AmCon - Cross Cultural Exchange from Matt

On January 25, 2005, an American Corner was opened at IAIN Walisongo in Semarang, Indonesia. As an Islamic institution of higher learning, IAIN Walisongo is a perfect place for an American Corner as it can help educate and initiate Indonesian Islamic students into American culture and society. In most cases, the American Corner is the only place where students and faculty of IAIN Walisongo can easily procure information about the United States in a comfortable relaxed environment.
Although this is a wonderful facility, it has been little used since it opened last year. As such, English Language Fellow, Matthew Pizzorno, decided to hold an American and Indonesian cross-cultural exchange at the American Corner. The main purpose of this gathering was to expose the students and lecturers at IAIN Walisongo to the materials and resources the American corner has to offer. With this exposure, it is hoped that the participants would return and use the facility again and again.
In order to accomplish this goal, English Language Fellows, Mike McCoy and Kevin Phillips, along with the Regional Information Resource Officer, Pamela Dragovich, were invited to participate in an open discussion entitled, “Indonesian and American Cross-Cultural Exchange: Understanding and Appreciation through discussion.” The discussion was attended by approximately 160 students and faculty from IAIN Walisongo as well as other local universities. After the discussion the participants were invited to enjoy coffee, tea, and snacks provided by Matthew Pizzorno and Mike McCoy. They were also asked to explore the materials collection at the American Corner. At this time, the participants were provided with books about American culture and society generously donated by the United States Embassy in Jakarta. The local media was apparently in attendance although the organizer did not see and/or meet with the media representatives.