Written by : Franklin Jonaldo (from Mulawarman University)
JurnalPost.com – The Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Mulawarman University (FISIP UNMUL) carried out the Student Exchange Program (SEP). This is a form of faculty effort in increasing internationalization to all parties, both from lecturers, education staff, and students. In early November 2023, FISIP UNMUL succeeded in sending 5 students with campus partners, namely Khon Kaen Businees School, Khon Kaen University.
The five students who passed are:
• Najia Raihana Az-Zahra (Public Administration 2021),
• Franklin Jonaldo (International Relations 2021),
• Bagus Mahardika (International Relations 2021),
• Gita Riski Anggriani (Public Administration 2022),
• Ahmad Hidayat Rozzaq (Business Administration 2023).
The five students will participate in student exchanges in Thailand until March 2024. The Vice Dean for Student Affairs and Alumni of FISIP UNMUL, Mr. Daryono S.Sos, M.Si, Ph.D also said that this is an opportunity for students to learn cultural diversity and add as much knowledge insight as possible.
On November 25, 2023, the five FISIP UNMUL students left for Thailand and were welcomed by Indonesian students who are members of the Indonesian Student Association in Thailand (PERMITHA Khon kaen University).
One of the participants in the student exchange program to Thailand, Franklin Jonaldo, shared his experiences since arriving in the city of Khon Kaen Thailand and attending lectures. Aldo, who is his nickname, tells how the local people in Khon Kaen are very friendly and welcome foreigners who are studying or working here. “When I first set foot at the airport to the dormitory, the local people here were very kind and friendly, like being in my own country,” Aldo explained.
According to Aldo, while in Thailand he felt the warmth of cultural diversity that exists in the campus environment and in the local community. Starting from the differences in language used daily, a variety of Thai specialties that may be different from Indonesian food, to the experience of learning on a campus that is very different from his campus, Mulawarman University.
“The cultural difference that I feel the most is the language, because here quite a lot of local people who can’t speak English and there are also those who use Mandarin, even Malay language. In addition, there is also Halal food sold here, so for my friends who are Muslim, they don’t have to worry about finding Halal food. Maybe the different thing when we got here is that we never heard the sound of Adhan, because the majority of Thai people adhere to Buddhism, “explained Aldo about the cultural diversity felt while in Thailand.
Regarding the culture of learning in Thailand, Aldo explained that the culture of learning in Thailand is very different from Indonesia. During the lectures in Thailand, there were no breaks for eating and the time was only given between lecture hours. In addition, at the previous campus, Mulawarman University, the duration for lectures was only about 1-1.5 hours, whereas at Khon Kaen University the duration of lectures could be up to 2-3 hours per course. Of course this is a challenge
