Gusti | Feeling in Love with Heidelberg

Servus Semuanya! Apa Kabar? — My name is Gusti, I'm just 20 years old and I was 13+1 years at the German School Jakarta — 13 years as a student and one year I worked there. I graduated from high school in 2019 and am now in my 5th semester studying physics in the beautiful city of Heidelberg. The school asked me to write an article and I thought I'd give the dear DSJ family a little update on what I'm doing here; maybe one or the other is interested in what I'm doing here ;)

If you were to ask what Gusti's life is about, the answer is pretty clear: Heidelberg. The city is just beautiful and so loving — thriving with colour, culture and wonderful people from all corners of the world. It's a bit smaller than Tangerang Selatan with a population of 160,000, but that's one of the reasons I like the city so much. It is small, but at the same time very accessible. Very quickly you have the feeling that you know the city and are even part of the city. And because the city is a student city, you'll quickly find familiar faces when you walk through the streets. If you're not convinced then I encourage you to google images of it.

I identify myself as a Heidelberger. Just as I loved the school so much and therefore contributed to school life back then, I do the same thing here in Heidelberg. I work in various organizations, all with a similar goal: to make the city more lively and to help the people in the city. At the university, for example, I was active in the group of international students, where I helped other "internationals" to find their place in the city. This semester I'm teaching a course for the "Erstis" (people who are going to university for the first time) about how to master university life, physics and studies. I'm also very involved with my community and we often host non-profit events.

Of course, none of this happened on the first day. On the contrary, the start of my new phase of life in Germany was cruel. While most study starters come in mid-autumn, I came in early winter. It was just cold, gray and blue. I had trouble getting out of bed in my unfurnished room. In addition, of course, there was the big factor of Corona, which meant that I couldn’t enjoy a “normal” start to my studies with campus tours, city tours and together with fellow students. Yes, I was often lonely. When the studies finally started, I was very desperate, because studying physics was (indeed) mercilessly hard. I am grateful that I was given the strength to push through and pull through so that I could finally master life myself and now enjoy my studies. And when summer came and Corona slowly 'faded', I was rewarded with a summer in Heidelberg.

It's a miracle that I can spend my life here and study at the University of Heidelberg. This miracle only happened with the support of a great many people. Of course, the DSJ family is one of these people. The Abitur logistically guaranteed me my place at university, of course. But it was the encouragement of so many teachers who, after 13 years of school, finally became "Mom and Dad" of yours that always inspired me to take the step.

Heidelberg continued to shape me. But my roots are always in the German School Jakarta.

I can only say to the current students that your studies will be a great time for you. The school in Jakarta is only a very small part of what you will experience. It's exciting and the transition is tough. I always have open ears - and hands - for you - so if you need help, no matter whether you will study in Heidelberg or not, feel free to contact me! I would also be very happy to be in touch with you again and to help you :)

That's it from me, I send my best regards from Heidelberg to the whole DSJ family!