By: Khoirun Nisa Ahmad
Photos by: Marina Ismail
SERDANG, 9 Feb – Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) had organised the New International Students Welcoming Programme (NISWP) to welcome the international students of Semester 2, 2017/2018 session who are pursuing their studies here.
According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zelina Zaiton Ibrahim, the Director of UPM Putra International Centre, this programme is believed to have helped the students to gain new experience and exposure to this country which includes its languages and cultures, as well as helping them to make new friends.
"The programme, participated by 172 students, is aimed at exposing these students to the diverse cultures, ways of life and customs of this country," she said.
These new international students are from a number of countries such as Bangladesh, China, Gambia, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Yemen, Algeria, Brunei, Pakistan, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, France, Japan, Turkey, Thailand, Nigeria, Maldives, Kuwait, Ghana, Iran, Libya and Singapore.
"This programme enables the international students to gain new friends from different countries and to help each other in adapting to the new environment," she said.
A programme participant, Usman Muhammad, 38, from Nigeria who is majoring in the Arabic Language at the Faculty of Modern Languages and Communication said he was fascinated by the uniqueness of Malaysia and its food, and also the warmth and kindness of the local students.
"The students here are very kind, and I'm happy being with them. The food is also delicious and offers a variety of taste," he said.
Emily Fricke from the Faculty of Economics and Management, who is from Germany said that the students here are friendly and are always smiling, and this makes her feel at ease and excited to be in UPM.
"I learnt about UPM through a friend who was a former student here, and that was what attracted me to participate in the mobility programme here in UPM," she said. - UPM
