Being part of a well-known university in Korea and in the midst of cultural diversity is one of the reasons for Komang Dyah Apriyanti, student of the Department of French Language and Literature, Faculty of Cultural Studies, Universitas Brawijaya. Komang is one of the participants of the International Indonesian Student Mobility Award 2022 or IISMA. Until the end of 2020, Komang will undergo academic activities at Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea.
“I want to know how the ethnic diversity, traditions and cultural patterns are as numerous as in Indonesia,” she explained. While in Korea, Komang chose courses on culture, negotiation, media effects and film script writing, advertising and other entertainment. While at Hanyang University, Komang was part of the College of Performing Arts and Sport, majoring in Film and Theatre. “This department is relevant to what I live in UB. Besides that, I am also interested in the development of the entertainment world in Indonesia, especially the better Indonesian cinema,” he explained.
The interesting thing during her stay in Korea was that Komang walked a lot more. “In the past I could directly park my motorbike at the faculty, but here I have to walk from the station to the college building, the distance is quite far. Here also lecturers and staff do not really pay attention to students in class but are very interactive. One thing that is similar to UB is Hanyang version of SIAM and GAPURA, namely LMS and CanvasHanyang for class schedules, attendance and so on. There is also a monument that looks like UB roundabout. Lecture assignments are also a lot of projects, discussions, and debates. However, there is the same method as in UB, namely case based learning methods. If in my major, it is applied at the French Cultural Court. Then there is also a Group Based Project,” said Komang.
Another thing that is interesting according to Komang is that there is a room filled with beds and chairs for students to rest. “In this room, students can rest or do assignments in between lectures, because this is HU’s method to improve the quality of student learning and save students’ energy,” she explained.
Language and culinary barriers are also not a big problem for Komang. This Balinese girl claimed to have had basic Korean since before leaving. “If I’ve been fluent in Korean since middle school, but for grammar, I learn from Twitter, and I’m also a fan of Korean music. Here, we are helped by the existence of a translator application because not many local residents are fluent in English. Technology helped me a lot while in Korea. For food, there is no problem, only the price of food here is quite expensive. So you have to be smart to save money. The most food of IISMA students in Hanyang is fried chicken. Because I miss Indonesia, I even make fried chicken. In addition, what is surprising is that many of the items sold are made in Indonesia,” she added.
Besides studying, Komang also explored Seoul. On the sidelines of busy college, she also took the time to visit museums or historical places. “I had a chance to enjoy Chuseok, a Korean-style Thanksgiving celebration and a three-day holiday. I visited Gyeongbokgung Palace and tried the hanbok. I also visited museums because I love art and the museums here are free or only pay a few won. I also had time to go to Gangnam, also to Itaewon to enjoy the many Indonesian culinary delights there,” she said excitedly.
Becoming an IISMA participant gave Komang the opportunity to develop. “IISMA gives us many opportunities to grow and discover new things. We plan to carry out the performance. We are also supported by the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul, both morally and otherwise. My friends are also supportive, because we are in a different country, with our own culture and we only have each other,” said this 2020 batch student.
After returning from Korea, Komang plans to pass on her experience and knowledge to his friends. “Of course I will continue my study at UB, then I am also interested in sharing tips and tricks while in Korea. To be sure, I want to share knowledge about negotiations through webinars or articles that can be accessed. The point is, I want to share the knowledge I have while in Korea, as much as possible and my friends can access it in Indonesia,” she concluded. (VQ/ Humas UB/ Trans. Iir)
