{"id":68027,"date":"2026-07-12T04:36:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T20:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=68027"},"modified":"2026-07-12T04:36:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T20:36:00","slug":"indonesian-woman-who-came-to-singapore-on-moe-scholarship-says-the-hardest-part-was-feeling-like-she-didnt-belong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=68027","title":{"rendered":"Indonesian woman who came to Singapore on MOE scholarship says the hardest part was feeling like she didn’t belong"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

SINGAPORE: A former scholar from Indonesia who came to Singapore as a teenager got real in a TikTok video about the challenges of moving to another country for a better life, saying that while trading her green passport for a red one had been one of the best decisions she has ever made, it also came at a price.<\/p>\n

Grace Gumala shared her experiences in the context of \u201ckabur aja dulu,\u201d which translates to \u201cjust run away first.\u201d It\u2019s been a trend among young Indonesians for the past couple of years, where they\u2019ve expressed frustration with the domestic situation, including the lack of good jobs amid high expenses and unfavourable government policies. More than that, however, they explain that this is why they choose to move overseas for better opportunities instead of staying in their home country.<\/p>\n

Ms Gumala provided a bit of a reality check, opening her video by saying that for the first 10 years of living in Singapore, she hardly had any Singaporean friends.<\/p>\n

\u201cI left Indonesia at 14 to study in Singapore through an MOE scholarship. And yes, it was one of the best decisions I\u2019ve ever made,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She acknowledged, however, that people love to romanticise migration<\/a>, since it brings better opportunities, pay, education, and quality of life.<\/p>\n

However, the downside of moving away is almost never discussed, added the content creator.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cNobody talks about the part where you are crying almost every night because you miss your family. Nobody talks about the part where other kids could go home to their parents, get tuition, get emotional support, (while) we are left alone to figure everything out with very limited resources,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

She also talked about having been a top student in Indonesia, but when she got to Singapore, she \u201csuddenly became average.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms Gumala was surprised to discover she had poor English skills and her accent was misunderstood by others, and for the first time in her life, she felt \u201csuper mediocre.\u201d<\/p>\n

But this wasn\u2019t even the hardest part; rather, it was the feeling that she didn\u2019t belong.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She said that in the first decade of her life in Singapore, she spent time primarily with her countrymen, as they were the only ones who made her feel understood.<\/p>\n

This was her experience as a student in her teens, but for working adults, the situation is even more difficult, as so much depends on their employer, including their visa and the possibility of staying in Singapore.<\/p>\n

And while Ms Gumala said she understands the appeal of \u201ckabur aja dulu,\u201d she added: \u201cAt the end of the day, whether we stay or leave, we are all just trying to make the best out of the cards we\u2019ve been dealt with because leaving home is never just leaving home.\u201d \/TISG<\/p>\n

Read also: \u2018The grass is always greener\u2019: Singaporean says locals romanticise life abroad while overlooking Singapore<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n