The Students Association of Korean Studies of the University of Indonesia Held an Online Meet-up to Motivate Students
COVID-19 has changed our life— how we work, study, shop, meet, and travel. One of the institutions affected by the pandemic is schools. Campus and academia have to be agile and adapt to rapid change. Acknowledging the transformation, universities fully implement their Learning Management Systems (LMS) online. With this, lecturers carry out the classes through synchronous and asynchronous methods utilizing LMS and video conference applications. On the other side, students who cannot hold meetings or gatherings migrate to online platforms by conducting live streams or online meet-ups.
Like many other student unions, Hwarang, The Students Association of Korean Studies of the University of Indonesia faces the same challenges. To overcome that, the union held an online talk on Saturday, August 26th, 2020. The talk “Hwarang Mannaja” (Hwarang, Let’s Meet!) featured four scholarship awardees to Korea. Two panelists, Zahra Fathiyah and Katya Mazaya are accepted for exchange programs at Seoul National University and Yonsei University, respectively. The other panelists are Annisa Luthfiarrahman, a lecturer at the University of Indonesia and GKS publicity envoy, and Dinar Nabila Andani, the Ewha Global Partnership Program awardee. The panelists shared their experiences living as students in South Korea.
The exchange students, Zahra and Katya, told their stories of attending schools in the midst of a global pandemic. “In terms of applying for classes, I don’t find any inconvenience. The study is manageable. The pandemic mainly causes things that are hard for me. We can’t make a lot of friends. Moreover, the buddy program is canceled,” Zahra said. Before COVID-19 hit, she had expected to meet people from around the world during her 6-month international relations exchange program. However, the resurgence of COVID-19 cases in Seoul has forced universities to halt offline classes. Katya, studying in the Korean literature program, has similar problems. She explained that the class management system is robust and reliable. However, she finds that she can’t explore Korea much in her spare time since the South Korean government advised that people refrain from traveling and comply with social distancing measures. Nevertheless, she is glad that she can learn Korean directly in Korea.
On the other hand, Annisa and Dinar talked about how their study in Korea plays an important role in their dreams. Upon the question of why choosing Korea as the destination country, Annisa answered, “I went to graduate school because I know that I want to teach here (at the University of Indonesia). To do that, I need higher education, and no place is better than Korea since I’ll be teaching Korean major students.” Meanwhile, Dinar said she chose Korea because of her immense interest in Korean media. “I have a dream of working in the field in the future,” she added. Both believe that study should be well-planned and aligned with one’s goal.
Not only academic achievement, Annisa and Dinar admitted that living in Korea as students improved other aspects of their lives. “Academic life aside, living abroad with many cultural differences is hard. But I can say that the journey has shaped me the way I am now,” Annisa stated. On the same note, Dinar added, “Being a grad student here has opened up my perspective to a greater extent. Meeting respectable professors and excellent peers reminds me that I should live diligently. At the same time, I realize that we need a balanced lifestyle as a human.” The meet-ups receive good responses. Students attending the session were excited to ask questions about academic life, know-how, and tips until the end of the event.
Although the students are apart, it doesn’t mean they can’t connect. Students might not have the advantage of meeting their fellow students and professors face-to-face. Nonetheless, COVID-19 quarantine, in a way, diversifies the ways we communicate.
*This article was originally published in Honorary Reporters Korea.net old Website.
