Application and arrival at the host university
In the third semester of my Master's degree in International Tourism Management, I spent four months studying in Bali, probably the most famous island in Indonesia.
As I had never left the "borders of Europe" before the semester abroad, I was drawn to faraway places and chose Udayana University in Bali. In addition, many fellow students from previous semesters had raved about the unique life in Bali. I opted for the "Studies Network" study program, which was a great help, especially in terms of preparation. The application process is very user-friendly and you could register for a semester abroad in Bali within a short time.
You first paid a registration fee via PayPal and a few months later you paid the tuition fees by international bank transfer. Both payments were no problem and I received the payment confirmations after a few days.
A study stay in Bali must of course be financially secure. I found out about the PROMOS scholarship at an information event organized by the HSZG and through the recommendations of other students who had already been to Bali. The application process was simple and quick: all I had to do was write a letter of motivation and submit my CV and a current transcript of records. I initially received a rejection, but after the second distribution I was assured of financial support. It is therefore worth applying for a PROMOS scholarship.
Other preparations included applying for a visa at the Indonesian embassy in Berlin, finding out about vaccinations in good time, taking out international health insurance and applying for an international driving license.
A few days after arriving in Bali, there was a welcome party on the beach in Jimbaran, which was organized by Studies Network. We were able to get to know the other students and were given lots of information about the country and its people. Two days later was the official start of the semester abroad, which was celebrated in the auditorium of Udayana University. In addition to speeches and cultural contributions, we got to know the other members of our empowerment team. Throughout the semester, we worked in small groups on projects, organized events and excursions.
Accommodation
Together with three other fellow students, I looked for accommodation from Germany. We found what we were looking for on the platform "Semester abroad Bali" and rented a villa near Jimbaran. It was close to the university, about ten minutes away by scooter. We were in love with "our" villa right from the start and were impressed by the location and the facilities. We could never afford such luxury as students in Germany. We also had a very kind and obliging housekeeper, who we took to our hearts from the very beginning.
Studying at Udayana University
Lectures usually took place from Mondays to Wednesdays. They ran from 8:30 am to around 2:15 pm, depending on the courses we were taking. We studied on the international campus in Jimbaran, in two IBSN buildings. The lectures were held in English.
I took the courses Tourism and Service Marketing, Business Economics, Project Management, Cross Cultural Management and Entrepreneurship. In most of the courses, various group assignments were carried out, presentations were prepared and supporting documents were written.
Guest lectures were also on the timetable on Wednesdays. Lectures were given by social enterprises, a local doctor and expatriates.
Every Thursday, an excursion was organized by IBSN. This gave us an even better impression of life in Bali. Among other things, we visited the "Tulamben Diving Terminal", a resort on the east coast of Bali, a rubber plantation, the Bali Museum and the Bajra Sandhi Monument. In addition, the excursion teams organized a cooking course, a visit to the turtle sanctuary in Serangan near Sanur and an excursion to a chocolate factory. We were also able to learn a lot about the different economic sectors in Bali.
Everyday life and free time
During the semester abroad, we had enough free time to get to know the country and its people and immerse ourselves in the culture.
That's why I went on lots of excursions all over Bali and to neighboring islands. At the beginning, we organized a driver so that we didn't have to drive our own scooter on longer trips. This was always very straightforward and we always had a reliable driver. Over time, however, we drove our scooter to the individual excursion destinations more and more often and were therefore even more flexible. Countless temples and authentic villages, breathtaking palaces, impressive UNESCO World Heritage-listed rice terraces and exciting waterfalls were on our self-planned routes.
Whenever we spent a weekend "at home" in Jimbaran, we explored the numerous beaches of the peninsula in the south of Bali, tried out the various warungs and watched countless sunsets.
What impressed me most about Bali was the diversity of the island. The south is much more touristy and westernized than the north of the island, which I was able to get to know with its predominantly untouched, breathtaking nature and incredibly warm people.
Conclusion/criticism
I can recommend a semester abroad in Bali to anyone who wants to immerse themselves in a foreign culture, gain diverse experiences and broaden their horizons. The impressions you get from this stay of several months are much deeper than tourists could ever get. I am therefore very happy and grateful to have had the opportunity to spend a semester abroad in Bali.
However, anyone interested should be aware that studying in Bali is not like studying in Germany, that you shouldn't hold unreliability against the Balinese and that international exchange is unfortunately neglected, as you only study with other Germans.