Graduate student Alina Willa reports about her semester abroad at Udayana University in Bali, Indonesia. In the following article, she writes about her experiences and her courses at Udayana University, describes the differences to studying in Germany, and you will learn why Bali will remain in Alina's heart forever.
A semester on the island of the gods: Bali
Studying on a tropical, paradise island? Hardly imaginable! Nevertheless, I was able to enjoy this experience during my semester abroad at Udayana University in Bali over the past four months. A breathtaking landscape with palm trees, rice fields, volcanoes and the ocean combined with incredibly friendly locals and a special Hindu culture: Bali quickly cast its spell on me! But what is it actually like to study beneath palm trees?
The Master's Program at Udayana University
Udayana University (UNUD) is a state-run and very prestigious university in Indonesia with a campus in the Balinese capital Denpasar and another campus in Jimbaran, a city in the south of the island. UNUD has a total of about 18,000 students - a stark contrast to the familiar environment at our home university, accadis.
We studied on Jimbaran campus at the so-called "Fakultas Ekonomi dan Bisnis", Indonesian for "Faculty of Economics and Business", where our international program with the German organization studiesnetwork took place.
The courses in the Master's program at UNUD include very generalistic business and management modules such as Business Economics, Global Project Management, Multinational Entrepreneurship and Intercultural Leadership. However, with Multinational Service Marketing or Logistics and Supply Chain Management, there are also more in-depth specialization modules, meaning that there is something for all students. The content of the courses is often specifically geared to Indonesia - for example, the focus in our Business Economics course was on emerging markets and typical Economics content such as demand and supply analysis was applied to Southeast Asian markets in particular. The Multinational Service Marketing course also focused on Bali's tourism industry, which is why a wide range of marketing content was analyzed with regard to (luxury) hotel chains, airlines or booking portals.
In addition, we took an Intercultural Management course in which we also learned "Bahasa Indonesia", as the locals call the Indonesian language. With our language basics, we were quickly able to score points in restaurants or during cab rides - the locals were thrilled to hear that we were learning their language. This certainly brought us a lot closer to the culture and the locals.
In addition, every Wednesday there is a guest lecture at UNUD, where locals or experts of international origin are invited as guest lecturers to give a talk about their business activities in Indonesia.
Spread over the four months, in all modules we worked on presentations, working papers and case studies, which were integrated into our lectures and were part of the exams. Thus, we had continuous submissions throughout the semester, but less learning stress for the mid-terms and final exams, as this significantly reduced the number of exams.
My academic highlight: A project with locals
In the Global Project Management module, we were given the task of solving a current problem of a small or medium-sized local company. Since I had already completed my Bachelor's degree at accadis, I was familiar with this type of project through the Consulting Project. However, at UNUD we were faced with the challenge of independently finding a Balinese partner company for the project. Language barriers and cultural differences made it very difficult for us at the beginning. There were three of us in a group and in the end we were even able to convince two local companies: We worked with a medium-sized ceramic company to design, produce and market a Clay Pot Cooler, a natural refrigerator that works without electricity, for a small restaurant. The goal was to provide small local restaurants with a low-cost cooling alternative to refrigerators, which are often very expensive in Indonesia. After the initial teething troubles, it was even nicer in the end that our proposed solution was put into practice. This project was definitely my highlight among the study contents: We enjoyed working with our super helpful and local partners so much that we stayed in touch even after the project was over.
Semester abroad in the Master's degree program?
"At this point in my studies - so close to finally entering professional life - shouldn't I rather be doing an internship to gain even more practical experience?" I often asked myself this before my semester abroad and in the end consciously decided against it. Due to the Covid situation, I had to do without a semester abroad during my Bachelor's degree. In the Master's degree program, I now had the opportunity to make up for this lost experience. In addition, I was driven by the thought, "I will work my entire life, but when will I get the chance to go abroad again under such circumstances?"
Indonesia: culturally and personally formative
Those who want to spend a semester abroad in Indonesia should be prepared for less organization and structure during their studies. Information or learning materials are often provided at short notice and sometimes lectures are cancelled spontaneously because professors have to attend important Hindu ceremonies. The workload is lower - in contrast to what we are used to at accadis. Thus, the studies are academically less challenging, but for one's own personal development, the stay in Indonesia is highly formative. As an emerging country, Indonesia confronts you with other aspects of life, with other values and attitudes. Thus, it made me personally reflect on my own attitudes and privileges from a completely new perspective, and I can say you become very grateful for everything you possess!
Traveling during the program
Besides attending university, we had enough free time to travel around Bali, the neighboring islands and even the neighboring countries. Bali was the perfect starting point for a quick boat trip to the heavenly neighboring islands of Nusa Penida and Lembongan, the Gili Islands as well as the very impressive Lombok. In addition, we used the two-week semester break to travel to more distant countries. We chose Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and the Philippines - unforgettable experiences during a semester abroad! Since Indonesia and the rest of the Southeast Asian countries are among the cheapest travel destinations in the world, all trips were also financially feasible. However, my personal highlight was a three-day sailing trip in Komodo National Park, which is also part of Indonesia, and the island of Bali itself. Jungle, waterfalls and dolphins in the north, miles of rice fields and volcanoes in the east, steep cliffs and gorgeous beaches in the south and a national park in the west - Bali's regions are incredibly diverse and impressive.
Bali - a place that will remain in your heart forever
In retrospect, my stay in Bali was one of the highlights of my entire student years. Especially the Balinese and Indonesians left a special impression with me with their tremendous helpfulness and warm-heartedness. The way of working and the learning atmosphere, which is so different as a result of the culture, make the experience at UNUD a very special one and take you out of your comfort zone. Not everything always has to be organized and planned down to the last detail. In addition, the unspoiled nature and the diverse wildlife of the island - from monkeys to manta rays - inspired me every time anew.
Thus, the stay abroad in Bali - even if academically somewhat less demanding - was culturally and personally very enriching and a time of pure joy of life! Such experiences abroad are also part of an international management degree and strengthen international competence.
Alina Willa