The Background

This program is a collaboratory student exchange program between UGM, ITB and Ehime University. Few students from Ehime has came to Indonesia at September 2018, and twenty of UGM students and five of ITB students was come to Ehime University at the following month. The purpose of this program is to provide the opportunity of Undergraduate and Graduate Students from both UGM, ITB and Ehime University to conduct the experiment as the Research Student for one month period. Besides, it featured city trip to various places, either educational or cultural place around Matsuyama City. This program also introduce campus activities inside and outside the laboratory to the students, in the wonderful season of Autumn.

The Program Overview

This awesome program began with the orientation day. The day started with opening speech and campus introduction from Hideaki Yasuhara, Dean of Engineering Faculty. Mrs Satomi and Mrs Aya from International Affairs Team also give the participant some briefing related to the program. The rules, the WiFi connection, and also the bicycle. The orientation day is end with laboratory introduction with respective Professors and Laboratory members.
From the first week, the students will enter each laboratory they applied previously, in the respective major they belong to. The students will conduct the experiment with Professor as Supervisor and taught by Laboratory member as a Mentor. The experiment is scheduled in each laboratory, following the campus agenda. At the first weekend, we had a trip to Matsuyama Castle, and Dogo Onsen.

The second week, we must attend the Japanese Speaking Class with different Sensei everyday. The class is start at 8.30 and end at 10.00 from Monday to Friday. The speaking class is brought intensively and with the relatively small syllabus. Also in the second week, Sakura Scholarship member have a trip to Kanogawa Dam at afternoon.

The third week, student is attend the presentation from Ehime University Student that have experienced the exchange program in Malaysia, Taiwan, and Indonesia. At Wednesday, all of the student have Iseki Company Visit. At the weekend, the university held wonderful Festival from morning to evening.
The last week is closed with Completion Ceremony. All the student have their certificate handed over by the Dean of Engineering Faculty. The lunch party is featured by all laboratory supervisor and laboratory friends. The additional farewell in each laboratory also be held.

Miyuki and Imaichi, Two Places Share Stories

The Sakura Scholarship students lived in the Miyuki Dormitory while the rest of the student live in Imaichi Sharehouse. Both place support the living of all the exchange student. Both of the place is separated by about 1 kilometer away and the University stand between them as a perfect meeting point. The student often visit the other place for chatting with friends and to exchange the atmosphere of living place.

The students from both places had some valuable living experience like managing room cleanliness and waste disposal, financial management, food and health management, also social management like participating in various social activities like cooking together and gathering in the hall. Although in Miyuki the student is separated by walls and doors between the room, they had together time in Meeting Room for enjoying Dormitory WiFi connection. In Imaichi, they always had time for meeting especially at morning and at night.

Daily Laboratory Activities

The experiment have several steps and procedure that must be followed from the first week until the end of the program. The difficulties in the experiment can be overcome with professor help and laboratory mates assistance, so the exchange student should not be worry about running the experiment. All the students finished the experiment successfully. The experiment is not so time consuming, because the professor provide a lot of free time everyday so each student can used it for enjoying Matsuyama City.

Beside running the experiment, the student have their quality time with laboratory friends like having lunch and dinner together, visiting place together, and also enjoying the festival together. Student is not only learned the experiment itself, but also learned valuable social value like togetherness and hospitality (Omotenashi). The student experienced communication and interaction with Ehime University student through many things inside and outside laboratory.

Kanogawa Dam Trip

Ten students from sakura scholarship have the opportunity to visit Kanogawa Dam in Uchiko Town, South of Matsuyama. The student travel for two hours to the Dam from the city. We learned about the Dam mechanism in order to controlling flood and provide water reserve. We enjoyed the 10 minutes presentation and 1 hour of Dam construction visit from the tunnel front side, the four gates, the tunnel exit side, and the control room.

 

Iseki Dream Gallery Trip

All of us experience the visit in Iseki Company. We watch the ten minutes presentation and moving to the manufacturing side of agricultural machines. We had 30 minutes of interesting plant tour with unique style. The material is delivered with Indonesian Language. We had an awesome photo shoot session and question and answer session before return.

 

University Festival

The university held the annual festival for the two days. We enjoyed the performance from the dance, band, vocal group, and various game stop. We also enjoyed the food in the festival. The festival is attended by various people including the children. University is filled with autumn leaves from maple trees, that colored up the joy of the festival.

Enjoying Matsuyama City (and more places around)

Our weekend is filled with excitement because we visit so many places every week. Beside Matsuyama Castle and Dogo Onsen, we had visit Tobe Zoo outside of the town, The dogo park and matsuyama city park, matsuyama port, museums. We visit next city, the Imabari and next perfecture kagawa. We had tried Taimeshi, the special food in Matsuyama.

 

Unforgettable Farewell

At November 15th, we had the irreplacable days and also farewell. The end of this program is marked with the certificate of completion handover from Hideaki Yasuhara, Dean of Engineering Faculty. After the closing speech, we had our last official photo session attended by all of the laboratory member and supervisors.

The next agenda, we had a very delightful lunch with the friendly atmosphere with laboratory friends. Not only enjoying the tasty food, we also had fun times like joking around and laughing together.

Some laboratory had the special farewell at the same day or the following day. We experience very sad farewell. Every last of them had precious time with us and also we through many things together in this very short period. We had take many pictures and then officially says goodbye.

 

Conclusion

Ehime University Exchange program had provide us so many experience. We recieved valuable lesson from each our field of study by scientific activities inside and outside of our laboratory. We had fun times with our lab members. We were able to survive and managed our life well. We have various place to be 　　explored. We also had learned many Japanese culture by doing interaction with Japanese friends.
It was not only about the experiment, but it was the whole thing of living in Japan, Matsuyama. We loved the food, places, peoples, and all the culture. We were glad with the hospitality of Japanese people. We would like to say thank you to all of the International Affairs Team who work very hard in order to make the program ran successfully. Also we would like to say thank you to all of the supervisor, the Japanese teacher, laboratory member, and every people that supports us walk through the awesome days in Ehime University. It was a pleasure to feel the joy of Autumn in Matusyama. See you again

Contributors:
Laurentius Damar Parthasiwi (Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Student)
UGM Students