ENG
INA
IU Online Exchange Program in Spring 2021 by Gentha Rajasha Jiwanegara
Hello, my name is Gentha Rajasha Jiwanegara, a student of the Japanese Literature study program at Udayana University batch 2018. I will share my experience in participating in an online exchange program at Ibaraki University, Japan.
Ibaraki University is one of the partner universities of Udayana University located in Ibaraki prefecture, Japan. In 2021, in March to be exact, a friend of mine, Wulan, and I decided to apply for the IU Online Exchange scholarship program in the spring of 2021. The reason I was interested in joining this exchange program was that the courses offered were specifically for Japanese language learners, and practicality in access, because it is done online so I don't have to go to Japan, especially during this uncertain time of the COVID-19 pandemic. My parents also welcomed this.
Before starting the lecture, of course, we took part in orientation activities. We do this orientation with the lecturers who will later teach us in this program. I think this is a good time to get acquainted with the lecturer's face. In this orientation, we are introduced to the instructors, study plans and courses, learning books, supervisors, and also our respective tutors or 'brothers of guidance'. My first impression was that the lecturers were very friendly and open to us. I think this is a good start to start this exchange program.
I also carried out this program from April 9 to August 10, 2021. There were 7 courses that I took, most of which were special courses for learning Japanese, namely the Japanese Language Training Course which included courses in grammar, kanji, extensive reading, and speaking. Meanwhile, the other courses I took were Nihon Jijo, Japanese Pop Culture, and Communication and Mindset in Japanese Context. In particular, in the Japanese Language Training Course there are 3 levels, namely Level 5, Level 4, and Level 1. Wulan and I chose Level 4, which is specifically for students who want to reach JLPT N2. Due to colliding course schedules, there are a number of courses that we cannot take, such as Communication in Global Context.
During my studies, I met many students from different educational backgrounds and nationalities. There are a number of students from China, one of which is my friend, Dai and Ma, both of whom are agricultural students. The students are from Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, and from Indonesia. My classes are often accompanied by students from Jenderal Sudirman University, Indonesia, namely Riyanda, Ezar, Alfiani, and Sae. We have become close friends until now.
There are many interesting things that I have done in this program, one of which is the large number of small-scale research that I have done. In the grammar course, we were invited to do research with high school students from Shounandai Koukou. I chose the theme 'school uniforms' because I was interested in hearing high school students' opinions regarding their school uniforms. As a result, many students are not quite satisfied with their uniforms. In addition, in the Japanese Pop Culture course, we were invited to do Joint Research with students from the University of Wisconsin Superior. I joined with 2 Japanese and 3 UWS students doing research related to pop culture, namely “The Effectiveness of Watching Anime Using Legal Platform During COVID-19 Pandemic”. We also conducted interviews with students in our respective countries. It is a great opportunity for me to present the results of group research in 2 different universities.
There is still a lot of mini research that I have done in this program. In addition to research, we also participate in cultural exchange events, both with students from IU as well as students from other universities, namely Pennsylvania State University. In the event with PSU, we were given time to conduct group discussions every week in Japanese. I am very happy to participate in these various cultural exchange activities, especially since I can get to know many other students.
In the extensive reading class, I had the opportunity to write a story in Japanese as a final project. This is the most memorable for me, and I did not waste the opportunity. I wrote a story entitled “Inu datte Yume wo Miru” which is about a black dog who often dreams. I received a lot of very positive feedback regarding my work. This is a sweet closing for my participation in the IU exchange program in the spring of 2021. Readers who want to read my work can access the following link:
http://drive.google.com/file/d/19R9Mjb_JNX4dLANsJE0DgR0ej9IQePNL/view?usp=sharing
During this program, it was not only about science, but I was challenged to make a breakthrough, to bring out all creative thoughts, and to fight all my shyness and nervousness. I feel more confident and bolder in speaking Japanese and English, because everyone involved in this program always supports and supports us so that we can become better. Finally, I am grateful to have been given this extraordinary opportunity, not once have I regretted joining this program.
Activity Documentation:
IU Exchange Program Orientation in Spring 2021 (18 March 2021)
Source: Ibaraki University Center Global Education Twitter account (@Ibadai_cge)
Grammar Lecture with IU Students (23 April 2021)
Source: Ibaraki University Center Global Education Twitter account (@Ibadai_cge)
Presentation of Final Research Results with Shounandai High School Children (2 August 2021)
Source: Ibaraki University Center Global Education Twitter account (@Ibadai_cge)
Presentation of Final Results of Research with Wisconsin Superior Students (May 10, 2021)
Source: Ibaraki University Center Global Education Twitter account (@Ibadai_cge)
Extensive Reading Class Final Project “Inu datte Yume wo Miru”
Source :https://drive.google.com/file/d/19R9Mjb_JNX4dLANsJE0DgR0ej9IQePNL/view?usp=sharing
UDAYANA UNIVERSITY