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Hard Work Pays Off: Notes from Dinda Reiko
I am Dinda Reiko, a student at Udayana University who is currently participating a scholarship program at Toyama University, Japan. Before talking about the ups and downs of my study life in Toyama, let me tell you a little about my educational background.
Since I was little, I had a dream to be able to study abroad like my mother. When I was in the 3rd grade of junior high school, my dream came true, my family and I moved to Japan, to be precise in Kanagawa prefecture. At that time I was full of joy and excitement to enter the school, as if everything seemed easy. With no Japanese skills at all, I entered a public junior high school in Kanagawa.
Until now I have never forgotten the first day I came to school. There I just felt how difficult it is to mingle and make new friends in another country. Not to mention because my Japanese language skills were 0, I got through the state that I don't even have a courage to see the results of my report card. The joy that initially filled my heart disappeared in an instant, this actually made me want to return to Indonesia. But if I remember my parents' efforts to make my dream come true, it's a shame to just give up.
Day after day I passed until finally I was able to graduate and continue to high school. At the high school, it didn't feel so hard, because there were some people outside of Japan too, which made it easier for me to blend in. Even so, I felt that my Japanese language skills were still lacking, so in high school I pushed myself to get out of my comfort zone and try new things that I had never tried before, namely taking part in a Japanese speech contest and trying the JLPT N2 exam. Of course it's not an easy thing to get past it, but I always remember that "Hard Work Pays Off". In the end, I won the speech competition and passed JLPT N2. After graduating N2 in July, I continued my efforts and took the JLPT N1 exam in December. It was a long journey until I was able to pass the N1 exam.
After graduating from high school, I decided to return to Indonesia with my family. I continued my studies in the Department of Japanese Literature, Udayana University. It's nice to be able to share experiences about Japan with new friends, as well as participate in committee activities on campus. In my second year, I was offered a scholarship program at Toyama University, with the requirements said that this scholarship only offered to the students with N2/N1 certificate. Gratitude and once again I realized that “Hard Work Pays Off”, considering the weight of my efforts at the high school level to divide my time between part-time work and study time to pass the JLPT. But there are times when all these efforts must pay off. Honestly I was so surprised. Because this is my second year living in Indonesia after 5 years living in Japan. But of course this is an opportunity that should not be missed. At that time I could experiencing the university's life in Indonesia and also get a year's experience in Japan.
I feel lucky to have had the experience of studying in Japan during this current pandemic. It's also nice and proud to have new friends from various countries and usually here we share knowledge and various information about each country. It was a very different experience from when I lived in Kanagawa with my family, now I live alone in a dormitory. Transportation here is not as practical as in the Kantou area, to go to campus it must take 30 minutes by foot. This is where I have to be able to learn to be independent. Being away from family and friends is not easy. Feeling lonely is common. But I must recall that “Hard Work Pays Off”.
Author: Dinda Reiko
Editor: Novy Rainy
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UDAYANA UNIVERSITY