How Afiin, an Indonesian Scholar, Secured a Partially Funded Bachelor's Through the Romanian Government Scholarship

I chose my university major for a surprisingly simple reason: I realized I really didn't like numbers. When I was trying to figure out what I wanted to study, I quickly realized that I was much more interested in people, politics, history, communication, cultures, and how countries interact with one another. I could spend a long time reading about different countries and international affairs, but whenever numbers started getting involved, I knew that probably wasn't where I belonged. That eventually led me to International Relations and European Studies.

My name is Afiin, and I am from Indonesia. I graduated with a Bachelor's degree in International Relations and European Studies from the University of Oradea in Romania, with a final GPA of 3.83/4.00. But if you had asked me when I was in high school whether I thought I would one day study in Romania on a government scholarship, I probably would have laughed. At that time, studying abroad felt like something that happened to other people.

I went to a boarding school, where my daily life was quite structured, and my access to information was limited. I didn't really know where to look for international opportunities, what scholarships existed, or how other Indonesian students managed to study overseas. I knew that studying abroad was possible, but I didn't know how people actually made it happen.

After graduating from high school, I decided to take a gap year. At first, it might have looked like I was falling behind compared to people who went straight to university. Looking back, however, that gap year was one of the most important decisions I ever made. I used that time to search, read, compare universities, look for scholarships, understand admission requirements, and learn from other students who had already gone through the process. I spent a lot of time asking questions that I didn't even know I needed to ask.

Romanian Government Scholarship Details

That was when I discovered the Romanian Government Scholarship, offered by the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Romania was not necessarily the first country that came to mind when I thought about studying abroad, and that's actually one of the reasons I want to tell this story. Sometimes, the opportunity that changes your life is not the one everyone around you is talking about. You just have to be willing to look beyond the most obvious choices.

I applied, waited, and eventually received the news that I had been awarded the scholarship. Suddenly, something that had once felt very far away became real. I was going to Romania.

The scholarship covered my tuition and provided financial support, including a monthly personal allowance of around 65 Euro at the time. It might not sound like a huge amount today, but for me, it was enough to cover my basic personal expenses when I learned how to manage it properly. More importantly, it taught me something that no classroom could: how to become independent. I had to learn how to budget, make decisions, solve everyday problems, and take responsibility for myself.

Are Your Classes Conducted in English or Romanian?

Studying abroad was not simply about going to lectures and collecting credits. I had to adapt to a completely different environment. Before starting my degree, I spent a year learning Romanian because my programme was taught in Romanian. Luckily, I had already studied Arabic before, so the idea of learning another language wasn't completely unfamiliar. And honestly, Romanian was not as difficult as I had imagined, haha. The real challenge came later, when I had to use Romanian in an academic environment, discuss complicated subjects, write assignments, and actually express my thoughts in a language that was not my mother tongue.

That experience changed the way I looked at language. I stopped seeing language as just another subject to study and started seeing it as a bridge. The better I became at Romanian, the more I could understand not only what people were saying, but also how they thought, communicated, and saw the world around them.

How is Your Experience at the University of Oradea?

Studying International Relations and European Studies in Romania also gave me the opportunity to experience Europe beyond textbooks. Concepts such as European integration, diplomacy, international cooperation, and regional politics suddenly felt much more tangible because I was studying them in a European environment. I was surrounded by people from different backgrounds, exposed to different perspectives, and constantly reminded that international relations is ultimately about people.

During university, I was also fortunate enough to experience student mobility through Erasmus+. I had the opportunity to study at the Università degli Studi di Padova in Italy and at Medeniyet University in Istanbul, Turkiye. These experiences gave me another perspective on what studying abroad could mean. It was no longer just about being an Indonesian student in Romania. I was becoming someone who could move between different environments, learn from different cultures, and communicate with people who saw the world differently from me.

Outside the classroom, I also had the opportunity to intern at the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Bucharest. I became involved in socio-cultural and tourism-related activities and had the chance to support communication between Indonesia and Romania. For me, this was particularly meaningful because I was able to see international relations from a completely different perspective. It was no longer just something I studied in university. I was beginning to experience it in real life.

Eventually, my university thesis brought everything even closer together. I researched Indonesia's nation branding in Romania and the role of the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in strengthening it. Looking back, I find it quite interesting because my academic journey was slowly becoming connected to something much bigger than I had originally planned.

Years earlier, when I was applying for the scholarship, I wrote in my motivation letter that I wanted to become a kind of bridge between Romania and Indonesia. At the time, it was simply something I genuinely hoped to do. I didn't have a five-year plan or a detailed roadmap for how it would happen. I just knew that I wanted my experience in Romania to eventually mean something beyond myself.

And somehow, that sentence followed me.

After graduating, I continued working in environments where international communication, administration, cross-cultural interaction, and language played an important role. I worked in visa operations, dealing with international applicants and documents, and later continued using Romanian in professional settings. Eventually, I also started teaching Romanian and supporting Indonesian students who are interested in studying in Romania and applying for scholarships.

That part still makes me smile sometimes. Years ago, I was the person desperately searching for scholarship information, trying to understand requirements, and wondering how people even managed to study abroad. Now, I find myself on the other side, helping other students who are asking many of the same questions I once asked.

Looking back, I don't think I ever had everything figured out. I didn't. My journey was not a perfectly planned sequence of achievements. There were plenty of moments when I was confused, unsure, or simply trying to figure out what to do next. But I kept searching, kept learning, and kept taking the opportunities that came my way.

What Advice Would You Give Those Looking to Apply for a Similar Scholarship?

If you are reading this because you are currently looking for a scholarship, I hope you don't feel like you have to know everything from the beginning. You don't. I certainly didn't. Start by searching. Look at official scholarship websites, university websites, embassy pages, and stories from people who have already received the scholarship. Ask questions, even if they feel basic. Sometimes the question you are embarrassed to ask is exactly the question someone else is also afraid to ask.

And don't limit yourself to the countries that everyone talks about. There are so many scholarships and universities outside the usual destinations that can completely change the direction of your life. Romania was not the first country I imagined when I thought about studying abroad, but it became one of the most important places in my life.

Most importantly, don't only think about, "How can I get this scholarship?" Ask yourself another question too: "If I get this opportunity, what am I going to do with it?"

For me, the answer took years to become clear. I went to Romania to study International Relations and European Studies. I learned Romanian, studied across different European countries, interned at the Indonesian Embassy, researched Indonesia's image in Romania, built a career around international and cross-cultural work, and eventually started helping other Indonesians who want to take a similar path.

Maybe that is what a scholarship can really give you. It can pay for your education, open a door, and take you somewhere you never expected to go. But what happens after you walk through that door is up to you.

And if there is one thing I would tell the version of myself who was sitting at home during that gap year, searching Google and wondering whether studying abroad was actually possible, it would be this: keep searching. You might be much closer to an opportunity than you think.

Sometimes you don't need a perfect plan. You just need to find the first opportunity, be brave enough to apply, and see where it takes you.