IISMA (Indonesian International Student Mobility Award) is an exchange student scholarship program organized by the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture. The objective of this program is to give Indonesian students the opportunity to study foreign culture, while also promoting Indonesian culture abroad.

To join IISMA, participants must submit their resume (CV), GPA transcript, English certification, an essay of their past achievement, and a community activity plan at their future destination. Then, the participants who pass the selection will be interviewed. Angel shared one of her tips on passing the selection, which is to research the selected university so that we can write a relevant essay.

Angel said that she had many delightful experiences during her stay in Europe. One of her most memorable experiences is when she, with other IISMA awardees, introduced Indonesian culture to the Palacky University student by organizing the "Djoempa Pemoeda Indonesia" event. She presented many things, from food to songs and traditional clothing. Not only that, but Angel also had the opportunity to meet the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to the Czech Republic, Kenssy Dwi Ekaningsih, during the process of preparing for that event.

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Angel made the most of her stay in Europe. Not only did she learn the culture of Czech, but she also managed to explore 16 countries and 20 cities in approximately one semester. One of the countries that she visited was the Vatican, a place where the Pope lives. This is an opportunity that not everyone can get, no doubt that it is very valuable for Angel.

When she was asked if she experienced a culture shock during her early stay in Czech, Angel replied that she was quite surprised because of how lecturers interact with the student, which is like how her friends interact with her. On top of that, students called their teacher by their name, without any title such as Mr. or Mrs. unlike in Indonesia. Moreover, the learning process there mostly consisted of discussion and essays-writing. In contrast to the learning method in Indonesia, which is dominated by one-way communication. Therefore, Angel first needs to adapt to this learning style.

Apart from these differences, Angel admits that she has some difficulty communicating because many people in Czech do not understand English, especially the elderly. There are also many people who are cold, not as friendly as Indonesians. Then, the climate that is very different from what she had in Indonesia also required her to adapt to low temperatures. However, that doesn't stop her from feeling happy because she has gained many wonderful experiences and valuable lessons through this IISMA program.

Photo: personal documentation
Reporter: Maria Khelli (Informatics Engineering, 2020)
Translator: Favian Aldilla R (Civil Engineering, 2019)