It's been five weeks since I accepted an offer from the US embassy in Jakarta to become an English Language Fellow at an institute in Palembang on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, starting in late August and continuing for ten months.Since then I've been absorbing lots of information sent by the office of the Regional English Language Officer in Jakarta, a bit from the English director at the school where I'll be teaching, and much more that I've found on my own via the internet.

Briefly, I'll be one of 13 ELFs scattered all around Indonesia, including two who are renewing for a second year.At my school, IAIN Raden Fatah, there is an English education program for future teachers in which I'll teach 6 hours a week, and a language center ( Arabic and English ) whereI will teach courses to faculty for 6 hours a week.I'm slotted for another 6 hours a week of TEFL workshops, other teachertraining, and 'consultation' with faculty and students, and will spend several more hours meeting with the Speaking Club, mentoring 1-2 studentsenrolled in the AEI's Online Teacher Ed program, and studying bahasa Indonesia.Besides what I do at the school, I expect to help out with the local branch of the ACCESS Microscholarship Program for teens to learn English, and get involved with a local English Library run by a retired American couple, where students at all levels who need help with English, or just like to speak English, hang out.On a monthly or irregular basis I'll be doing other presentations about US holidays, etc. In their request for an ELF, the school's goals included a complete 'restructuring' of their English program, which is just 3 years old.Not surprisingly, I don't expect to spend much if any time just sitting around trying to think of something useful or interesting to do.Oh, and I've already submitted a workshop proposal for the November TEFLIN Conference on Java.

The fall semester will begin soon after I arrive and run through December. Most of January should be 'break time' except for an ELF conference in mid-January.The spring term runs till June 30, when I leave.I don't know yet how many opportunities I'll have to travel around Indonesia during the 10 months.If not during, then after, for sure.

I've also learned that I will be offered my choice of two furnished houses each 20-30 minutes from the school by minibus, with AC in one bedroom at least.I'll choose after seeing them.I have a few photos; both look fine to me.

Palembang is an industrial/commercial city of over a million, far from being a tourist mecca though it seems a few interesting weekend trips in the region are possible.On the bright side, it won't offer many tempting distractions from work, which after all is why I'm going.I'll be challenged to find many interesting subjects for picture-taking locally, I expect.Lots of 'interesting' if often pungent culinary opportunities, it seems; I expect I'll mostly stick with tropical fruits, fish, and tempeh/tofu along with the countless popular combinations of rice + other things. .I do most of my own cooking so I'll be getting to know the local food markets ASAP.

The weather there is hot and muggy all year.During the Oct-March rainy season it rains a lot, and very hard; the 'dry season' is only relatively dry.Further north and west on Sumatra there was a catastrophic earthquake last year but it does not seem to have hurt Palembang.Internet access is sporadic and limited, but usually OK for email at least. There are a few internet 'hotspots' around the city. And I will finally be forced to end my boycott of cell phones; I knew I couldn't hold out forever.

I'm struggling daily to memorize basic vocabulary in bahasa Indonesia, though I've also learned that the people there mostly speak a different local language which I'll just have to figure out once I'm there.