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This blog shares the experiences of Goshen College students during their Study-Service Term in Indonesia.
Over the semester, these students are living with host families, studying Bahasa Indonesian, and learning first-hand in one of the most culturally rich and diverse countries in the world — a place made up of thousands of islands and hundreds of distinct languages and traditions. Their time in Indonesia centers around the theme of peace and reconciliation, exploring how communities navigate cultural and religious diversity while engaging deeply with local partners. From urban study in Yogyakarta to service placements in rural areas, students are weaving together academic learning, language practice, and community-centered service. Through their reflections, readers are invited into the moments that have shaped this transformative journey across Indonesia’s vibrant landscapes and cultures.
This Indonesia 2026 Community Engaged Learning blog series was compiled and edited using excerpts from a photo essay assignment submitted by our students. We hope you enjoy these snapshots from the second half of SST. Kupang is home for three…
This Indonesia 2026 Community Engaged Learning blog series was compiled and edited using excerpts from a photo essay assignment submitted by our students. We hope you enjoy these snapshots from the second half of SST. Three of our students flew…
This Indonesia 2026 Community Engaged Learning blog series was compiled and edited using excerpts from a photo essay assignment submitted by our students. We hope you enjoy these snapshots from the second half of SST. One of our SSTers stayed…
This Indonesia 2026 Community Engaged Learning blog series was compiled and edited using excerpts from a photo essay assignment submitted by our students. We hope you enjoy these snapshots from the second half of SST. Salatiga is a small, compact…
This Indonesia 2026 Community Engaged Learning blog series was compiled and edited using excerpts from a photo essay assignment submitted by our students. We hope you enjoy these snapshots from the second half of SST. Semarang is a coastal city…
At our farewell party on Friday, host families, teachers, language buddies, university administrators, coordinators and friends of the Indonesia SST program gathered at UKDW for a program put together by our amazing students. The students sang, played guess-who games, and…
We shifted into this transition week by celebrating Lunar New Year, Lent, and the start of Ramadan. It felt fitting that so many people in Yogyakarta are marking a transition into a new season while our SSTers begin their preparations…
Our last group hurrah during Study Term was visiting Borobudur Temple at sunrise. We woke up at 4:00 am, climbed a small hill to a lookout point, and were rewarded with this view: We toured the exquisite, ancient Buddhist temple,…
This week our Indonesia SSTers were broken up into 4 groups and given a topic and location to investigate. The assignment was designed to build independent research skills and dive deeper into one of our four Study Term themes: Indonesian…
Since our arrival at the beginning of January, the whole group has been taking gamelan lessons each week with Pak Sigit and a team of capable (and patient!) instructors. The students each chose one of the many percussion instruments that…
This week our academic theme is Indonesian Arts. Of course we have been experiencing all kinds of beauty, music and culture each day since we arrived on the island, but this week we are paying specific attention to a few…
During environment week we spent 3 days in the village of Pedak-Gower, in Pati, five hours northeast of Yogyakarta. MDSI (Mennonite Diakonia Service Indonesia) hosted us and invited a number of local religious leaders, farmers, and leaders of Javanese cultural…
Our academic theme for week 3 is Environment. This week we learned about Indonesia’s incredible biodiversity by reading articles and stories, hearing lectures from experts, visiting and learning from people who live along the Code river in Yogyakarta, and touring…
Our SSTers learned to make their own lunch! Nasi Goreng, Indonesia’s classic everyday meal, is a basic fried rice recipe with many variations. Usually containing flavors of shallots, garlic, chili (made as spicy as you like it!), some kind of…
A major highlight of our trip so far was visiting the famous Prambanan, a UNESCO world heritage site and the largest Hindu temple in Indonesia. We toured the temple complex, and climbed many stairs to greet the Hindu pantheon of…
The academic theme for our second week of Study is Religion in Indonesia. Indonesia’s 17,000 islands contain incredibly diverse expressions of culture and faith. While there are 6 nationally recognized religions here (Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism), we…
Our academic theme for Week 1 has been Indonesian History & Politics. We heard two lecturers on this theme, visited the Kraton (Palace and home of Yogyakarta’s Sultan), read historical sources and listened to an audiobook overviewing Indonesia’s dynamic history.…
Daily life on SST provides incredibly rich learning experiences, from living with host families to simply experiencing waking up in a new culture each day. But the learning doesn’t stop there. Students also attend language class each afternoon, hear lectures…
On SST Indonesia ’26, students spent their first few days getting to know Yogyakarta: learning to use various transportation systems, trying new foods, exploring new places, and getting acquainted with the universities where they will learn from lecturers and language…
On Monday evening, 11 host families gathered at Rumah Goshen to meet the SSTers who will be living with them for the next 6 weeks. SST leaders Luke and Janie Beck Kreider hosted the event, and students expressed their gratitude…
On Friday afternoon, January 9, after over 30 hours of travel, all 11 students arrived together on Java. Getting to Yogyakarta, our Study Term home base for 6 weeks, involved multiple flights, trains, cars, and taxis. We are settling in,…
We are Luke Kreider, Ph.D., and Janie Beck Kreider (M.Div., R.N.), and we are excited to lead the spring 2026 Indonesia SST unit. I teach religion, ethics and sustainability at Goshen College, and Janie is a nurse at Goshen Hospital…
Dr. John Mischler, associate professor of sustainability and environmental education, has recently been honored with a Fulbright fellowship.
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...
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