Thanks a million my friends ...

Thanks a million my friends ...

By Anhar K. Kramadisastra

Saturday, September 26, 1992, was a very special day for me as
it marked the beginning of my one-year fellowship in Ireland. On
a chilly, though unexpectedly sunny morning, I arrived at Dublin
airport, greeted by a cabin attendant with the "Ceat Mille
Faulte", the Irish equivalent to "Selamat Datang".

Although I had never experienced such cold weather in my
native Indonesia, it did little to lower my enthusiasm. Months
earlier, I had been granted a fellowship to study at the
University College of Dublin to perfect my knowledge of
environmental questions, under the EC-ASEAN Scholarship program.

After having taken part in a one-week EC awareness briefing in
Leuven, Belgium, I was now about to start an exciting post-
graduate course.

In Dublin, I stayed at Belgrove Place, a block of apartments
where I had to share a room with two other students, an American
from Chicago and an Irish man from Galway. Looking back at those
happy times, I must say that my integration went rather smoothly
as I was greatly helped to adapt to my new life by my two
roommates.

Dinner time, when we were cooking together and trying to find
ways to accommodate our differences in taste and preferences, was
most enjoyable. It was learning by doing, but we eventually
settled for happy compromises, which we named after our
neighborhood: it was either Belgrove Fried Noodles or Belgrove
Spaghetti with variations on Belgrove Sate.

I encountered the same friendliness at the UCD campus;
teachers and fellow students were most helpful in many respects.
Students were very eager to know more about me because I was the
only Indonesian on the campus. I felt proud of such an interest
in my country and that encouraged me to learn more about Ireland
and the warm Irish people.

Professionally speaking, the 12 months I spent in Ireland were
extremely beneficial. Not only because I gained further knowledge
on environmental issues and how they are addressed in Europe, but
also because I was able to witness by myself the people's
awareness and participation in protecting their environment.

I realize that I have been among those lucky few Indonesians
who go to study in Europe. It has made me a different man in many
ways: It has broadened my horizons and enriched my human and
social experiences. Therefore, I wish to express my deepest
gratitude to all those -- both in Jakarta and in Europe -- who
have made this experience possible, by using once again the
typical expression that I've heard so many times in Ireland. To
all my friends here and in Europe I say: "Thanks a million."

Anhar K. Kramadisastra is an Indonesian Environmental Engineer
who followed a one-year post-graduate course in Ireland, under
the EC-ASEAN Scholarship program. After he returned to Jakarta in
1993, he created his own environmental consultancy company and is
now working as a Policy Analyst on UNDP's Agenda 21 program.