Studying sustainability in Indonesia

In the second year of my Bachelor of Environment and Sustainability, I travelled to Indonesia to study at Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) as a part of the ACICIS Agricultural Semester Program.

I took courses in tropical conservation, rural and urban biodiversity, pest and disease management, international business, and I also took a beginners language course. Alongside opportunities to go on fieldtrips, we were taught by experienced lecturers and guest speakers who were passionate about their fields. It was invaluable to learn from their experiences and perspectives, and hear what they believed were the biggest environmental challenges in Indonesia, and what they thought solutions could look like.

As part of the program, I also undertook an internship at The Asia Foundation in Jakarta. In my four weeks, I worked in the SETAPAK Program which focused on improving environmental governance in Indonesia. I loved that I could complete both study and an internship, gaining experience and giving me insight into what my own future career could look like.

I had previously thought that an exchange wouldn't be attainable during my studies because of the large amount of money that is often involved. However, I was lucky enough to be given a New Colombo Mobility Grant, and it covered almost everything. I spent about six months in Indonesia, and during that time I was able to travel around places in Java including Bogor, Jakarta, Yogyakarta and Bandung. I also took a trip to North Sumatra, where I climbed Mount Sibayak, visited an orangutan sanctuary in Bukit Lawang and travelled to Lake Toba, the largest volcanic lake in the world.

Among the travels, the study, and the internship I also made some amazing friends on exchange. We had lots of interesting conversations and really huge laughs. Everyone had a really great sense of humour and were very kind. I wasn't expecting to make such close connections. While exchange can be challenging, I'm definitely going to miss the friends I've made and some of the times I had on the Agricultural Semester Program. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to experience it.