Jenny Lundt, ‘19
Jenny on her summer travels through Indonesia and Central Asia!
This summer, Jenny spent her last undergraduate summer interning at the Institute of Southeast Asian Islam (ISAIs) at Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University (UIN) in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Her internship covered a variety of incredible topics and tasks, such as being assigned to go to Bali to observe and research the local district elections that take place there every 5 years. She was also able to teach English classes in the institute, translate and proofread academic journals, and transcribe the various meetings/ lectures that took place within the institute. On the highlight of her trip, Jenny said, “The coolest part of my internship was accompanying a group of academics on a field research trip to study “The Contribution of the Ahmadiyah Muslim community for Humanity, Justice and Nationhood”. While abroad, Jenny also completed extensive research on the effect of radio stations on development within communities, a topic on which she plans to write her senior thesis.
What inspired you to extend your study abroad and intern in Indonesia this summer?
I have always loved to travel and this summer was clearly no exception. This country and this internship are a perfect mix of both of my majors- Peace and Conflict Studies and Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies. Eventually, I want to visit every country in the world, but I developed a deep fondness for both Indonesia and Central Asia and hope that I will return to both very soon.
What is one lesson you feel you learned after this experience?
My biggest lesson was about adjustment. My homestay family had a 3 year old daughter. I grew up with 4 brothers and never had any sisters so adjusting to life with a “younger sister” especially with the language barrier was really challenging. But I practiced patience, forgiveness, and my ability to laugh things off!