Teatime: Nadira’s Story as an IISMA Awardee at Leeds University of UK

Being a part of the IISMA (Indonesia International Student Mobility Award) Awardee is the dream of many Indonesian students. Listening to the story of the journey and the awardee process while studying in another country will increase their passion for being a part of IISMA. What Nadira’s journey (while studying at Leeds University and how she could break through) had been eagerly awaited by many students.

The teatime theme on March 11, 2022, reviews Nadira Muthia Supadi’s journey from preparation to the process of studying in the UK. Nadira is one of the students of the International Program of Communication Department of the Islamic University of Indonesia (UII) who successfully passed to take part in IISMA at Leeds University of the United Kingdom.

Preparations to Avoid Culture Shock

Nadira tells about her preparations before she left for London, UK. Before leaving, She searched a lot for articles about life in the UK (UK). She did this so that she would not be surprised by all the culture and way of life in the UK, which is very different from the way of life in Indonesia. He also prepared himself not to carry a lot of things, “I just brought important things. Don’t bring a lot of stuff. Remember, if I go there alone and I have to bring all the things myself,” said Nadira, remembering the preparations for her first trip.

Challenges

Nadira did not experience too many difficulties in the UK because she had prepared before departure. “I’m pretty much ready there. I’ve prepared a lot about some tips for this and that. What should the trip be like, and what should the travel be? So it’s better to be ready.” Even so, Nadira admits that she still faces obstacles after getting there. “I have to adapt again,” said Nadira.

Even though she has good English skills and is used to speaking foreign languages, Nadira still has to get used to speaking with English people whose words are sometimes difficult for her to understand. “Sometimes, I didn’t know what they were talking about. It’s not clear,” Nadira said when she faced several people whose accents and pronunciation of vocabulary were not very familiar.