INRTU Student Sofiia Samarkina Completed Internship at the Universitas Kristen Indonesia

INRTU student Sofiia Samarkina has completed an internship at the Universitas Kristen Indonesia in Jakarta. For one month, she studied economics and management, improved her English, and immersed herself in Indonesian culture.

The Universitas Kristen Indonesia (UKI) is a private educational institution founded over 70 years ago. The university has two campuses. In 2023, INRTU and UKI signed a memorandum of understanding. The cooperation envisages academic exchange and joint research work. One of the university's projects is the Immersion Program, aimed at immersing foreigners in the local environment and culture.

In late 2025, second-year student Sofiia Samarkina fr om the Baikal School of BRICS (specializing in "Power Electrical Engineering") participated in this Immersion Program.

In Jakarta, the student delved into disciplines related to securities analysis, human capital management, and marketing and financial risks. She also attended lectures on international business and strategic management. According to Sofiia, her knowledge in the energy sector helped her grasp the study material at the foreign university. Complex economic calculations were easier for Sofiia than for local economics students defending their term papers.

"The education system in Indonesia is somewhat different from the Russian one. For example, students often prepare presentations and reports. Educational activities take place not only in classrooms but also outdoors, right under palm trees. Once, I and other international students were invited to a dinner with the university's leadership," Sofiia notes.

The student lived on campus in a single room. Accommodation and tuition were free. The one-way flight cost 40,000 rubles, and she spent 30,000 rubles on food.

Sofiia admits that it was difficult to fully immerse herself in the local culture in a month. Nevertheless, she strived to use this time to discover something new for herself. For instance, she explored sights on weekend tours. She visited the Jakarta History Museum, the Cathedral, the old Chinese quarter of Pancoran Glodok, the Istiqlal Mosque, and took a city sightseeing tour. Sofiia noted the extremely dense traffic in the Indonesian capital, which is why motorcycle taxis, reducing travel time by 3-4 times, are very popular among city residents.

Sofiia spoke at a meeting wh ere foreigners talked about the culture, cuisine, and religion of their countries. For this presentation, she received a letter of appreciation from the university administration. On Saturdays, Sofiia Samarkina took Indonesian language lessons. According to her, it is a simple language with no verb tenses, using the Latin alphabet. The INRTU student was surprised that in Indonesia, it is not customary to address each other by first names. Instead, Indonesians use special words or simply use the terms "woman" or "man" when addressing someone.

Sofiia Samarkina calls her journey to the equator a time of personal growth and development of independence. Thanks to daily language practice, she can now easily communicate with native English speakers, understand accents, and quickly formulate thoughts in a foreign language.

In a special section of the INRTU website, Sofiia left a review sharing useful tips on preparing documents before a trip to Indonesia. Detailed information about studying at INRTU's partner universities is available via link.