Loetju.id - Imagine 70 students from all corners of Indonesia coming together at Universiti Malaya, Malaysia, like a melting pot of cultures. As exchange students overseas, our mission transcends academics. We aim to illuminate the richness of Indonesia’s culture and diversity in our host country. We consider ourselves lucky to have people with different cultural backgrounds, making it possible for us to elaborate more on each other’s perspectives and knowledge about Indonesia’s vast archipelago.
Within two weeks of our journey, we proudly represented Indonesia in the 'Meet & Greet' with International Students in Malaysia (MAGNET) 2023, a prestigious event organized by Universiti Putra Malaysia in collaboration with Kementerian Pendidikan Tinggi (KPT) and Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS). This gathering brought together international students from various Malaysian universities and esteemed guests, including Prof. Dr. Azlinda Azman, Malaysia’s Director-General of Higher Education.
In the spirit of Malaysia’s inclusive ethos, each participating university was tasked with showcasing a unique national culture. And guess what? We got to showcase Indonesia! Our booth was a mini-Indonesia, featuring traditional games, attire, batik, our currency, and of course, mouth-watering Indonesian snacks! We were honored to illuminate Indonesia’s vibrant heritage at Universiti Malaya’s booth, especially knowing that UM is among the top three universities in Southeast Asia.
Strategically located at the entrance of the building, our booth attracted a lot of attention from the attendees. Many people appreciated our booth for its stunning presence, which also led them to enthusiastically learn about Indonesia’s culture through the presentations we provided publicly and discussions with our members. We even had a spontaneous ice-breaking session where we sang and danced to Javanese koplo in our booth. It was a superb experience to see people from different countries gathered around our booth, passionately moving their bodies to the dangdut rhythm.
Alongside the enchanting booth displays, our experience was elevated during a sumptuous fine dining event where we shared a meal with hundreds of individuals from different countries. The air was alive with the energy of cultural performances, each meticulously prepared by representatives from around the globe. I fondly remember our table joining in, trying to sing along with the melodies of the songs performed.
As an Indonesian passionate about arts and culture, my IISMA 2023 journey has broadened my knowledge of cross-cultural understanding, with this event being the most impactful one for me by far.
Writer:
Name: Alifa Nasya Ramadhani
NIM: 14050120130047
Major: International Relations
Faculty: Faculty of Social and Political Sciences
Location:
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
