Kalada Nemieboka

What Kalada will be doing:

"Words cannot express how excited I am to be going to Indonesia in the Fall! It is still very surreal to me that I will be spending almost a year as a Fulbright scholar in Indonesia.
While teaching English is the purpose of the grant, the Fulbright commission has made it very clear that the mission of the program is to facilitate a dialogue between different countries thus creating a base of mutual understanding between cultures--I think this is what I am most excited about. I am looking forward to making new friends, traveling the country, and soaking in as much of the Indonesian culture as I can."

Why Kalada chose Indonesia:

"I was first introduced to Indonesia as a child through my uncle. My uncle is an avid scuba diver and has traveled all around the world to dive in beautiful seas. He has made several trips to Southeast Asia and has told me on numerous occasions how this area is his favorite. What struck me was not his enthusiasm about the water but his enthusiasm about the people. He raved about the people he met in Malaysia and Indonesia and from that point on I knew I had to know the country for myself. My fascination with Indonesia further developed during my sophomore year of college.
For the final paper in my comparative politics class I chose to do a comparative analysis between Nigeria and Indonesia. I traced the effects of colonialism by the British on Nigeria and the Dutch on Indonesia. My research on Indonesia was beyond intriguing. I fell in love with the story of a country harried by outside influence yet still preserving an exceptional sense of self.
While Indonesia is the most populous Muslim-majority nation in the world, Hinduism and Buddhism heavily influence the culture. When not teaching or learning Bahasa Indonesia I plan to study the interplay between these three popular religions. As a student of political science I cannot help but be intrigued by the inner workings of government, especially in the governance of a country made up of over 17,000 islands. Therefore, I also plan to study Indonesia's government and the unique nature of an archipelagic state."

Special Thanks:

"This opportunity would not be possible without the assistance from the many people who have helped me along this journey. I am thankful to our Fulbright coordinator in Academic Services, Lenny Howard, who has been such a wonderful resource and exceedingly helpful throughout this long and arduous process. I am also indebted to Director of Residence Life Joanne Goldwater, former SMCM Political Science professor Dustin Howes, and former ICADS internship coordinator (program through which I studied in Costa Rica) Laura Nussbaum for recommending me for the grant and to Amanda Walker in Career Services and former Fulbright Scholar, professor Julia Bates for assisting me with my personal statement. Keith Buzby '08 (Fulbright scholar in Vietnam) and Esther Adetunji '08 (Fulbright grant recipient) have also been a great help and source of encouragement throughout the process."