Blogs

May 03 2024

This year's Chicago to Amish Country course has 21 students, and they are gearing up for their trip to Chicago, May 5 to 9. Destinations include: Chicago's Little India, Pilsen and the National Museum of Mexican Art, the Swedish American…

May 03 2024

Our Summer SST Ecuador group arrived this May 1. We are all very excited to start this new term! Bienvenidos a Casa, chicos! One of the first actives of orientation was a group discussion about expectations, hopes, and how to...

May 03 2024

All 23 London students arrived safe and sound (if a bit sleepy) yesterday morning around 10am British Summer Time. I (Peter) met them at the airport, and we took a bus (“coach”) into city center. Our lodgings are at St...

Apr 10 2024

By Mackenzie M. During my life, I’ve attended protests and marches for various causes, all relating to human rights in some way. Because of this, I’ve come to appreciate and enjoy using my voice in this way to show support...

Apr 08 2024

Students are now on their way either home or to new adventures, and it feels a little unreal that 2024 Indonesian SST is over.  We spent this last weekend with a mix of activities.  We toured a Hindu temple and...

Apr 07 2024

Cleaning overgrown senderos and planting trees in the rural towns surrounding Cotacachi has been the work that Naomi Klassen and I have started on service. Oftentimes at the beginning of a work day, we know very little of what the...

Apr 03 2024

Today’s post is written by Gavin Johnson, who is serving in Ungaran.  He writes about revisiting our study setting in Yogyakarta. Study term was so much fun, from the language class and malls to the trips and the city of...

Apr 02 2024

Today’s post was written by Jacob Stoltzfus, who is serving in Melolo, Sumba, an island in the eastern part of Indonesia. During the service portion of my SST, I was assigned to the Love Sumba organization stationed in Melolo, East...

Apr 02 2024

Today’s post was written by Carlos Lichty, who is doing his service at the Laboratory Middle School at Satya Wacana University in Salatiga. For my service assignment, I was placed at a local Christian Middle School named UKSW SMP here...

Apr 02 2024

Today’s post was written by Lindsey Daniels, who is serving with Wijna, a community organization in Salatiga.   As we were coming up to our 10th week of SST, Carlos, Camila, and I decided that we wanted to explore a...

Apr 01 2024

This is our first student produced blog post, which is a poem. In the next couple of days, we will be adding more students’ reflections and images. Falling: A Poem first stop tell me what you see before i tell...

Mar 29 2024

Today’s post is written by Peri Mast-Hochstedler.  They are serving at Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana Laboratory High School in Salatiga. During my time in Saltiga, I have had the pleasure of observing classes and teaching English at the Satya Wacana...

Mar 25 2024

Today’s post is written Camila Perez-Diener.  She is serving in the Satya Wacana Laboratory Elementary School in Salatiga, Central Java. I entered my service term expecting to assist the English teachers with their classes and maybe work in the library...

Mar 25 2024

Today’s post is written by Evan King, who is doing his service in Yogyakarta. During service, I have not been given as much opportunity to interact with my host family because, during the week, I am living at Bumi Cendekia,...

Mar 24 2024

Today’s blog is written by Jonathan Weaver, who is doing his service on the island of Sumba. I have been living with my host family in Sumba for close to four weeks now. During this time I have continued to...

Mar 24 2024

Today’s post is written by Johanna Morford-Oberst, who is doing her service at UNDANA university in Kupang, Timor. On Tuesday, March 5th, Pak Dr. Niko, my supervisor, took Brenton, my service partner, and I to Susteran Alma Orphanage. This is...

Mar 19 2024

This blog post was written by Johanna Morford-Oberst, who is serving at Undana University in the city of Kupang on the island of Timor in eastern Indonesia. On Tuesday, March 5th, Pak Dr. Niko, my supervisor, took Brenton, my service...

Mar 19 2024

Today’s blog is written by Evan King, a junior who is doing his service in Yogyakarta in an Islamic boarding school. During service, I have not been given much opportunity to interact with my host family because, during the week,...

Mar 14 2024

Each Study Service Term culminates in six weeks of service engagement with local organizations throughout the host country (casually referred to as “Service”). After the initial six weeks of cultural and academic study, the shift in location and purpose opens...

Mar 12 2024

Today’s post was written by Brenton Pham.  He is currently doing his service portion in Kupang on the island of Timor. It just so happened that, in the first week of service, the University Nusa Cendana in Kupang would be...

Mar 11 2024

I honor Anne Frank this Women’s History Month because hearing her voice speak across the decades through her house-turned-museum woke me up to the power of girls. My experience in those upstairs rooms made me see not only the world…

Feb 26 2024

Friends, I have never led SST before, so I do not know how unusual our experience in Yogyakarta was, but I have been astounded at every turn with the kindness and generosity of our host families, our teachers, the international...

Feb 26 2024

To the east of Yogya is the Hindu temple of Prambanan and to the northwest of Yogya is the Buddhist temple of Borobudur.  Borobudur is slightly older (build in 8th Century, while Prambanan was built in the 9th Century; both...

Feb 25 2024

Friends, I will first confess that I am behind on blogging, but I fully intend to catch up in the next 24 hours.  Watch for blogs on our visits to Prambanan and Borobudur Temples, as well as our final farewell...