On Tuesday (3/26), the Taiwan Education Center (TEC) Indonesia – Yogyakarta Regional Office hosted an engaging webinar entitled “Ramadan in Taiwan: Study in Taiwan Talks and Experience Sharing” inviting three Indonesian students who currently studying in Taiwan.
The speakers were Naufal Bagus Pratama, Juhelmi, and Muhammad Daffa Auliarizky Onielda. On this occasion, the speakers explained their campus life experience, how they cope with the new environment and Taiwan’s cultural and language differences. They also discussed how international students, especially Muslims, experience Ramadan in Taiwan.
Naufal Bagus Pratama, a 2022 MOE Taiwan Scholarship awardee who is now studying in the International Master’s Program in International Studies (IMPIS), at National Chengchi University (NCCU), became the first speaker and shared his experience of studying at NCCU as well as his daily life as a student there. As a student, Naufal said he sometimes struggled to understand the course or a lecture. Still, he could always ask for guidance from his professor directly because the professors will always help and advise the students whenever they encounter a problem in the learning process. In addition, Naufal explained that the diversity of people in Taiwan has led to Taiwanese openness towards international students. He also had many cultural experiences and benefited from learning Mandarin and having new friends from various communities.
The second speaker, Juhelmi, who is now studying at National Chiayi University and was an awardee of the HES Scholarship at National Sun Yat-sen University, shared her experience in learning Mandarin and copped the language barrier as she now is becoming part of the international student’s community in her university. She then explained that studying and living in Taiwan was easier than people out there think. “Even though, as Indonesians, we do not learn Mandarin in our everyday life, everything is still manageable if we want to learn and adapt to the new environment,” she said.
The last speaker, Muhammad Daffa Auliarizky Onielda or Daffa, a student of the International Bachelor Degree Program in Business Management and Administration in National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) who is an awardee of the NTHU International Student Scholarship, shared an overview of studying and life in Taiwan. Even though he has only lived in Taiwan for two months now, Daffa was quickly able to adapt with the new people and environment. Moreover, he told the participants the benefits of studying in Taiwan, especially at NTHU. First, he could meet many outstanding professors whom he could always consult and equip him with analytical techniques throughout his learning process. Second, he could make friends with many international students and learn about the diversity of their cultures. In addition, he also told the participants about how warm and welcoming Taiwanese are. The agenda was full of excitement, and the participants were eager to learn more about the study experiences and life-adapting process in Taiwan by asking the speakers many questions.
