Ever since high school, Alwan had a dream to be able to study abroad. According to Alwan, IISMA has a relatively easy and fast registration process so Alwan saw this program as an opportunity to make his dreams come true. Failing in the IISMA batch 1 program in 2021 did not discourage Alwan from registering again on batch 2. Until finally, Alwan became an awardee and got the opportunity to study in University of Tartu, Estonia.

With little knowledge of Estonia, Alwan put attention on exploring this county. University of Tartu itself is the best university in the Baltic, covering Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Located in the city of Tartu which takes 2.5 hours from Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, Tartu is a student city and cultural center. When compared with Indonesia, the city of Tartu can be said to be similar to Yogyakarta.

"One of my reasons why I chose Estonia was because Estonia is known for its extreme winters," Alwan said.

Although not as popular as other European countries and with a population of only 1/10 of Jakarta's population, Estonia is one of the more developed countries. "Living in a quieter country than Indonesia with more advanced public transportation and public facilities made me learn many things," Alwan stated.

One of the examples was the time when Alwan received a notification on his smartphone that informed him that there would be a snowstorm that day while there was a final presentation of a course that very same day and students had to come to campus in the middle of a snowstorm.

Alwan got various experiences and benefits through this IISMA program. Alwan's most memorable experience was making lots of friends. It might sound simple, but it is a fact that explains the myth that it will be difficult to make friends abroad.

By having friends from various countries, Alwan gained new perspectives on seeing the world, was able to exchange ideas and also train his language skills. Apart from life, Alwan also gained new knowledge related to academics since he studied the Department of Political Science and Asian Studies program which was very different from what Alwan studied at ITB Microbiology. "Through IISMA I became very open about what is happening in the world, especially in the realm of politics and government as well as the history of human civilization," said Alwan.

Alwan said, “If you have a dream to go abroad, chase it. With it, you can obtain various things that are impossible to obtain where you are now."

Start from small things like meeting people from all over the world, learning a bit of the language, trying the food, to learning their culture and understanding their point of view.

Reporter: Ghina Aulia (Microbiology, 2019)
Translator: Hanna Daniela Ayu (Aerospace Engineering, 2021)