People might said that living abroad is fun. Traveling most of the time, learning new culture and new language, meeting a lot of new people, and doing any other activities that will give us so much happiness. I did not said it is wrong. Yes, that was right. Living abroad, specifically study abroad is fun. However, behind this fun assumption, there are a lot of challenges also that we are going to face during the journey.
Study abroad, where basically you will live far away from your family, best friend, the usual environment you used to live everyday is not an easy thing, especially for some people who really hard to do an adaptation. Therefore, people also said study abroad encourages you to go further, outside your comfort zone, to grow and to learn. I feel this expression really fits in my shoes. Studying abroad in Hiroshima these past 11 months has taught me a lot of things, from the simple one until the complicated one on how I see this life. Through this writings, I try to sum up three biggest thing what I’ve got from my study abroad experience as a lesson for my life.
1. International Experience and Friendship
Prior to my departure to Japan, I only had several international friends that I got during my college life in Indonesia. By the time I arrived in Hiroshima airport, there was a cute lady greeted me warmly. She comes from USA, and from that moment, we both become good friend until now.
Day by day, another new friends from all over the world coming. A cheerful friend from Korea, adventurous man from Palestine, until great lady from Solomon Island, where I did not have any ideas about that country before I met her. Besides them, of course a lot of friends coming from several countries which I have never been there are becoming a good friend to me.
Furthermore, this international friendship has taught me new thing beyond friendship that I made among Indonesians. They taught me on new perspective for this world. How taking a birth control pill in USA is common thing for teenager and people in college, how pollution in China really made the Chinese people comfortable living in Japan and does not want to go back, how the muslim people all around the world look a like when I spent Ramadhan together with them. Many things. It gave me the eyes to see the world in different way. The thing that is not acceptable in my country, can be found common in another place, or vice versa. Thus, it taught me also high tolerance between each other. We cannot force our values to be accepted in new place, as well as we should respect their values because we come to new place as a guest. But that does not mean we can not introduce and teach our good values to the people, because there always be an opportunity as long as we know how to use it well.
2. Better Picture about Indonesia
Though living abroad placed you far with your own country, the new lesson could always be taught. When I was in Indonesia, I saw my country only from domestic perspective. How Indonesia described as most populous muslim country, the huge amount of islands that it has, the perks of its people, those stuffs only stay on my mind because it’s not affect my life that much when I was living in Indonesia.
Then, it becomes different when I moved to Hiroshima. Everytime I introduced myself that I come from Indonesia, a lot of reactions are made from them. Where is Indonesia located, how Islam in Indonesia, Indonesian unique culture, until why Indonesian people are so friendly. Though, there are also bad comments from others, but the positive one always cover up all of those. This always give me an optimism spirit for my country. Though bunch of problems are overlapping now, there always hope for Indonesia as I heard from people here.
People surprise we have more than 600 local languages. People respect we can live in tolerance with 5 different religions with Muslim as the majority. People fascinated with beautiful culture that we show, food that we cook and the scenery in every part of Indonesia. These people really taught me to become more optimist to Indonesia, be proud on where I come from, and most importantly be generous with the knowledge and experience that I got abroad when I go back to Indonesia, because not all Indonesian people is fortunate enough to have experience to study abroad. This lesson reminds me on how Terry Pratchett ever said, why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors.
3. Deeper Understanding about Myself
Nobody can discover the world for somebody else. Only when we discover it for ourselves does it become common ground and common bond and we cease to be alone. When you live in the environment that comforts you, you hardly have courage to discover yourself more. Therefore, study abroad, living far from the comfortable environment in Indonesia taught me a lot of new things about myself. It makes me discover the new incredible lesson outside my major in Indonesia. It taught me on different struggles that people face in this life and how I see it from my perspective. It gives me courage to aims higher for my future than before because every hardworks really paid off with the sweet fruits. Also other little things that I learned such as money management from my scholarship, tolerance in daily habits, how to cook other countries food, and any other skills that made all the difference to myself. I believe I cannot get all of these without studying abroad in Hiroshima.
All of these lesson that I got are like treasures. I promise I am gonna utilize it to the fullest for the good deeds to myself, family, people around, and Indonesia. I want to send my gratitude for all of people that I met during my journey in Japan, from the warm family of Indonesian student until the lovely Japanese and foreign students. Thank you so much. Last but not least, I believe it’s not about the degree, achievement, or title that we obtain, as the reward from study abroad, but more on the journey itself that we have been through as the precious reward for our life.
Tungga Dewi Winarno Putri,
Exchange student in Hiroshima University