something touched my heart or possibly even stole a small part of my heart...something reached into my soul and I still continue to search for more knowledge and deeper understandings about the Indonesian language, culture, traditions and The Arts.


That first trip made me so determined to learn and understand more...that it led me to study the Indonesian language as my major for four years at university whilst completing a Bachelor of Teaching and a Bachelor of Education. That formal education was still only the beginning stages of my journey.

I then went to live and work in Semarang, Central Java, where I taught English at 'Universitas Katolik Soegijapranata' and also completed a private intensive language and culture course.

During this extended stay in Java...I had the opportunity to travel extensively throughout many islands ( obviously Java - west, central and east, Sumatra from Lampung to Medan - it was impossible to cross the border in to Aceh at that time, Sulawesi - including a small island that tourists weren't allowed to enter, Bali for the umpteeth time, Lombok and the Gili Islands) gaining a deeper fascination for the contrast of cultures and the diversity of the Indonesian people and their languages, customs and beliefs.

This only lead me to delve even deeper into the weird and wonderful world of Indonesia, and the need to learn more and more...finally erupted!!! I knew that I would have a deep connection with Indonesia throughout the rest of my life. It is a passion from deep within...that I can not explain.

Since that time of living in Semarang, although I had long stints of living back in Melbourne, I travelled to Indonesia once or twice every year to continue my journey of learning. In 2007 things changed dramatically in my life and I made the decision to leave the rat race of life in Melbourne...I took off to Indonesia and lived on Gili Trawangan for over 6 months...just absorbing quiet village life and the ins and outs of the locals. I lived in a small room with no TV, no radio, no newspapers and very rarely any electricity! The only contact I had with the outside world was my mobile phone and that was only to contact my parents to let them know I was okay. That period was a learning curb for me in many ways. After that I travelled quite extensively through Lombok. I then returned to Melbourne for a short time but I was longing to be back in Indonesia - a constant pull of being caught between two shores (that was what my life had become) so in 2008 I moved to Bali and lived and worked in Bali for an extended period of time, working at Sekolah Lentera Kasih in Kerobokan, teaching grade 4/5. This was also a very interesting experience - but I'm not going to reflect on these past experiences - I want to move forward.

In 2009 I moved back to Melbourne to be with my family at a difficult time and I am now living and working back in Melbourne and for the first time in a very long time - I feel settled here and I feel at home, although my longings to be in Indonesia are still with me...those feelings will always be with me. 

I am currently working as Indonesian Language Advisor for the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (this was between 2009 - 2013), and I can finally put my strong passions for Indonesia into practical use - developing projects to promote and to support the teaching and learning of Indonesian. For now...I am happy here in Melbourne! In the future...who knows what the next journey will be...