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                                                                                                                                            Study Abroad:




          Ahliah                                                                                                                            Personal Growth




          H. Salic Madid                                                                                                                    By: Ahliah H. Salic Madid




          Date & Place of Birth:                                                                                                            Studying abroad is a journey of education,   more difficulty because of covid so the classes
                                                                                                                                            discovery, and gift. These things do not only
          February 10. 2000,                                                                                                          S                                                 became online. And it is really hard to find a
          Marawi City, Philippines.                                                                                                         give me incredible experiences and stories, but   friend in college. I always feel like I am out of
          Origin: Philippines                                                                                                               more significantly, a new perspective, a new   place or do not belong with them whenever I
          Status: Social and Political Sciences                                                                                             worldview, and a new appreciation for other   am in the classroom which I am not used to
          Student, at Universitas Syiah Kuala.                                                                                              cultures and people. I was granted a complete   it because I am an extrovert person. So, I just
          Email: smyhmadid@gmail.com                                                                                                        education scholarship way back from Junior   push myself to study hard and I can overcome
                                                                                                                                            High School to Senior High School and I am   and survive this all independently. When I enter
                                                                                                                                            grateful that I received it when I pursued college   semester 5 which is offline now, I have a friend
          ACHIEVEMENTS:
          n  2016 - Scholar’s Student                                                                                                       as well, taking a bachelor degree at Universitas   to whom I can talk. At worst, I almost decided to
             (International) at Sekolah                                                                                                     Syiah Kuala, Social & Political Sciences Faculty.   give up and go back to my country (Philippines).
             Sukma Bangsa Pidie (SSBP).                                                                                                     However, what I went through during those   Gradually, I get used to it. The feature of the
          n   2020 - Scholar’s Student                                                                                                      years of my stay was not easy at all.       Acehnese is not much different from the
              (International) at Universitas                                                                                                   The first year is a period of adaptation to   Filipinos, likewise with the accent of the
             Syiah Kuala.                                                                                                                   the environment and learning the Indonesian   language. These gave me an advantage because
                                                                                                                                            language. Learning to adjust to a new       they could not recognize that I am a foreigner.
                                                                                                                                            environment was tough. However, as time goes   Studying abroad has given me a new outlook
                                                                                                                                            on my love for the place started to flourish, and   on life and a new level of self-awareness. I have
                                                                                                                                            learned to embrace the culture of Aceh that   seen and done things I never thought I would
                                                                                                                                            I began to discover. Moreover, I found a real   do. I became more open and dared to try new
                                                                                                                                            family in this place. The people are nice and   things and was exposed to a new culture. This
                                                                                                                                            accommodating.                              experience gives a new color to my life and
                                                                                                                                               Undeniably, I experienced culture shock   makes it more exciting. Consequently, this
                                                                                                                                            in terms of language culture, food, and     made me a mature and responsible person
                                                                                                                                            ethnicity. At first, I struggled with language   at an early age. Indeed, studying abroad can
                                                                                                                                            in how I communicate with people. Often, I   be a challenging experience but I succeeded
                                                                                                                                            misunderstood or misinterpreted them. On    nonetheless.
                                                                                                                                            the other hand, my course is using full Bahasa   My life has been a roller coaster yet has
                                                                                                                                            Indonesia language which stressed me out    brought me to various stages of my life. I love my
                                                                                                                                            comprehending the lessons. Started when I   trips and experiences and I am more expectant
                                                                                                                                            enter college from semester 1 to 4 and I had   for more exposure and opportunities ahead. []




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