My name is Fendryan Gabriel, and I would like to share my experience during this program. There were obstacles and challenges I faced, but also there were many interesting experiences and good outputs that I had while being an exchange student.
I was placed at the Universitas Muslim Nusantara (UMN) Al-Washliyah. The university, which is located in Medan City, North Sumatra, has six faculties, namely Teacher and Education Science, Law, Agriculture, Economics, Mathematics and Natural Sciences and Literature. UMN Al-Washliyah also has several departments for the undergraduate, the postgraduate programs, and also for the professional programs.
Because the early plan of this program was offline lectures, I became very enthusiastic to register and join this program. After several semesters of doing online classes, I was finally able to go to another inner island of Indonesia to study. On the other hand, I can meet new people there later.
Unfortunately, this exchange program was finally carried out online due to the worsening pandemic conditions at the beginning of the odd semester of 2021. This finally had to be adjusted again by the implementing team – the Modul Nusantara course in particular – and me personally. I had to reorganize my spirit and intention to carry out the online meetings that semester.
Initially, the Modul Nusantara course would bring students who accepted at UMN Al-Washliyah to trace the history and culture of Sumatra through visits and interactions with resource persons. However, because it was done virtually, other students and I could only follow this exploration through our own device. The places visited by all of us include Istana Maimun, Mesjid Raya Al-Mahsun, Graha Maria Annai Velangkani, Vihara Gunung Timur, Kuil Sri Mariamman, and other historical sites. Besides that, this course also gave me the opportunity to meet with several sources, including Pak Shafwan Hadi Umry, Pak Putra Andica Siagian, Kak Zulfitri, and others. At the end of each activity, students would write a report containing grades, lessons, or interesting things that can be learned from the activities.
Other courses that I took at UMN Al-Washliyah included Public Speaking, Creative Writing, American Literature, and English Drama. Praise the God, I managed to get a lot of output. I succeeded in writing and re-cultivating a love for reading (Creative Writing), was given the opportunity to speak and explain the topic (Public Speaking), discussed the literature of American writers by age division and ethnic group (American Literature), and contributed to a chapter in a book that discusses English Drama. Apart from academic activities, I did not participate in other activities at UMN Al-Washliyah.
Even though I joined this program, I did not fully study at UMN Al-Washliyah. I still had the responsibility to take compulsory courses at UGM. It was at this point that I began to fall in love with ‘deadliners’ – working on assignments as they approached their deadlines. Due to poor self-management and time management at the beginning of the odd semester, I was overwhelmed and there were several assignments that were not finished. At that time, I tried to find enthusiasm from diligent people’s posts on Whatsapp stories, Instagram posts, and asked several friends about how they fight laziness, but unfortunately I haven’t been able to find that enthusiasm or inspiration to pump myself up so I can study and do my assignments again. One day, in my creative writing class, my lecturer said that“inspiration is hard to find, but a lack of inspiration can’t be an excuse for not submitting assignments.” So in the end, I had to learn to schedule again and had to learn discipline again, although, still, there were some of the same mistakes.
My previous impression of the exchange program is that we only focused on studying at the university where we transferred. But because of this program, my imagination was broken and changed because I could study at two different universities. It could even be more than three universities in the same semester.
In this paragraph I actually want to explain about how this program helped me to realize my short-term and long-term plans. As I mentioned earlier, I joined this program because there was an offline plan but that didn’t happen. As a result, I had to plan again and I was confused at that time and when I wrote that essay, I was also confused. What I remember about myself at that time was how I must continue to be enthusiastic about taking online classes because this was already the umpteenth semester.
Praise the God, at that time I was still active at UKK UGM. Although there are many work programs and activities carried out, itis one of the reasons for me to look for enthusiasm because it is the only campus activity that can be carried out in the campus area and where we can meet other students. Not infrequently, I also looked for content on youtube to watch in order to stimulate my jealousy towards other people’s achievements. However, jealousy management is needed because it is like a double-edged sword. I can be excited because of jealousy and want to fight again, but also I can feel like a loser because I think, “Where have I been all this time, there is no progress at all.”
Lastly, in my opinion, we need a good support system. Indeed, someone said that, “pada akhirnya, orang yang bisa membantu diri saya adalah diri saya sendiri” but not always. There is a quote that I just got from someone: “If someone tells a story, the burden will be light. He or she doesn’t ask for a solution, because he or she actually knows how to solve it, but he or she is looking for a place to tell stories.” Therefore, let’s not try to compare the burdens because “‘masih ada yang lebih menderita kok.’ Tapi pada intinya saya juga menderita” (Eragon, 2021).
