Hello, folks! I am Nazra from English Department 2019, and I was awarded the IISMA scholarship during its 2021 pilot project. Here, I have written several bits of reflections that I deem to be notable during my study period in Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.

During my studies, I have always known that I am drawn into the humanities. However, the choice to delve deeper into it wasn’t always available. While I was already satisfied learning fractions of the humanities in English literature, I know that many elements from pure humanities will really contribute to my seeing of the big picture. Therefore, when I was choosing my host university for IISMA, I didn’t have many things to consider; I chose the university that provided the courses that I wanted to study. When I got accepted, there were many things that hindered me, such as unavailability of the courses that I wanted or the clashing timetables. However, I still obtained the majority of what I came there for, and it was such a great experience.

I am extremely grateful for the courses that I took in Sapienza University. I never imagined that I would study Gender Economics at any point in my life, but it turned out to be a really interesting subject to learn. Many famous scholars in the field of gender economics came to the course as guest lecturers in seminars, and their insights on the field contributed to my understanding of the status quo of gender equality. I also learned under the chair of the Global Humanities department in her Critical Theories course, and needless to say I gained comprehensive knowledge on various academic theories that I can apply even in the courses of the English Department at UGM. As silly as it sounds, I finished my study in Sapienza University believing that I could really pursue a degree in the Global Humanities.

In Italy, many lecturers emphasize the need for oral exams in gauging their student’s understanding of the materials. It will be extremely common to see you or your peers failing exams here and there, but fortunately there’s always another opportunity to make-up for bad scores. Personally, going from studying with paper-based output to one with producing a spontaneous oral end-product is a very demanding chore on my end, as I have to change my whole routine of facing exams and exercises. However, I learned a lot from actually practicing this: my presentation and public speaking skills have grown tremendously better from what it was before. I learned how to communicate my thoughts in a way that my audiences would understand best. The lecturers also taught me that failing an exam isn’t the end of the world; they give you constructive feedback, and would gladly encourage you to attempt another one at a later date.

As I navigate through life in Rome, I am very grateful that I befriended people who are there to have fun with me or assist me whenever I face difficulties. Having friends that are local and international helped me to gain insights from two different viewpoints: my local Italian friends help me get immersed into the Roman lifestyle and taught me the Italian language, while my international friends are there for me to experience new things in the city together. I find people who live in the Mediterranean area to be very warm and welcoming, and I am glad that Italy serves as my entryway when experiencing life in Europe. I think of the connections that I created with my friends in Italy to be real ones, and they have unknowingly become one of my motivations to come back when I have the opportunity to pursue my study in the area.

Socializing with my friends became a really positive experience for me. People that I met, most of the time, come from different cultural backgrounds. It had sort of become a habit for me to ask people where they came from when we first met and vice versa. From there on, the conversation would involve the exchange of cultural information: I get to share with them about Indonesian culture, and they would also share with me bits of their own. I find this process really amazing and it definitely has contributed to my current worldview. From IISMA, I get the chance to experience not only Roman culture, but also culture from other countries: my Brazilian friend would host me for dinners, my Pakistani friends would brew me their traditional tea, or my Filipino friend would watch Filipino movies with me. To me, all of these are extremely endearing moments where I can appreciate cultures from various places I have never visited.

IISMA has also given me the chance to travel to places I could have only dreamed of before. As the holder of the national visa of a European country, I have the permission to travel around the entire area. This has been a very precious opportunity for me as I get to visit notable museums and monuments. Furthermore, through PPI, I got to befriend several Indonesians living in different European countries I visited. I learned so much from their experiences, and since they live there as the fruit from their academic endeavors, they really inspired me to achieve more in my studies.

My experience at IISMA wasn’t always pleasant; there will be moments where things go a little bit rocky and I have to depend on myself to solve those problems. I have also realized the limitations that I have as a foreigner who stays short-term compared to people who have settled for a long while in the area. Sometimes, it feels as if I am required to learn what I was supposed to learn in a year in the compact timespan of five months. Despite all of that, it is enough for me to be aware that I have grown tremendously from the person I was before IISMA. I believe that this change is for the better. IISMA has delivered me closer to my goals, big or even small ones. And for that, I will be forever thankful.

Studying in Ireland through IISMA was a lot of firsts for me: first time going away from home for a long period of time, first time going overseas, and first time studying abroad. Aside from now having something to casually flaunt about during family reunions, there are many perks and rewards that come with it. They can be divided into three categories: education-wise, soft skills, and personal experiences.

Education-wise, it is truly enlightening to experience another country’s education system that, in various ways, might be different or the same to our own. Oddly enough, the learning process at my host university didn’t differ much from my current major; most of the assignments were in the form of essays, group works were just as common as individual works, and even the type of students didn’t pose so much of a difference (although this might be different depending on the student and the courses taken). I found myself following the courses without significant blunders, which I was grateful for. This had caught me off guard at first, for I had been expecting to adapt a lot to a drastically different education system. But then again, it can be one of its important takeaways: we might never know we’ve been assuming until we actually go ahead and plunge headfirst into the environment.

That being said, there were indeed some aspects that stood out about how the classes were conducted. For one, the lecturers were on an equal footing with the students. In Indonesia, it is quite common to see lecturers being put on a pedestal. But in my host university, the lecturers are like a good friend that are always there when you need them. They respected the students on a whole nother level and understood when students were having a hard time, busy, or even when they couldn’t attend the class. They would give extension dates on assignments if asked, even provide additional resources, and set up private meetings to help the students. In short, they went to great lengths to accommodate their students. This created an easy and supportive learning environment, encouraging the students to seek help and communicate their difficulties without too much pressure. The fact that the lecturers are on a first-name basis with the students in many English-speaking countries might contribute to this phenomenon, something that is hardly possible and can kick you out of the class if done in Indonesia.

Aside from the lecturers, the system in general was such a joy to experience. Students were allowed to try a class for two weeks before deciding whether or not to take the class or not. If they did, they could officially sign up for the module, or if they didn’t, they could easily change the class for another. It gave the students more freedom to choose and made the whole learning more enjoyable and less stressful. Speaking of classes, first meetings were used to explain in detail what the course entailed, the activities, the tasks and the assignments. All the assignments were given upfront, along with the grading marks and feedback mechanism. For example, if the lecturers said there would only be two essays to submit during the course of the semester, then two essays it was, no additional assignments or tasks given in the middle of the semester. Students knew exactly what to expect from the first to the last week of the semester.

Education is one of the strongest tools you can use to leverage your life. I had heard that phrase all my life, but it wasn’t until IISMA that I finally understood how loaded the message it tried to communicate. I’d been having doubts about whether to pursue graduate study (Master’s) or not, thinking that maybe it simply wasn’t for me, but my semester abroad has changed my point of view. It has cemented my decision that, yes, I will pursue it, preferably sooner than later. Choosing the immediate course of your life, in this instance between pursuing a career or further studies, is by no means something to take lightly. That kind of decision—to take charge of your future education—is a powerful one. Not to mention that undertaking a student exchange gives you a track record that could be useful when pursuing a graduate study.

IISMA improved my soft skills a lot, too. One of the most prominent examples is independence. I found that living alone, especially abroad, could instil some doubts, especially if you’d never been away from home for a long period of time before. However, I learned that it didn’t have to be daunting. Sharing an apartment with fellow students certainly helped, and through this found family we learned the art of cohabitation as well: dividing house chores, managing expenses and groceries, and bonding over similar struggles of studying and living in a foreign country. Not only did it give me independenc, but skills such as making friends with people from totally different backgrounds, absorbing and assimilating new cultures, and communication also improved. It broadened my network, with the friends all over the world I’ve made along the way and the Indonesian Students Association (PPI) who lent their support during the course of my stay.

The third aspect is personal experiences, which cover a lot of grounds. First off, we can’t talk about student exchange without considering international exposure. These days, gaining international exposure is a plus and is especially useful when looking for opportunities such as further studies, fellowships, and jobs. IISMA is one such instance, for it gives the students a mobility program and a fully-funded scholarship to cover it. A prestigious scholarship is one way to leverage yourself among many candidates in any given field. It also opens many opportunities that might not have been there before, such as being invited as a speaker or mentor to various webinars and mentorship programs. The international exposure also makes it easier for you to use it to your advantage when applying for a post that specifically requires it, like in an international event.

Personal experiences also include the things you learned and unlearned along the way. The thing with scoring a student exchange, a full-ride at that, is one wake-up call that makes you realize you are actually more capable of more things than you’d thought you were. I learned a lot about myself thanks to the struggles I faced overseas: my upbringing, my true interests, my learning style, my career aspirations, my choice of friends, my choice of adventure, my life purpose; there are many sides of you that, previously hidden, come out only when you’re away from home. And to realize these things, to learn and unlearn perspectives of yourself, is a powerful form of personal growth.

To sum up, studying abroad is one hell of an experience. It opens the floodgates of new, exciting opportunities for you, and it gives you a chance to see the world (figuratively and literally), meet people who will leave a significant impact on your life from then onwards, learn deeply and meaningfully about yourself, and grow as a person.

When people say studying abroad changes your life, they don’t lie.

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.

Who doesn’t love learning while traveling? To answer that question, let us take a look at the latest English Department UGM’s program Academic and Cultural Exchange UGM-NUS 2019. In cooperation with the National University of Singapore (NUS), this program carried out the theme of Celebrating Multiculturalism. Held on September 24-28 in Yogyakarta and October 19-23, 2019 in Singapore, approximately 14 students from UGM and 19 students from NUS joined this program, which was facilitated by UGM and NUS lecturers, Mala Hernawati, M.A., RahmawanJatmiko, M.A., and Miguel Escobar Varela, Ph.D.

In accordance with its theme, this program gave international exposures that focused on multiculturalism and intercultural communication. As such, the program enabled students to do cultural explorations and observations of various places and events which held prominent cultural values for each respective country. From the UGM side, the aim of this program is to gain international exposures by experiencing multiculturalism in Singapore as well as learning how to adapt to new different places and cultures.

This program began at Prambanan where all UGM and NUS students watched Sendratari Ramayana. The following activities were a cultural exploration in Yogyakarta and a joint project One Thing about My Culture People Often Misunderstood, in which UGM and NUS students were divided into groups and they were expected to present the joint project in the form of sketch performance. However, the sketches were not only bringing up various cultural misunderstandings but also successfully entertained the audience.

Meanwhile, in Singapore, the program varied from visiting the common tourist attraction like Merlion Park to observing religious rituals at Sri Mariamman Temple or Buddha Tooth Relic Temple. Besides, UGM students visited museums and cultural heritages in Singapore. During the session in NUS, students from both universities were also divided into groups to discuss several questions regarding multiculturalism but this time is in a smaller and more personal scope. Students were given questions such as What is one thing about your culture that you really want to pass to your children? How much do you understand your parents’ culture? What cultures define you? and students were also asked to formulate their own questions following the dynamic of the discussion.

Moreover, the students from UGM learned more than just things related to multiculturalism and intercultural communication, which was survival. The experience of getting lost in one of the MRT stations was probably one of the best and unforgettable one. To sum up, it was indeed a complete package of learning, survival, and most importantly, having fun. (Contributor: Tiffani, Kalyca, and Restu)

The English Department Universitas Gadjah Mada

proudly presents

a musical theater

Anastasia:

The Lost Princess of Russia

Wednesday, 6 November 2019

at 7 pm

Concert Hall

Taman Budaya

Yogyakarta

English Days merupakan acara tahunan yang dilaksanakan dalam rangka memeriahkan Dies Natalis ke-73 Program Studi Sastra Inggris, Universitas Gadjah Mada, yang jatuh pada tanggal 19 September. Selama pelaksanaanya, English Days telah mengangkat berbagai tema yang menyoroti berbagai isu masyarakat, seperti tentang kearifan lokal melalui The Eternal Wisdom of Folktales pada tahun 2017 dan menyikapi era post-truth melalui Celebration of the Media pada tahun 2018. Tahun ini, kami mengangkat tema “Reveal Your True Colors” yang mendasari pentingnya merayakan keberagaman karakter dan identitas.

TEMA KEGIATAN

Tema “Reveal Your True Colors” diangkat dengan harapan untuk mendorong tumbuhnya kebanggaan dan rasa optimis dalam diri setiap pribadi di tengah masyarakat yang multikultural. Seseorang tidak perlu bertolak dari jati dirinya sendiri demi menjadi orang lain sebab “menemukan jati diri” merupakan sebuah perayaan yang patut diapresiasi. Mulai dari sana, setiap orang dapat lebih berani untuk berkembang di tengah keberagaman.

TUJUAN KEGIATAN

1. Mendorong masyarakat untuk menumbuhkan rasa optimis dan bangga terhadap dirinya sendiri di tengah situasi multikultural.
2. Mengingatkan masyarakat akan potensi diri yang perlu dimatangkan dengan kreatifitas, integritas, dan self-authenticity.
3. Memberikan ruang bagi mahasiswa Sastra Inggris FIB UGM untuk mengadakan rangkaian kegiatan edukatif dan aksi sosial kemasyarakatan.
4. Merayakan Dies Natalis ke-73 Program Studi Sastra Inggris FIB UGM melalui kegiatan positif, kreatif, dan inspiratif.

RANGKAIAN KEGITAN

HIGH SCHOOL ROADSHOW

Kunjungan ke English Club di beberapa SMA di Yogyakarta, sekaligus menjadi wadah berbagi pengalaman dan minat dalam Bahasa Inggris. Hal ini dapat menjadi media bagi kami mahasiswa Sastra Inggris untuk mempublikasikan rangakaian kegiatan English Days selanjutnya. High School Roadshow diadakan pada bulan Juli 2019 di berbagai SMA di Yogyakarta.

ONE DAY AS ENGLISH LITERATURE STUDENTS

Acara ini memberikan pengalaman kepada siswa-siswi SMA di Yogyakarta dan sekitarnya untuk menjadi mahasiswa sastra di Universitas Gadjah Mada, mulai dari mengikuti pembelajaran sastra, berbincang dengan mahasiswa akan gaya hidup hingga tour kampus.Kegiatan yang akan dilaksanakan pada bulan Juli 2019 berkolaborasi dengan mahasiswa aktif dan pihak dosen sebagai pengajar untuk memberi pengalaman yang lebih nyata.

HOMECOMING PARTY

Pesta perayaan dies natalis ke-73 Program Studi Sastra Inggris dengan mengundang seluruh aspek dari keluarga Sastra Inggris, mulai dari mahasiswa aktif, dosen, karyawan, hingga alumni. Perayaan yang merangkap sebagai reuni ini kami namai dengan “Homecoming” yang berangkat dari konsep “pulang,” kembali menjadi satu dalam bagian keluarga besar Sastra Inggris. Menyesuaikan dengan peringatan dies natalis Sastra Inggris sendiri yang jatuh pada tanggal 19 September, Homecoming Party akan diadakan di minggu yang sama, tepatnya pada 21 September 2019 di The Alana Hotel & Conventions Yogyakarta.

MUSICAL THEATER

Pementasan musical teater dalam perayaan ulang tahun Sastra Inggris UGM merupakan bentuk perwujudan karya yang bisa dinikmati oleh masyarakat luas. Musikal teater sendiri telah menjadi pertunjukkan rutin yang dilakukan mahasiswa Sastra Inggris UGM setiap tahunnya dalam rangkaian kegiatan English Days. Selain itu, musikal teater dianggap sebagai sebuah karya seni dengan berbagai aspek seperti penulisan naskah, penyutradaraan, pelatihan vokal, permainan peran, sampai perwujudan koreografi yang melibatkan banyak pihak.

Oleh karena itu, English Days 2019 mengangkat judul Anastasia: Reminiscence of Lost Princess yang diadaptasi dari cerita rakyat Rusia yang berjudul Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanov of Russia. Cerita ini dipilih karena membahas isu pencarian jati diri, pembuktian cinta sejati, hingga pengorbanan setiap individu untuk mencapai keutuhan karakter yang juga sesuai dengan tema yang diangkat oleh English Days 2019. Teater musikal ini akan dipentaskan di Concert Hall Taman Budaya Yogyakarta pada 6 November 2019. Berikut rencana tingkatan harga yang akan kami pasarkan.

CHARITY

Puncak dari rangkain acara English Days tahun ini adalah bakti sosial dengan mengunjungi salah satu panti asuhan yang peduli terhadap difabel, down syndrome dan yatim piatu, bernama Rumah Buah Hati. Kunjungan kami akan melibatkan pertunjukkan, permainan, berbagi hadiah dan makan bersama dengan harapan untuk merasakan kebahagiaan yang sesungguhnya dengan membuat mereka yang kurang beruntung merasa bahagia. Acara yang akan dilaksanakan pada tanggal 24 November ini adalah bentuk kepedulian dari mahasiswa Program Studi Sastra Inggris UGM sekaligus sarana untuk beramal dan sarana penyuluhan peduli kesehatan.

ICONESIA or International Conference on English Studies in Indonesia is a biyearly conference held by ESAI (English Studies Association in Indonesia), the purpose of which is to give rooms for all the English Lecturers to present their research papers and to solidify the collegiality of all members of the association under its national congress which is held in parallel with the conference. The theme of the 2019 conference is Towards the Future: Celebrating Cultural Differences, which caters for a broad range of disciplines such as Linguistics, Language, Translation, Literature, Education, and Cultures.

Menyadari akan pentingnya adanya sebuah konferensi mahasiswa sebagai forum untuk diseminasi ide atau gagasan, diskusi karya ilmiah, serta perlunya meningkatkan minat dan gairah mahasiswa untuk melakukan penelitian yang mempunyai luaran karya ilmiah, maka Prodi Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Ilmu Budaya, Universitas Gadjah Mada untuk pertama kalinya akan menggelar sebuah konferensi mahasiswa yang tidak hanya diselenggarakan untuk mahasiswa internal Prodi Sastra Inggris UGM tetapi juga terbuka untuk diikuti oleh seluruh mahasiswa Prodi Inggris dari universitas lain di seluruh Indonesia. Konferensi mahasiswa program sarjana (S1) ini dimaksudkan untuk memperkenalkan mahasiswa S1 terhadap forum-forum ilmiah sedari dini sehingga mahasiswa akan mempunyai kepercayaan diri untuk berpartisipasi aktif dalam forum ilmiah.

Student Conference on English Literature and Linguistics (StuCELL) 2018 dipilih menjadi nama dari konferensi mahasiswa yang akan diadakan pada tanggal 21 November 2018 di Auditorium Soegondo FIB UGM. Sesuai dengan namanya, konferensi ini merupakan konferensi keilmuan yang melingkupi bidang kajian sastra dan linguistik Inggris. Adapun demikian, kajian sastra dan linguistik Inggris adalah kajian yang interdipliner sehingga terbuka ruang untuk mengkaji sastra dan linguistik Inggris dari sudut pandang disiplin-disiplin ilmu lain yang relevan.

Konferensi ini merupakan tonggak awal terlaksananya sebuah forum ilmiah untuk mahasiswa yang diselenggarakan oleh Prodi Sastra Inggris UGM. StuCELL diharapkan mampu menjadi forum ilmiah tahunan yang mengusung tema-tema krusial sesuai dengan dinamika sosial dan budaya. Pelaksanaan yang berkelanjutan akan sangat bermanfaat untuk perkembangan ilmu pengetahuan khususnya pada lingkup kajian sastra dan linguistik Inggris di Indonesia.

Tema Konferensi
Bahasa, Keragaman, dan Identitas (Language, Diversity, and Identity) menjadi tema besar yang diusung pada StuCELL tahun ini. Tema ini dirasa mewakili dinamika sosial dewasa ini dimana keragaman budaya dan masalah identitas terkait agama, ras, etnik, dan gender, masih menjadi polemik yang sensitif di masyarakat. Konferensi ini mengundang seluruh mahasiswa Prodi Inggris di Indonesia untuk menilik problema tersebut dalam karya sastra Inggris atau teks non-fiksi berbahasa Inggris. Tema ini diharapkan mampu mengasah kepekaan mahasiswa terhadap masalah keragaman dan identitas serta menumbuhkan jiwa akademisi yang toleran dan menghargai keberagaman.

[gview file=”https://english.fib.ugm.ac.id/wp-content/uploads/sites/113/2018/09/StuCELL-2018-Information-FAQ-180926.pdf”]

[gview file=”https://english.fib.ugm.ac.id/wp-content/uploads/sites/113/2018/09/StuCELL-2018-Poster-180926d.pdf”]

Lunch with Mr. Khem Aryal, Ph.D., a Nepalese English writer and professor at Arkansas State University.

It was such an honor to be able to share experiences and thoughts with such a great and friendly professor. We are looking forward to meeting him again someday.

If you are curious about his great works, do check out his CV here.