Hey everyone, my name is Ray. I am an IISMA awardee, Informatics Study Program (IMT) student at Universitas Ciputra Surabaya – Indonesia, Class of 2019. I wanted to share an exciting story, which I came across luckily through the help of my professors in UC; my lucky experience of participating in an IISMA scholarship semester at Universita di Pisa through Kampus Merdeka.
Starting skeptical,
This fateful encounter started suddenly, as per usual, my professors at UC are pushing us to join prestigious competitions and programs, and so weeks before my fourth-semester final exam, I was suddenly invited to a group along with my peers by our lecturer Mr.Mychael. Unknown to us, he offered us to join this program called IISMA (Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards). No one knew what the program was, and no one dared to even go for it since there were lots of things to be scared of: the credits not converting, unconfirmed funding for the trip, and it was during the Pandemic’s high.
Getting into the selection,
My peers ended up not buying it and refused to apply, except for me, who was interested in new experiences, it was an opportunity I did not let go of. The application process is nothing special, in phase 1, you submit your documents, in phase 2, you get interviewed, and if you pass both, you are in. I will not go deep into their evaluation process as I’ve heard that it changed so much over the subsequent batches, but if anything is essential, it would be the English test, make sure you score well on that! My experience with the English test was not pleasant, as again, I was near my exam date, and the deadline for registration is close. So I went all or nothing on an online Duolingo test and scored 135, thankfully.
Preparing for departure,
Blessed by my university professors, that pushed me to attain prestige, I managed to get in. I was ecstatic to qualify and be allowed to explore another country. But of course, preparations are always necessary, the folks from Kampus Merdeka are kind enough to give targets and explain the requirements we need to prepare so we can depart on this trip despite the hectic pandemic. Aside from that, we gathered together in Zoom, students from all over the country that got accepted for the Universita di Pisa location discussed and helped each other modestly to make sure that we all could go together. The most challenging part during the preparation was the vaccine, as each country varies in vaccination rules for travel, and we had to urgently get the specific vaccine required by the country to make it for the 2nd vaccination that allowed us to get on an international flight.
Vivi l’italia,
Despite the odds, I managed to get on a plane 4 days after my 2nd vaccination, that was close! Landing there was an immediate eye-opener as people used the train as a common transportation, which was not a thing in Indonesia. People are dressed differently, the food smells different, the buildings are more elegant, lots of things to take in. The town I will be living in for the next 5 months is Pisa, the city of the famed leaning tower, it is a student-dominated city where e-scooters are a standard mode of transport. There I stayed in the university dorm right by the serene Arno River that goes across Tuscany, the folks I stayed with were very nice and cared for any needs we had when arriving. Though not all of them can speak English, I managed to pull through with body language.
Learning in Italy isn’t just pizza and pasta,
It was not necessarily easy adjusting to learning there as the education system is entirely different from Indonesia’s: There was no attendance, no homework, only a final exam, and the classes were held in different buildings distanced from each other. And my goodness, I got lost once trying to find where my class was held. If it was not bad enough, the classes I could take relating to my major were only one, a Data Mining and Machine Learning lesson held for Master’s students. Also, since the pandemic fluctuated hard around that time, classes turned online mid-semester. Yeah… things were not that ideal in terms of learning.
On the bright side of things,
Through it all, I passed all the subjects. Though not necessarily with a good score, I passed. I gave great effort in balancing my time studying and enjoying, and yes, I do know how to enjoy life abroad too. Let’s not forget that I’m in Europe, countries only a train away. And so I did, I traveled to the famous sceneries of Italy and the closeby countries of Austria and the Czech Republic. One of the things that caught my attention about the places I visited was the amount of museums dedicated to things that people would typically refer to as irrelevant, there was a horror things-related museum, a cuisine museum, and a steam machinery museum. And if there was one place I would refer to as most worth it, it would be the Acquario di Genova which ranks high among other aquariums. They managed to stuff a long path of interesting aquatic species in a limited space, making some sort of compact maze. The scheme of the aquariums was beautifully designed to form art with colorful saltwater fishes. I had a blast exploring a part of Europe during IISMA.
Coming to an end,
With all done here and there, I eventually returned to Indonesia. Bought the souvenirs, completed my responsibility of reporting my studies to Kampus Merdeka, and said goodbye to the people that helped me survive in Italy for 5 months. It was a very memorable and valuable experience for me, through both the good and bad parts, that helped me grow into a better person. The uncertainty was scary at first, but when you go through it in the end, it is exhilarating and enlightening. There are still many parts of my trip that I haven’t covered, like thievery, getting overly excited, and getting stopped in the airport because of the COVID test, but what’s the point of telling you all of it? Go experience it yourself, BRAVE THE UNKNOWN!
Thank you, Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kementerian Pendidikan, Kebudayaan, Riset, dan Teknologi) of Indonesia, for the scholarship, and also, thank you, Informatics Universitas Ciputra Surabaya, for the opportunities!
written by: Ray (IMT 2019)
Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards (IISMA)
International mobility scholarship scheme for undergraduate and vocational students to spend one semester at best universities and industries around the world.
Open and dynamic academic exchange plays an important role in preparing Indonesian students with the future-ready mindset, knowledge, and skills they need to succeed. International mobility promoted by IISMA, one of the Emancipated Campus flagship programs, will develop students’ cross-cultural appreciation and understanding, preparing a new generation of global citizens who are ready to contribute to society and the world. A better future starts today with the Emancipated Campus program.
Nadiem Anwar Makarim
Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of IndonesiaAbout IISMA
Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards (IISMA) is a scholarship scheme by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia to fund Indonesian students for a one semester-mobility program at top universities and reputable industries overseas. Offering two schemes for undergraduate and vocational students, IISMA will expose Indonesian students to international academic and cultural diversity.
