BINUS STAR 2013

2015 will be the emergence of AFTA (ASEAN Free Trade Area). This fact encouraged me to join student exchange program. I chose Thailand, an ASEAN member, as my exchange destination. It was a great experience. One of the most memorable experience would be my speech at ‘Hari Indonesia’. I delivered a speech about my experience in Thailand in front of MUIC incumbents, MUIC students, and Mr. Lutfi Rauf (Indonesian Ambassador to Thailand). Moreover, I joined social activities and became an assistant to an Indonesian teacher. I was also involved in a Christian community and enjoyed a Christmas banquet. The exchange program helps me see the world from holistic perspective. We are not alone in this world; we are part of a big society. I challenge you to join the exchange program and gain an unforgettable international experience. Prepare yourself to enter an amazing life!

I knew that I wanted to study abroad since my freshmen year. After a few semesters studying in BINUS, I heard about a scholarship given by the Indonesian Government. I decided to apply for it and it was an honor to be chosen as one of scholarship recipients for AIMS Student Exchange Program to USM.
During my exchange period, I had a chance to meet a lot of new friends from all over the world, such as Malaysia, Germany, Japan, Thailand, France, Canada, USA, and many more. Being an exchange student automatically made you the ambassador of your country. Therefore I had to participate in international events in order to introduce Indonesia to the world, such as performing the traditional Tor-Tor Dance during the Indonesia Cultural Night and during USM International Week.
Adapting to local culture is an interesting experience. Eating Banana Leaf Cuisine with my hands and using “lah” in the end of sentences were parts of the vibrant culture I felt in Malaysia. Living in a new place gave me a chance to travel and discover cool places. I traveled around Malaysia almost every weekend and explored Penang Botanical Garden, Penang Hill and George Town, which is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. I also celebrated Christmas in Kuala Lumpur and spent New Year’s Countdown in Gurney Plaza. One of the things you shouldn’t miss in Penang is the Culinary Tourism, because Penang is known for its various delicious foods.
In the end, I’m truly thankful for the opportunity BINUS gave me. I got to experience a lot of things. It was hard to say goodbye to Penang. I will definitely miss the study abroad experience, the variety of food, the friendly environment and mostly my friends. So if you are passionate about learning new things and want to feel a cross cultural experience, what are you waiting for? Join the Student Exchange program! The world is waiting for you to explore!

The student exchange program helps me a lot to achieve one of my dreams. During my exchange, I got new experience, new friends from all over the world, and I got to prove that I could achieve one of my dreams. And most importantly is that I could make my family especially my parents proud. Personally, I really like Korea, that’s why I chose Korea as my exchange destination. During my stay in Korea, I learned about Korea’s culture – what their lifestyle looks like and the way they think. I like Korea because of the K-pop’s wave, I like their music and their choreography. For you who share my interest, you will be really happy because you can see your idol perform live. Besides that, for you who like watching Korean dramas, it surely will be great to live in Korea. But don’t think that you’ll just get Korean friends. There are many exchange students from all over the world such as America, France, Uzbekistan, China, Japan, Malaysia, and many more. The bottom line is that you will have no regret if you join this program and I really miss Korea and want to return there.

Before I joined the short course program, my motivation was simple, namely, testing my independence (first time oversea) and spending semester break abroad. During my four weeks in Auckland, I was mesmerized by cultural enrichment I gained. I learned to understand the different point of view of people from diverse background. Although the majority of the students come from China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, I still got the exchanged culture of each continent. Also I have forced myself to understand my classmates’ English accent and to speak to them with confidence. It is necessary for me to share what is in my mind. I learned that it is okay to make mistakes because you will learn from the mistakes you made. I also learned that if you got the guts to speak, you are going to survive. If you really want to test your independence and improve your English skills especially colloquial speaking, listening and cultural enrichment, this is the right program for you.

It’s all started when I got an opportunity from BINUS to exchange to Thailand for a trimester. Thanks a lot to Binus !! The International Office of Mahidol University International College (MUIC) provided me this information 3 days before the deadline (for submitting), and since I’m very interested to join this program I decided to work hard for it, I have to prepare 2 full pages of essay referring to the reason why I want to join this program, not only that, I have to submit the application form, recommendation letter from my university and more. And I have only 2 days preparation for it.
Because of hard work, I got the opportunity to join a short course program held by Kyushu University and supported by the ASEAN secretariat. It’s so cool , I have no idea how this could happen because this was one my dreams, to get a plenary lecture directly from the ASEAN secretariat’s worker. And not only that, I was able to meet great students from another ASEAN countries like Thailand, Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia. Beside ASEAN countries, there were a lot of participants from Japan. So cool ! Especially when it comes to the Opening Ceremony, we wore our countries’ traditional clothes, which is ‘Batik’ for me, it’s amazing !!
In AsTW 2013 , I chose 2 courses, from the ASEAN language, I chose Chinese Basic Language and Culture, and for the ASEAN courses, I chose ASEAN affairs. We also got Bonus lecture from the ASEAN secretariat about the ASEAN blueprints, history, Integration, Ideology, Disputes, and a lot more. It’s so helpful. I believe this kind of political knowledge will be useful in the future, especially in ASEAN countries right now, they are rising !! I hope AEC 2015 will really be formed in 2015 in order to improve the economy and democratic relationship of ASEAN countries.