Closing the activities of PKM, a PKM team Andong English Club organized “ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) International Andong Festival 2015”. The event conducted on Sunday (7/6) was enlivened by 22 andong parades surrounding Alun-alun Utara (North Square) and Malioboro. It was officially opened by cutting ribbon at 8 am. Besides, attending the festival were international students from Australia, Germany, Brazil, and Egypt studying at Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY) and UGM.

Attending the event were also Community of Project Child, RBIB (Rumah Belajar Indonesia Bangkit), and Dhimas Diajeng Jogja as well as Bantul. “Project Child is a community in Jogja teaching deprived children for free,” stated the team leader of Andong English Club M. Anif Afandi. He informed that the other community teaching children and enlivening the festival was RBIB. “RBIB is also teaching children. It is usually in Kali Code,” he added.

Moreover, the festival aimed at acquainting ASEAN Economic Community beginning the end of 2015 to andong drivers and public. It pointed at raising public awareness of impacts of AEC 2015 to the small aspects. Therefore, Andong English Club focused on English teaching to andong drivers since they were essential actors to introduce culture of Jogja to foreigners.

Andong English Club comprised of five students of Economics of UMY, namely Muhammad Anif Afandi, Indana Zulfa, Yuni Wahyuni, Gustiva Andri, and ravin Siddiq. The team had conducted English teaching program for 40 andong drivers in Malioboro from 21 March 2015 to 3 June 2015. “We taught andong drivers because they could speak English well to foreigners whereas they had taken the drivers touring Jogja. They also could not bargain in English,” conveyed M. Anif Afandi.

The team was warmly welcomed by the andong drivers. In fact, one of the andong drivers told that the English program had carried out in 1982, but there was not any program after that. “The andong drivers were happy because the program was conducted. They could perceive the merits. They could bargain with foreigners by writing in a mobile phone, but now they bargain by talking to them immediately,” inserted Indana Zulfa.

Additionally, they said that the andong drivers had remained silent when taking the foreigners to their destination, but the drivers now could explain areas around Malioboro in English. The circumstance would elevate foreigners’ interest in culture of Jogja and Indonesia.