Ayana, who previously resided in Singapore during her youth, felt intrigued by Southeast Asian culture, especially Indonesia. During her studies in her home country, she took an Indonesian language course and eventually decided to pursue her exchange studies in Indonesia. “I wanted to learn more about Indonesia, and ITB was a rather interesting option due to its programs, which differ from those available in Japan,” she stated.

Compared to the education system in Japan, which tends to focus more on working through assignments individually, Ayana felt that her biggest difficulty studying in ITB came from group assignments, which require intense coordination among members

“The assignments were fairly challenging, especially since I had to communicate with my friends in the group through messaging apps. On the other hand, I am very grateful because I had no trouble understanding the (Indonesian) language in SBM,” she stated. She also shared that when she was in Japan, she majored in anthropology, and she felt that ITB’s courses allowed her to prepare for her career in the industry, particularly through making presentations and product innovation strategies.

One of the things that Ayana likes about Indonesians is the friendliness of their people. Despite experiencing a few obstacles, such as the language barrier and different customs, she felt very welcome in Indonesia. Ayana conveyed, “What I gained from this experience is that every cultural difference is an opportunity to learn and flourish. I also felt that the friendliness of Indonesian people is amazing. Although I felt surprised when I first arrived, I quickly realized that these little things are a part of everyday life here.

Ayana also revealed a rather unique cultural experience, such as eating habits. “I am fond of fried tempeh as well as sweet fried bananas, and I was also surprised by the amount of fried food here. Nonetheless, what is most impressive is how friendly Indonesian people are and always ready to help even though I can’t speak Indonesian fluently,” she said in English during an interview at the Terrace of the Faculty of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (FMAE), Sunday (16/3/2025).

Bandung, with its cooler climate compared to the other big cities in Indonesia, made Ayana feel comfortable. “I am fond of Bandung’s cool air. It is very different from Japan’s hot and humid climate,” she mentioned. Outside of campus, Ayana visited several local tourist attractions, such as Lembang and Al Jabbar Mosque, which to her has a very grand architecture and extraordinary atmosphere.

One of the biggest challenges that Ayana faced was the difference in language. Although the language of instruction at SBM is English, Ayana expressed that many of her friends who also came from Japan had difficulties understanding the Indonesian language, particularly when conversing with the lecturers. “I feel as though communicating with the ITB students in English is quite okay, but some of my Japanese friends find it difficult because some of the lectures are conducted using the Indonesian language,” she fixed.

During her studies at ITB, Ayana joined multiple cultural activities. One of which is by learning the traditional dances of Saman, directly taught by the administrators of the Aceh Cultural Unit (ACU) as well as trying on Yukatas from the Japanese Cultural Unit’s (JCU) Yukata collection. “Even though these dances were quite challenging, learning them was one of the most exciting and fun experiences I have had while studying at ITB,” she added.

Ayana felt great pride in her ability to adapt to an unfamiliar environment and immerse herself in new experiences in Indonesia. “Although I experienced some hardships, I feel as though this is a grand opportunity for me to grow as a person and broaden my knowledge.”

Translator: Nadya Fini Nabila (Management, 2026)