Read how Jeremiah’s third choice destination turned into a place that felt like home…

Hi, I’m Jeremiah! I was granted an amazing opportunity by my government to spend a semester abroad at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) last September. Frankly, when my IISMA scholarship was announced, I didn’t know how to feel when the name “Queen Mary University of London” popped up. London was my third choice, and I wasn’t really hyped about it as my ultimate dream was to step into the so-called “Land of the Free”. I knew QMUL provided some, if not the best module choices for me – International Relations (IR) courses uniquely grounded in social justice perspectives, and it was indeed, the very reason I chose it. Being an IR student in Indonesia, where state-centric perspectives overarchingly saturate IR studies, I knew I needed my revolutionary alternative moment to look at global occurrences from the grassroots and I knew perfectly that QMUL would support me in this. Yet, I didn’t know how to feel. Would London ever be like the place I’d always dreamed of?

It definitely was. Beyond my deepest expectations. I’ll never know what the States would have been like, but London was… beyond amazing. Runs in Victoria Park when it’s 3 degrees cold, strolls to museums and galleries, snacks and pub crawls on weekends. Hot chai lattes on drizzly days, sunsets at Regent’s Park, lock-in sessions at QMUL Mile End’s 24-hour library. All wonderful. But beyond this, the thing that makes London special is its people. On New Year’s Eve, a clip with Paddington shown at the London Eye touched my heart. He said, “… as Aunt Lucy says, there’s always a place for everyone in London.” And before I realized it, I felt tears falling down my cheek. People say Londoners may be hostile, with pickpockets rampant, and the expensive prices unwelcoming to most. While not denying the latter, I can confidently say my time spent there proved the opposite. It was instead like the city welcomed me into it. Indonesian and Asian communities were everywhere and I never felt lost. I was 11,708 kilometres away from home, yet felt so close thanks to the Queen Mary Indonesian Society and a weekly church fellowship at the Embassy. I also had amazing flat mates who embraced me dearly and made me feel at home. While they constantly teased me for being three years older than them (students in the UK only really live in campus housing during their first year), I never felt excluded and I was as youthful as ever when we went out every Tuesday or Friday night into central.

Beyond this, my excitement for classes manifested exactly the way I wanted. In my POL350 Analyzing Public Policy class, I was thrilled at the chance given in class to examine policies happening back home in Indonesia and understanding where and how they can be evaluated and improved upon. Learning within QMUL’s seminar-lecture division style is also something I only got introduced to in September. However, it was exactly the type of learning I needed to grow more – discussing content with peers during seminars with the aid of insightful teachers and upgrading my knowledge during lectures. This may be the bare minimum, but it was especially dear to me that the library is open 24/7. Back home, this is not a privilege I can enjoy, and thus, I felt more academically motivated than ever to study and even to always prepare reading materials for class. The lecturers I encountered were also amazing. Shoutout to Dr. Jaclyn in my London: Walking the City Class. At first, I was never really into literature. I joined this class to know more and observe London’s developments as the city I always read about in books. Little did I know that with the concomitant reads and analysis this class demands, I instead enjoyed reading literature to understand contexts better, and have even subconsciously grown into doing the same when on trips back here in Indonesia.

It’s February now, yet I still yearn to go back. I heard it snowed after we left, and while it was a pity me and my fellow IISMA friends didn’t get to enjoy such a moment, it serves to say that it’s once again calling me back. My QMUL study abroad journey was wondrous, and I believe yours can be too. Cherish your time, enjoy the city, and create memories. Until we meet again in London, cheers!