TF LEaRN Report - Shaffira Diraprana Gayatri

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TEMASEK FOUNDATION – NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE

LEADERSHIP ENRICHMENT AND REGIONAL NETWORKING PROGRAMME

(TF-NUS LEaRN)

OVERSEAS STUDENT REPORT

Information from this report may be used for marketing of the programme, which will

include but not restricted to the following avenues: IRO website, brochures, flyers and

information sessions to students. This report will also be sent to Temasek Foundation.

Name : Shaffira Diraprana Gayatri

Exchange Period : 1 (one) semester

Home University : Universitas Indonesia

Purpose of this report

This report is for you to reflect on the semester and share your reflections on

your experiences in the different aspects of the programme, how you have been

enriched in your personal and leadership development, as well as the extent

you have built up networks for future interactions.

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Settling In in the “Fine City”

As traveling has always been one of my main interests, I mainly enjoy adapting to

a new environment and hardly found any difficulties at all. Especially since this is my

third time being in Singapore; thus, I fancied myself to be adequately familiar with this

country. However, the whole process of settling in with the intention to live for a longer

period of stay brought many new experiences for me as an exchange student, and

surprisingly enough, challenged me as well. These challenges came in forms of

registration matters, academic and non-academic systems in NUS, homesickness,

networking and making friends, as well as English as a first language!

First of all, there was the whole issue of arriving in Singapore along and perfectly

clueless about the location of NUS and settling down the housing matters. Fortunately

for me, as I was allocated in Cinnamon College, a USP student was assigned to be

my buddy and help me to go through the first days. Thus Gwen, short for Gwyneth,

and her father willingly picked me up in Changi Airport on the day of my arrival. Not

only that they patiently waited for me for more than an hour, they also drove me to

Cinnamon, and upon seeing that my room was unfit to stay – due to the incomplete

construction – they helped me to sort things out with the management and in the end,

they succeeded to get me a temporary room until my own room is ready. Furthermore,

they then escorted me to the nearest supermarket so that I could buy all my daily

needs. Gwen’s father even bought me an ice kachang and brought most of my

shopping bags for me! Their kindness and graciousness really touched my heart and

made me really appreciate the goodwill of local Singaporeans.

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Figure 1: Gwen and I picking up Indah, another friend, from Changi. I took the picture :)

The next issue was about handling the immigration matters at ICA and academic

system and registration at NUS. Even though the whole process of bureaucracy has

always been problematic, luckily for me, I did not find too many problems in NUS, due

to its efficient service and helpful staffs. The latter is what particularly impressed me.

Most of the staffs, either in International Relations Office (IRO), Registrar’s Office,

Office of Student Affairs, Cinnamon Residential College, and Faculty of Arts and

Social Sciences (which is the faculty I belong to), were very professional and seemed

to be determined to provide us excellent service to ensure us a pleasant experience in

NUS. Our problems and concerns were listened to with rapt attention and they would

always try to come up with solutions or improvements. In addition, we were never

short of activities and events that exposed us to one another and gave us a great

opportunity for networking. This is something that I rarely find back home; thus, it

really did help me to settle in and enjoy my new semester in NUS.

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Figure 2. With Annick, our TF-LEaRN coordinator

Homesickness is a word that hardly exists in my dictionary – however, I must

admit that I did suffer from slight symptoms of this “disease”. As I came in August,

which signaled the beginning of the Holy Month of Ramadan for the Muslims, I had to

experience fasting during my first month in a totally new country. This is something

totally new for me, and it turned out to be a greatly fruitful experience! For the whole

month, around 20-25 Muslims that live in Cinnamon and Tembusu Residential College

had early breakfast together (or as we call it, sahoor). Thus, it bonded us together,

despite the fact that we come from various countries with different nationalities

(Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Bahrain, etc). Not just that, I attended a lot

of mass iftar (break fasting) events held by various communities: the Indonesian

community, the Muslim Singaporeans community, and the NUS Muslim society. These

made the challenge of fasting in a country where Muslims are not a majority quite

bearable. However, the worst is yet to come. The end of Ramadan came and for the

first time, I had to celebrate Hari Raya or Eid far away from my family. As Indonesian

Muslims adopt the custom to gather with both the nuclear and extended family during

this special event, being away from them was really hard for all of us, the Indonesian

exchange students. Nevertheless, we are very lucky to have such great friends in

Singapore. The local non-Muslims remembered to wish us a happy Hari Raya, while

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the local Muslims graciously invited us to their house, gave us tins and tins of kuih and

Hari Raya food, and held a small Hari Raya celebration for the Muslims living in

Singapore. They all made me feel that I am a part of a new family here, and for that I

feel really blessed.

Figure 3. Hari Raya with my Muslim friends in UTown

Figure 4. Hari Raya Bazaar at Geylang with my Malay friend

English has always been a second language for me. As I learnt English in a very

young age, I became used to read and write in it, even though I did not speak English

actively. Thus, I never thought that language will be a barrier for me in a country

where English is spoken by a majority, if not all, of the population. I was proven wrong.

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Even though I am very familiar with the language and currently taking a major in

English as well, the usage of English in Singapore raised several challenges for me.

First of all, mostly Singaporeans use their local accent, famously known as Singlish,

and for one who is not used to it, this variation may seem as a different language

altogether. Second, Singaporeans tend to speak in a very fast pace and use a lot of

difficult terms. As I am more used to the American way of speaking, which is slower

and simpler, the high-speed speeches and the fancy words gave me quite a tough

time.

This led me to another problem, which is the loss of confidence in my fluency in

English. I began to stammer and hesitate whenever I spoke in English because I was

highly self-conscious of myself. I regarded that everyone were judging me as slow

and stupid because I spoke in a slower speed. I was assured that when people say

that my English is good, it is just out of the kindness of their hearts. Gradually, though,

everything began to solve its way out. I began to become more and more familiar with

the Singlish accent and slangs. I got used to the fast paced speech of the

Singaporeans, and I resolved to check my mobile dictionary for every vocabulary I did

not understand. Regaining my self-confidence is something I am still working on; yet, I

believe that realizing what I am lacking is useful for me, as it will always keep me

learning and improving myself.

The Pursuit of Education

In my home university, I am used to take a workload of 22 credits every semester.

It did make me constantly occupied, yet I always manage to find the time to get

involved in various organizations, committees, and seminars. Thus, taking 5 modules

worth of 16 credits (as one module is ungraded), seems to me to be a manageable

task. I was proved wrong. Even though Universitas Indonesia (UI) is the best

university in Indonesia and demands a lot from its students, I soon found out that NUS

demands more and provides a tougher workload for us. Some of the new things I

discovered here was the different type of classes. In NUS, we have to attend lectures,

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tutorials, seminars, and in some cases, practicals – whereas in UI we just have one

type of class which consists of both lectures and tutorials. Thus in NUS, we are

exposed to our modules more often as both the lectures and tutorials demand

preparations, readings, and assignments. This required me to constantly study and

adhere to the strict deadlines, which made me physically exhausted yet shaped me

into a more disciplined student.

Another “culture shock” I experienced here is how mostly Singaporean students

are very studious and hardworking. They always come to class with their handouts

printed from the IVLE and constantly make notes, they are often seen working on their

laptops or poring over thick textbooks everywhere, and they study into late at night –

even until morning. This culture is probably because of the high standard in NUS and

the competitiveness that is resulted from the bell curve system that is adopted here.

However, it surprised me that in classes they mostly keep quiet unless they are

required to deliver their opinions, and hardly anyone would ask questions. This is very

new to me as I enjoy a lively and active atmosphere in classrooms and I am used to

the privilege of asking questions to the lecturers when I do not understand.

Unexpectedly, because I voiced out my questions in class and did not hold back from

answering the professor’s question, some of my classmates praised me and thanked

me for that. They admitted that they also had questions in mind but were afraid to

sound silly if they asked. This situation made me realize that we both can learn from

each other – which is the most important thing in the whole learning process.

Figure 5. My local classmates and I, after watching a TheatreWorks play

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As a so-called nerd, I must admit that one of the things I was looking forward to

when I first came to NUS is the prospect of learning new things from the variety of

courses I took: literature, theatre studies, communication and new media, and

philosophy. Needless to say, even though I did have to adapt to the high standard in

NUS, I really enjoy all my modules! The materials in Nineteenth Century Literature

class were very intense compared to the literature classes in my home university, and

we had in depth discussions in our tutorials that gave me brand new perspectives

about life itself. My Philosophy of Language class was greatly interesting and kept me

in constant ponderings about language and meaning, something we tend to take for

granted. The Introduction to Theatre & Drama was definitely one of my favorites! We

had a mixture of theories and practices, and both were very enjoyable. The semantic

theories we learnt are applicable in our daily lives and make us more analytical, while

the practical classes gave us room to innovate, explore new things, and make us

more aware of our surroundings. One thing that all the classes had in common was

the capability and great competence the professors and tutors possess. Not only that

they are obviously very smart and can teach well, they also trigger out the best in us

and try to keep us active and participate in class. All these made my learning process

in such a reputable institution as NUS to be such a fruitful experience.

Figure 6. My professors in action!

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How the Exchange Changed Me

The one semester I spent in Singapore provided me with tremendous chances to

learn from my interactions with the locals as well as foreigners who are currently

residing in Singapore through community service activities, workshops, host family

programs, and networking with fellow students. The community service activities I

joined both in NUS and SG Cares gave me a lot of insights about the volunteering

system in Singapore. For the NUS student clubs, I joined Fernvale MINDS Garden

through NVAC (Network Volunteering Activity Club), and Grant A Wish, a program by

NUS SCS (Students Community Service Club). These two programs focused on

children and youth, in which the former emphasized on intellectually disabled youths,

and the latter aimed for the welfare of less privileged children. Both are them are quite

new for me, since the intellectually disabled are not a main target of my community

service club in Indonesia, and our approach for the less privileged children mainly

focuses on improving their access to school and education. Thus, this experience

opened my eyes of children’s needs of recreational pleasure, and made me more

aware of the intellectually disabled people. From the outside they may seem different

from us, yet after a while we would discover that there is not much difference after all.

What is more, we will learn to have more patience because it requires a lot of patience

to approach them and make them trust us. Most of them are friendly and always have

a sunny disposition, and their happy faces touched my heart and made me appreciate

more of the blessings in my life.

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Figure 7. After the Grant A Wish Party with Liyana, a fellow volunteer

Not only did I participate in NUS-based community services, I also joined many

community service programs from SG Cares. These programs include Coastal

Cleaning, Home Painting for the Elderly, and Balik Kampung by Ground-Up Initiative.

All of these programs were greatly exciting and fruitful! The volunteers I met here

came from various backgrounds and they ranged from children to seniors, but most of

them were youths, with their enthusiasm and brilliant fresh ideas. This made me

reflect that youths, with the right influences and leaders, could play a great role in

changing the society for the better.

Figure 8. After the International Coastal Cleaning at Lim Chu Kang with my team

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Figure 9a. Volunteering for “Balik Kampung”

Figure 9b. Composting at “Balik Kampung”

Figure 9c. Balik Kampung: With other volunteers after recycling

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Figure 10a. Painting for the Elderly

Figure 10b. Painting for the Elderly: With Madam Salima, our beneficiary

One of my fellow TF-LEaRN scholars said, “It’s hard not to say that the TOUCH

Leadership Workshop did not improve me and my perspectives about volunteering.”

And I must say that I totally agree with her. The two days of the workshop were very

valuable for me – in terms of networking and bonding, improvement of knowledge

about volunteering, and my development as a person in whole. Living and interacting

with my TF-LEaRN scholars for two whole days made me closer to them and bonded

us as one big family. The sessions we had were overall very insightful as we learnt

about the elements required to work as an effective team, the principals of learning,

the essence of service learning, and the qualities of a leader. All of the sessions

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helped to shape and improve me as a better student, team mate, leader, and – most

importantly – person.

Figure 11a. TOUCH Workshop: Grabbing a water botol!

Figure 11b. With my teammates in the TOUCH workshop

Networks and Plans for Future Interactions

Throughout this exchange experience, I have learnt and proven that it is very

essential to create as many networks as we can: local, regional, and corporate. In

terms of local networks, despite my short period of stay, I have made a lot of

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Singaporean friends that have promised to visit me in Indonesia and keep in touch

through social networking sites. My host buddies were also very helpful and friendly

and made great acquaintances! My TF buddy, Huiwen, has always been very helpful

despite her busy schedule in school. My USP buddy, Gwen, also helped me a lot,

especially during my first days in NUS. It was from her as well that I joined interfaith

dialogues held by the NUS Interfaith Club; creating further networks.

For regional networks, I had the chance to be acquaintance to a lot of people from

around the world through the host family programs, as there were a lot of networking

sessions and my host parents introduced me to their ex-host students and

acquaintances. Living in a residential college in campus is also a great way to meet

new people and to make friends; as a result, I got acquainted with many new people

over dinner in the Dining Hall. My TF-LEaRN fellows are also an important part of my

regional network – as we are the hopes for the future of ASEAN and Asia, and even

though we will go back to our own countries, but our friendship will be carried on

through the Internet, in which we will continue on supporting and inspiring each other

to contribute better for our country.

Figure 12. At a Pakistani wedding with my Pakistani friends

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Figure 103. Dinner with host family

Figure 14. Celebrating Mooncake Festival with friends from China and Taiwan

Figure 115. Celebrating Diwali at Little India with friends from India and USA

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Figure 16. Lunch with host parents and their ex-host students

Figure 17. Gathering with my TF-LEaRN fellows!

As for corporate networks, I also participated as a volunteer in Singapore Writer’s

Festival, where I had the chance to meet a lot of famous Singaporean and foreign

writers and other people from the creative industry. I also get acquainted with the

members of IPA (Indonesian Professionals Association), an association for

Indonesian professionals in Singapore, which will be very useful to enhance my future

networking, as I plan to keep on participating in their online events. In this era of

technology, it is easier for me to stay connected with the networks I’ve built through

social networking sites and e-mail. Therefore, we can still maintain a good relationship,

even when I am back in Indonesia.

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Figure 18. At IPA Solve Award, an event organised by IPA

Project Ideas for a Better Indonesia

After observing and learning from the community service which I have

participated in, I have two project ideas that I will like to implement in my country. First,

I will try to collaborate with the Students Union in Universitas Indonesia and internal

students clubs to advocate the compulsory procedure of double-sided printings for

every faculty in campus. This project is drove by my concern that in my university, we

still widely use a single-sided setting when printing or copying – imagine what a waste

of paper is that! Seeing with my own eyes the success of NUSSU in advocating for the

usage of double-sided paper makes me optimistic that it could be implemented in my

university as well. This project will be done in a span of 6 months; in which the timeline

is as following:

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No. Month Activity Target

1. I Building collaboration and coordination Student Union,

student clubs

2. II – IV Advocate the movement and the purpose Rector of UI, faculties

3. IV – V Briefing and publication of the issue Fotocopy and printing

centers, computer

rentals

4, V – VI Publication of the issue Students

The second project will be focused on less privileged children living in the area of

my university. As I am already involved in Rumah Belajar, a free school for less

privileged children and youths, as a member and committee, I would like to return to

that program and implement some new ideas for the improvement for the program. I

would like to raise the children’s awareness of intellectually disabled children; thus,

my idea is to hold an outing for the children. In this outing, these children will visit

Yayasan Pantara, a center for children with autism and Down syndrome, and they will

participate together in educational activities and fun games, ended by having lunch or

dinner together. Of course, before the event, they will be briefed first about the

condition of the children they are visiting. This simple yet meaningful activity will open

the eyes of the children and they will go home with fresh perspectives and renewing

awareness about children who are underprivileged in a different way. It will make them

think better than to judge wrongly or to hold prejudices, which is something every

children must learn in their tender ages.