This ceremony was more than a farewell—it was a mirror held to four weeks of transformative growth. I shared heartfelt words of gratitude, my voice trembling as I recounted how Malang had become a second home. The faculty of Ilmu Budaya (Cultural Studies) listened with smiles, their nods affirming the mutual learning that had unfolded. For them, hosting the 10th batch of the SEA Teacher Exchange Program was a pioneering step; for us, it was a masterclass in empathy. When handed tokens bearing the university’s emblem and traditional Indonesian snacks—I felt the gravity of this exchange: these were not mere souvenirs, but symbols of trust and shared humanity.

To Universitas Brawijaya and the people of Malang: terima kasih (thank you) for rewriting my story. You welcomed four strangers with open arms, transforming our anxieties into confidence. Your classrooms became laboratories where theory met practice, and your patience turned our stumbles into strides. When language barriers loomed, you met us with gestures, smiles, and the universal language of kindness. 

This journey transcended pedagogy. It taught me that a teacher’s greatest tool is not a whiteboard but an open heart. In Malang, I learned to listen before instructing, to adapt before assuming, and to see each student as a universe of untold stories. The Indonesian concept of gotong royong (collaborative spirit) seeped into my teaching philosophy: I now design lessons not as solo performances but as symphonies of shared effort.

Professionally, I return to the Philippines armed with strategies forged in diversity: scaffolding language through visuals, weaving local contexts into global topics, and fostering peer mentorship. Personally, I carry the humility of a traveler who arrived to teach but left having learned far more.