I am Safira Tafani Cholisi from Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia. This Fall 2021 I will be transferring to Ewha Womans University at the Division of International Studies. I was thankful to be selected as a recipient of the Dr. Ira & Chang Hyun Geer Scholarship by the International Foundation for Ewha Womans University. 

I have always been interested in Korea, particularly its culture and music. I have been watching a lot of Korean films, some of which can be considered as my ‘lifetime’ films. I am also interested in gender issues, and am aware of Ewha’s history of being a higher academic institution that aims to educate women and ensure that women can fully realize their capabilities and potentials. As I saw through the announcement of EISC, I was immediately interested in taking the Korean Cinema and Gender Relations in Korea classes. Fortunately I was able to take both.

Although it is quite regrettable that I could not visit the Ewha campus directly due to the current situation, I was still able to enjoy the online program and the classes. I liked how the professors facilitated the class in such a way that we can engage in a lively discussion. As the students come from all over the world, I was also able to listen to the experiences of others and compare it to my own. We also could share our perspectives about a film or a gender issue in our own country and in Korea. The professors also delivered interesting and relevant topics in their lectures and classes, which did not only give me new information about the issues but also helped me understand the materials better.

My takeaway from this program is the learning I’ve received while engaging with the class materials and also the different experiences shared between us, the students. I learned that different backgrounds can result in various perspectives, and they all should be respected. Although there was not enough time for me to interact directly with the others one-by-one, spaces such as mini group discussions helped us to get to know each other better. EISC provided me with both a learning and sharing space which taught me that academic learning does not always have to be a one-way approach, but it can also be done by communicating with one another. I am sincerely thankful for the opportunity that has been given to me by Ewha, the EISC Team, the International Foundation for Ewha Womans University, and all the professors and classmates. I hope there comes a day when we can all meet each other physically. Thank you.