UNAIR NEWS – “Being a global volunteer makes me have friends in various parts of the world. Not only that, but I also learned many things such as cultures from various countries to introduce Indonesian culture to them, “said Haztika Jihadania Asdhar, 2016 Psychology student.
She had also participated in a similar program in Thailand. The motivation in joining the program is sharing knowledge with those who have financial limitations and encouraging learning to them so that one day they can contribute to their nation.
While participating in the Global volunteer program – Play in English Project by AIESEC in collaboration with Nowon Bukbu Welfare in Seoul, Haztika claimed to suffer from culture shock. “Culture here is fast-paced, so everyone here does activities quickly, walking, completing assignments, and so on,” he said.
In the project, she not only learned new things but also gathered with colleagues from various parts of the world. While teaching, Haztika also introduced traditional Indonesian toys such as bekel and gobak sodor, Indonesian food such as fried noodles (indomie), fried bakso (basreng), pecel and others.
In a week, the teaching project is carried out three times, then Haztika and her colleague’s held several activities as cheerfully as possible to attract children. Furthermore, she explained Indonesian culture and gave them special gifts from Indonesia.
“I brought several gifts from Indonesia such as Jogja’s typical wooden pencils, key chains with miniature ships in bottles, and Indonesian coins. I also introduced Komodo dragon and historic sites such as Borobudur, Prambanan, Mendut, Upgrading, and many more, “explained Haztika.
According to Haztika, she explained that Seoul is a very beautiful city. In the midst of rapid technological development, the government and its population can maintain their culture well.
It allows the newcomers to see buildings with designs from Joseon dynasty. Such as hanbok clothes or South Korean clothing and various beautiful tourist destinations that are inseparable from its culture.
“From now on, we should be brave to get out of our comfort zone. The things that we can get as volunteers are to learn leadership, problem-solving, language, self-confidence, “she concluded. (*)
Author: Muhammad Wildan Suyuti
Editor: Khefti Al Mawalia
