We are cordially inviting you to attend the public lecture with the topic “What It Means to Be an Irish Writer” with Audrey Magee, an Irish writer and the author of “The Colony”. This lecture will also be moderated by Samantha Perez, our Oberlin Sanshi fellow.

Here are other details regarding the lecture:

Introduction by:
– H. E. Pádraig Francis (Ambassador of Ireland to Indonesia)
– Muh. Arif Rokhman, Ph. D (Senior lecturer at English Department, UGM)

Date: November 1st, 2022 09.00-11.00 WIB

Will be held at:
Auditorium, 7th floor Soegondo Building, Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM (offline)
Zoom meeting: http://ugm.id/PLTheColonyZoom

Register yourself here:
http://ugm.id/PLTheColonyReg

This lecture is open to the public! So you can join this lecture for free by registering to the link above and get your e-certificate afterwards✨

For further information, kindly contact:
Fatihah: +6282137401363
Dasadriya: +6282313583548

Community Service is an annual event hosted by the English Studies Programme at Universitas Gadjah Mada to execute one of the Three Pillars of Higher Education. This year, the theme of the Community Service was ‘PkM UGM in Collaboration with SMA N 5 Purworejo: Developing Speaking Skills through Storytelling.’ The goal of this Community Service is to foster speaking skills in a way that not only encourages participants to pronounce words correctly but also to speak with the proper intonation and articulation. In addition to learning about modulation, pitch, tempo, pause, and tone through storytelling, the participants gained valuable skills for future public speaking opportunities.

The community service was held for three days at SMA Negeri 5 Purworejo on September 19, September 23, and September 24, 2022. There were both online and in-person meetings during the event. The date for the online class was set on September 19, 2022. It was to deliver the materials about storytelling to the participants by English Studies Programme lecturers Dra. Sharifah Hanidar, M.Ed., Dra. Rio Rini Diah Moehkardi, M.A., and Adiba Qonita Zahroh, S.S., M.Litt. On the same day, the lecturers provided six folktales from six countries from which the participating students could choose.  The following three days were planned to be dedicated to the participants engaging in individual practise.

On the 23rd and 24th of October, the team, consisting of the English Studies Programme lecturers and students, visited the venue to meet teachers and students of SMA Negeri 5 Purworejo. On the first day, small groups of English Department students were set to provide mentorship. The next day, from 10 am to 12 pm, another mentorship session was scheduled. Following a short break of an hour, the participants were given a full two hours to tell stories as the primary focus of the programme. The announcement of the top three performances then followed. The event was closed at 4 PM with closing statements from the head of the community service committee and the representative teachers from SMA Negeri 5 Purworejo.

Written by: Rahma Az-Zahra, English Studies Programme 2020
Proofread by: Adiba Qonita Zahroh, S.S., M.Litt.

Hello, English Department Students Year 2019!

Through this announcement, English Department would like to invite you all to join as committees and participants for three great series of events that will be commenced in November 2022.

• Public Lecture with Audrey Magee, Irish Novelist, the writer of The Colony (in person),
• International Student Seminar on Children Issues (hybrid), and
• International Student Seminar on Gender Studies and Sex Education/Sexual Harassment (hybrid).

This participation weighs 12 credits. Therefore, to participate in the committee, you are required to already finish your Community Service (8 credits) as it is to complete your total 20 credits for MBKM participation.

For those who are eligible, you can send your application by 8th October 2022 via the following Google Form: http://ugm.id/EventMBKMProdi

Contact Person: +447460070516 (Adiba)

UGM X NUS

On Monday, September 12, UGM hosted its day one virtual exchange meeting with NUS students in 2022. This is the eighth year since the commencement of this exchange program. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, both institutions had to conduct the events virtually for the past three years. Participating in this exchange program were UGM students enrolled in the course “Introduction to Multiculturalism: Folklore & Mythology” and NUS students enrolled in the course “Reinventing Intercultural Exchange.” Before the event began, Mr. Adi Sutrisno, as the head of the English Studies Program, gave a welcoming speech to all the participating students. The event continued with Mr. Miguel Escobar Varela, Bapak Rahmawan Jatmiko, and Ibu Alvanita explaining the program and the basic culture of Indonesia and Singapore in order to offer the participants a better understanding of both countries. This virtual dialog focused on addressing the city, lifestyle, and arts from multiple views since the theme of this program is “The Stories of Our Cities.”

Under the supervision of Mr. Miguel Escobar Varela, Mr. Rahmawan Jatmiko, and Mrs. Alvanita, these students will meet virtually one month in advance. This online interaction aims to promote multicultural understanding, particularly between Indonesia and Singapore. In addition, students are expected to find nuanced ways to talk about cultural differences and similarities. Students will therefore participate in group discussions to share their experiences, knowledge, and anecdotes. Each individual has the opportunity to present their selected topic, with the other providing feedback.

 

 

 

Welcome Greeting

from the Program Head

Dear students of 2022,

Welcome aboard.

On behalf of the English Studies Program, Universitas Gadjah Mada, I am honored to welcome you to this great study program as you embark on your academic journey that will define your career in the years ahead. All the staff of the Program will assist you to navigate your academic adventure, exploring your academic life, discovering new passion, and engaging your intellectual challenge here.

As head of the Program, I am delighted to share with you some personal observations about the best ways to take advantages of the opportunities for learning and personal growth that this study program offers. First thing first, it is essential that you attend classes. Not

attending a required number of classes may result in not obtaining satisfactory credits for the course. When attending a class, you are encouraged to participate in classroom discussions. The final grade that you receive in a course reflects a combination of assessments: a mid-semester and final examinations, case-based and project-based assignments, and class participation. Class participation involves contributing to class discussions: asking and answering questions in class. If you sit quietly and never ask questions and give opinions, your final grade may be adversely affected. Do not be afraid to speak in class, even if you are not totally sure of your answer, because speaking in class will indicate that you are thinking about the topic of conversation, and it may help you to clarify your thoughts on a topic.

Do not be afraid to ask your lecturers if you experience any academic problems.  Lecturers have regular office hours during which you can make appointments or meet them to discuss your problems. Most lecturers are also willing to meet students outside their office hours on appointment. We are all here to help you navigate your academic journey.

I wish you all the best with your academic endeavors at the English Studies Program, Department of Languages and Literature, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada.

About TF-NUS LEaRN 

TF-NUS LEaRN is a three-week summer program sponsored by Temasek Foundation at National University of Singapore aiming to nurture the next generation of Asian Leaders by providing opportunities for cultural exchange, networking, and leadership enhancement. TF-NUS LEaRN 2022 focuses on Holistic Resilience, Entrepreneurship, Technology and Innovation. We learned about the registration for this program from our beloved and supporting lecturer, Mba Alva <3. Even so, the information could actually be found on the OIA UGM Website. 

Our Experiences

• Experiencing Offline School for The First Time

As we all know, the Covid-19 pandemic has hit the world for over two years. Since the English Department has not conducted offline classes effectively, this program allowed us to experience offline school for the first time after a while. Initially, we doubted our ability to survive the offline classes, especially in NUS. But thanks to our willingness to challenge ourselves, we managed to pass this program satisfactorily by always being active in the classes and group discussions.

• Playing “Kotak Pos” with ASEAN Buddies

In the first week of the program, we had the opportunity to group up according to our nationality. On that day, we (Indonesians) were trying to explain the history of Indonesia from independence day until now. After that, we all gave other countries sticky notes of our hope for their countries. After the sessions were done, we all gathered in a circle to play one of Indonesian traditional games, “Kotak Pos.” At first, everyone who played was only Indonesian, but because we made quite a big noise when we played Kotak Pos, some of the nearest participants started to join us. There, we had fun introducing Kotak Pos to our ASEAN friends, which they found pretty fun too.

• Celebrating Hari Raya Haji with ASEAN Buddies 

Luckily we could spend our first Hari Raya Haji in Singapore during this program, which turned out to be celebrated a bit differently from the one in Indonesia. In the morning, we went to pray at Tentera di Raja Mosque, which is quite near PGPR. Before that day, we had to book a place first on the MUIS website. Otherwise, we might not have been allowed to enter the mosque. Also, most Singaporeans don’t conduct slaughter in their own country, yet they celebrate it like Indonesians celebrate Lebaran Day: full of food and family visits! And our Singaporean buddies, Sayyid and Husna, were so open-handed that they invited us to celebrate Hari Raya Haji in their houses! Sayyid’s family served us scrumptious Indian cuisines. There was Naan Bread with Butter Chicken, Roti Jala/Kirai with Mutton Curry, Sayyid Mom’s tasty Fried Chicken, and Chana Masala. Meanwhile, Husna (assisted by another buddy Nafla) cooked Malay cuisines, which were Ketupat, Sambal Goreng Pengantin, Begedil Ball, Vege Tomato Soup, Serondeng, Sambal and Ikan Keeping. We also made Ondeh-ondeh together in her house! Fyi, Ondeh-ondeh in Singapore is the same as Klepon in Indonesia.

• Dragon Boating and Frisbee with Hompimpa😃 

There are some fun activities that we did outside the program, one of which was dragon boating. On Buddy Day, a day scheduled for us to spend our time with our own buddy, We and Rahh’s buddy, Nafla, went to Wayne’s house (Raihan’s buddy) to spend our morning till afternoon there before going dragon boating. There we played Monopoly and Uno. After that, at 3 pm, we went to the Kallang Water Sports Center near the Singapore National Stadium. There, we went dragon boating with most of the ASEAN buddies for 2 hours straight. It was also our first time doing dragon boating, so we knew nothing about that. Thankfully there was an instructor that helped us to learn the movement. In dragon boating, synchronized teamwork is essential to make the boat move, and after the instructor told us that we should count synchronously, we were able to slowly move the boat. 

We also played frisbee the day before we went dragon boating. It was also our first experience playing frisbee. The funny yet exciting time was when we tried to divide the group into two; no one had any idea what we should do. Suddenly the Indonesians said, “Let’s just do hompimpa!” and we did exactly that. We have fun while also introducing some Indonesian games. It was an enjoyable and exciting moment with everyone.

• Daily Life as Exchange Students in NUS 

During the program, we stayed in Prince George’s Park Residence, one of NUS Housing. This accommodation was already sponsored. Because of the complete cooking utensils in the PGPR’s pantry, we loved to cook our own food, mostly for breakfast and lunch. This was also what reduced our expenses there! To go around, we mostly took public transportation, such as the NUS bus, MRT, and public bus. Fyi, the NUS bus is free for the public! And it’s very helpful because it reaches strategic places such as Kent Ridge MRT Station and nearest Fair Price, where we used to buy our groceries.

As Muslims, we didn’t really find any difficulty living in Singapore, especially because we have quite a lot of Muslim buddies in this program. We learned a lot from them, like where they usually pray, how to choose a food stall that sells halal food, and where we can find halal food easily. We found that if there is no mosque or prayer room nearby, it’s very common for Muslims in Singapore to pray on emergency stairs. However, we had a funny experience about it. In our first week, we still didn’t understand where they usually pray in public places. Thus, we prayed in front of the lift in a convention centre, where many people passed. While we were praying, a little boy passed by and returned only to seriously pay attention to us. Quite a memorable experience for us!

Our Impressions on the Program and Singapore:

Rahh

It was only three weeks, but I already feel that half of my soul is still there in Singapore <3. That is the perfect quote to summarize my impression on this exchange experience. I always felt welcome and appreciated, both by local and international folks I met during this program and both in classes and in everyday life. I admit that I still have a lot to learn from them, but they never made me feel inferior. They always appreciated other people for any good thing they did, even how they dressed. Also, I felt so safe in Singapore that I didn’t need to worry too much about myself and my stuff. Going out very early in the morning or returning to the dorm at almost midnight didn’t make me worry about my safety. 

Raihan

• About the Program

At first, I thought the program would be too exhausting for me since it was in NUS, but it wasn’t. All the participants were very friendly and always willing to listen to what I said. The material that was discussed also opened my mind. The program wasn’t exhausting because they tried to put on engaging sessions or intermezzo after every severe session. For example, we had a well-being activity which was a tote bag painting workshop. In that session, we painted our tote bag by choosing the design given by the instructor and drawing it onto our tote bag. Even though I needed to use my creativity to hide my lousy drawing on my tote bag in the end, I’m still proud of my work, especially since it was my first experience in painting.  

• About NUS

In my view, the NUS area feels quite large, but in real life, each faculty and building were placed relatively close to each other. The thing that makes NUS feel quite large and each building feels a bit far from each other because the campus is located on a hill. Thankfully, there is an NUS bus that I can ride for free from the bus stop around NUS. The downside was the bus driver can get a bit rowdy sometimes, even NUS itself recruiting a mystery rider that will be paid to observe how the bus is being driven. Other than that, NUS campus life is already solid, with the dorm located inside the campus area and the accessibility to public transport from the campus. This is also why I haven’t seen any students driving or riding to the campus in their own vehicles.

• About Singapore

The simplest yet beneficial thing that I learned in Singapore, I call the escalator manner. So, the escalator manner is a manner in which a person who is not in a hurry needs to stay on the left side of the escalator. During the first few days in SG I didn’t know about this, so at the airport and in some other places, like public transport escalators, I stayed on the right the whole time while talking to my friends, which might make some people angry at that time. As time goes by, I’ve implemented this manner already. I even started walking like a Singaporean, which is much faster than most Indonesian people do. The funny thing is when I just came back to Indonesia, these kinds of manners made me a bit angry. On the first day in Jakarta, I went to the mall with Rahh and Jess and while on the escalator, the people there stood anywhere, which was frustrating because the escalator was also way too slow. Even it still happens in the travelator in Soekarno-Hatta Airport, where the signs where people should stand and where people should walk are available. Now, I just wish that this manner can be applied in Indonesia for a good reason. 

Other things that also felt much better in SG were public transportation and pedestrian sidewalk. Transportation in SG is much better because all of the public transport lines are nearly connected, especially MRT lines, and all the MRT stations are reachable from anywhere. The sidewalk also feels comfy because there weren’t any food stalls or carts on it. Because of this, I’m starting to get used to walking a lot and love to use public transportation in those three weeks. From only completing 1.3k steps a day to averaging 12k steps a day, my highest steps a day was 20k. In Indonesia, if we want to go across the road, even at the pedestrian cross, the motor users still try to overtake us and sometimes honk like crazy, but in SG, I feel that every time we want to use the pedestrian cross, the motor users will give us the way first without even need to wave our hand as long as you are near the pedestrian crossing. 

The past four months might have been the best four months of my life. Indonesia International Student Mobility Awards has given me a chance to study at one of the most prestigious universities in the world, Nanyang Technological University, in Singapore. I made some good friends, learned new lessons in both classes and in life, and created beautiful memories that are worth cherishing in the Lion City. Here are some stories of my life in Singapore!

Adapting to Life in Singapore

Is it hard to adapt to life in Singapore?

Very hard lah. At first. But overall? No, not really.

What made it hard, then? For me, it’s because I come from a small city in Indonesia: Yogyakarta. I’m used to living in a small village with its quiet and laid back lifestyle, far from the hustle-bustle of a city. Despite my love for traveling, I usually only travel to quiet mountainous areas,  and do not venture to metropolitans like Jakarta or Surabaya. So, I was overwhelmed when I set foot in Singapore for the first time. How could I not? Tall buildings surrounded us everywhere! And everything looked so modern and lavish, which encapsulated the essence of “city life” so accurately. I wondered if I could survive living here, with strangers as my companions, and in an entirely different country. 

I was also concerned with the living arrangements when we would arrive in NTU. First of all, I am a shy person who takes a long time to open up to new people. Secondly, I didn’t really like the idea of living with a roommate. And I had to deal with this in the span of 4.5 months? Was that enough time for us to bond? At the end of the day, only time would tell.

Academic Life at NTU

At NTU, there are three kinds of lecture styles: 1) seminars; 2) lectures; 3) tutorials. In the English Department, we usually have lectures: the professors/lecturers explain concepts and information to us while we take notes. This is also what we do in lecture class at NTU. For seminar classes, it’s usually applied for smaller classes consisting of 20-30 students. The students will then be divided into smaller groups, around 4 to 5 students per group. In this class, we’re expected to read the materials ahead of time and discuss them with our teammates and the professors. Overall, the seminar class is way more interactive than lectures and, in my opinion, it’s also the most fun style! For tutorial classes, it should be similar to what we have in our department.

On top of that, we also have to study the necessary materials before coming to class. Thankfully, NTU’s syllabus and system are very detailed and comprehensive, so we had no difficulty accessing the materials. Aside from presentation slides, we also had to watch lecture videos and read several articles before the lecture or seminar began.

The classes I attended were all exciting and full of new knowledge to learn. Furthermore, all of the staff, from the professors themselves to the tutors, are very approachable and easy to contact. They are also very attentive to their students and make sure that we are all doing well in their classes. In seminar-based classes, the professors even send an email to the students when they don’t attend the class without informing them. 

I registered for four courses this semester: Introduction to Computational Thinking and Programming, Cultural Intelligence, Leadership in the 21st Century, and Climate and Climate Change. Both Computational Thinking and Climate Change are lecture-based classes, while Cultural Intelligence and Leadership are seminar-based classes. Computational Thinking also has tutorial and lab sessions on top of lectures from the professors. Each of these courses has three Academic Units (credits), which translates into three-hour sessions. 

I struggled the most with Computational Thinking since I study in the English Department at my home university, thus I didn’t dabble in mathematics and logic. In contrast, I enjoyed Cultural Intelligence and Leadership a lot as they examine human communication skills and values that can be applied in real life. In addition, we were divided into teams in those two classes, which gave us a chance to experience working together with people from various backgrounds. Climate Change was very technical, yet it was also fun to learn the details of the Earth’s climates and how it has changed over time (although learning several physics equations was not as fun).

Social Life 

During my stay in NTU (and by extension Singapore), I made a lot of new friends. Initially, NTU staff hosted a brief orientation program for us IISMA awardees and assigned us into groups and assigned us a buddy, who acted as our host for the rest of the semester. There were also other orientations and networking events for international students to help us integrate into the life in NTU and Singapore. 

Besides that, I also made friends from my classes and communities that I joined there. Unfortunately, NTU clubs are not open for exchange students, so we couldn’t join any there. Therefore, most of us looked for friends elsewhere. Some international students partook in parties and clubbing, while my fellow awardees sometimes joined in casual activities like visiting a museum or having lunch together. 

For me personally, my social life mostly revolved around going out with some close friends, both from IISMA and other NTU students, and my activities in two gamelan communities. I visited museums, strolled around the quiet Peranakan establishment, cycled along the East Coast, attended rehearsals for both Javanese and Sundanese gamelan, and watched a gamelan performance with my friends. 

Singa Nglaras

I’d like to give an honorable mention to Singa Nglaras because they were a significant part of my IISMA experience. 

I searched for “gamelan community in Singapore” to find out which one is still active (because gamelan communities’ social media accounts don’t get updated often). It is called Singa Nglaras—meaning “relaxing lion”—and it seems trustworthy, for lack of a better word, as it’s officially under the Department of Southeast Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore (NUS). I was hesitant to contact them until I read that they welcome everyone who wants to join, musical experience or not. Thus, I finally contacted them.

I was fairly nervous at first because I found out that there were no Indonesians nor students in sight during the first rehearsal I attended. It was my fault though; I thought Singa Nglaras members comprise NUS students and/or some Indonesians, given that it is under NUS and a gamelan group. Another culture shock that I faced is that they read the song’s notes in English, whereas I’m used to reading them in Javanese. 

I hadn’t come for rehearsals for two years, so my skills in nabuh were rusty. The leader, Mas Xinwei, said that they are all still learning, so I should take it easy and learn alongside them. (Being a naive trusting person that I was, of course I believed him). I was shocked when they played like professionals during the rehearsal. I was very impressed with them, though. They were like a well-oiled machine that worked in synergy and helped each other whenever they needed it.

I never thought that they could be that nice. All of them are good people; they were patiently teaching me how to play certain instruments, encouraging me to hang out with them and share my life in Java, playfully forcing me to take away the food they bring to rehearsals because I was a student living in a dorm, and sometimes invited me to ride a cab with them to the nearest MRT station. The kindest thing they did to date is holding a farewell party for us IISMA-NTU students when we were about to go home to Indonesia.

Lessons I Learned in IISMA

I’ve learned a lot in the span of four months of the program. One of my goals was to improve my capability for intercultural communications. The lessons I gained from classes, combined with the small yet diverse cultural backgrounds of Singapore contribute a lot to achieving this goal. The most useful lesson I learned from class, especially Cultural Intelligence one, is how to manage and resolve conflicts effectively.

I also said I’d like to make friends with those who love cultural customs and traditions. And I found plenty of them! I met someone from China who eagerly explained her culture to me. Another friend I met is a Singaporean with a Peranakan background whose work in contemporary dance is inspired by his background. Another friend I have loved Javanese traditions and philosophies, which resulted in lengthy discussions about them. I also have plenty of friends who taught me about Singapore and what it has to offer.

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).

My name is Farah Nadira Lukita Dewi, a first batch IISMA Awardee to the University of Padua, Italy, for the fall semester of 2021. I was in my second year of undergraduate studies in the English Department when I joined the program. Through this writing, I will be sharing about my life-changing experiences during IISMA, both the social and academic life.

For the first few days of my arrival, I still could not believe my eyes that I had finally made my way there. Going abroad for an exchange program has always been the biggest dream of mine and all struggles in the pre-departure preparation were paid off. Italy, specifically the University of Padua, however, was not my first destination. My first choice fell to Newcastle University, London. After learning that they did not accept TOEFL ITP, the only English proficiency certificate that I had, there was not much time left to take another type of test, so I decided to change my choice on the host university. After many considerations including the local language and offered courses, I was convinced that University of Padua was the best option for me. I did not regret it one bit.

I, along with the other 29 awardees, lived in the same dorm building. It was only around two kilometers away from the city center. Since everything was relatively close, I usually commuted by bus or simply on foot. Italy, to my surprise, had more things in common with Indonesia than I had expected, which is a good thing because it truly made it feel like home. The locals were very friendly and helpful even when I did not speak and understand Italian whatsoever at first. I’d have random locals start sharing their trip experiences in Indonesia with me as soon as they learned I’m an Indonesian.

Being a Muslim was not as scary as I thought it would be either. If anything, I can say that most people respect it, though Islam belongs to the minority group and thus there were barely any mosques in my city. Some local women even came up to me to compliment my hijab and how I looked good in it. Also when eating in a restaurant, they would warn me if the food contained pork. However, I can admit that my options for halal food were very slim, which forced me to cook more. One thing that caught my attention was the lack of time discipline. Surprisingly, just like Indonesian culture, it was much more common for people not to be punctual. There were many times when my professors would start the class five to ten minutes late and the buses did not operate as scheduled.

My academic life was not any less interesting. Because of the pandemic, the classes had to be conducted partially online and physically. However, attendance was not mandatory for most courses. Students would still be given the opportunity to take final exams even if they chose to be non-attending students but with different workloads. The teaching methods seemed to vary from one course to another. There was one course in which the professor barely gave lectures and thus only demanded the students to be actively engaged in class forums and discussions. Meanwhile, in a different course, the professors were the ones leading the class with lectures. Also, some courses barely gave any assignments and even midterms. Hence, final exams contributed 100% to our final marks.

Most humanities fields held the final exams orally, which I struggled with at first since I was more used to paper-based exams. I even failed one of the courses once. Thankfully, I was able to retake the exam the following month and passed it with a satisfying result. They also allowed us to reject our marks and gave us chances to retake the exams more than once should we were not satisfied with the results. The grading system was also different from that in Universitas Gadjah Mada. The marking system was on a scale of 18 to 30, with 18 being the minimum passing score and 30 being the maximum. It was definitely not an easy job to get a good mark. My local friend informed me that it was common for her peers and herself to retake the exams at least three times before getting a score above 26. But, since I was in a short exchange program, it was impossible for me to retake the exams more than once. Therefore, I was highly motivated to make up for the failing exam by trying my best in the next period.

The international office staff member was also accommodating us from the pre-departure up to the return, including informing us on how to fill out the study plan, apply for the residence permit, and other useful academic-related life. I had to change some of the selected courses because of the overlapping timetables. It took me a while to commute from one class to another because unlike Universitas Gadjah Mada, the faculties of the University of Padua were not centralized in one area. Some of them are even located in a different city that is like an hour away by bus from the city center.

IISMA gave me the opportunity to meet people from various backgrounds and learn about new cultures not only through social events that I participated in but also by traveling to other EU countries since I was the holder of a European visa. I met and interacted with other Indonesians who resided in those countries. They got to share their experiences living abroad as Indonesians, which also motivated me to do the same in the future.

My ups and downs during IISMA have had a strong impact on my life. Though it was a relatively short period of time, I never went a single day without learning something new. Most importantly, it taught me to be independent and solve problems on my own. The gap between the Eastern cultures in which I grew up and the Western cultures to which I was exposed to has given me a new perspective to see the world. It is important to have pride in our identity while also maintaining respect for others. I hope that everything I learned from my five-month stay in Italy will be a valuable tool that will assist me in my future academic journey.

 

 

Joining the IISMA (Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards) program has been the highlight of my academic life. Ever since I entered university, I wanted to join an exchange abroad so I could learn more about different lives and cultures. I wanted to make friends with people from other countries and compare how different or similar we are. My dream finally came true when I heard the information about a new program, IISMA. Not only would I get to experience becoming an exchange student, but I would also be funded fully by the government of Indonesia. I was lucky enough to receive the scholarship. Not only that but at a top university, the University of Edinburgh. In this reflective essay, I would like to share my experiences of the adjustments of my studying abroad as an exchange student in two different groups, namely the academic life and social life.

Regarding academic life, there are several things I had to consider. In terms of reading, I had to read a lot of material from different books for one meeting in a course. In Indonesia, spesifically Universitas Gadjah Mada, it is not common to read many pages of one book for a course, let alone hundreds of pages from several different books. This was what happened when I joined the program. Besides, I had to be really independent in terms of studying at the University of Edinburgh. Instructions and reading lists were usually given before all classes started. We are supposed to have understood the system of study so that when the classes have started, we should have understood everything relating to the courses. All things relating to things such as tutorials, the marking system, and assignments should have been at our fingertips. This surely forced me to adapt myself to the system quickly and became one of the stressors, so to speak, that I found in the program. Furthermore, the marking system may put Indonesian students into a problem as the system employed in the UK universities is more complicated. What I did find surprising was the way that the university in the UK is very attentive to the student’s well-being, especially their mental health. GPs or General Practitioners are available everywhere, including in the university, and it is very easy for us students to get access to one. The university also provides each student with a personal tutor. We can ask them anything and they will help us in any way they can.

Edinburgh for me is like Jogja, a small city but full of culture. There are almost always men wearing kilts down the streets and playing the traditional Scottish instrument, the bagpipe. The buildings are old vintage buildings, like ones you would find in the Harry Potter movies. As for the weather, it is very unpredictable. One minute it was sunny, the next it would rain. It was also always freezing cold. The joke says that the UK has four different seasons, but for us Indonesians, it may have only two seasons, namely cold and very cold seasons.

As expected, living in Edinburgh is expensive, especially food-wise. Local supermarkets like Lidl and Aldi might be a good choice to shop in since they are affordable. This way, we have to spend money wisely as the funds supporting us were only enough to survive. Takeaways are the biggest problem since there are so many near the university yet they are expensive. One takeaway meal could cost the equivalent of one week of groceries. As a Muslim, it is also important to read the ingredients of something before buying it, because not everything is halal, even though it is pretty easy to find halal food. Foods are much blander compared to foods in Indonesia, which is another reason why I prefer cooking rather than eating out. Thank God I had brought a lot of spices!

When we are living in the UK, we have the experience of getting along with a different culture and people, as well as how to behave in such situations. When I was living in Edinburgh, I had three flatmates: two from the UK and one from Australia. I had to speak English all the time. As we were living under the Western culture, the celebrations that we had were related to the culture. For instance, in December, we celebrated Christmas. Yet I did not have to join the celebration except when my friends had a non-religious party. At the party, there was some food that we could share. So, I joined the celebration that I thought was not problematic to my religion. I began to control what to join and what to not join. As regards partying, it can happen two or three times a week or sometimes more as it is considered a social event. At the party, people drink and socialize too. It is a great way to make friends.

Regarding the Muslim society in Edinburgh, it consists of two groups: students and common people that live there. There is one central mosque near the university where men and women attended the prayers every day, even the Jummah prayers. This is different from Indonesia where women mostly stay at home to pray. To me, this mosque reminded me of home and I felt the safest when I was here. At the University of Edinburgh, there is an Islamic Society that I joined. The members are Muslim students from all over the world. Events such as having dinner together and game night were held by the Islamic Society with the purpose that Muslim students from different backgrounds and nationalities would get along closely. This is to help them with loneliness and homesickness so that they have a community and family.

From my experience of living for three months in Edinburgh as an exchange student, I now can make up my mind about my life. Living in a different culture will open your mind about differences and how to handle them. In the UK, people are tolerable. They will appreciate your ideas, religion, ways of thinking, and culture. In this way, they can accept people from different backgrounds and nationalities. So, we do not have to worry about showing our national identity. Besides, in terms of studying, we need to work hard because the systems are relatively harder than that in Indonesia. Knowing the complete system of education in the UK is necessary for our success in the future. Apart from that, we also have to be able to manage our social life, so that we can get along with people from different backgrounds and cultures. I do hope this very short time in Edinburgh will prepare me for when I study for my higher degree there in the future.