Polish exchange student discovers the real Indonesia

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Sun, 06/03/2007 8:57 AM  |  Life

Aditya Suharmoko, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

""Indonesia is not a country for Muslim extremists; terrorists are Muslims, but Muslims are not necessarily terrorists,"" said a foreigner who has been in the country for almost a year.

Most Westerners are afraid of Islam because they know little about it and what they hear on the news is not really accurate.

Ewa Stelmasiewicz, a Polish student, said recently there were many false stereotypes about Indonesia in the world, adding that the country had a huge business potential, yet remained underestimated.

""I chatted a lot with other Indonesians who live in Poland. They made me feel that it is a normal country, with people who want to live a peaceful life like everywhere else,"" she said, referring to Indonesians who came via AIESEC.

AIESEC, an international student organization that is now based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, was established in 1948. It is spread over 100 countries in the world and has more than 22,000 members.

In Indonesia, six universities are registered as AIESEC members: They are Andalas University, West Sumatra; Diponegoro University, Semarang, Central Java; Brawijaya University, Malang, East Java; Surabaya University, East Java; Padjadjaran University, West Java and University of Indonesia (UI), Depok, West Java.

AIESEC is well known in the country because of its Career Days programs that are held annually. Besides the program, AIESEC has a student exchange program that enable students to have an internship abroad.

Ewa, an exchange student, now works as one of the vice presidents of AIESEC Indonesia and is responsible for people development.

She said the opportunity to have a job abroad was like an investment in the future.

""In Europe, a fresh graduate with no professional experience has very little chance of obtaining a good job. I believe my work here can be more visible and needed than joining a non-governmental organization in Europe,"" she said.

She added that she had to convince her parents to go here, but finally they saw it as a challenge and it is worth the risk to come to Indonesia.

Becoming a member of AIESEC is not easy because it requires some selection processes, such as group discussion and interview, said the president of AIESEC University of Indonesia (UI) Anthony Reza Prasetya.

""We look for people who have an enthusiasm to develop themselves.""

Ewa said that 13 members of AIESEC Indonesia were on internships abroad; some have gone to Malaysia, India, Germany and the United States, while most interns in Indonesia came from Germany and the Netherlands.

Reza said the student exchange program was open to the public with terms of conditions that must be followed. They have to be under 28 and have graduated within the last two years.

He added that in Indonesia, the constraint was usually parents' desire that their children look for a job straight after graduation.

""One of our interns from India once said parents want their children to have good grades in college, graduate on time, go straight to work afterwards and then get married, not taking any risks in life.

""Maybe your child doesn't fit in AIESEC.

""But if you want your children to learn meaningfully, discover what they really want to be, perhaps fail and then succeed -- well -- AIESEC is the right place for them,"" said Reza.

AIESEC UI is in the process of working on a tourism project in Pulau Seribu in cooperation with the Jakarta administration.

Reza said that they wanted to have a positive impact on society and Jakarta had the potential for tourism, but the infrastructure and management did not support it.

""We are discussing the plan with the Jakarta administration. They are very welcome to the idea, so far.""

He added that AIESEC was thinking of expanding to two more universities within Indonesia.

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