Checkpoints, Classrooms, and Courage: Ariane’s Story
It all started with a book. While teaching at a Montessori school in Jakarta, Ariane had come across the writings of an Indonesian traveler who spent three years in Afghanistan. She was surprised to learn that there was so much more to Afghanistan than what was being portrayed on the news. She was very intrigued and soon found herself dreaming about her own journey to the region.
That first book had led to another, and then more, until eventually she was learning Farsi by watching videos on YouTube. As her curiosity grew, so did her will to travel. In late 2016, Ariane left her teaching job to make her dreams come true. She set off to spend three months in Iran and two months in Afghanistan.
She started her trip alone, but quickly built connections throughout the course of her travels. Locals in both countries offered her hospitality by opening up their homes to her. Whenever it was time for her to leave for another city, the hosts helped her by locating contacts at her destination, so she always had a place to stay. As she moved from one place to another, however, she had to take several precautions. For safety reasons, she says, “You cannot tell your travel plans to anyone.” On one occasion, Ariane remembers having to leave at three in the morning -- while people were asleep -- so that she could make it past the checkpoints while they were unguarded.
Despite these moments, overall, her time there was eye-opening and inspiring. “It was an extension of my learning,” she says of her trip. Although she had done a lot of studying beforehand, she discovered that there were many nuances that the literature couldn’t capture -- for instance, the cultural sense of humor. To this day, she still laughs as she recalls the jokes told to her by locals. “This is something that cannot be found in books and the news.” She was also moved to see how people were actively working to affect positive change in their home country. She met a girl who had formed a bicycle club for girls, as well as a group of young adults who were mentoring child workers. “One of the highlights was that I saw a lot of amazing initiatives by young people,” she says.
Ariane in Bamiyan, Afghanistan
Ariane with two of her students, who are part of Roshan’s Girls Gang
It was also in Afghanistan that she first learned there were Afghan refugees back home in Indonesia. While in a shop in Kabul, a shopkeeper told Ariane his brother was living in Indonesia. “I was really surprised,” she says. “But even more so when a man and his son who were there overheard our conversation approached me. The man asked me if I could take his son with me to Indonesia, as the situation in Afghanistan was becoming more unsafe.” At first she thought the man was joking -- but he was serious. “It was very shocking to me that sending a child away without a parent was considered a safer option than staying home.”
By the time she returned to Indonesia, Ariane was determined to find out more about the refugees living there. She began visiting various refugee learning centers in Jakarta as well as Cisarua, which was how she discovered Roshan. In 2017, she started teaching at Roshan, where she is now a Lead Teacher and Academic Manager. Her responsibilities include giving support to the teachers, coordinating teacher training, teaching English to our Lower Primary and Secondary classes, and helping with administration.
While she had focused on early childhood education for most of her career, Ariane developed a deep passion for working with youths through her time at Roshan. “Youths in Roshan are really beyond their age. Being deprived of education, they understand the value of education and take learning very seriously and it really inspires me,” she says.
Earlier this year, Ariane was especially determined to provide additional opportunities and support for the girls and young women of Roshan. Together with these students, she started a new initiative called Girls Gang with the purpose of creating a community where girls can support one another and learn how to be leaders. Members of the Girls Gang have gatherings together, play futsal regularly, and have creative writing classes. One of the group’s recent achievements was when they raised money to buy futsal shoes by selling Afghan meals, even waking up at dawn to start cooking. She is proud to see the girls developing their natural leadership skills and has seen a significant change in their confidence.
It is evident how much Ariane cares about her students, a feeling that is clearly reciprocated. When she was in the hospital for dengue fever, her teenage students visited in shifts to ensure there was always someone to take care of her -- from six in the morning until the last visiting hour. “They cooked me my favorite food, brought me fruits, and sat there accompanying me when I was sleeping,” she says. With so many positive memories of Roshan -- times full of fun and laughter and heart -- she feels privileged to be part of it. “Roshan is a very supportive community where everyone cares for each other. I think I am really changed through the relationship I have with my students, who really put their trust in me,” Ariane says. “I also learned a lot from my colleagues who work tirelessly for the community. Everyone has empowered me to be brave and do more.”