Stories from the Little Red Dot: 1-year exchange at the NUS

Ritsumeikan University has a wide-range of places that students can go on towards for exchange. 

Even on a single degree, if you can organize your time well, you can take on a world of experience. We encourage our students to go on exchange from either our short programs to our one-year program. 

In this post, we learn about Reihan's experience on his exchange study. He took the one year exchange program at the National University of Singapore.

Reihan is a Global Studies Major student.

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Hi there! This is Reihan, I am a 4th-year student from Ritsumeikan University’s Global Studies program. I hope you are doing well in these times of uncertainty.

Technically, I am based in the Kinugasa Campus in Kyoto. But due to everything that is going on, I am now doing my last semester from my home on the outskirts of Jakarta, Indonesia. I am currently writing this from the same room where I did my English homework in high school.

The messy desk at my childhood bedroom

Being at home has given me the opportunity to reflect on the experiences that have helped me grow as a person. In this blog post, I will be sharing some reflections about my 1-year exchange program at the National University of Singapore (NUS).

Let’s start from the beginning. My first two years in Global Studies helped me familiarize with general concepts and theories of international relations. However, as a Southeast Asian, I realized that I knew so little about my own region. Therefore, I decided to spend my third year in Singapore. It was not a popular choice among my group of friends, since exchange programs are usually associated with flying off to far away places and my choice of exchange program takes me closer to my own country, Indonesia, instead. Nevertheless, my goal was to deepen my understanding of Southeast Asia, and what better way to do this than to actually learn in the region?

NUS’ University Town during sunset. I lived in this complex during my second semester

I barely had to leave the complex since they offered everything from a bubble tea stall, gym, to an infinity pool

Also, studying at the best university in Asia also sounds like a good idea. My mom can confirm this.

I will always miss the lush and tall trees that surrounds NUS

I stuck to my plan and registered for modules that focused on Singapore and Southeast Asia. Many of my lecturers were willing to take the extra mile, utilizing their network to allow us to learn from the experts. To mention a few, my Art in Society module invited Khai Hori, one of the most renowned art curators in Southeast Asia as a guest lecturer, I joined a walking tour held by my Vices in Southeast Asia module to understand the historical context behind Singapore’s gentrified Chinatown neighborhood, and I had the chance to listen to a speech by Ma’ruf Amin who is now the vice president of Indonesia. I was very inspired by the diverse array of lectures and discussions that I joined during my time in Singapore. 

           

Similar to Japan, Singapore also has a large population of senior citizens

The modules that I took introduced me to the social issues that exist in this country

Outside of the classroom, I was glad that I had a glimpse of everyday life in Singapore. I regularly trained with friends from the NUS cross-country running team, who are mostly locals.

While I could barely keep up with the team’s training program, I had a plethora of chances to talk about how it was like to grow up in Singapore. They shared stories of their time in Singapore’s National Service, the pressures of growing up in Southeast Asia’s most developed country, and also helped me train my Singlish.

Some of my teammates from the NUS cross-country running team

During the exam week, you will see students occupying every corner of the campus to do their last-minute revisions

During this exchange, I was fortunate to be able to continue my voluntary work in CISV International, a non-governmental organization that educates and inspires youth about peace and inter-cultural understanding. I managed to get in touch with the local volunteers and got involved in their activities by facilitating training and managing communication channels. Being in a totally different environment can be overwhelming sometimes, so knowing that there is a community that I can rely on was quite comforting.

A fellow volunteer from Indonesia was in town, so we had a BBQ and hotpot party!

I think my exchange experience helped me learn to value my own story and experiences. I realize that not everyone has the opportunity to enroll in an exchange program. Some are maybe in the process of deciding whether they should join an exchange program.

This became one of the reasons why I began to share stories of my exchange. I made a video of the university’s infamous running event. Teamed up with a fellow exchange student to make a movie that shows our life as exchange students. I also made a video about my whole exchange experience, which ended up winning NUS’ exchange student video competition!

A fellow exchanger from Canada, Jensen Tung, gave me the opportunity to take my videography skills to another level. Picture credits to Jensen Tung

The exchange program is more than just a chance for you to check another country off your list. Instead, it is also an opportunity to pursue your curiosities and experience being in a new environment. If I can give you a small tip, if you are considering to go to one of the many destinations that Ritsumeikan's exchange program offers: choose a place/region that interests you, say yes to the different opportunities that come in front of you, and follow where the locals go!

After an epic exchange experience, I think I deserve to lay down for a while.... 

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The blog above is an opinion and thought provided by an individual student.