My name is Monica Audrey Widiany Kusteja Putri from batch 2018. I’m currently the last year of my undergraduate studies here the English Department, and in the fall of 2021, I was granted the most wonderful opportunity of studying abroad for a semester with the Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards, at The Pennsylvania State University.
Studying abroad has always been a dream of mine. As someone who has had experience living abroad, I always knew that one day I’d want to go back out there, preferably as an adult. But the thought of studying abroad—aside from potentially getting a scholarship for postgrad—has never really crossed my mind, I knew how costly it would be. So, I started living out my dream through other people’s realities—by watching college vlogs on YouTube.
It sounds silly, but I loved it. I loved seeing the American college experience that students were sharing in their vlogs. The thoughts of living on campus with your best mates, walking to an auditorium-sized classroom, and repping your school merch seemed so fun to me.
When the department briefed us on IISMA, I knew I had to do it. When I found out that Penn State was one of the partner universities, I knew it was fate. Penn State has been my dream school for the longest time. I can’t tell you why; it’s not like any of my family members went there or anything. But, I just knew that that school was going to come into my life somehow.
And it did. I got the scholarship alongside my best friend, Hara, and eight other awardees from varying schools across Indonesia.
Now, to say that the prep work was exhausting and stressful is an understatement. Administratively, we had to fill out various applications, forms, and requests in order to get documents required to enter the US and be enrolled at Penn State. We had to get expedited visas which was chaotic, and at one point, my dad had to chase down the mailman who had my I-90 form because the person who was supposed to receive it at our house didn’t answer the door. Needless to say, a lot of hands helped in my process of preparing for departure, especially those in the English Department. I can’t thank you enough, Mbak Alva and Mbak Anindya! <3
Mentally, I had so much preparation to do. This was my first time living away from my parents (merantau) and I was so nervous because for the first time, I was going pretty far away from home. Having dealt with crazy burnout and boredom due to the prolonged pandemic, I reassured myself that this would be a new and exciting adventure to embark on.
So on August 26, 2021, we, the IISMA Penn State awardees, departed from Soetta to our final destination: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. We had two connecting flights, one in Abu Dhabi and one in Chicago. When we landed in Chicago, I had a tiny crying sesh because only then did I have the realization that this is real. I’m back on US soil, with strangers, pursuing a journey of a lifetime.
Fast forward to a couple of days later, we finally got to State College, Pennsylvania, or Happy Valley, home of The Pennsylvania State University “Nittany Lions.” We drove through the downtown area and saw so many people celebrating the new school year in pubs and bars. I saw some familiar retailers I hadn’t seen in six years and felt myself reminiscing.
We finally made our way to Nittany Hall, our home for the next four months. It’s a rustic-looking, two-story building with exposed bricks and lots of trees around. It sits across the Pollock Commons, a building that houses our hall’s commons desk, convenience store, and my favorite, the dining hall.
For the next couple of days, myself and the rest of the awardees spent a lot of time checking off things on our to-do list, such as picking up our student IDs, setting up bank accounts, getting ourselves new phone numbers, and constantly checking up with William and Emily, the Penn State Global representatives who took care of us the entire time we were there! We also tried our best to adjust to our new environment, especially with the campus being massive and the fact that we had to walk at least fifteen minutes from our dorm to classes. It was really fun, though! I thoroughly enjoyed walking around campus while listening to playlists of podcasts that I shared with my friends from back home.
Once I managed to get the hang of life on campus, I started doing things outside of class. I attended Sunday Mass at the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center. I hung out with the other awardees at the Berkey Creamery—Penn State’s very own ice cream shop—and Pollock’s dining hall. We also hung out with other Indonesian students through PERMIAS Penn State and would get together every other weekend or so.
My favorite thing to do on campus is working or simply hanging out at The Pattee and Paterno Library. I’d go there almost every single day between or after classes to grab a coffee or light bite from Starbucks, spend hours on my laptop hard at work, or watch some movies or series. I loved how comfortable the library was especially during quiet times when there weren’t too many people.
As for my classes, I took four GenEd courses that were very interesting and different than any that I have encountered in Indonesia. I took Introductory Sociology, Educational Implications of Individual Differences in Childhood, Population and Policy Issues, and Introduction to Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. My favorite course changed every day, but most of the time it was Educational Implications of Individual Differences in Childhood. I’ve never known any Indonesian higher-level education institution to offer this so I thought why not give it a go? Plus, I love children so this was definitely up my alley.
I spent most of my free time hanging out with the awardees and their friends. We would try out food places in Downtown (my favorites were Big Dean’s Hot Chicken and The Koop!), roam around Target, or go to the school games. During my time there, I got to go to two school games, one football game and one basketball game. Dare I say, I can go in peace now that I’ve been to an American football game. I also got to try out ice skating for the first time at our school’s ice-skating rink. Yes, they have that!
For Thanksgiving break, my friends and I decided to take a trip to New York and Washington DC. I was so happy and excited that I got to share this experience with them. During the trip, though, I was really sick, so I spent a couple of days at home while the rest of the gang were out and about. Getting sick while being so far away from my parents was awful. It got me thinking about how lucky I am that my life back home is so comfortable with my mom ready to take care of me whenever I fall ill.
All in all, my time with IISMA at Penn State was the time of my life. This school has a fun yet cozy feel to it that I just could not get enough of. The lively atmosphere, homey vibes, and crazy weather makes it incredibly hard for me to not miss this place. This opportunity has given me a lot, one of which is a seedling of a dream to come back and be a Nittany Lion again.
I learned that I’m stronger than I thought. I learned to compartmentalize and manage my emotions in order to be able to function well, even though I’m so far away from home and the people I call home. I learned that I work well under pressure and I learned that I’m a curious cat who is always looking to learn and experience new things.
To all English Department students, I hope that through my and all the other awardees’ stories, you’ll give in to your curiosity and seize this opportunity because you’ll surprise yourself at what you can do, who you’re going to meet, and what you’re going to experience out there.