Language Shock in Diplomacy
Before moving to Australia, Happy prepared herself for culture shock - but instead got language shock.
‘Surprisingly I didn’t have any culture shock, but I did get language shock! Speaking in English all the time as well as studying in English was tough for the first semester. But by the second semester I became accustomed and felt confident using and studying in English so it wasn’t a problem anymore.’
Facilitated by the Indonesian Government to study a master’s degree, Happy Stephanie, from the capital of West Papua, Manokwari, chose to come to ANU to study the Master of Diplomacy. The degree allowed her to further expand the skills she developed in her undergraduate degree in international relations in Yogyakarta.
‘My favourite thing about studying at ANU was the opportunity to learn from great lecturers’. My favourite class was Negotiation and Conflict Resolution taught by Dr Jeremy Farrell. I learnt that negotiation is a skill that you need to practise - there are so many subtleties and small techniques to master. It was great to be able to improve my skills with simulated United Nations Security Council negotiations together with my classmates.
Now that Happy has graduated she will be returning to West Papua where she plans on becoming a lecturer in international relations, and imparting some of the knowledge and teaching practices gained while at ANU.
