Hello there! My name is Nayla, I’m a third year law student in the University of Indonesia, and I am currently living with the jaw-dropping anticipation of spending an entire semester in London with Queen Mary! London has always been one of my favorite cities in the world, with its strong arts culture, scenic parks, and walkable routes — to get to study in such a city has always been a dream.

I’m here with Queen Mary courtesy of the Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards (IISMA) program, a scholarship program graciously funded by the Indonesian Ministry of Education, Research, and Technology which has honestly been causing my heart to race non-stop ever since the announcement of its registration— not to mention when it came to the results day (and whoa! that was such a day). Insofar as study abroad experiences go, I am extremely happy to have chosen IISMA and along with it Queen Mary. Although administrative requirements will always be as terrible as, well, admin— it is most definitely worth it. In every step of this journey you have a safety net of sorts, people supporting you to ensure that your time abroad will be one of the most unforgettable experiences of your life. And guess what? so far, it is.

I am of course extremely excited for London, but I am not without my fears. There is always the scariness of fitting in! I started university in 2020 during the heights of the COVID-19 pandemic and have never actually attended classes in-person, ever! The thought of going to university in person, abroad, is extremely exciting, yet I am also filled with quite a big dose of (not really) freshman jitters! It will be interesting to integrate myself into a whole other academic community thousands of miles away from home.

But again, the fears don’t really compare to the excitement I feel. In Indonesia I have a strong love held for my competitions (especially in moot court), societies, and the people that come with them. Hopefully, I can transfer this love for them during my time in Queen Mary. Moreover, my life has always been defined by what my friends call my masochistic craze for learning. At Queen Mary, I hope to gain a different perspective on education— going to a prestigious university abroad in an education system that is entirely different from the one I have at home. I hope to be able to experience life at university, to make unforgettable memories (and perhaps, along the way, some lifelong friends) and to enjoy London to its fullest during my time there.