What Indonesia taught three ISUFST future teachers

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There are exchanges that end with certificates—and there are exchanges that quietly change how young teachers see people, purpose, and themselves. The SEA-Teacher journey found its meaning in three pre-service teachers from the Iloilo State University of Fisheries Science and Technology (ISUFST). From July 14–Aug. 8, 2025, Rojeal Castro of Dumangas Campus, Kathleen Hope Marte of the Main Campus–Tiwi Site, and Warren Villazana of Dingle Campus were deployed to Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara (UMSU) in Indonesia. They returned home quietly, carrying not gifts, but a new way of seeing shaped by distance and difference.

The SEA-Teacher Program, a project of SEAMEO (the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization), sends education students across Southeast Asia to teach in a neighboring country for several weeks. More than a study tour, it lets future teachers experience daily school life in another culture, helping them grow in skill, empathy, and regional understanding.

Before they ever became hosts, the three first learned what it meant to be vulnerable learners abroad. Indonesia placed them in classrooms where accents sounded unfamiliar, routines felt different, and rebuilding confidence daily was necessary. They quickly realized that teaching abroad was not just about content, but about listening closely, adjusting when needed, and leading with humility.

Learning to teach while being a stranger

In Indonesia, preparation met reality quickly. Lesson plans needed reworking. Instructions had to be simplified without losing meaning. Even classroom energy followed a different rhythm. The experience taught them that being academically capable did not automatically mean being culturally ready—and that good teaching often begins by observing rather than speaking.

For Kathleen Hope Marte, 21, a BPED student from ISUFST Main Campus–Tiwi Site, the experience changed her notion of belonging in a gentle way. The warmth of her Indonesian cooperating teachers and classmates helped ease her early worries. It reminded her that kindness does not need perfect English to be felt. That understanding now helps her assist students who are unsure of their standing.

Rojeal Castro, 22, a member of the University Student Council and a peer facilitator from ISUFST–Dumangas, learned that being aware of her feelings is just as important as knowing the material when teaching overseas. She learned that being a leader does not have to be loud when working in systems she did not know. She found it more often happens through calm planning, patience, and the willingness to ask questions when necessary. The experience did not overwhelm her—it clarified what it means to represent one’s university and country with integrity.

For Warren Villazana, 21, a BSEd mathematics major from ISUFST–Dingle Campus, Indonesia required discipline and adaptability. Math crossed borders easily; classrooms did not. What made teaching work was empathy, not technique. The experience strengthened his resolve to become a teacher who responds to context, not habit.

All three returned with a shared insight: International exposure does not inflate confidence—it refines it. In Indonesia, they learned to simplify lessons without diluting rigor, communicate ideas creatively, and remain calm when things did not go as planned. These were not abstract competencies, but daily survival skills that quietly matured their teaching identities.

From guests abroad to guides at home

Indonesia’s strongest lesson was emotional. Being guests showed them the comfort of welcome and the loneliness that follows when support is absent. They learned how small acts—guidance, patience, shared meals—can make an experience truly meaningful.

So when they returned to ISUFST in August 2025 and were later, in January 2026, asked to serve as student buddies to two inbound Indonesian interns, Nur Annisa “Icha” Putri and Adinda Sari from UMSU, the role did not feel like a new assignment. It felt like a continuation. Having once been the ones needing guidance, they understood instinctively how to offer it.

The symmetry was earned, not assigned. What followed was not a checklist of duties, but weeks of shared routines, cultural translation, laughter, patience, and quiet care. Internationalization unfolded not as performance, but as presence.

Kathleen’s motivation was deeply personal. “I wanted to give back the kindness I received when I was a SEA-Teacher Program Batch 10 intern in Indonesia,” she said. Memory mattered more than recognition. She knew how disorienting it felt to be new—and how powerful it was when someone chose to walk beside you.

Rojeal approached the role with steadiness. She cooked meals, explained the little things, and talked late into the night. Ati-Atihan and Dinagyang made culture something they felt together.

When care becomes the curriculum

Warren’s role was grounded in responsibility and consistency. Staying with the interns at Balay Alumni, he ensured their safety and well-being—cooking, cleaning, accompanying them daily—while also supporting lesson preparation, teaching practice, and driving them to and from Mater Carmeli School. “My goal was simple,” he said. “To make sure they felt supported enough to focus on teaching.” It was a quiet form of leadership, built on reliability rather than visibility.

No orientation manual could fully prepare them for being cultural bridges. Language barriers surfaced, but they did not stop learning. Gestures, simple words, translation apps, and patience carried conversations forward. Food became a shared language. Time softened awkwardness. What united the three was not efficiency, but empathy. The interns did not feel supervised; they felt accompanied.

The learning flowed both ways. With support in daily life and academics, Icha and Adinda found space to focus on teaching. They noticed how Filipino students spoke confidently, even when unsure, and adjusted their lessons accordingly. In return, the ISUFST student buddies deepened their own teaching identities. Kathleen grew in patience and adaptability. Rojeal learned to lead through service. Warren strengthened his confidence in working with diverse learners.

ISUFST’s role in this quiet transformation was unmistakable. The university provided guidance, flexibility, housing, food, and supervision—often in ways that felt more familial than procedural. Faculty members excused student buddies from overlapping duties. Coordinators checked in regularly. Care was intentional, not incidental.

Gratitude came easily. Rojeal thanked University President Dr. Nordy D. Siason Jr. for sustained support, Dr. Jeanette Bayona for safeguarding student welfare, and Dr. Rene T. Estomo for guiding the journey from Indonesia back to Iloilo. Warren echoed the thanks, extending appreciation to Mater Carmeli School’s teachers, campus nurses, and fellow buddies. Kathleen thanked ISUFST itself—for choosing connection over convenience.

These moments reflect ISUFST’s mission in action: forming globally competitive graduates while nurturing empathy, service, and shared growth. This exchange also aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities)—not through declarations, but through daily acts of care.

When asked if they would do it again, all three answered yes—without hesitation. They spoke not of resumes or credentials, but of people. Of meals shared. Of classrooms navigated together. Of learning that happened because someone chose patience over speed.

This is what internationalization looks like when it has a heartbeat. And when the Indonesian interns finally left Iloilo on Feb. 4, 2026, they did not leave empty-handed. Neither did the three ISUFST interns who once went to Indonesia and came home ready—not just to teach, but to understand. (PAMMCO)