UNAIR NEWS – Universitas Airlangga student, Raselly Elfa Putri made it to the Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards (IISMA) 2023. Through the program, she gained learning experience in the Palacký University Olomouc, Czechia, for six months.
For Selly, being one of the thousands of selected students is such a pleasure. The dream of studying in Europe has finally come true. She had failed in the previous IISMA 2022. Hence, this opportunity is a blessing that she is grateful for. “I’m beyond happy and grateful, one of my biggest dreams has been fulfilled. I’ve had my failure [in IISMA] before,” she told UNAIR NEWS on Wednesday, November 15, 2023.
New Experience
The Faculty of Humanities student narrated her new experiences to UNAIR NEWS. In terms of academic culture, she noted a distinct difference between the Czech Republic and Indonesia. “The academic culture in Czechia is more relaxed compared to Indonesia’s. Most lecturers use the peer teaching method, hence there’s no significant boundary between lecturers and students. Besides, there’s a high level of openness for discussions,” she said.
Selly had also met Kakek Yono, the man behind the “Surat dari Praha” movie. The rendezvous left her impressed, as she got to learn about history and life values from him.
“I also had the chance to meet Kakek Yono, an Indonesian exile in Prague, when I visited the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia. It was a delight to share thoughts with him,” said the Most Outstanding Student of the Faculty of Humanities in 2021.
Promoting Indonesian Culture
As an IISMA awardee, Selly feels that she has a big responsibility for studying and introducing Indonesian culture.
She promoted the Indonesian culture through Djoempa Pemoeda, a collaborative event conducted by IISMA awardees, the Indonesian Student Association (PPI), and the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia. The event was held to commemorate the National Heroes Day.
Djoempa Pemoeda promotes Indonesian culture by performing traditional dance and serving traditional food. The event successfully drew foreigners’ attention. They were very eager to learn Indonesian culture.
“We performed traditional dances and treated the visitors to traditional Indonesian cuisine. They enjoyed the Indonesian culinary delights we served, ranging from shredded beef, fried rice, fried bananas, to rendang,” she said.
The effort to promote Indonesian culture persists. With her colleagues, Selly hoped to continue organizing promotional activities to promote Indonesian culture to the world.
“As an IISMA awardee, I have to introduce Indonesian culture abroad. I truly hope to use the opportunity to promote Indonesia globally through this program,” she said.
Author: Yulia Rohmawati
Editor: Feri Fenoria
