Bali & Beyond ~ 2007-08

Matt's Photo Album

The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship program for international educational exchange. Founded in 1945 and administered by the State Department, the Fulbright Program aims to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries. Approximately 1400 Fulbright Scholarships are awarded annually based on academic merit and leadership potential. Including Matt, three Coker students have been awarded Fulbright Scholarships since 2001. The other two are Maggie Meyer '08, who is going to Malaysia in 2009, and Vicki Cunningham '01 who taught in Spain.

Matthew Ferguson ‘07 was a awarded a Fulbright Scholarship last year to teach English in Denpasar, Bali. It was Matt's first trip outside the United States. He came back to campus recently and sat down with Shannon Townley ’09 to talk about his experiences.

What did you do in Bali?

I taught about 20 hours a week at one of the top schools in the area. A few weeks into my stay, I established teacher workshops for training in more advanced English and basic psychology. I also volunteered at an orphanage. Luckily I was very fortunate and traveled at least once a month, sometimes two or three times a month. After Christmas I spent a few days in Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and Bangkok. Of course, I also explored almost all of Indonesia, doing anything from camping in a rainforest to scuba diving.

Describe your typical day.

Classes started at 7:30 a.m. and I would teach until about 12:00 p.m. Then I would host lunch workshops with the other teachers, generally being finished by 2:00 p.m. After that I would drive my motor bike to the beach—only about a 15 minute drive—and watch the sun set.

What challenges did you face?

Food especially — lack there of, lack of liking it, lack of choices. Language was at first an obstacle. Most of what I picked up was from my students, ages 15-16, and the other English teachers.

I had to buy sunglasses at least once a week, because monkeys would always steal them — literally. The first pair I wore were Burberrys, a graduation present, that were stolen and cracked by a monkey within the first week.

I had to actually wear sarong...which is a dress-like wrap. It's a traditional dress of Indonesian culture and I would wear it once a month for a full-moon ceremony.