DIE WITH MEMORIES NOT DREAMS:

STUDY ABROAD IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

Raden Ayu Elita Putri

Universitas Gadjah Mada
Coventry University
Public Relations
September 2022 - January 2023

ABSTRACT

A dream that can come true will become a memory in life. I cannot imagine being given an
opportunity to study and experience firsthand abroad. I am finally getting adapted to a new
culture, habits, environment, and a new family. Apart from that, I received exciting lectures,
such as the Global Leadership Programme, Contemporary Issues in Enterprise and
Management Innovation, Business Writing Skills, Industrial Visit (Pride of Britain), and
Circular Economy. Being an awardee of the IISMA (Indonesian International Student Mobility
Awards) for Vocational Schools in the United Kingdom significantly impacted me and made
me more confident in myself. There may be challenges, but this opportunity will open new
horizons so I can overcome all obstacles.

Keywords: IISMA, Adapt, Study Abroad

INTRODUCTION

Raden Ayu Elita Putri, but can also be called Elita. I come from the island of a thousand
temples, specifically in Singaraja City, Buleleng Regency, Bali. I am currently in semester five
at Universitas Gadjah Mada, majoring in Bachelor of Applied English 2020, focusing on Public
Relations. Learning Public Relations broadens my knowledge to interact and communicate
with others so that I will connect with them even around the world.

Moreover, I like making sketches in the form of animations or portraits. Along with my
dream, the activity that I am currently participating in is the IISMA (Indonesian International
Student Mobility Awards) for Vocational School scholarship program, which is a program
under the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology. I was given the
opportunity to study at Coventry University, located in Coventry, United Kingdom. The major
I took was Public Relations with a Program Scheme that was originally Scheme C to Scheme
B. Students who took Scheme C would change to Scheme B at Coventry University to have
industrial experience in the United Kingdom. Here, I link my study with my hobby so that In
the future, people will know that I will become a professional illustrator and succeed on my
own.

My motivation for joining the IISMAVO program is to encourage me to become an

active student in interacting and expressing myself with local and international people here. As
a result, when I return to Indonesia, there will be many ideas and innovations that can bring
progress to the nation. I hope in the future that this program can run well so that next year there
will be the following awardees who can experience firsthand and comparative studies abroad.

CAMPUS EXPERIENCE AT COVENTRY UNIVERSITY

During my two months of experience in Coventry, I gained a lot of valuable

experiences. Those experiences were in the form of meeting with 42 other awardees I
considered as my own family and
industrial visit experience visiting
well-known companies. Here, I learnt
to adapt to human diversity in terms of
culture, language, customs, and even
the food itself.

It was not long before I was in

Coventry that I became more and more
convinced that my dreams could come true. Real dreams will become memories. One of them
is that I am delighted with my development as a student here.
At first, I only had a class without the industrial visit, but now
I even could visit great companies and learn about their
technology, culture, history, vision and mission, etc. I visited
the Morgan Motor Company and Jaguar Land Rover Solihull.
I also visited Drayton Manor Resort. I am grateful because I
can learn more in industrial learning and adapt to something
new.
 I learn many subjects, including Circular
Economy (how to transform the linear economy
into a circular economy with sustainability),
SDGs, data analysis and decision making, and
how to create Business Model Canvas (BMC)
and Value Proposition Canvas (VPC). I also
learned about business-related modules, such as
the Add+Vantage module (Business Writing
Class), the Global Leadership Programme, self-study, and so on. Those things make me realise
how much information I am gaining that I can apply in my future career and how important it
is to me even though I am not majoring in it.

I like to stroll around the city to explore the new area in

Coventry. I also enjoy playing badminton with friends. However,
most importantly, I plan to visit the library and search for anything
there freely. I may study and take notes about journals or papers that
help me complete my assignment.

There is one
interesting class, namely the Global Leadership
Programme. It is interesting because I can make
friends with the international students in this class.
Also, this class provides unique lecturers, such as
Drayton Manor's visit, which that place is a theme
park; then we can also take NASA class from this
GLP programme.

One of the most challenging aspects I have been thinking about all this time is learning
and observing in a new environment and a different country. It is hard because I must adjust
and adapt to a new situation, environment, people, problem, etc. For example, language and
accent barriers. Coventry University has over 12,000 international students from more than 130
countries. Sometimes I am confused when someone talks to me in English but in China accent.
A misunderstanding may occur if we do not understand each other. However, it is exciting to
begin adapting to my surroundings.
 Nonetheless, I participate in time
management and allocate it to exploring
academic and non-academic deep learning
processes. Academically, I understood teamwork
and how to solve problems based on the
discussed topic. I also take many opportunities to
practise my communication to improve my
public speaking skills to give an effective
presentation.

LESSON-LEARNED

1. Rely on Someone

From my friends I learnt that I

could not live alone. Here I feel I have
found the life I have always wanted. I
met good people who I considered as my
own family. When I was sick, they were
the ones who took care of me sincerely
until I recovered. They are Zefanya,
Cherica, Hanifa, Athira, Gabriella, and
Wulan.

I experienced many valuable things I did with them, one of which was when I visited
other cities outside Coventry City and also experienced industrial visits. They are the ones who
made me think that life is not only for learning and thinking about "what I want to be in the
future," but how we can proceed in enjoying every second of life that has been given so that I
get an interesting quote in my life, namely "Die with Memories not Dreams.”

2. Responsibility

As an exchange student at Coventry University, I feel great responsibility because I must

represent my home campus, my country, and myself abroad. I take responsibility as a student
by learning to manage my time to submit my assignment on time. For example, after we have
an industrial visit, we must make a report on it in a group. The due is always the day after
visiting the industry before 5 P.M. Then, I always take notes on all of the material that the
lecturer has explained and always be diligent in reading the material before class. On the other
hand, I also take the responsibility to cook, do laundry, and clean my bedroom individually as
a part of learning to manage to live alone abroad.

Moreover, I believe it is also critical to learn to be responsible for oneself. Because I am a

temporary resident in the UK, I always bring my passport and Coventry University student card
wherever I go. If I do not bring them, people will suspect me of being an unknown foreign
resident.

CONCLUSION

IISMAVO provides me with a fantastic environment that I would never have expected.
I learned a lot from my experience as an IISMAVO awardee over the last two months. I'm
learning how to be optimistic toward myself, how to adapt to a new environment (whether it's
the foods, culture, or people), and how to interact with people from all over the world. I learned
how to manage myself as a college student during these two months. There will always be
difficulties, but every cloud has a silver lining. Here is my journey in the United Kingdom,
where I lived my dream and created memories.

I hope that the next batch will have more country options than the first, as well as many
opportunities for the next awardees to study abroad. Finally, I thank God for His grace in
providing me with the opportunity to study abroad. Thank you to my family and friends who
have always been there for me and supported me from the beginning of my IISMAVO process
until now. Also, thanks to the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia, the Ministry of Education,
Culture, Research, and Technology, the team and staff of IISMAVO, lecturers from Universitas
Gadjah Mada, and lecturers from Coventry University for making this all possible for me to
get to this point. Please accept my deepest gratitude.
Appendices: Author Bio

ABOUT AUTHOR

Raden Ayu Elita Putri

Raden Ayu Elita Putri was born in Singaraja on 17 July 2002. Elita
Putri is a Balinese girl who graduated from SMA Negeri 1
Singaraja majoring in Language and Culture Science. Elita Putri
was in the 5th semester of her Bachelor of Applied English at
Universitas Gadjah Mada in 2020 - 2022. Elita Putri is active in
organisations, one of which is Head of HIMAVI (English
Vocational Student Association) in 2021/2022. Elita Putri was
also active as a peer counsellor at her campus and helped friends
whose grades needed to be improved. If you have questions regarding Raden Ayu Elita Putri,
do not hesitate to contact on Email: raden.ayu.elita@mail.ugm.ac.id.