For my Global Citizenship Week Course, I went on the North Sumatra Adventure where we travelled to various eco-friendly hotspots for tourist, learned about Crater Lake geology, trekked through different forests, and hiked up a volcano. There, we were also introduced to a variety of studies about the different people and cultures that inhabit the island as well as the issues that face the country of Indonesia.
We were taught a lot about Indonesia as a country. One topic was rainforest ecology. Indonesia is the richest country on the planet in terms of biodiversity. This is because of its position on the Earth. Tropical Rainforests hold the most species of plants and animals on the planet and because it stretches the Equator longer than any other nation. Another reason is because the rain forests of Indonesia are one of the oldest lasting forests to still inhabit the Earth. Indonesia leads Brazil, Columbia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (former Zaire) as the most mega-diverse country in the world. However many of these regions are under threat in Indonesia. The rainforests are being cleared away mostly because of palm oil plantations. These were cause by a “green” initiative by European nations who vowed to be completely “green” by 2020 in 2000. After this, Asian countries like China sought out to grow as much palm trees as a cash crop. Rainforests have been cleared out to carry out such actions. I remember when I was living in Singapore in 2006; a horrible haze covered the city for a month. This was due to mass burning of Sumatran rainforests to make way for farmland and plantations. Now, the Sumatran Orangutan is the most endangered species of ape; only a few colonies remain which are separated in small pockets. The public needs to be informed about the dangers of the palm oil industry and how it hurts the biodiversity of Indonesia.
For the duration of the course, our wonderful instructor, Thom Henley, also taught us a lot about the different cultures found on the island of Sumatra. At first I was expecting a lot of Muslims speaking in Bahasa, but what I found was entirely different. We studied the Batak Karo and the Batak Toba, two entirely new cultures that never knew existed. These are two cultures that, for hundreds of years, have inhabited the territories inside and around Lake Toba. We learned a lot about these cultures by experiencing their traditions and art forms especially dance. We not only observed but participated in traditional dances as well as experienced a role-play of an ancient execution ceremony. The two tribes, I noticed, are similar in many ways such as their dress/costumes and dance styles. I noticed these features and linked it to tribes of the Philippines where black, red and white patterns are common as well. Learning about these two cultures made me realized how diverse this country is and not just in wildlife.
In this trip I learned so much about the world around me. I am certain that I can look at the world differently now. I have learned to be more aware of the issues our generations face to take care of this beautiful planet. I have also learned that there are more cultures out there hidden the most remote areas of our world. This was a truly memorable experience. And it was all thanks to Mr. Sheridan & Mrs. Corning for making it the best GCW ever.