Eli Fisher OC ‘16

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Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia (2016-18)

While Eli Fisher has explored Peru, Spain, Nepal, and Thailand among other countries, he has yet to set foot in Indonesia. His extensive experiences abroad have sharpened his ability to navigate different cultures, and have piqued his curiosity in education as a career. Eli is eager to hone the craft of teaching while immersing himself in a country that is unfamiliar to him. He is acutely aware of the issues of Westerners living and working abroad, and has acquired the sensitivity needed to continually learn about other cultures. His advice, “Foreigners should also take time to learn, observe, and talk to local people to understand, as best as possible, the specific community that they are in before beginning whatever project or position they came to the country to take part in.” Eli, a Religion major, is busy on campus with numerous activities including playing on the varsity lacrosse team, attending bi-weekly Tai Chi classes, hosting radio shows on Oberlin’s WOBC radio station, and participating as a member on the Oberlin College Program Board.

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An Indonesian Passover.
An Indonesian Passover.

Eli Fisher ‘16, UGM Fellow

Over the past two years of living in Indonesia I have seen more Nazi paraphernalia and heard more Nazi references than I ever could have imagined. I’ve seen Nazi salutes in class, swastikas on backpacks, and a parade of about 30 motorbikes driving down the road proudly holding large red flags adorned with swastikas. There was even a Nazi themed café in the city of Bandung, and a wax museum in Yogyakarta, where guests were encouraged to take selfies with a life-size wax statue of Hitler with the Auschwitz concentration camp as the backdrop.

Reflections on a First Year in Yogyakarta
Reflections on a First Year in Yogyakarta

Eli Fisher ‘16, UGM Fellow

I have been struggling with what to write for this narrative for far too long. Should it be funny? Should it be a narrative about my own personal growth? Should it be informative? Should it be a story that serves as representative of a larger lesson? Alas, I have decided to present some stories and reflections, from the sublime to the mundane, about my time in Yogyakarta thus far.