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AIESEC exchange students learn to work, live with host families
The exchange students come from about 20 countries, including China, Germany, Egypt, Brazil, South Korea and the Netherlands
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span class="caption" style="width: 378px;">The exchange students come from about 20 countries, including China, Germany, Egypt, Brazil, South Korea and the Netherlands. Courtesy AIESEC
Forty foreign exchange students wound up their summer internships with AIESEC University of Indonesia on Saturday last weekend. Since the fi rst week of July, AIESEC University of Indonesia started running the internship under two projects: Nokia Siemens Networking (NSN) and World Leader Contribution for Education (WARRED).
Vice President of Communications Rivky Rasjid said that the projects were designed “to provide life changing experiences” for the students, as most of them were from developed countries. “They have to get out of their complex zone of living a luxury life to experience a life in a developing country where they will learn to adapt to a new culture,” Rivky told The Jakarta Post.
The exchange participants came from about 20 countries, including China, Germany, Egypt, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Poland, South Korea, the Netherlands and more. Half of them were working in one of the projects.
NSN is a project that aims to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS among high school students. Before participants went to conduct the workshop at high school, they had attended a youth camp, where they learned about HIV/AIDS and team management.
The participants teach street children with English classes, music classes, dancing classes and more. Courtesy AIESEC
An exchange participant from the Czech Republic, Libor Janek, said that both the internship and living in Indonesia had been good experiences. “I could meet a lot of people from other countries and that’s amazing and totally different since I could learn how to present things, myself, and what I am going to do with my team.” However, he said, he had expected to have been given more work to do every
day, adding that there were also some diffi culties with the workshop since some students could not understand English. “While in Europe, everybody talks about sex, here I have to be careful with what I am going to say,” he said, adding that he enjoyed the time he spent at the high school.
While WARRED teaches 100 street children divided into fi ve groups in the Cikini area in Central Jakarta with English classes, music classes, dancing classes, etc. on every Tuesday and Wednesday, on other days they had to discuss the plan and what they would teach while enjoying some other activities like a city tour, culture days, sport days and fund raising days.
“Participants had to go on to the streets selling handicrafts made by the street kids, whom they had taught how to make them, and then they used that money to buy souvenirs for them,” WARRED project coordinator Marry Margaretha Saragi said. She added that most kids only knew about Indonesia and America, “so having European and Asian people teaching them could broaden their mind-set.”
“Participants really had a good time with the kids since they loved each other. The kids asked translators to translate every word that they wanted to tell the participants. They all had a lot of fun,” she said.
Beside the internship, participants like Li Zheng Jun from China said that he had a wonderful experience with his host family.
“I was alone when I was in my country because my parents work abroad. When I came to this family, I really missed my family life and I think that they [my host family] are like my real family,” he said.
“It is better that I can live with others and someone can take care of me. I don’t feel lonely ... This here has been a great experience of my life.”
He added that while living with a Muslim Indonesian family he had learned about their religion and customs. “I wanted to do fasting for the whole [Ramadhan] month, but I could not stand more than two days because I felt my stomach was not well since I hadn’t gotten used to it,” he said.
The host family program is organized by AIESEC University of Indonesia, which provides free food, stay and laundry for exchange students. Participants have to pay for all other expenses.
The writer is a Cambodian student majoring media management at Royal University of Phnom Penh. He is now doing an internship at The Jakarta Post.
