UNAIR NEWS – Tania Ruli Natalnael had the opportunity to study abroad for one semester thanks to the Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards (IISMA) program. Tania shared her experience while studying at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, the best university in Asia according to the QS WUR 2022.
New habits
The UNAIR Information System student shared her daily language barrier while in Singapore. Initially, Tania thought that all Singaporeans would naturally use English, but this is not the case. There are four languages recognized in Singapore, English, Malay, Chinese, and Tamil.
“So it’s only natural that some don’t speak English. Finally, I have to understand some words that are often used, for example, dabao (打包, wrapped), zheli (这里, eat on the spot), and other words,” she explained.
Tania also felt culture shock when she crossed the zebra crossing on her way to campus. In Indonesia, zebra crossings only exist near traffic lights. Moreover, pedestrians must cross the road at the right time, when the road is not busy, or the vehicle is still far away.
“In Singapore, zebra crossings are often found. The vehicle must stop to allow pedestrians to cross”.
Activities on campus
At NTU, the student from Bandar Lampung wanted to take part in several student clubs (UKM). However, most of them have closed registration or find it difficult to accept student exchange students because it requires a commitment longer than four months.
“Therefore, I can only participate in events held by clubs or student bodies at NTU,” she explained.
Tania’s activities included workshops and classes/outings introducing Singapore. One of the workshops was the Singapore Sign Language Workshop (Singapore Sign Language, SSL).
“My friends and I learned a little of SSL and communicate directly with the Deaf Community in Singapore,” she said.
To quickly mingle with local residents, Tania learns a lot about local culture. Tania also learned a bit of the local language commonly used daily.
“Local residents will appreciate the effort, just as Indonesians appreciate foreigners who try to speak Indonesian,” she said.
According to Tania, universal manners are also very useful, such as always smiling. And most importantly, don’t forget to always pray for protection and guidance from God Almighty.
At the end, Tania thanked UNAIR, especially for Airlangga Global Engagement (AGE) support. AGE UNAIR has helped IISMA awardee students a lot, starting from funding for English language proficiency tests, letters of recommendation, briefing, and socialization, to other administrative needs. (*)
Author: Sandi Prabowo
Editor : Binti Q Masruroh
