Developing Interaction and

Strengthening Motivation

A meet-up with Nancy and Anne

Young people (read: students) are identical with spiritful, fond of challenges and they always seek something new and energetic to do various activities to answer their curiosity. Stube-HEMAT as a student development program for students from various regions in Indonesia who study in Yogyakarta realizes these characteristics and provides space for students to develop optimally through dialogue with Three Nancy Sinaga and Anne Ruland who will visit several cities in Indonesia, including Yogyakarta, so that Stube-HEMAT Yogyakarta students can interact directly and exchange ideas with Indonesian student studying abroad and German student.

Formerly Nancy got information about Stube Indonesia from her colleague in Cologne that there is a Stube in Indonesia, so she and Anne wanted to know more about it. After having several contacts via email, finally the meeting took place on Friday, January 5, 2018 at Stube-HEMAT Yogyakarta secretariat and it was attended by fifteen students.

Nancy, from North Sumatra was studying at Hochschule Koblenz and Anne Ruland, from Germany was studying at Hochschule Köln, Germany. Both of them study in the same major, Soziale Arbeit (Welfare Society). Nancy revealed that she was graduated from Medan State University and  then taught English. During post-earthquake and tsunami reconstruction in Aceh 2005, she met colleagues from abroad and kept communicate with them. From that moment, she was motivated to continue living abroad. She applied for German Aupair program, a cultural exchange program for youth from outside Germany to live together and be part of the German family. Of course there are requirements that must be fullfilled, such as age, readiness for new challenges, children lover and ability to adapt different culture. She lived in a German family and joined a German course supported by her foster family.

She acknowledged that student life abroad looked fun and luxurious, but there were actually hard challenges such as culture shock in Germany, strict government regulations for immigrants and hard study requirements that must be fullfilled. She suggested that students who want to study abroad should be strong mentally, ready for challenge and new things, active to make links and friendly to everyone.

While Anne said that this is her first visit to Indonesia and she feels grateful to meet friendly students in Indonesia. She conveyed that the study of social workers covering various areas of action and equipped with intensive theory and practice. This topic learned world of social workers, professions and ethics of social workers, the history of social workers, social and political systems in Germany and the scope of work for social workers. By completing this course the students gain foundation for graduate master's program. They both chose this course because graduated students have a wide scope of work, not only in government agencies or departments but also in non-government organizations even in private companies.

Stube-HEMAT Yogyakarta students enthusiastically responded to Nancy and Anne and asked questions such as how to become a participant of the German Aupair program. There are two ways to join the program, first, personally, where the aplicants register online and must provide some money as guarantee or family in Germany, or second, via agent in which applicants apply through by dealing with different cost. Next question wants to know whether  Nancy will return back to Indonesia after graduation. She declared that she did not know the time when she will return to Indonesia. In additional, Anne also revealed her reason to enter the college because she liked to interact and help others.

So, keep interacting with international networks, strengthen motivation and improve your foreign language skills and open toward opportunities to develop yourselves and go international. (TRU).