Ansel Ng is a New Colombo Plan Mobility Grant recipient from The University of Western Australia. Ansel undertook the Virtual Indonesian Language Short Course in January 2021.
Q: Why did you decide to undertake ACICIS’ Indonesian Language Short Course?
I wanted to improve my Indonesian skills over the holidays and saw that ACICIS was running a Virtual Indonesian Language Short Course so I figured it would be convenient and useful.
Q: Did you receive a New Colombo Plan Mobility Grant? Do you think the NCP is an important initiative?
Yes, it helped me in financially making the decision to do the course.
Q: What did you find to be the most rewarding part of this virtual experience?
Being able to meet people from Indonesia and other parts of Australia who were all passionate about Indonesia and learning together would be the most invaluable part of this experience for me.
Q: What did you find to be the most challenging about your experience on the Virtual ILSC?
Having everything online: at times there were connectivity or audio issues, and inevitably, not being able to see everyone in-person made the experience feel less immersive.
Q: Have you had previous experience learning Indonesian in Australia? If yes, how different was the Virtual ILSC to your previous experiences?
Yes, however due to the online method of delivery, the experience was not as immersive. It was still different, especially with the guests from Indonesian companies or organisations that were involved in our online learning.
Q: Were you able to learn about the Indonesian culture from this virtual program? If yes, how was this achieved?
Yes, I think there were many new aspects I learnt from Indonesian culture – there were fruit and vegetables I did not know about, youth cultural differences between Australia and Indonesia and other matters such as how COVID was affecting Indonesian tourism. Mainly culture was learnt through the topics covered in the classes of the virtual program.
Q: How will your proficiency in Indonesian Language gained through the ILSC influence your future career or study?
The ILSC allowed me to gain credit points toward my Indonesian studies major, whilst improving my vocabulary, grammar and listening skills in Indonesian overall.
Q: Would you recommend this virtual program to your friends?
Yes, I think it is a great way to give a good boost to anyone’s Indonesian skills through continual exposure to the Indonesian language, whether they are a beginner, intermediate or advanced.
Q: Favourite Indonesian word/phrase:
Ya begitu!
Q: Describe your experience of the Virtual ILSC in three words:
Enriching, Purposeful, Intense