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| Rio, a student from Vietnam, majoring in PBSI at UMM (Photo : Zaki PR UMM) |
The number of quality universities attracts foreign students to study in Indonesia. University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM) is the choice of many foreign students who want to study in Indonesia. One of them was Huỳnh Hoàng Vân Anh, an international student from Vietnam who took a master's degree in Indonesian language and literature education at UMM White Campus. There is an interesting story behind his decision to study in the maritime country.
Huỳnh Hoàng Vân Anh, usually called Rio, said that at first he had intended to take a master's degree in Arabic directly to an Arab country. Moreover, the field of study he took at the undergraduate level was also Arabic. Unfortunately, he was constrained by visa problems.
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“Because I was constrained by visas, I finally found a country in Southeast Asia that has a good Arabic language study program. After researching and asking many people, finally Indonesia became the recommended country. But, I thought why not take a study program that is in accordance with the language of the country. From there, I decided to study Indonesian and UMM was the best choice,” explained Rio.
Furthermore, Rio explained that before entering lectures, he studied Indonesian for one year at BIPA UMM. However, when he entered college, the Covid-19 pandemic struck, forcing him to return to Vietnam and study online. This made it difficult for him to find books to meet his learning needs. Luckily, BIPA UMM and their Indonesian friends always helped when he was in trouble.
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“The learning process at UMM is very good with good campus facilities. The beautiful view of the campus allows students to relax after class time is over. The lecturers who teach are also qualified, they help a lot to explain what I don't understand about Indonesia," he added.
There was an interesting experience that Rio felt when he first set foot in Malang. At that time, he had to go somewhere that wasn't really that far away. Unfortunately, he was confused because at that time he could not speak Indonesian at all.
“So I tried to ask the local community. Maybe because I don't speak Indonesian, instead of getting to my destination, I got lost in the rice fields and gardens. Even though the location is not that far,” he explained with a laugh.
Rio said that he had studied several dances, even gamelan art taught at BIPA UMM. Apart from learning the language, he also learned a lot about Indonesian culture and life. According to him, Indonesian people are very friendly, polite and always helpful. Rio, who is a Buddhist, also learned a lot about Islam while studying at UMM. He revealed that when he saw Muslims worshiping, his heart also felt at peace. (cdr/zak/wil)
