Week 1: General Orientation at UNISSULA

September 2, 2019: As a few minutes after we landed at the SRG airport at 8:10 am, we were escorted by Azizah to go to their university at Universitas Sultan Agung or UNISSULA. We ate breakfast first and tried our first Indonesian meal called Soto and Tempe. Afterward, we drove straight to the university.

Soto

Tempe

Upon our arrival, we met Ibu Riana who is the head of the Office of International Affairs (OIA). They were friendly and helpful enough to assist us with our luggage. We were briefed about certain school policies that we need to follow. We also met some foreign students under a different type of program where they would learn Bahasa Indonesia for 10 months. They mentioned that we cannot drive without an international driving license, try to eat food that is comfortable to us, use different coping mechanisms towards culture shock and ask for assistance if ever we need anything. The orientation was short because we needed to have a sit-down meeting with the Rektor or the academic director at UNISSULA after that.

Ms. Riana Permatasari giving us the orientation at UNISSULA

Around 11 am, we were sent to the Rector's office and we spoke with the Vice-Rector of Academic Affairs. We weren't able to meet the Rektor due to some medical concerns. During the meeting, they graced us with food and tea along with an inspiring message coming from him. It was a good talk with the Vice Rektor. He asked us about our respective countries, our names, and told us to enjoy the experience and learn from it to the best of our abilities. Then we also met other Vice Rektors in UNISSULA.

The SEA-Teacher Program Participants and the other foreigners with The Vice-Rector of Academic Affairs (middle)

Around 2 pm, we were formally introduced by Ibu Riana during the Freshmen's orientation at the auditorium. It was astounding to see so many students at that time and I was not expecting to see a very big crowd. When we stepped on that stage, it almost felt like we were some random superstars when students started to clap and cheer for us. It was an overwhelming experience indeed.

Our Introduction to the Freshmen Orientation

When everything was all set and done, the OIA escorted us to the men's dormitory of the school. We stayed there temporarily because we have an internship orientation that needs to attend the following day.

What a day it was! I suddenly felt the exhaustion as soon as we settled down in the dormitory. All I did was to rest soundly after we ate dinner. This was the first day of our journey. I am very excited to see what's more to come! That's all. Terima Kasih!

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