- +62-812-3916-5005
- learning@cintabahasa.com
We’re glad you’d like to know more about us. We understand the importance of a good language education, which we feel is essential to harmonious relations between foreigners and Indonesians. This is our vision, and our mission.
Cinta Bahasa is an education organization, called a “Yayasan” in Indonesia, which puts it in the same class as other Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs).
Cinta Bahasa was founded on February 14th, 2011 by Yoshida Chandra and Stephen DeMeulenaere and registered as a Yayasan (Organization) under the name Yayasan Cinta Bahasa Indonesia.
Our name “Cinta Bahasa” comes from the phrase “Cintailah Bahasa Indonesia” which means “Love the Indonesian Language”.
This is the end goal of our language training, to teach you to speak so that you can share your experiences, feelings and knowledge with others, and to love our language, literature and cultures.
Our vision is one of a harmonious and integrated society between foreigners and Indonesians through regular interaction and sharing of ideas and experiences that can be communicated using Bahasa Indonesia.
To encourage improved communication between foreigners and Indonesians using a variety of different means: providing language training and translation/interpretation services, as well as activities and events which encourage foreigners and Indonesians to get to know each other and for foreigners become integrated better in Indonesian culture and society.
Ochie Chandra is the School Director and Co-Founder of Cinta Bahasa. Originally from West Sumatra, Ochie holds a degree in English Literature from Andalas University in Padang and has extensive knowledge of both Indonesian and English. Fluent in English, she has worked as an interpreter and translator with the US Embassy in Jakarta, various international NGOs and corporations, and has years of teaching experience.
Additionally, she taught Advertising & Media at Bina Nusantara University in Jakarta and also has worked as an advertising copywriter with top agencies in Indonesia. Ochie also has also completed extensive training and certification with BIPA, the Indonesian Ministry of Education’s Department of Indonesian Language Training for Foreigners.
She is a colored pencils and watercolor artist and has written poetries since she was young and has published her own Poetry Book called A Tale of Crestfallen and it was launched at the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival 2013.
In the past, she had volunteered and also worked as the Volunteer Coordinator at the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival and Ubud Food Festival.
Stephen DeMeulenaere is Cinta Bahasa’s School Advisor and Co-Founder together with his wife Ochie. Stephen has been living in various parts of Indonesia from 2000, and in various countries in Asia from the late 1990s.
He is an expert and consultant in Cooperative organizations and has worked with small and very large development organizations for most of his time here.
Previous to founding Cinta Bahasa, he was the GM of a Factual and Documentary Film Production Company in Ubud. Stephen was an English Language Teacher in Canada, Mexico, Argentina and a Junior High School Teacher in Hokkaido, Japan for 2 years.
He was also training coordinator of the Tokachi International Education Circle, a network of 40 teachers in his region.
He fell in love with the Indonesian Language in 2000 and never looked back.
It’s been his dream to start an Indonesian Language School so that other foreigners could also feel the same love for the Indonesian language that he does.
He also recently received extensive training and certification with BIPA, the Indonesian Ministry of Education’s Department of Indonesian Language Training for Foreigners, and is an Advanced Intermediate speaker by native standards, according to the official test of Indonesian Language Proficiency for Native Speakers.
