During this winter break, I am back in my home country — Indonesia. So, I spent the new year with my family and friends.
I went to church on New Year’s Eve and to a friend’s house and lit sparklers on New Year’s day. The following day, my family went to our grandparents’ house because we always go there for the big holidays such as New Year’s, birthdays, etc. Even though I missed the big fireworks in the city, I still had so much fun.
Dear future study abroad participants at SDSU,
As an international student from Indonesia, studying abroad in the United States was the most fantastic — yet scary — decision of my life. I had to adapt to a new environment and adjust myself to the weather, language, people and food. I thought I was a global citizen already, yet I experienced an extraordinary culture shock. I was not as open to new cultures as I thought.
Yet I believe that studying abroad is really a worthwhile adventure because we are out of the comfort zone. Studying in America and exploring the country for almost four years has changed my perspective about cultures, people, politics and the world.
Summer ending meant it was time for me to return to San Diego to continue my studies. I had to say goodbye again to my family and friends after spending three months together in Indonesia.
To go back to America, I had to go through a really long flight and immigration. My flight was 18 hours with one stop for around 6 hours in between. It took me about one day to get to the U.S.!
Even though it was exhausting, I was excited to start a new semester at SDSU. Check out this video of my journey — I hope you enjoy it!
Continue reading “My Journey from Indonesia Back to America”
Indonesian people love going to the mall. When we are bored, we choose to hang out at the mall instead of going to the beach. I’ve been back in my home country for two months this summer and I cannot count how many times I’ve been to the mall in that time.
I found out that Jakarta has nearly 200 malls, some right next to one another. There are many reasons for Indonesians going to the mall.
Continue reading “Malls, Consumerism and the Indonesian Lifestyle”
Who doesn’t love food? I believe food is the universal language of the world and we can learn the culture of one nation based on its cuisine.
As an Indonesian studying at SDSU, I really miss Indonesian food — especially the street food. In fact, when people ask me what I miss about my country, I always say the street food.
In Indonesia, riding a bike is not a common thing. Because we do not have bike lanes, it is a little hard and dangerous to ride a bike on the big road.
Honestly, there isn’t any necessary rules or laws about riding a bike on the big road either. As long as we are careful and know how to ride, we are good to go. Yet, most Indonesians choose to drive a car or ride a motorbike because it is more convenient and comfortable. As a result, the pollution is quite high and the traffic is unbearable in the big cities.
Three years ago, when I was 18 years old, I decided to go to America to continue my studies. I remember how excited I was — until I got to the airport.
The fact that I would live more than 8,000 miles away from my family and we would not see each other often anymore scared me. However, studying in America had been a life-long dream for me. So it was a mixed feeling.
When I came for the first time to the United States, I went to a community college in the San Francisco area for two years. I’m always excited for spring break because, in Indonesia, where I came from, we don’t have spring break at all. It is really good to have one week away from school and explore another city.
Continue reading “Experiencing Different Cultures in San Francisco”
The global experience, as told by SDSU students 