UNS — The International Cooperation and Services Unit (KLI) of Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) successfully held the annual program “UNS Goes to Village” in Janggan Village, Poncol District, Magetan Regency, East Java. This program was participated by 48 international students from UNS Scholarship Program, Developing Countries Partnership Scholarship (KNB), Darmasiswa, and Short Mobility. The event also involved students from Thepsatri Rajabhat University and Hong Kong Educational University. Participating students came from over 10 countries, including Hong Kong, Thailand, Vietnam, Turkmenistan, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Sudan.

Head of UNS UPT KLI, Rino Ardhian Nugroho, S.Sos., M.T.I., Ph.D., stated that “UNS Goes to Village” is part of the cultural orientation initiated by KLI to provide a platform for understanding Indonesian culture, values, and customs for international students.

“UNS Goes to Village” in 2024 was held on Thursday (16/5/2024) and Friday (17/5/2024) at the Janggan Village Hall, Poncol District, Magetan Regency. The Head of Janggan Village, Hariyadi, warmly welcomed the activity. The students then visited SD N Janggan and MI N 14 Magetan to interact with them. Their arrival was enthusiastically greeted by the students who presented a Reog dance as a form of welcome.

In addition to interacting with students, international students also visited several home industries in the village, including tempeh, banana chips, and sermier chip production. This activity provided a firsthand experience for the students to learn about the process of making local food.

“To delve deeper into village life, students were divided into several groups and stayed with their host families who are local residents. In the evening, they enjoyed and learned the Reog dance, which is one of the cultural treasures of East Java,” Rino explained.

On the second day, the activities continued with exploring nature to fields to practice planting peanuts, visiting a cattle farm, and learning about livestock management. The event concluded with a workshop on playing lesung (a traditional rice pounding tool) with members of the Sekolah Lansia Tangguh (or Selatang), which is one of the empowerment programs for the elderly in the village.

The “UNS Goes to Village” program not only provides cultural insights to international students but also introduces villagers to the diversity of world cultures. “It is hoped that this activity can enhance understanding and appreciation of Javanese local culture and strengthen the relationship between international students and the local community,” Rino added.

Editor: Dwi Hastuti