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Focus Issue: Studying abroad nurtures friendships, teaches languages and opens the mind
A look at the experiences of Indonesian students studying abroad to give themselves a brighter future
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look at the experiences of Indonesian students studying abroad to give themselves a brighter future.
The privilege of studying abroad isn't granted to every high school graduate. But if the chance arrives, it's better not to miss the opportunity to take a couple of years away and return as a wiser individual. At least, that's how Anita Alda Tambayong, an Inholland University Rotterdam graduate who is currently working in Jakarta as a digital marketer, sees it.
Raised in Surabaya, Anita was lucky enough to have parents who were determined to send her abroad. After working hard to attain good grades during her middle and high school years, she was happy to score a scholarship to study in The Netherlands.
'I was so super excited to finally go abroad that all the problems didn't seem to matter. I lived in a dorm and there were many Indonesians in the area,' said Anita, who graduated with a degree in communications, advertising and public relations management.
'I believe that studying abroad greatly contributed to my career prospects. When you're abroad, you learn to tolerate many things, to respect yourself and to keep an open mind at all times because you're dealing with foreign things. Especially when you're coming from Surabaya, like me,' she said.
Anita advised other Indonesians studying abroad to use their university holidays to explore more of the country or region because special discounts and fares were often offered for students. During her university years, she took an exchange program to Sweden and actively volunteered for programs like The International Film Festival Rotterdam.
If opportunities don't present themselves, it's best to create them. 'Studying abroad was one of my biggest dreams and Spain was my destination of choice because of its culture, climate and daily lifestyle,' says Astri Novia, a writer, blogger and web content editor, who started her journey in Spain as an au pair for a Catalan family.
'I didn't feel like an au pair there, but more as a part of the family. They prepared mineral water for me, not the tap water they usually drank. They also kept rice and halal food in different freezer when I was there. That's why I eventually got the chance to enroll in a language program for international students at University of Girona ' Catalonia with the support of my adopted family there, especially when it came to visa issues and the language barrier.'
Upon returning to Indonesia, Astri realized that her experience abroad had transformed her and that she was now a more mature person. Not only that, studying abroad also gave her the opportunity to travel around Europe, which she turned into a book, 'Lucky Backpacker', in 2011.
She visited France, The Netherlands, Italy, Germany and Belgium, with each country giving her a unique story to tell. 'One hilarious example was when I spent an hour in a toilet in The Netherlands because I didn't know how to flush the toilet. I eventually discovered that the toilet flushed automatically when you opened the door,' she recalled with a grin.
Language became the reason for Fiona Tjokro to study in Shanghai. As an Indonesian of Chinese descent, Fiona felt that it was strange that none of her family members could speak Mandarin. 'I was only planning to spend a month in Donghua University during my time off between high school graduation and the first day of college. It was a summer course for international students.'
However, after a month in Shanghai, she realized that she had fallen in love with the city. So when her father offered her the chance to continue her study there, she took it right away.
She graduated in fashion design, a major that many considered odd, given her country of choice. However, she said that despite being questioned by many, she stayed loyal to her choice. 'Donghua is a good school, with a good reputation comparable to that of the University of Indonesia. It also depends on your mindset. If you are determined to study then you'll definitely pick the best university in the country you're comfortable in,' she said, adding than even though she had returned before her graduation certificate was issued, she scored a job right away at a multinational company.
When asked what personal benefit she had received from studying abroad, Fiona quickly answered 'money management'. Her years in Shanghai were a big change from her comfortable childhood home in Jakarta. 'The costs are relatively low, food prices and everything is cheaper than in Jakarta, but there were times that I ran out of the pocket money sent by my parents. I couldn't do anything then, I couldn't even go out with friends,' she recalled with a laugh, adding that those experiences also taught her to trust people outside her family circle.
'When you're abroad, friends are the only people you have. They can be from anywhere. I had friends from Korea, Japan and all around the world, because at that time the number of Indonesians in Shanghai was less than 100. So you stick together as foreigners,' Fiona said.
Anita agreed. Even though she was lucky enough to have plenty of Indonesian friends in Rotterdam, it was the first time she had hung out with a wider variety of her fellow nationals. 'When I was in Surabaya, my friendship circles were determined by race, religion and other factors. But in the Netherlands, we were just Indonesians and those barriers diminished.'
