Category: Sigur Center Summer Research & Language Fellows

On June 4th, 1989, hundreds of Chinese student protesters were gunned down by the People’s Liberation Army for expressing their discontent in the government. This year, I was able to experience the commemoration of the thirtieth anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre in a country that is able to easily empathize with the horrors of an authoritarian regime.

There was a Taipei memorial event being held in front of the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall. Stalls and booths surrounded the area informing the attendees of the different social and human rights issues people were facing today. A documentary of the infamous “Tank Man” was playing on a screen in the center of the memorial.

People walking further into the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial will notice a large, inflatable depiction of the “Tank Man” photograph. A podium in front of the display explained the artist’s intent to promote remembrance of the danger of the Chinese regime.

This event hits close to home with many Taiwanese citizens, not only because of their current, precarious situation with the Chinese Communist Party, but also because they experienced their own version of Tiananmen Square, which they refer to as the February 28th incident, or “228.” On a tour of old town Taipei, our tour group was able to hear about Taiwanese history concerning the Chinese regime.

Our tour guide explained that the 228 incident was sparked when an elderly, Taiwanese woman was heavily beaten by a couple of officers of the ruling party, the Kuomintang from mainland China, for selling cigarettes in order to survive. A citizen who came to her aid was subsequently killed, sparking a gathering of protesters the following day. Without warning, the protesters were shot upon, leaving many dead and marking the beginnings of indiscriminate killing of Taiwanese known as the “White Terror”.

It is important to understand the culture and politics of Taiwan or of any other country you might visit in order to be respectful if discussing touchy subjects. Within the first week, CET Taiwan has already done a great job making sure each student is better educated in these areas, leading us to further our understand of the new world and culture around us.

Since arriving in Taipei 5 weeks ago, time has flown by faster than ever. For my first post about my experience here I thought I would explain why I decided to study at National Taiwan University (NTU) this summer and how my time has been so far.

My reasons for studying at NTU’s Chinese Language Division this summer are twofold. First, I wanted to improve my abilities in the language and there is no better way to do that than being constantly surrounded by it. Secondly, I wanted to learn more about Taiwan’s unique cultural and political environment.

I have had an interest in both Chinese language and international affairs for a long time, and so when I decided I wanted to go abroad to continue studying Chinese, I was quickly drawn to Taiwan. Taiwan’s complex political status and its ties to the US have made it an important element of US-China relations and I was fascinated by the opportunity to learn more about it by living and studying there.

Those were my reasons for applying to this program in Taiwan, but upon arriving I have only gained more reasons that I would use to recommend others to apply for the same program. NTU has a beautiful campus that is conveniently located within Taipei City. The classes themselves are extremely well taught and interesting. The people here have been very welcoming, encouraging, and helpful in improving my language ability.

My classes here meet every weekday afternoon for 3 hours, and with a singular focus on the language, I have already felt great improvement in my ability as well as confidence in using it. I have 4 classmates and everyday our teacher, 程老師 (Cheng Laoshi), teaches us through lectures and activities.

In addition to my classroom experience, my language learning is supplemented by hands on experiences living in Taipei, and by regularly meeting with Taiwanese friends for language exchange. Through this combination I have developed a deeper appreciation for the Chinese language as well as Taiwanese culture.

In my time here so far I have had the pleasure to try great food at restaurants and night markets around the city, learn about the history of Taiwan, and become friends with other students both international and local. I’ve had particularly interesting conversations with many Taiwanese people about their views on Taiwan’s political situation, and I have learned a lot more about the island’s internal political scene, as opposed to just its relations with mainland China and the United States.

I can’t wait to experience what the remainder of the summer will bring.

Max Kaplan, B.A. International Affairs 2021

Sigur Center Asian Language Study in Asia Grant Recipient Summer 2019

National Taiwan University, Taiwan

I’ve been in Jakarta, Indonesia for a couple weeks now. The jetlag took a few days to get over, but I did eventually get used to being 11 hours ahead. Luckily, it did not take as much time to acclimate to the weather, since it is very similar to Washington, DC this time of year: hot and humid.

I arrived in Jakarta in the midst of the Eid holiday celebrations. As such, for a few days after I arrived, the city was almost empty, as people left the city to see their families or just to take a holiday. Soon after, however, citizens returned from their holiday and the city returned to its bustling self—including its infamous traffic, which came back with a vengeance. The city just broke ground on its first underground rail transit system (the MRT) and, according to a number of Jakartans I’ve spoken with, has made efforts in the last year to expand the number of sidewalks. Nonetheless, Jakarta remains a motorist’s city.

Arriving in Jakarta during Indonesia’s biggest holiday is an interesting experience. The celebration of Eid seems to manifest itself in varying levels of jubilation, piety, and commercial opportunism that I usually associate with the month of December. It’s also been a couple of months since the Indonesian presidential election—and only a few weeks since the post-election riots that rocked Jakarta—but, at least on the surface, there does not appear to be much evidence of political rancor.

My language studies are progressing well, I think. My instructors suggest that I will be ready to begin intermediate level Bahasa Indonesia within a couple of weeks. Without the generous grant from the Sigur Center, I would likely never have had the chance to devote so much of my time to improving my language abilities. All in all, I look forward to continuing my journey exploring Jakarta, Bahasa Indonesia, and Indonesia itself.

Michael K, MA, International Affairs 2019
Sigur Center 2019 Asian Language Fellow
Language Studies Indonesia

A few weeks back my team and I were announced as Finalists in Taiwan’s international Presidential Hackathon. We were selected for our digital platform, known as Madaster, which creates a digital ledger of all the building materials existing in designated infrastructure. In July 2019 we will be meeting with the president of Taiwan as well as various ministers and CEOs of Taiwan’s leading environmental and technology institutions to demo our platform and compete with the other five finalist teams from across the world. I’ve received countless requests to share our Hackathon application, so in the spirt of the event’s focus on open-data and civic responsibility I am posting our application publicly below. But first, I must explain, “what is the Taiwan Presidential Hackathon and its challenge theme this year?”.

According to the Hackathon’s website:

“In line with the needs of the country’s social development, the Taiwan Presidential Hackathon, launched in 2018, is an initiative designed by the Taiwanese government to demonstrate its emphasis on open-source, open data, and related best practices to address the needs of the country through social innovations and economic development.

This event aims to facilitate exchanges among data owners, data scientists, and field experts to tap into the collective wisdom across government, industry, private and public sectors. Ultimately, it aims to accelerate the optimization of public services and stimulate inclusive social and economic growth for all people.”

The challenge theme of the 2019 international track of the Hackathon is to make a working platform which facilitates sustainable infrastructure development. Without further ado, our application is below. Enjoy!

2019 Taiwan Presidential Hackathon: Enabling Sustainable Infrastructure

Project Name: Enabling Sustainable Infrastructure The Madaster Platform for Material Identity

WHICH PROBLEM DO YOU WANT TO SOLVE:

We want to solve the problem of waste. In our vision, waste is material without an identity. We can eliminate waste by giving materials and products applied in the construction sector an identity through detailed registration and documentation through material passports. Our focus is specifically upon addressing waste generated from buildings and infrastructure, a sector which globally produces 40% of all waste annually, in order to promote sustainable and circular materials management.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT:

Our planet is a closed system, meaning that all our resources are limited editions. Still we throw away valuable resources – limited editions – as waste. And we don’t have to, as waste is material without an identity. With Madaster we want to give identities to materials applied in the built environment. Madaster created a register to safely capture all material and product data, within the limitations of privacy and security. Registration of materials contributes to the transition towards a circular economy, as the identity data of products and materials provide necessary insights in the potential reuse. The Madaster platform indicates to what extend circular characteristics are applied to a building and encourages circular design. Financial valuation of the materials in a building provide transparency in the potential financial benefit of reuse. With a register like Madaster, the potential of the material stock in real estate, infrastructure and regions can be identified and a transition towards a circular economy can be facilitated.

TO UNDERSTAND THIS PROBLEM WHAT DATA DO YOU HAVE:

1st: Material related data: source files (BIM/IFC or Excel) are the basis of a building in Madaster. The building information models gives insight in the metrics (volumes) of materials and its characteristics. This is the basis for the material passport.

2nd: Pricing data: this data gives insight in the historical, actual and expected future value of materials. The transition towards a circular economy requires that we do not only give an identity but also a financial valuation to materials.

3rd: external product data sources for enrichment of the registration.

4^th: building data, such as land registration details, images, quotations, assembly instructions etc.

5^th: circularity data: to indicate the re-use potential

DO YOU NEED OTHER TYPE OF DATA? HOW DO YOU PLAN ON GATHERING IT?:

The platform is linked to external product data sources to enrich the registration and has an interface (API) for automated exchange of data with partners. Data Partners provide data and services that enrich the Madaster Platform and enhance data reliability. Examples of the data provided by Data Partners include financial, circular and material- and product-related data.

Globally we require additional data partners to enrich the platform the same way we did for the Dutch construction market. For Taiwan we need for example environmental data and price data in order to support the financial indicator and product data to enrich existing building registrations.

Because the working methods in Taiwan differ from those in the Netherlands, it is important to implement a local demonstration project. For Taiwan we have sought cooperation with Taiwan Construction and Research Institute (TCRI) to create a local proof of concept. We are convinced that if we can carry out a demonstration project locally we can convince Taiwanese businesses and the government of the added value of Madaster. This way potential customers, investors and data partners can be attracted.

PLEASE DESCRIBE THE EXPECTED OUTPUT OF YOUR PROJECT:

Globally we want to digitize all applied materials and products in the construction sector. Through documentation we can provide insight in the potential of existing material for reuse in a circular economy.

For Taiwan we want to demonstrate:

1. The efficiency of applying existing information (BIM models) for registration in Madaster and the realization of the Madaster functionality (including materials passport, circular and financial valuation).
2. The necessity of having detailed material and product data available for the realization of a circular economy and the way in which Madaster can realize this.
3. The potential of a database with a public objective in which all products, materials and buildings are registered for the development and application of – new – circular business models such as market places, certification companies, financiers and builders.

WHAT IS YOUR PROGRESS TO DATE:

Madaster is a concept that has already been tested and proven to work. Since our launch in 2017 in The Netherlands we’ve registered over 2 million square meters in our database.

In 2018 we came in touch with two Taiwanese delegations from the construction sector. This introduction revealed the interest in the Madaster platform and the possibilities to facilitate the transition to a circular economy.

In November 2018 we visited Taiwan together with a Netherlands Circular Economy Mission to Taiwan. We visited the local governments of Taipei, Taoyuan, Tainan, Taichung, and the Taiwan Sugar Corporation (TaiSugar).

In March 2019 we signed an agreement to work together with TCRI as our local partner in Taiwan. This marks a unique opportunity to evolve and internationally expand Taiwan’s domestically-founded green building certification, EEWH, the world’s first green building certification designed for structures in sub-tropical regions. We also signed an agreement with TopOne International Consultants for a demonstration project of 167,772 m2. TaiSugar introduced their planned project for Yuemei Sugar Refinery (500m2) and another in Shalun (30,000m2). Furthermore, at this moment we are registering into our platform Taiwan’s first-ever circular building, the Holland Pavilion of TaiChung World Flora. All the materials and products of this building will be re-used by TaiSugar in future construction.

ONCE COMPLETED HOW DO YOU PLAN TO USE THE OUTPUT OF YOUR PROJECT:

Madaster has the ambition to realize a local ecosystem that consists of:

1. a) a not-for-profit foundation that stimulates and oversees the transition towards a circular economy supported by the Madaster Platform and
2. b) a Taiwanese service organization that develops and operates the Madaster Platform in Taiwan.

The outcome of the project and resulting platform will be used to kickstart the realization of the Taiwanese circular economy ecosystem.

DESCRIBE THE EXPECTED OUTCOME AND IMPACT OF YOUR PROJECT, ONCE IMPLEMENTED:

Globally and regionally we trust using the anonymized metadata of the platform is a way to help cities and governments better track and trace and understand their Resource Banks. Furthermore, this data can be used in conjunction with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to analyze infrastructure and human settlements in a way which has never been done before. Specifically, this will allow for the analysis of the distribution and make-up of materials in human settlements which can in-turn provide profound data-driven indicators for the analysis of environmental and socioeconomic factors (i.e. inequality, environmental change, and sustainable communities). Importantly, this data can be used to understand the barriers to reaching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and how to most effectively overcome them. The complete data set on the platform is supervised by the Madaster Foundation, a Dutch non-profit organization, in order to guarantee the privacy, security, and public availability of the (anonymized) data.

Madaster Taiwan will provide insights to construction owners, stakeholders, users and regulators in the potential of existing materials and products applied in the built environment. This potential can be monetized through reuse of materials and reduction of risks. Most of all, Madaster Taiwan will facilitate the elimination of waste through providing identities to all applied products and materials so they can never end up as anonymous waste.

ANY REFERENCES? LINK TO YOUTUBE OR CLOUD DRIVE?:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sh6yvOzlIZU

https://www.madaster.com/en or https://www.madaster.com/cn

https://mailchi.mp/8261d2d75d97/madaster-news-2019212

Grayson Shor

M.A. International Affairs, Specialized in Asia’s Emerging Circular Economy Ecosystem and Plastic Marine Debris

Sigur Center 2019 Asian Language Fellow

National Taiwan University, Taiwan

This is the story of how I ended up eating the best tasting chicken I have ever had during a 10-hour layover in Chengdu, China. While this auspicious event took place at the end of my research journey, the moments that led to it began on my first day of travel as I tried to explain that my checked-luggage was missing in the Chengdu airport.

While waiting for my connecting flight, I met two Americans.

“Did you recheck your bag?” They asked me. “We were told that our bags would go all the way to our final destination but just found out that they won’t!”

At that moment in time, I knew that my bag wouldn’t make it all the way to Nepal.

I arrived in Chengdu at 2 AM and looked for someone to help me fix my baggage situation. However, at that time in the night there were very few staff members in the airport. When I finally located a woman, I tried to tell her that my bag was missing and see if she could help me. But to my dismay, she didn’t speak English. I tried to login to the airport wi-fi on my cell phone so that I could use an Internet translator. Little did I know that in China, certain sites on the Internet are blocked to users unless they have a virtual private network (VPN), so I couldn’t connect to the Internet.

Suddenly, I noticed that a person was standing behind me. “Can I help you?” he asked. “I speak both Chinese and English, so I might be able to help you translate.”

“Help would be terrific!” I replied.

The young man explained my situation. The staff member reassured us that my bag should arrive in Nepal and that if it didn’t, I should speak with the staff at the airport in Nepal for help.

When I thanked the young man for his assistance, he asked me where I was traveling. “I’m going to Nepal for research,” I explained.

Thereafter, we began speaking in Nepali, as the young man himself was from Nepal and on his way to meet his family. The young man, named Sagar, introduced me to a group of his friends who had also been working with him in the hospitality sector in China. The remainder of the 10-hour layover was filled with joyful conversations, stories, and Nepali folk songs.

When we arrived in Tibet, I was absolutely starving. After passing through immigration, we came to a small shop with chips, sodas, and cigarettes. Since I didn’t have any Chinese currency, I wasn’t able to purchase any food. Sagar came to my rescue once again, and kindly purchased me a bag of Tibetan potato chips.

“Here, take this Chinese money,” he said, handing me a few Yuan. “You will need this on your return trip.”

I was absolutely grateful for his help and gave him a few U.S. dollars in exchange.

To my greatest dismay, when I finally arrived in Kathmandu, Nepal, my suitcase was lost as anticipated. My checked luggage included wedding gifts for my friend and American vitamins for another friend’s family. When I spoke to the airport staff about when to expect my bag, I lost hope that I would get it back. The following day, I tried calling the airline, but they hung up on me! I postponed my trip to the village, hoping to at least find out when to expect my bag

In my time of need, my Nepali friends helped me once again.

My college friend, who worked in the tourism industry, had many connections with airlines and called on my behalf. I also had another college friend from China call the airline to ask for help. Miraculously, thanks to the assistance of my friends from around the world, my bag arrived the next day! The staff at the Nepali airport were absolutely shocked. They shook their heads in amazement with wide eyes and friendly smiles.

The rest of my time in Nepal was filled with research interviews and focus groups. I enjoyed reconnecting with students and friends in the village where I lived as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant from 2014-2015. Before I knew it, my time to return to the United States arrived.

On my last day in Nepal, there was no electricity at night. Around 4 AM, I used the flashlight function on my cell phone to go to the bathroom. Enroute, my phone fell and shattered into pieces on the concrete floor. Oops! There went all of my pictures which hadn’t been backed up due to limited internet. Yet, what I was most concerned about was how I would communicate in Beijing and Chengdu in case my bag got lost again.

Another caring friend who had just received the latest iPhone, generously gave me his old phone and downloaded a Chinese dictionary that I could access without Internet. It meant a lot to me that he allowed me to take the phone with me all the way back to America. This act of kindness played a vital role in leading me to the tasty chicken in Chengdu.

When I arrived in Chengdu, I hadn’t eaten for about seven hours. Since I had such a long layover, I was taken to a transit hotel. When I found out that there was no food at the hotel, my stomach growled with immense disappointment. Luckily, armed with the Chinese translation app, I approached the hotel reception desk and asked, “is there a nearby place to get food?” Once again, the kindness of strangers came through. “Come with me, I’ll show you,” the receptionist wrote on my phone in Chinese. When we walked onto the street, the sweet aroma of grilled chicken and noodles filled the air.  Using the Chinese currency given to me by Sagar, I bought some grilled chicken, noodles, and bubble tea. My new friend from the hotel bought me a skewer with three sweet bread balls covered in sesame seeds.

When I took a bite into the chicken in my hotel room, I suddenly felt overcome with gratitude for all the people I had met along my journey to Nepal and back. One of the most challenging and rewarding things about international travel is the extent to which foreigners must rely on the helpfulness of locals.  As I ate my chicken, I felt my worries dissipate. In that moment, I felt unconditionally nourished by kindness and supported by the goodness of newfound friends around the world.

P.S. My bag arrived in the United States without complication.

By Emily Hall, Sigur Center Field Research Grant Recipient. Emily is a master’s student in the International Education Program at the George Washington University. Emily’s areas of interest include understanding and supporting teacher quality and teaching quality in developing country contexts through the lens of cultural anthropology. Her master’s thesis examines local perceptions of quality education in Nepal and analyzes government funded educational reform initiatives seeking to improve equitable access to quality education. To learn more about her experiences in Nepal, please visit her personal blog: Highlights of the Himalaya

Anytime I found myself venturing through Kathmandu valley this summer in Nepal, I developed a habit of scanning my eyes through the vibrant streets often riddled with endless traffic in sight.  Each instance would paint a similar picture. The elderly and aging are visible and cannot be missed even if one tried in Kathmandu. Most head to their local temples to attend aarti and make ritual offerings to deities. Others are seen running errands like picking up a sachet of milk to make chia or catching-up with neighbors on the latest political happenings. And then there are those who simply peer through their windows or stand on their balconies to witness the world unfolding before them with keen eyes. Contrasting this population are those dressed in their uniforms and weaving skillfully through the maddening traffic. Young schoolchildren and college students are vibrant and conspicuous throughout the city as well. What one notices over time is the consistent symbolic absence of individuals between the school and college going age and the aging and elderly. If by any chance you miss the significant absence of the working age population visually, you are bound to hear about it during your engagement with the locals. Every household has someone abroad to study, work or do both. A steady stream of young working-age Nepalis arriving and leaving at the airport is another public space demonstrating this on-going trend of migration in Nepal.

In 2014, more than 520,000 labor permits were issued to Nepalis planning to work abroad as migrant laborers.[1] According to captured data, the number of labor permits issued increases every year. What this data doesn’t capture however are individuals headed to countries where labor permits aren’t needed, or working is facilitated via other formal, informal or undocumented channels (e.g. females working in India or recipients of visas or permanent residence in countries like Canada, United States of America or Australia). Making up for their physical absence is the growing reliance on remittance from migrant workers contributing to increasing household incomes as well as the national GDP of Nepal. As much as 25% of the national GDP consists of remittance from migrant workers with inflows topping as much as USD 5 billion according to estimates by the International Labor Organization in 2013. As such, Nepal is ranked third in the world among countries sourcing the highest proportion of remittance in terms of GDP. The economic benefits of Nepali migrant workers filling niche labor markets in countries such as Malaysia, Korea, Qatar, Saudi Arabia among other such countries are manifold. However, studies exploring the recruitment processes and working conditions of migrant workers have revealed indicators of abuse and exploitation involving forced labor and trafficking.[2] Organizations such as Amnesty International have made repeated calls to prevent and protect migrant workers from adverse outcomes while they sacrifice their time with loved ones to labor in foreign countries in the hopes of a better future.

Being aware of the Nepali migrant labor backdrop and conscious of the policies and politics it entails, I was still taken aback when the subject arose in the context of my summer field research activities in Kathmandu, Nepal. A highly esteemed and experienced health care provider at a well-known public hospital in Nepal was the source of a thought-provoking insight. In the context of our interview on the role of technology in providing health solutions for a country like Nepal, they revealed their on-going voluntary efforts to provide medical counsel for Nepali migrant workers abroad via video platforms such as Skype or directly via phone or text messages. They further explained that there were many contextual factors involved in leading to such interactions from cost, lack of access to medical professionals, language barriers, lack of resources such as time and transportation etc. My key informant further noted that their medical oath prohibited them from denying care to anyone especially individuals like migrant Nepali laborers who are underserved and hard-to-reach when adopting the lens of community and population health. Still, they worried that the counsel they provided may not be up-to-par relative to if the person would have been in front of them or if the interaction was aided by another medical professional on the other end even if they were trained front-line workers or nurse aids with minimal medical education and training. This medical professional noted that they include a verbal and written disclaimer anytime they provide medical counsel for migrant Nepali workers. They felt this is the best they can do under the current regulatory framework for telehealth and mobile health in Nepal or rather lack thereof. They were hopeful that guidelines and frameworks to facilitate such interactions would be prioritized and developed by the Nepali government soon, so they wouldn’t have to operate within a gray area.

Processing what this key informant shared, I began to again marvel at the role of technology in connecting individuals in-need and filling systematic gaps before it even becomes evident with data and trends over time. The survey administered by Amnesty International to assess Nepali migrant needs was indeed also conducted via mobile phones. Making the not-so-easily reachable accessible is a boon for researchers looking to cover ground where once it might have been incredibly resource intensive to be able to do so. In the context of migration and immigration, the solutions and needs appear to operate at multiple ecological levels. Policies and regulatory frameworks are necessary to monitor and govern the pathways where such interactions are happening. Awareness and education might be required for governing bodies and medical professionals to understand this phenomenon. Data is critical to understand how these interactions are unfolding and what health and livelihood needs exist among migrant Nepali workers. While the focus of my research wasn’t on migrant Nepali workers as a population, the use of information and communications technologies (ICTs) has been identified as a potential tool utilized by this population to manage their health concerns as one of my research findings.[3]

As Nepal moves towards its mandate of universal health coverage and aspires to establish digital governance measures, addressing the health needs of migrant Nepali workers facilitated by telemedicine programs offered by Nepalese medical providers is a topic that requires further deliberation and action. Similarly, researchers and technologists must come together to understand this phenomenon and provide recommendations to policy-makers and practitioners to enable and diffuse any resulting innovations that are likely to make the necessary impact on improving health outcomes for migrant Nepali workers. The potential for replicating or adapting these solutions towards other migrant populations globally is another impetus for funding and conducting research in this area. Therefore, there are roles to be played by individuals and organizations alike in understanding and addressing migrant health needs by leveraging the potential of ICTs.

[1] http://www.ilo.org/kathmandu/areasofwork/labour-migration/lang–en/index.htm 

[2] https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2017/12/nepal-migrant-workers-failed-by-government-exploited-by-businesses/

[3] https://www.futurehealthindex.com/2018/03/05/care-at-the-margins/

Ichhya Pant works at the intersection health, evaluation, data and information and communication technologies (ICTs) with a focus on vulnerable population such as immigrants, refugees, women and children. Currently, she serves as a Research Scientist focusing on monitoring and evaluation on the RANI Project which aims to test whether a multi-level social norms based intervention will reduce anemia in women of reproductive age in Odisha, India. To learn more about her project work to date or thought leadership in her areas of interest, please connect with her on LinkedIn or Research Gate.

After 8 weeks of intensive language study, in the classroom for 5+ hours a day, living and learning with a host family when I wasn’t doing field work, it was time to have some fun! My mother, the brave soul, decided to meet me in Indonesia after my program for a week of serious adventuring. We traveled to one of the most remote places I have been in Indonesia (or the world) so far, braving a 12 hour overnight public ferry, broken dive boats, no AC or electricity for that matter, and much more…just for some seriously spectacular diving. Wakatobi, we love you!

This is my final blog post, so I would just like to thank the Sigur Center for funding such an incredible opportunity. My Bahasa Indonesian has advanced beyond what I thought possible, and I made so many friends and connections during my time in Salatiga. I can’t wait to go back. Terima kasih!

Chloe King B.A. International Affairs 2019
Sigur Center 2018 Asian Language Fellow
School for International Training Indonesia, COTI Summer Studies Program, Indonesia

Chloe King is a rising senior in the Elliot School, majoring in international affairs with minors in sustainability and geographic information systems. She spent seven months in Indonesia in 2017 as a Boren Scholar, researching NGO conservation initiatives in marine ecotourism destinations around the country. A PADI Divemaster, her passion for protecting the ocean keeps pulling her back to Indonesia and some of the most diverse—and threatened—marine ecosystems in the world.