From September 9 to 22, thirty students from ASEAN P2A Community universities participated in the P2A Indonesian Coffee Story program, which was jointly organized by the Islamic University of Indonesia in Yogyakarta and the Sumatera Utara Muhammadiyah University. Six DTU students passed the preliminary interviews and received scholarships for the program.
Six DTU students take part in the P2A Indonesian Coffee Story program
P2A organizes many practical training programs allowing young people to more easily adapt to global integration. International programs like this one are becoming increasingly popular because they facilitate exchanges that allow students to experience other cultures and broaden their practical knowledge.
Phung Thi Hong Nga and Dinh Pham Xuan Huy, both third-year Pharmacy students; Pham Quoc Dung, a fourth-year student in Pharmacy; Vo Truc Quynh, Thanh Tung and Nguyen Le, all fourth-year students in Hospitality and Le Larsen Wilma Huong, a second-year student in the American Degree Program represented DTU in the program. With outstanding academic records, they are all incredibly dynamic students, eager to learn and explore. They also had to pass interviews in English to qualify for the trip.
The topic was entitled “Exploring the Diversity of Indonesian Coffee from Gayo-Aceh to Merapi-Yogyakarta” and students were able to learn about the culture and lives of the people of this island nation and ways that the various types of Indonesian coffee were cultivated and harvested. They also met the inhabitants of Aceh, Medan and Yogyakarta and lived, ate, worked and prayed with them. Despite challenges in understanding the language and work methods, they adapted well to the international environment.
Vo Truc Quynh speaks about her group’s coffee business project
Vo Truc Quynh explains her feelings about her memorable trip. “If someone were to ask me what I remember most during the program, I wouldn’t hesitate to answer right away that it was the people of the Aceh highlands. They don’t speak English and I don’t know their language, so we only had our eyes and gestures to communicate. My days there were very happy however and through my participation in this program, I could learn in a completely new way, actively and creatively, without pressure. We observed real life situations, improved our critical thinking, brainstormed and learned how to confidently deliver meaningful presentations. There was not too much theory because we learned everything from our overall impressions and experiences.”
Throughout their two-week journey, the students broadened their understanding of the beautiful island nation. Above all, their experiences were enriched with necessity to somehow communicate and confidently give presentations in English, a vital requirement in Vietnam’s internationalization today.
(Media Center)