Hafnidar, Aceh Museum, Indonesia: Smiling through the Summer Programme

Hafnidar, Head of Museum Education and Collections, Museum Aceh Indonesia

I work in one of the provincial museums in Indonesia, precisely in the west gate of Sumatra. To get to London I traveled long distances, landing from airport to airport, and getting really tired but for me it was a new experience and I enjoyed the final touch down at Heathrow, London.

Intially I saw a man in the arrival area holding a paper with the name Rebecca Horton. I approached him without hesitation and asked the man, he explained that he waiting for Rebecca not Hafni. I wondered if we were waiting for the same Rebecca, so I waited not far from him. Then Rebecca came with her first smile and a big hug, the man was the taxi driver who took us to the Schafer House.

When I arrived at Schafer House, I received a second smile and a warm hug, Claire.

Rebecca and me headed to my room – DG24 – and I met a participant who also gave me the most sparkling smile like the meaning of her name, Fadzai. After that, we became inseparable; in fact we have put together our tastes and passions, eating, shopping, and buying the same salmon pink sneakers, and we are really, madly happy to do it. We have another habit after dinner – count our luck to buy something in the vending machine at the laundry room with our leftover coins.

I have written a few things for blogs but I always wanted to write something else. I knocked this out and a new idea came while I was in Newcastle. I also got a smile from Jackie, as Rebecca said, she is very warm and fun. My educational adventures at my UK Partner, Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums Newcastle are exactly as I imagined. Visiting and learning directly from museums which have inclusive programmes, communicating with lots of communities and attracting young visitors.

During the ITP, I recorded smiles in my memory even though I can not recite all one by one, but every smile has a story. The smile from London for me has meaning of comfort and feeling secure.