On 28 August 2016, ACICIS welcomed 3 new students to the green campus of Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) in Bogor, West Java for Semester 43. This cohort consists of students undertaking our pilot semester of the Agriculture Semester Program (ASP) in which they will study in units offered by Faculty of Agriculture, Faculty Agricultural Technology, Faculty of Animal Science and Faculty of Forestry at IPB. All of these students have received $6,000 New Colombo Plan Mobilty Grants to support their participation in ASP.

As part of the Agriculture Semester Program, students will have the opportunity to take professional placements in organisations in Bogor and Jakarta to deepen their understanding about Indonesian agriculture, forestry and biodiversity.

To help the students settle in their new home for the next six months, ACICIS and IPB ran a four-day orientation with sessions covering administration matters such as immigration and police registrations, health and security, and practical information about living in Bogor to help them settle in and understand the local norms and customs. Alongside these sessions, students were also busy hunting for accommodation – or kost – with their student buddies. ACICIS student buddies know the city in and out, they are experts in helping the students find accommodation and the best nongkrong (hanging out) spots in town. The adventures with their student buddies could be the start of a lifelong friendship!

We wish ACICIS’ first three ASP students the best of luck on their semester in Indonesia! Semoga sukses!