Yogyakarta, 24 August 2019—This edition of “Cross-Cultural Understanding Club (CCUC): Know Your City” was held at the beginning of the academic year. “Foreign students, as well as Indonesian students that originated from outside Yogyakarta, were introduced to Yogyakarta’s history on this programme,” as stated by Yusuf Dhimas, the Project Manager of CCUC in Fisipol UGM’s Global Engagement Office (GEO).
CCUC is GEO Fisipol’s monthly program and invited both foreign and local students as a platform for cultural exchange. CCUC usually visits historical and interactive places. In this edition of “Know Your City”, the participants visited three historical places in Yogyakarta; Pakualaman, Keraton Yogyakarta and Sonobudoyo Museum.
Around 20 foreign and local students that hailed from various faculties in UGM took part in this programme. In Pakualaman, the participants enthusiastically tried Jemparingan, a traditional form of archery, in which the archer shoots arrows while sitting. This traditional sport took the participants back to the golden age of the Mataram Sultanate in the past.
Fuzhu Ou, a student from China that is currently learning Indonesian in the Faculty of Cultural Sciences of UGM, stated that he wishes to know Yogyakarta more. “I have never been to Keraton, and this programme has presented me an opportunity to see the culture and the history of Yogyakarta with my own eyes. I am happy that I have tried jemparingan here,” Fuzhu conveyed.
Meanwhile, Daniel Filippov and Faith Stellmaker, from the United Kingdom and Australia respectively, stated that they know Yogyakarta better because of CCUC. “Not only that I have gained new experiences, I also have made numerous new friends that will expand my network,” Daniel stated. Muhammad Yusuf Dhimas hoped that CCUC can increase the interactions between foreign and local students, both in Fisipol and in UGM as a whole. Hopefully, new friendships will be established and can transcend the cultural barriers that exist.