From 10 January to 18 February 2022, ACICIS was delighted to host 37 students from 10 Australian universities for session 1 and 2 of ACICIS’ in-country Indonesian Language Short Course (ILSC) Summer 2023. Out of the 38 students, 22 were supported by the New Colombo Plan Mobility Grants. Supported by the Yogyakarta Program Assistant, Arifiana (Tata) Wardhani, Yogyakarta Program Manager, Sinta Padmi, ACICIS Resident Director, Dr Adrian Budiman, and other ACICIS support staff, the students spent three to six weeks undertaking the intensive Indonesian Language classes in person. In delivering this program, ACICIS partnered with the Language Training Centre (LTC) at Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana (UKSW) in Salatiga as the host university.
The in-country program started with an opening ceremony where the participants met ACICIS staff, LTC UKSW staff, teachers, and student buddies. The program was officially opened by ACICIS Resident Director, Dr Adrian Budiman followed by an orientation session from ACICIS and LTC UKSW staff covering introduction of staff, Indonesian culture, and academic matters. Students also got a chance to get to know each other and meet with the student buddies during the Welcome Dinner. The Language Training Centre (LTC) at UKSW facilitated immersive in-country learning for the students through intensive language classes, providing opportunities for all students to practice their language skills by engaging with members of the local community, and discussing topics varied from daily life, Indonesian culture, to social issues.
The intensive language classes were held Monday to Friday between 08:30 and 13:30 Western Indonesia Time (GMT+7) through an interactive class. The students in each language level participated in interviews with Indonesian local people and workers on various topics during the three-week course. The topics varied depending on the student’s language level and academic background. Students also joined seminars about Third Gender in Indonesia and Indonesian Traditional Dance in Conflict Resolutions in order to get a deeper understanding about Indonesian culture. Students also had the option to take extracurricular classes such as grammar class, pencak silat, batik, and cooking class. These were available for students to take outside of their regular program hours. During the cooking class, students learned to cook chicken rendang, gado-gado, and nasi kuning (yellow rice) along with their instructors, so that they could bring a piece of Indonesian taste back home.
Moreover, the students got an opportunity to dive deeper into Indonesian culture through Language and Culture Exposure and Culture Sharing sessions. These sessions gave them opportunity to interact with UKSW students. During the Language and Culture Exposure sessions, some LTC student volunteers shared information about Arisan. During the sharing session, ILSC students were divided into several groups and they delivered presentations about Australian culture to the UKSW students, LTC staff and ACICIS staff followed by a presentation about Indonesian Culture by UKSW students.
On the second and fifth week of the program, ACICIS held check point meetings to get students’ feedbacks on the program and what can we improve to make sure students got a great and meaningful experience. The meetings were closed with an ice breaking session to refresh and create stronger bonding. At the end of the program, all the students needed to complete several tests, including written test, oral test, and presentation. They also delivered a presentation in Indonesian on a topic of their own choosing. The presentation took place in front of their classmates, UKSW faculty members, and ACICIS staff.
The program was officially closed with a closing ceremony, where they received QR codes to access their certificates. During the closing ceremony, LTC UKSW presented a singing performance by LTC Interns, Rizky and Alex. We also enjoyed speeches from student representatives who shared their personal experience and highlights during the program.
