Indonesian Student in Birmingham: Places I've Visited

My first impression in England was quite boring. Arriving in the United Kingdom during pandemic, I had to spend 10 days in quarantine hotel. I was not allowed to leave the hotel except for small walk for about 15 minutes in the hotel car park. It was not a wonderful situation but it was not awful either. In spite of this, at least I was with my wife. That way I had someone to talk to. Another thing that made the quarantine less miserable was food. We brought many Indonesian food. So, to kill the time and wierd-tasted food which served by the hotel, we ate the food earlier. I mean, the food was supposed to consume once we arrived at our home. But "emergency" situation made us to change the plan.

After 10 days, we managed to leave the hotel and the first interesting place we visited was Birmingham City Centre and Bullring Market. The later is familiar since I watched several video about this market on youtube. What makes this market outstanding is the way people sell the goods which is mostly veggies and fruits. They, the sellers, offer the goods in such a way people from Asia selling their products. The market is crowded and loud. The sellers who are mainly immigrant in my view, yell and shout to catch visitors attention. Exactly they share the same passion and enthusiasm as the sellers in Indonesia. Regarding the prices, they are affordable and when it is approaching 5 PM, it is the time when the market closed, the prices go down. In the morning you can get a bowl of apple for 1 pound but late in the afternoon you can get three bowls of them for 2 pound. Next, the city centre. In the surrounding you can find big malls and many big stores, banks, restaurants, hotels and tourist destinations such as museum (Baskerville house), Gas Street Canal, Victoria Square and city library. In short, the city centre is a one stop destination where you can visit places in one day walking.

Gas Street Basin, The Canal Side, Birmingham

I want to talk about Birmingham Arena separately. Why? Because the Birmingham Arena has close connection with Indonesia. As the venue of one of major badminton event, many Indonesian athletes have won the championships for numerous times. The last event, the all England 2021, that's how the championship officially named, our male-double athletes was undefeated and became the champion. The arena is right on the side of the canal. It's the opposite of sea world. If you take a bus from the city centre using bus number 23 or 24, you will see it on your left after 7/8 stops. On the other side of the arena, the one closer to the canal, Lego Land is waiting for you and your family to be explored. I had a chance to take a photograph on the site (see picture). The building is very active. Every now and then, music concerts, exhibitions or conferences are held.

Lego Land. Right behind the Birmingham Arena
where the All England is annually held.

I think that's it. In conclusion, there are many places to enjoy in this West Midland region. And the city centre is the best place to start as many interesting places are scattered around and accessible by foot in less than one day. Highly recommended. See you later.    

Does anyone know Ozzy Ozbourne of Black Sabbath
is from Birmingham? You can find the Black Sabbath Bridge built
to honor the singer right on the Gas Street Canal. 

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Snow

Being foreigner in a four-season country has made me striving for first-hand experience of touching snow.

This would be wonderful experience for me. I imagined I would running around like a little child, playing with snow chunk or building snow man. But thinking that I'm a grown-up man, I would be more behave. staying calm and take picture. 

Coming from Indonesia, a popular tropical country, I was struggling keeping myself warm during winter. I used to warm, damp and hot air. Spending time in a cold England makes me unbelievably fortunate being born in a tropical country. I was playing with mud and earthy-smell soil. You can say that those are equal to white cold snow.   

As a tropical man, I know inside and out the process of rain manufactured. So, I'd love to learn how snow come into being. I have never seen a simple picture portraying the mechanic behind the creation of snow. I thought I have read about that long time ago, but I'm not sure.

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Having a Baby While Doing Post-Grad Study (part 1)

I'm not a woman. If you assume I myself is pregnant and have the baby born then you're wrong. What I mean by the title is that my wife is pregnant when she is coming with me in the UK.

As a PhD candidate, taking care my family and manage PhD project properly is a challenge. I know, some doesn't see family involvement during studying abroad is a good option. Yet, I challenge the idea. I perceive family as a motivator factor. Having more tasks is absolutely demanding and may be tiring physically and mentally. On the other side, when you face problems and have no idea to solve it, you have somebody to talk to. They may not respond you straight away with brilliant solution but you'll be relieved provided you have taken an action to deal with your burden. On the best scenario, your family is an alien to your area of study that let them giving you honest and direct comments or criticisms. This may not help you immediately unless after some reflection and contemplation. In the end, unsurprisingly you thank them for their unexpected help conveyed in a very subtle way.

Black Sabbath Bridge, an iconic spot in Birmingham. I lived 5 minutes from the bridge in the first 3 months after my arrival in the UK.

I arrived in the country in July 27th.

[read the second part]

 

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Indonesian in Birmingham

Being a foreigner in Birmingham is a new think for me. I learn how Englishman talks. They casually speak faster than what I learned at English classes. I didn’t know that elderlies are more than the youths or at least the same. Also, I didn’t expect so many immigrants have come to the UK and that being a PR (permanent resident) has become a life time dream. I haven’t seen all but I believe I’ll get used to all of these alien culture.

I’ve just stayed in this city for less than 2 months. There many Indonesians who have been living here for 2 or 3 years. A few of them are already PR’s. Based on my study program which is PhD study-by-project, I’ll have to stay for at least three years. Papers and documents have been approved which means I don’t have worries about legal requirements. As we all know, any illegal actions against immigration law are subject to fines or even deportation. 

Being a student in Birmingham is like a dream for most Indonesian. A friend of mine said that she had a friend who are happy to die for being able to study in the city. Of course, I’m exaggerating. Birmingham, the second biggest city in the UK after London and located in West Midland, has many old shaped buildings which is so iconic and unique for a person like who comes from Indonesia. In Indonesia, we can hardly find houses which retain its original and traditional architecture.  The more modern-shaped your house is the more people look up at you. Being seen as “the haves” is like a unwritten rule. In Jakarta, you can have a look at Dutch-style houses near Stasiun Kota. But, that’s it. Keeping colonial buildings in their original shape is costly and the city council rarely has both financial sources and managerial-capacity to support them. 

Old Joe, a tallest clock tower in campus, is my favorite. During graduations parents and graduates take a selfie or family photograph showing Old Joe as the background. The city library is also beautiful. It’s the first library of that kind of shape in Europe. I haven’t visited it yet but I plan to do so soon. Another fascinating spot is the Black Sabbath bridge near city center. It’s an honor for the lead vocalist of hard-rock metal band Black Sabbat, Ozzy Osbourne. Before I visited the bridge, I didn’t know he is from Birmingham. About 10 minutes walking from the bridge, the Victoria Museum stands gracefully. This magnificent tourist destination and photographic scene is located near city train station providing easy access for non-Birmingham visitors.

 

10 September 2021

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Pengalaman Sekolah di Inggris: Tertunda Karena Pandemi

Tahun 2019 saya mendapatkan beasiswa dari Kementrian Agama RI melalui program 5000 Doktor yang diinisiasi dan dikelola oleh Dirjen Pendis. Program ini dikhususkan untuk dosen yang mengajar di Perguruan Tinggi Keagamaan Islam atau Fakultas Agama Islam yang berada di perguruan tinggi umum. Beasiswa ini adalah beasiswa pendanaan sehingga saya masih harus mencari kampus sendiri. Dengan kata lain Dirjen Pendis adalah berlaku sebagai sponsor. Bagi yang belum familiar, beasiswa itu dapat berupa pendanaan saja bisa juga berupa pendanaan dan posisi di kampus sekaligus (diterima). Beasiswa jenis pertama ini harus hati-hati karena ada kedaluarsanya. Artinya, apabila dalam dua tahun tidak mendapat kampus - dibuktikan dengan LoA (Letter of Acceptance), maka hak beasiswa kita hangus. Ngga mau kan keluarga sudah syukuran ternyata ngga jadi berangkat.

Saya ingat waktu itu SK pengumuman awardee keluar di bulan Ramadhan. Saya ingat karena waktu itu saya sedang bersiap-siap i'tikaf ke Masjid Ad Dzikra di Sentul. Sesampai di sana, kebetulan istri sudah di lokasi terlebih dahulu, saya kabarkan sebagai kejutan untuk istri. Alhamdulillah... Cita-cita studi ke luar negeri bareng istri Allah berikan jalan.

Setelah SK beasiswa keluar diikuti undangan pembekalan. Jadi, Project Management Unit (PMU) 5000 Doktor dari Dirjen Pendis sebagai pengelola beasiswa 5000 Doktor menyiapkan pembekalan akademik selama 3 (Juni - Agustus) bulan penuh di UIN Sunan Kalijaga di Yogyakarta. Peserta Academic Preparation (AP) ini berasal dari Riau, Makasar, Solo, Surabaya, Jakarta, Ponorogo dan Bogor. Tentu saja sebagian besar dari peserta AP adalah dosen perguruan tinggi negeri seperti UIN Riau, UIN Jakarta dan UIN Surabaya. AP ini ada di dua lokasi. Di Yogyakarta berlangsung selama 3 bulan dan fokus persiapan akademik, sementara di Jakarta berlangsung selama 6 bulan dan fokus ke persiapan bahasa dan akademik. Jadi, kami di Yogya kadang suka jatuh ke "kesombongan" karena "tidak ada masalah" dengan persoalan bahasa. Kata tim PMU katanya kita yang IELTS/TOEFL-nya sudah memenuhi syarat. ;)

Menurut saya, AP ini merupakan kelebihan dari program 5000 Doktor. AP ini memberikan kita gambaran bagaimana tips, suasana dan kondisi kuliah S3 di luar negeri. Para pemateri sebagian besar sharing S3 di bidang sosial humaniora di Belanda dan Australia. Beberapa awardee yang tujuannya ke fakultas sains atau keuangan merasa materi yang ada sedikit berbeda dengan kebutuhan mereka. Tetapi tidak apa-apa. Kami, berdua-belas, menikmati kebersamaan dan yang paling penting - persahabatan dengan orang-orang baru.

Untuk persiapan keberangkatan ini saya harus cuti. Mencari kos-kosan yang cocok di daerah UIN Yogya dan memastikan urusan keuangan rumah tangga aman, karena 3 bulan income harus berkurang karena mengikuti AP ini. Alhamdulillah, selama AP ini kami diberi kompensasi untuk penginapan selama 3 bulan plus uang saku. Suatu kebetulan, saya dengan mudah mendapatkan kos-kosan karena ada teman dosen yang baru saja pindah ke UIN Yogya. Begitu ada berita untuk ikut AP, saya langsung menghubungi beliau ini dan akhirnya jadi teman satu kost. Jaraknya tidak terlalu jauh, hanya sekitar 5 menit jalan kaki.

Tertunda Karena Pandemi 

Oktober 2019 saya mendapatkan LoA dari University of  Birmingham. Saat itu, LoA saya masih conditional karena IELTS certificate sudah expired. Singkat cerita, Maret 2020  unconditional LoA saya keluar tetapi Indonesia saat itu sudah ramai PSBB. Dan dengan berat hati saya harus menerima surat edaran dari PMU bahwa seluruh awardee harus menunda keberangkatan selama setahun hingga bulan September 2021. Bayangkan, LoA sudah di tangan tapi harus menunda keberangkatan lebih dari 1,5 tahun. Saya bicara dengan istri dan keluarlah keputusan untuk menunda keberangkatan ke bulan Mei 2021 saja dengan segala risiko. Tentu saja ini berisiko karena bisa saja sponsor tidak merestui dan kalau pun merestui bulan Mei uang beasiswa belum cair. Ini yang paling dikhawatirkan. Kalau belum cair kami berdua harus menyiapkan fresh money kurang lebih Rp 100 juta untuk visa dan asuransi belum termasuk biaya hidup dan SPP di awal-awal bulan berada di Inggris.

Bulan Januari 2021 sampai bulan Maret saya terus intens komunikasi dengan supervisor mengenai penundaan ini dan otomatis saya juga harus komunikasi dengan kampus untuk merubah LoA. LoA yang lama masih menyatakan permulaan studi di bulan September 2020 dan saya harus minta dirubah jadi Mei 2021. Tanggal LoA ini penting dirubah karena berpengaruh dalam pembuatan Surat Izin dari kampus, izin Setneg, CAS dan visa. Intinya, tanggal studi yang salah bisa jadi masalah pelik dikemudian hari. Di bulan-bulan ini saya juga monitor terus kasus Covid-19 di Inggris karena pasti berpengaruh mode studi di UoB.

Izin Setneg saya proses kurang lebih tiga bulan. Saya mulai memproses syarat-syarat di kampus mulai bulan Desember 2020 dan akhirnya jadi di bulan Februari 2021. Rekomendasi Kaprodi, dekan dan izin dari Rektor hanya memakan waktu satu minggu. Izin setneg saya urus dengan membawa berkasnya langsung dari Bogor ke Jakarta. Sempat bolak-balik beberapa kali tapi alhamdulillah selesai 2 bulan. Setelah Setneg keluar saya coba urus paspor dinas, tetapi urung saya lakukan karena ternyata paspor dinas hanya untuk mereka yang berstatus PNS.

Syarat-syarat SP Setneg:

1. Rekomendasi Kaprodi dan Dekan
2. Izin belajar
3. LoA
4. SK kelulusan awardee
5. FGL (Financial Guarantee Letter)
6. Fotocopy KTP
7. SK Pengangkatan pegawai
8. Karpeg (untuk PNS)
9. Foto 4x6 berwarna dua lembar
10. Surat Pertanggung-Jawaban Mutlak (SPTJM) bermaterai
11. Kontrak Belajar bermaterai rangkap dua

Catatan: Kalau mau dikirim via pos atau paket, pastikan tujuannya adalah Biro Hukum dan Kerjasama Luar Negeri (HKLN), Dirjen Pendis Kemenag

Alhamdulillah akhir April, dana beasiswa keluar. Uang ini bisa dipakai untuk mulai urus visa, bayar asuransi dan bayar SPP yang invoice-nya datang selalu tepat waktu... hue hue... Khusus untuk akomodasi, uang deposit sangatlah penting. Tanpa uang deposit kita tidak bisa booking flat/rumah. Saya sudah searching akomodasi dari bulan Januari 2021, harus menunda sampai bulan April karena tanpa uang deposit kita tidak bisa reserved akomodasi, tanpa di reserved sudah pasti unit nya akan diambil/ditawarkan orang lain. 

Untuk akomodasi saya mendapatkannya sekitar 1 minggu sebelum keberangkatan (26 Juli 2021). Bagaimana persiapan keberangkatan di bulan Juli, bagaimana kami menghadapi kenyataan harus karantina 10 hari di hotel, bagaimana kami pontang-panting booking hotel karentina dan bagaimana suka-duka karantina di hotel yang mayoritas menunya makanan india akan saya bagi di posting berikutnya.

See you.

Solihul, 3 Agustus 2021

(Masa Karantina)

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