2019 New Colombo Plan (NCP) scholar Liam McFadzean-Lodge was motivated to apply for his New Colombo Plan scholarship to cap off his University of Melbourne studies with an extensive overseas experience.
Studying a Bachelor of Arts (Economics, Politics and International Studies) and Diploma of Languages (Indonesian), Liam returned to Indonesia for his NCP experience with a semester of study at Universitas Gadjah Mada in Yogyakarta.
“Choosing Indonesia as my host location was a bit of a no-brainer given my Indonesian language studies, and although I hadn’t spent a lot of time overseas before embarking on my NCP, I wasn’t overly apprehensive, as I had already travelled to Indonesia a couple of times on other university-led tours,” said Liam.
Liam believes that his passion for the language and culture contributed to him being awarded his scholarship in Indonesia. There, he has completed his exchange studies, an internship and language study and says, “having the opportunity to spend a significant period in Indonesia was really rewarding as I was able to improve my language proficiency to the extent where I could make some really strong friendships.”
Liam pursued an opportunity to intern at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia. “I had the opportunity to meet a lot of Australian diplomatic staff which provided great insight into the type of work the Australian diplomatic staff undertake abroad, as well as into the varying career paths they took to get there.”
Events that Liam attended at the Embassy allowed him to meet with many business leaders from the local community. “Some of the most rewarding people-to-people linkages I developed were the friendships I made: from Indonesians, fellow Australians, and other international people working and studying in-country; I have formed life-long friendships as we shared many incredible experiences.”
Liam’s cultural immersion in Indonesia developed rapidly and he explains, “one of my most memorable experiences was when I was studying at a language school in Yogyakarta and I came across a local conservation group that had been conducting beach clean-ups along the southern coast of Java. I reached out to the group and arranged for a ride to join the convoy of bikes storming south to the beach! We picked up several bags of plastic and then sat around a campfire before having a late dinner at a local warung [small restaurant].”
Liam’s increased language capacity made his time in Indonesia, including the trips he took, all the more special.
“Perhaps the greatest thing that I have taken away from my NCP experience has been the ability to lay down roots somewhere new and unfamiliar,” he says. “Starting in Indonesia, a country I was very familiar with, eased me into my time abroad. I moved cities within Indonesia a couple times for my internship and language training and the process of moving, finding new accommodation, new places to eat, and making new friends was initially a daunting one. Over time however, I found that not only did this process stop seeming so stressful, it became quite exciting!”
This was put to the test for Liam though when he moved to Myanmar to undertake an internship with the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) in Yangon. “Choosing Myanmar was more happenstance, as I saw the internship with the UNCDF being promoted and I applied. Beforehand, I had very little exposure to Myanmar, so the prospect of arriving in a new country where I did not know the language, culture or anyone there, was pretty daunting.”
As it turned out, Liam was thankful that for the opportunity in Myanmar, saying “the experience and skills I gained from previous relocations in Indonesia allowed me to have a fantastic experience in Myanmar. I was pleasantly surprised as Yangon is a lovely city. My main struggle was tying a secure knot on my longyi! [a sheet of cloth worn around the waist].”
Reflecting on his experiences so far, Liam recommends that future scholars be flexible and ambitious with their programs. “The freedom to go somewhere exciting to study or to work for an amazing organisation really is unparalleled,” he said.
The NCP is an initiative of the Australian Government. The program aims to lift knowledge of the Indo Pacific in Australia by supporting Australian undergraduates to study and undertake internships in the region.
