Source: University of Otago
Rafa Winurdi on the Dunedin campus.
Rafa Winurdi’s finishing school is not the kind with one ‘n’.
Rather than balancing books on her head while descending a staircase and practising perfect elocution, the intrepid Otago Bachelor of Arts tauira practised making international friends while on an Otago Global Student Exchange at a Finnish school, the University of Helsinki, instead.
Parties, pasta at two in the morning, an outdoor adventure race, and marching and singing with others while brandishing burning torches for
Independence Day celebrations in the capital city are etched in Rafa’s memories of her semester 2, 2022, exchange.
“When I was on exchange I was doing stuff that I wouldn’t think of doing back home. My mindset during the whole thing was: What are the chances you’re going to meet these people again?”
At the finish line of an outdoor adventure race with Rafa’s team of friends from the University of Helsinki, back row (left to right): Franzi, Barbora, Johanna, Reina, and Micha, and front row (left to right) Rafa, Lili, and Adele.
The exchange allowed Rafa’s sense of adventure, instilled from childhood, to flourish.
“Just be adventurous on [exchange] and don’t think of the consequences. Just make memories.”
It was the first time Rafa had ventured overseas from her home in Indonesia’s capital city, Jakarta.
Rafa is an international student whose Otago studies began online in 2021 during the height of travel restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Otago Global Student Exchange Programme• Travel the world while you study towards your Otago degree on an Otago Global Student Exchange• Study for one or two semesters at one of Otago’s prestigious partner universities in more than 30 countries• Travel grant/awards available• Continue to receive your StudyLink L&A• See Exchange information for Otago students for additional information and how to apply!
Until she went to Finland in the second semester of 2022 she was based at home in Indonesia.
Finland seemed the obvious choice for Rafa and her parents when perusing the list of more than 100 partner universities available to visit on an exchange trip.
Finnish education is famously high ranking.
Finland Independence Day celebrations at Helsinki Cathedral.
“I wanted to find out why their education is world-class. I went there basically because they have a good education. Otherwise, I probably wouldn’t have gone because it’s kind of like in the middle of nowhere,” she says.
Being one of the world’s top performers in tertiary and secondary education could be related to the country’s laidback approach to study.
“I learned they were very laidback in the sense that if I don’t want to do this paper anymore, I can just drop it. So, it was really student-lead and they really cared about their students’ wellbeing.
“I think that’s kind of like their whole ideology even before university. There wasn’t really much pressure.”
While at first appearing to be “in the middle of nowhere”, Finland was the starting point for other journeys and launched Rafa into an unforgettable round of international travel.
From Finland she visited the bordering countries of Sweden and Estonia, went snowmobiling in Lapland, and also popped in a visit to a friend in Amsterdam at the end of her trip.
Rafa makes her mark after snowmobiling in Lapland.
She is a strong advocate for the Otago Global Student Exchange programme and recommends the experience to anyone seeking the thrill of overseas adventure.
