Thanks a million my friends ...<\/p>\n
By Anhar K. Kramadisastra<\/p>\n
Saturday, September 26, 1992, was a very special day for me as
\nit marked the beginning of my one-year fellowship in Ireland. On
\na chilly, though unexpectedly sunny morning, I arrived at Dublin
\nairport, greeted by a cabin attendant with the \"Ceat Mille
\nFaulte\", the Irish equivalent to \"Selamat Datang\".<\/p>\n
Although I had never experienced such cold weather in my
\nnative Indonesia, it did little to lower my enthusiasm. Months
\nearlier, I had been granted a fellowship to study at the
\nUniversity College of Dublin to perfect my knowledge of
\nenvironmental questions, under the EC-ASEAN Scholarship program.<\/p>\n
After having taken part in a one-week EC awareness briefing in
\nLeuven, Belgium, I was now about to start an exciting post-
\ngraduate course.<\/p>\n
In Dublin, I stayed at Belgrove Place, a block of apartments
\nwhere I had to share a room with two other students, an American
\nfrom Chicago and an Irish man from Galway. Looking back at those
\nhappy times, I must say that my integration went rather smoothly
\nas I was greatly helped to adapt to my new life by my two
\nroommates.<\/p>\n
Dinner time, when we were cooking together and trying to find
\nways to accommodate our differences in taste and preferences, was
\nmost enjoyable. It was learning by doing, but we eventually
\nsettled for happy compromises, which we named after our
\nneighborhood: it was either Belgrove Fried Noodles or Belgrove
\nSpaghetti with variations on Belgrove Sate.<\/p>\n
I encountered the same friendliness at the UCD campus;
\nteachers and fellow students were most helpful in many respects.
\nStudents were very eager to know more about me because I was the
\nonly Indonesian on the campus. I felt proud of such an interest
\nin my country and that encouraged me to learn more about Ireland
\nand the warm Irish people.<\/p>\n
Professionally speaking, the 12 months I spent in Ireland were
\nextremely beneficial. Not only because I gained further knowledge
\non environmental issues and how they are addressed in Europe, but
\nalso because I was able to witness by myself the people's
\nawareness and participation in protecting their environment.<\/p>\n
I realize that I have been among those lucky few Indonesians
\nwho go to study in Europe. It has made me a different man in many
\nways: It has broadened my horizons and enriched my human and
\nsocial experiences. Therefore, I wish to express my deepest
\ngratitude to all those -- both in Jakarta and in Europe -- who
\nhave made this experience possible, by using once again the
\ntypical expression that I've heard so many times in Ireland. To
\nall my friends here and in Europe I say: \"Thanks a million.\"<\/p>\n
Anhar K. Kramadisastra is an Indonesian Environmental Engineer
\nwho followed a one-year post-graduate course in Ireland, under
\nthe EC-ASEAN Scholarship program. After he returned to Jakarta in
\n1993, he created his own environmental consultancy company and is
\nnow working as a Policy Analyst on UNDP's Agenda 21 program.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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