www.unesa.ac.id
Unesa.ac.id, SURABAYA-Indonesian for Foreign Speakers (BIPA) is a program for learning Indonesian language skills for foreign speakers in speaking, writing, reading, and listening. BIPA Surabaya State University (UNESA) is one of the destinations for learning Indonesian for foreign students.
Every year, UNESA can accept dozens of students from various countries. Some are from Asia to Europe. Of the many UNESA BIPA students, Chanthoeurn Dock from Phnom Penh, Cambodia looks different from other students. The 30-year-old man works as a monk or bhante. In daily activities, both in the dormitory and in the campus environment, he always wears his bhante robe, including during lectures.
The man who is called Chanthoeurn said that he had participated in the BIPA program at UNESA for two semesters. So far, the lecture process is still done online and a lot of time is spent studying and exploring Indonesian in the dormitory. However, in his spare time, he sometimes goes out to hang out with his friends while seeing the atmosphere of the city of Surabaya and the activities and culture in the community. He admits that he quickly adapts to Indonesian cuisine, fried rice is one of his favorites.
To the PR team, he considered it important to learn Indonesian. This is related to his hobby, which often researches the field of education and his religious duties, which does not rule out the possibility that he will be heavily involved in Indonesia. Moreover, there are around 2.04 million Buddhists in Indonesia. When there is a need, there will be no language barrier. "Including if you get other assignments or research in Indonesia. Learning the language and culture here is key for me,” he said.
The man who likes to research said he was happy to be able to learn Indonesian at UNESA. There are many advantages to being a student in Indonesia. “One of them is being able to study and mingle with other students, from different countries and backgrounds. Culturally and academically, I am very happy to spend my entire semester at UNESA. The learning method is also interesting for us from outside,” he said.
www.unesa.ac.id
Is it difficult to learn Indonesian? To him, at first it seemed difficult. However, after receiving material with various approaches, discussing with lecturers, hanging out with friends and often practicing it in daily activities, slowly he can speak Indonesian.
Previously, he did not imagine being able to study comfortably at UNESA. Moreover, through the BIPA program, this is the first time he has set foot in Indonesia. For him, Indonesians are friendly, easy to accept immigrants from outside and easy to get along with and hardworking.
There is one more thing that is important to him, “The culture is beautiful (diverse, ed). They are also smart, like to help each other and you can trust them to hire and they will fulfill your goals. If you ask what it's like to live in Indonesia, it's like asking what it's like to live in the United States,” he explained. [UNESA PR]
Photo : Personal Documentation
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