The Fulbright Chronicles: Friendly Faces and Spotty Wi-F

Yesterday was my first full day at Halu Oleo University, and what a day it was. I met with the dean in the morning—a gracious man with an easy smile who welcomed me as if I’d been part of the faculty for years. Before we even finished our introductions, students began waving from the open-air hallway outside his office, smiling and calling out “Hello, Miss!” in the cheerful, singsong rhythm that makes everything here sound like music.

If I could bottle that friendliness, I’d bring it back to every campus I’ve ever taught on.

The faculty, too, were nothing short of wonderful—curious, kind, and genuinely excited to collaborate. They told me how thrilled they were to have me there, even as the Wi-Fi flickered in and out like a candle in the wind. At one point, my slides disappeared mid-sentence, and we all laughed as someone reassured me, “Don’t worry, Miss, this is normal!” That phrase—half apology, half welcome—has quickly become the soundtrack of my time here.

Then came one of the best surprises of the day: I was introduced to my two ambassador postgraduate students, who would be my local guides, cultural translators, and, apparently, new best friends. Within an hour, we’d gone from polite introductions to full-blown bonding.

By late afternoon, they insisted on taking me for a pedicure—my first in Indonesia. There I was, sitting in a neon salon chair, toes soaking, surrounded by laughter and the smell of jasmine-scented lotion, thinking, This is what Fulbright doesn’t tell you about. The human moments. The friendships that form faster than jet lag fades.

Afterward, we went to dinner at a bustling open-air café where the fans worked overtime, the noodles were spicy enough to make me tear up, and my ambassadors kept translating the menu with such care that I felt like royalty. By the end of the night, we had weekend plans—markets, beaches, temples—as if we’d known each other forever.

There’s a kind of magic in that: how kindness bridges the gaps that Wi-Fi can’t.

I came here to teach and collaborate, but it’s already clear I’ll be doing plenty of learning, too—about hospitality, humor, and how connection needs no perfect signal to thrive.