The Expectation versus The Reality of Studying Abroad
Receiving a scholarship to study abroad, whether a degree or a language study scholarship, it is the luckiest thing for me. My name is Nanthicha Maimahad, you can call me Gismey. I’m from Thailand. I’m a graduate student from Walailak University, Liberal of Art, ASEAN Studies. This is the first time I come to Aceh and get a scholarship from the Indonesian government.
When I got information I got selected, I felt amazed, excited, happy and at the same time, I was confused because I was still working, but then I decided to accept this scholarship. I have to thank to myself that I chose to come here. I will never regret to come to Aceh.
Recently, I am studying Indonesian language at Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh. Actually, this is not my first time learning the language, but this is the first time for me to learn it seriously. I took Indonesian language class when I was in senior high school. But here in the university I learn everything about Indonesian language, culture, social, food etc. For me, I felt a bit difficult, like I started it from the beginning. However, I will be patient and keep learn, especially about Aceh. For me, the second language learning is very important because by learning it you can go anywhere. If you know two or more languages, that is better. For me, Indonesian people are very kind and pretty.
I have been staying in Banda Aceh for four months. First month I came here, I felt homesick, but it’s okay because this is not my first-time leaving Thailand for a long time. I had experience staying in Vietnam for six months, so I thought I could adapt well. Yet, everything is different from what I have imagined. I had culture shock because I found here was stricter than Thailand. For me Aceh is different from other parts of Indonesia. The people here are strictly religious and following the teachings of Islam.
From the beginning I thought that living here was different from Thailand. The traditional rules and custom like weather, food, people, old story, and others, I have to learn those all with my friends. Especially when there was heavy rain or bad weather, I had to constantly gamble whether the electricity power would be blackout or not. This is another thing that shocks me when it rains heavily, because I have never had an experience like this.
I would like to say thank you to Indonesian government for the DARMASISWA scholarship and Universitas Syiah Kuala for giving me good experiences, good memories, good friends and everything coming to my life. I hope, I can learn more about Acehnese culture.
