Students and faculty from the French Language Education program at the University of Education Indonesia (UPI) participated in the Erasmus+ICM Tourisme Summer School program 2023 at Universiti Malaya, Malaysia, from July 24-28, 2023. This event was organized by the French Division JBAE FBL UM in collaboration with Université Savoie Mont Blanc, and was attended by other participants including Universitas Negeri Jakarta, the National University of Laos, and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
The student delegation taking part in this program included Istiqna Ahnaf Dewita, Dea Adella Yusuf, Ari Syaeful Rohman, Saffanah Ajrillah, and Widaningsih, accompanied by Prof. Dr. Tri Indri Hardini, M.Pd., Dean of FPBS UPI, and Iim Siti Karimah M.Hum., the guiding lecturer.
They departed from the Faculty of Language and Literature Education UPI for Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on July 23, 2023, traveling together.
Cultural exchange continued on the first day during a tasting session of each country’s traditional foods. Indonesia brought various local dishes like bandrek, tempeh chips, basreng chips, dodol, banana sale, bika ambon, and more. The food was tasted by all participants from Malaysia and Laos, as well as French professors.
The first day’s agenda concluded after the program committee divided the participants into groups, with each group being a mix of delegates from various universities and countries. There were five groups, each consisting of students from Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Universitas Negeri Jakarta, Universiti Malaya, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, and the National University of Laos.
Cultural exploration continued on the second day, July 25, 2023, as participants visited Kuala Lumpur’s city center, including Pasar Seni, Petaling Street, and the Petronas Twin Towers.
This summer course began with introductions of each university and country, followed by cultural exchanges where participants gave impressive performances. UPI students performed a song called “Bandung” by Yura Yunita, accompanied by modern traditional dance. The core of this program was a summer course taught by French educators, focusing on Français sur l’objet Spécifique (FOS), particularly the Français du Tourisme course.
From July 26-28, 2023, students worked on project-based assignments, and each group presented their projects using a role-play technique, with members acting as directors, marketing management, etc., to pitch their project to potential investors, who were the judges. The jury included distinguished professionals from various institutions and the end of the project was marked by the presentation of certificates and appealing souvenirs to all participants and guiding professors, including special souvenirs from UPI students to the instructors.
The summer school activities concluded with an “excursion” to Melaka, a historic city in Malaysia. Rich in architectural beauty and history, with numerous museums and areas to explore, the final day’s activities were highly positive for the students, as they could learn much about the historical city of Melaka Bandaraya Bersejarah.
The summer school week ended with each nation’s representatives returning to their home countries, enriched with valuable experiences.