Report from Students
Bandung
11.14.2017
Laporan Studi Luar Negeri (inbound 2017: Institut Teknologi Bandung)
Pratiwi Prameswari
Institut Teknologi Bandung
Halo, semua! Bagaimana harimu hari ini? Semoga menyenangkan ya. Kalau berbicara mengenai kehidupan mahasiswa pertukaran pelajar, pasti setiap orang punya bayangannya sendiri. Tapi pernah tidak terbayang untuk berbelanja bersama teman-teman dari negara lain? Atau punya alat tulis unik seperti staples tanpa isi? Atau.. disambut hangat di rumah kuno tradisional Jepang? Sebenarnya sih, dulu aku juga tidak pernah terbayang. Tapi ternyata itu semua terjadi dan sangat seru! Nah, sekarang tengok yuk sekilas cerita tentang pengalamanku sebagai mahasiswa exchange di Jepang.
Kenalkan, namaku Pratiwi Prameswari. Di Universitas Ritsumeikan, aku merupakan mahasiwa pertukaran pelajar di Fakultas Ilmu Kebijakan Publik. Kalau jurusan aku di Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB) sebenarnya adalah Perencanaan Wilayah dan Kota (SAPPK). Nah, selama berkuliah di Ritsumeikan, salah satu kelas paling menarik yang aku ambil adalah Seminar Internasional PBL. Di kelas ini, aku belajar untuk bekerja sama dalam kelompok dengan anggota dari beragam jurusan dan negara. Kami mendapat dua proyek utama untuk dipecahkan, yaitu sebuah studi kasus bisnis dan sebuah studi kasus kampus. Berbagai pengetahuan dan perspektif baru aku dapatkan. Tapi menurutku, yang paling seru dari kelas ini adalah kita dapat menciptakan sendiri cerita menarik bersama teman-teman lainnya sesuai minat kita. Di kelompok kami, pengalaman yang paling tidak terlupakan adalah ketika berbelanja ke supermarket secara tiba-tiba. Pada awalnya kami sama sekali tidak ada rencana untuk pergi ke supermarket. Tapi karena kami butuh mengetahui harga bahan makanan untuk proyek bisnis, kami pun secara spontan mengunjungi supermarket dekat kampus. Meskipun awalnya kami hanya berniat melihat harga, pada akhirnya kami justru saling bertukar cerita mengenai masakan tradisional masing-masing negara.
Jepang juga selalu menyimpan kejutan di bidang teknologi dan punya segudang produk unik. Di sini setiap barang yang awalnya biasa berubah menjadi luar biasa. Contoh yang paling sederhana adalah alat tulis. Beragam jenis alat tulis lucu, seperti pensil dan stabilo yang dapat dihapus, bisa ditemukan di Jepang. Selain itu, ada juga staples tanpa isi yang bisa dibilang keren. Bayangkan sebuah staples tanpa ada isi tapi bisa merekatkan kertas. Wah, itu bisa menghemat pengeluaran untuk membeli isi staples.
Hal lainnya yang aku suka dari Jepang adalah budaya dan keramahan orang-orangnya. Orang-orang Jepang sangatlah ramah dan bersedia membantu kapanpun. Selain itu, Jepang juga memelihara peninggalan sejarahnya dengan baik walaupun teknologi berkembang sangat pesat. Pernah ketika aku sedang dalam perjalanan pulang menuju apartemen di Suita, aku tidak sengaja menemukan sebuah rumah berarsitektur Jepang kuno dengan pintu gerbang kayu yang sangat besar. Aku pun mencoba melihat ke dalam. Tiba-tiba seorang wanita keluar menyapaku. Ia tersenyum dan mengajakku masuk. Rupanya, rumah tersebut merupakan warisan sejarah. Biaya masuknya gratis dan ternyata dalamnya sangat besar. Wanita yang menyapaku tadi sangat ramah dan mengantarku mengelilingi rumah. Meskipun ia sulit berbicara dalam bahasa Inggris, ia berusaha keras untuk menjelaskan semuanya dengan baik. Buatku, pengalaman itu sangat menarik.
Pengalaman-pengalaman tersebut hanyalah sebagian dari kejadian menarik lainnya di Jepang. Aku sangat merekomendasikan kamu untuk mengambil kesempatan menjadi bagian dari program pertukaran pelajar di sini. Banyak petualangan seru menantimu. Dapatkan cerita menarik kamu, belajar banyak hal baru, dan nikmati hidup menyenangkan di Jepang!
11.14.2017
Study Abroad Report (2017 inbound: Institut Teknologi Bandung)
Pratiwi Prameswari
Institut Teknologi Bandung
Hello, everyone! How’s your day today? I hope you have a great day. So, talking about a life of an exchange student, have you ever thought of doing grocery shopping with international friends? Or having unique stationery like stapleless staplers? Or…accidentally strolling across your neighborhood and getting a warm welcome into an-old-Japanese style house? Actually, I had also never thought and imagined about that before. However, these are all real and indeed pleasant experiences that I have had. Now, let me take you to have a glance of my exciting journey as an exchange student in Japan.
My name is Pratiwi Prameswari, an exchange student in the College of Policy Science at Ritsumeikan University. My original major at ITB is Urban and Regional Planning. During my stay at Ritsumeikan University, one of the most interesting classes that I took is International PBL Seminar. In this class, I needed to work together in a group with members from different majors and countries. We got big two projects to solve, a business case and a campus case. We shared new knowledge and perspectives to solve the problems. The amazing thing about this class was that you can choose and create your own stories with your international friends during the projects. For me, the unforgettable thing during this class was spontaneously going to the grocery store after a group meeting. My group had decided to sell Japanese, Thai, and Indonesian flavor portable food for a business project. However, we didn’t have any idea about the price of the materials. So, we spontaneously went to the nearest grocery shop in the evening. Even though we aimed at only checking the price at first, we ended up sharing stories about each other’s traditional foods and buying some raw materials for the prototype. It was a sudden yet exciting thing for just taking a single class.
Japan has also never failed to surprise me for its technology and unique products. I’ve always been amazed by many products in Japan. Here, many common products have gotten a deeper attention and been turned into masterpieces. One of the simple examples is stationery. You can find a bunch of unique stationery products, such as erasable highlighters or erasable pens. The unique stationery that grabbed my attention was the stapleless stapler. I’ve never seen a stapler without metal staples and I really like that idea.
Another thing that I love about Japan is the culture and the friendliness of the people. Japanese people are very nice and helpful. Japan has also preserved its cultural heritage very well despite its development of sophisticated technology. One day, when I was going back to my apartment in Suita, I accidentally found an old-Japanese-style house with a huge wooden gate. I stole a glance at the house and a woman came out. The house turned out to be a Japanese cultural heritage site. She smiled and asked me whether I want to go inside or not. I decided to go inside. The entrance fee was surprisingly free and the house was very huge. She was very nice to me and showed me everything around. Even though it was hard for her to explain everything in English, she tried her very best to explain everything. It was a really nice and exciting experience.
However, this is only a small part of my amazing experiences. I strongly recommend you to take your chance to be an exchange student here to get your own experiences. Get your own interesting stories, learn many new things, and experience the excitement of living in Japan! Many amazing journeys are waiting for you to be discovered.
05.24.2016
Study Abroad Report (2016 inbound: Institut Teknologi Bandung)
Ellian Jaisy Rahman
Institut Teknologi Bandung
Yo! Minna san Konnichiwa, I am Jaisy. I’m really proud to say that I am living in Japan now as an exchange student from the Institut Teknologi Bandung in Indonesia at one of the most exciting campuses in Japan, or even in the world, Ritsumeikan University OIC (Osaka Ibaraki Campus). I have a wonderful story to tell you, so prepare a cup of tea and relax in your favorite garden, as I hope the story of my adventures, experiences, and feelings inspires you.
Let me first bring you to the story of my studies. I took the Problem Based Learning classes (PBL) with Professor Toyoda, Professor Francis, and Professor Piyada. These classes taught me a lot and really opened up my mind about many aspects in the global perspective, which I think all international students should have in their way of thinking nowadays. To be honest, these professors are very interesting, and make the classes even more fun to attend. Professor Toyoda has really cool Japanese hair and a great teaching style, Professor Francis has a broad experience about Japanese jokes about daily life, and I will not forget when Professor Piyada asked me to help her find the famous drama film in Indonesia “Ayat Ayat Cinta” for her other class teaching material at Ritsumeikan University. Summing up all of my other classes that I took, which are related to special topics on international business management and strategy, I find myself speechless and amazed with the learning methods, environment, and of course the super modern study facility at Ritsumeikan OIC. Two of my favorite professors are Professor Miyata and Professor Raupach. They give me interesting, deep analyses and insight of international business in the best way through storytelling in their classes.
Now, let’s jump into the most interesting part that I want to tell in my story, Japan. Trust me, Japanese students at Ritsumeikan are the most modest and kind people I have ever met, especially all of the TISA members, the tutors for international students assembly. Even from the first day I came to Japan with heavy luggage, taking care of the confusing Japanese residence card at city hall, to the amazing adventure of exploring Ibaraki city - EXPO’70 park event, they are always ready and by my side to ensure that I can adjust to life in Japan and truly help me enjoy my time here. Of course TISA is not the only thing that amazes me! I’ve made hundreds of great new friends at this campus, both Japanese students and International students from the USA, France, Sweden, Norway, Russia, Korea, China, Mexico, Iraq, and many more. I joined some student circles and events, such as being the International Student Ambassador of Ritsumeikan University, Talkfest, SUP, COSMEDIA, and many more.
Talking about my daily life in Japan, of course I would bring up some of the cultural and social aspects that I feel here. No wonder Japan is famous in the international society. One of my Thailand and USA friends once told me at the campus cafeteria when we had lunch together, “Japan is a surprise everyday …”. I’ve witnessed and been impressed by Japan’s hygiene, time punctuality, work spirit, interpersonal respect, modern technology, as well as local wisdom which are what Japanese people hold dear in their society.
Whoever is reading my story, you are so lucky that you have a fruitful chance in your beautiful life to get in touch and create an everlasting moment at Ritsumeikan University. This campus will show you that it is worth it to explore life. Don’t get stuck with what you have only known until now, at Ritsumeikan you will find not only a strong root for global knowledge, but also precious moments, unforgettable encounters, and unexpected things that might change your life and the way you see the world. If you asked me what I have found in Japan, just remember this quote, “there is always a sky beyond those starry skies”. See you in Osaka, Japan at Ritsumeikan University guys!
05.24.2016
Laporan Studi Luar Negeri (inbound 2016: Institut Teknologi Bandung)
Ellian Jaisy Rahman
Institut Teknologi Bandung
Hai semua, namaku Jaisy. Bangga sekali rasanya bisa menjadi mahasiswa pertukaran pelajar dari Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB) di Universitas Ritsumeikan, salah satu kampus terkeren di Jepang, atau mungkin juga di dunia. Aku punya kisah menakjubkan yang ingin aku ceritakan kepadamu, siapkanlah secangkir teh hangat dan duduk santai di taman kesukaanmu sambil membaca ceritaku ini.
Mari kita mulai dengan cerita tentang pengalaman belajar di Ritsumeikan. Aku mengambil mata kuliah Problem Based Learning (PBL) dengan dosen Profesor Toyoda, Profesor Francis, dan Profesor Piyada. Kelas ini memberikan banyak sekali pengetahuan baru dan membuka mataku pada aspek penting sudut pandang global terkini, yang aku pikir sangat perlu untuk diketahui oleh para mahasiswa internasional. Sejujurnya, dosen-dosen di mata kuliah ini sangat menarik dan membuat kelas menjadi lebih menyenangkan. Profesor Toyoda dengan gaya rambutnya yang keren dan cara mengajarnya yang asyik, Profesor Francis dengan lelucon khas Jepangnya, dan aku tak akan lupa saat Profesor Piyada tiba-tiba memintaku untuk mencarikan film “Ayat-Ayat Cinta” untuk bahan mata kuliahnya yang lain. Kelas lain yang aku ambil, yang semuanya berkaitan dengan manajemen dan strategi bisnis internasional, juga membuatku takjub dengan cara mengajarnya, suasananya, dan fasilitas belajarnya yang supermodern. Dua dosen favoritku ialah Profesor Miyata dan Profesor Raupach. Mereka memperlihatkan analisis mendalam yang menarik tentang wawasan bisnis internasional melalui kisah di kelas-kelasnya.
Sekarang, mari lanjutkan cerita ke bagian paling menyenangkan yang ingin sekali aku sampaikan. Percayalah, para mahasiswa dan mahasiswi Jepang di Ritsumeikan adalah orang-orang paling ramah dan rendah hati di bumi ini, terutama para anggota TISA, yaitu perkumpulan kawan mahasiswa internasional. Mereka bahkan sudah menemani sejak hari pertama aku datang ke Jepang dengan koper yang sangat berat, lalu membantu mengurus KTP Jepang di kantor dinas, hingga petualangan menjelajahi kota Ibaraki –Taman EXPO’70 yang tak terlupakan- mereka selalu ada untuk memastikan bahwa aku menikmati setiap waktu yang aku habiskan di Jepang. Tentu saja cerita seru tidak berhenti di TISA, karena hingga menulis kisah ini, aku sudah mempunyai ratusan teman menakjubkan di kampus, yang terdiri dari mahasiswa Jepang dan juga internasional seperti dari Amerika, Perancis, Swedia, Norwegia, Rusia, Korea, Cina, Meksiko, Irak, dan negara-negara lainnnya. Aku juga bergabung dengan beberapa perkumpulan mahasiswa, seperti Delegasi Mahasiswa Internasional Universitas Ritsumeikan, Talkfest, SUP, COSMEDIA, dan lainnya.
Bercerita mengenai kehidupan sehari-hariku di Jepang, tentu saja akan menyinggung banyak hal tentang budaya dan kebiasaan masyarakat di Jepang yang aku rasakan. Sekarang aku tahu mengapa Jepang sangat terkenal di kalangan masyarakat internasional. Salah satu temanku dari Thailand dan Amerika pernah mengatakan suatu hal menarik dan sangat menggambarkan apa yang kamu rasakan ketika hidup di Jepang, “Jepang, setiap hari adalah sebuah kejutan…”. Mataku menjadi saksi akan bagaimana kebersihan; ketepatan waktu; semangat dan etos kerja; penghargaan dan penghormatan antarsesama; teknologi modern; serta nilai-nilai lokal sangat dijunjung tinggi oleh masyarakat Jepang disini.
Siapapun dan di manapun kamu yang sedang membaca ceritaku saat ini, bersyukurlah karena kamu adalah orang yang beruntung karena dapat berhubungan dan merasakan pengalaman yang indah di hidupmu, serta membuat banyak momen yang abadi seperti di Kampus Universitas Ritsumeikan. Kampus ini akan memperlihatkan dan membuktikan padamu bahwa hidup bergitu pantas untuk dijelajahi mati-matian. Jangan hanya berhenti pada apa yang kamu ketahui saat ini, di Ritsumeikan kamu akan bertemu dengan hal yang tak terduga yang dapat mengubah hidupmu dan bagaimana kamu melihat dunia ini. Jika kamu bertanya apa yang benar-benar aku temukan di Jepang, cukup ingatlah dengan kalimat bijaksana ini, “akan selalu ada langit di atas langit penuh bintang itu”.
11.16.2015
Activity Report 1 (2015 outbound: Institut Teknologi Bandung)
College of Business Administration, 3rd year
Hello, my name is Hiroya Suefuji and I would like to describe college life at the Institut Teknologi Bandung in Indonesia. I was surprised in regards to students' English ability, especially their ability to speak when I first came to this university. On the other hand, most Indonesian people in Bandung cannot speak as much English as the students can. Because of this, I use a little Indonesian and body language to communicate. Also, there are many group activities in classes. I have to concentrate in class and be a part of the class. When I joined a group activity in class, I felt that ITB students are very smart because they make quick, high quality decisions. I need to catch up with them before I return to Japan. Life in Indonesia is very exciting for me!
ITB students are very kind and friendly when they communicate with me. I also learn a lot of Indonesian playing futsal with my friends, talking in the cafeteria, meeting people in the smoking area, and so on. When we play futsal, we can become closer and talk about anything! Also, I can make new friends every day. On the other hand, it’s difficult to remember their names because I meet so many new people and the pronunciation is very difficult. I truly enjoy this activity.
I thought that the Muslim religion was very strict before I came to Indonesia, however, Indonesian men love joking around just like Japanese people do! When I tell them about Japanese culture, habits, and everyday life, they are surprised and interested. This gives me a chance to communicate with people often.
I want to communicate with many Indonesian people as much as possible and go to many places, because I want to learn more about Indonesia. Above all, I will study management as much as I can. It’s not easy studying management in English, but I’m sure that I’ll improve as a person through this experience. I’ll do my best to learn as much as possible during my time here at the Institut Teknologi Bandung!
