Motivation
My motivation to participate in the ACICIS Public Health Study Tour stemmed from a strong desire to understand how different cultural contexts influence community health outcomes. I was particularly interested in how cultural norms and practices impacted health outcomes and how public health initiatives are developed and tailored to the unique experiences of communities. Additionally, I was interested in developing my cultural competency, an essential skill in the increasingly globalised filed of public health. This tour also offered a platform to engage directly with professionals in the field. As someone who had no idea where I wanted my degree to take me I knew that engage with these professionals was going to be valuable in providing me with insights into the diverse career pathways and real-world applications of public health principles.
Personal Development
The ACICIS public health tour was an unforgettable experience. I formed many meaningful friendships with peers from all around Australia and also peers from Indonesia. I am still in contact with my Indonesian "buddies" who were paired to us to help with translations etc. throughout the experience and I hope to one day be in the position where I can visit them again. I am also still in contact with many of my friends from Melbourne - I am going and visiting them later this month. Before going on the tour I didn't think I would walk away with such lasting friendships.
The tour also allowed me to explore fascinating places such as Kebaya: a shelter for people living with HIV within Yogyakarta. Experiencing Kebaya showcased to me the resilience of the Indonesian community and igniting a passion for contributing to their health and well-being. I feel truly honoured to have had the opportunity to visit Kebaya and hear the stories of some of the people staying there. The trip also allowed me to learn basic phrases in Bahasa Indonesia. Whilst I was only there for 2 weeks and the amount of language learnt was quite small, I know that it was a good introduction into Bahasa and I can use what I have learnt in the future if I want to further develop this speaking skill.
Professional Development
This experience has sparked a newfound interest in seeking further opportunities to support community health initiatives both locally and internationally. It has prompted me to take up an Internship with Cancer Council Queensland, and I have also made more conscious decisions with my choice of uni elective courses as I would like to be able to work internationally in the future. The tour reinforced to me that Public Health is the field I am passionate about. As someone who has been through three previous uni degrees and never related to the content I learnt in them, this was a really nice feeling .
Budgeting
everything was provided for as part of the tour. I paid an initial amount of $800 to ACICIS and the the NCP loan that I got covered the remainder of the cost ($4000) which included accommodation, one internal domestic flight, breakfasts and dinner as well as all the group experiences. I only had to pay for my flights over to Indonesia and home (I think this was about $600 each way), travel insurance ($50) and then my lunches and any other experiences I wanted to have. I took $400 AUD (converted to Indonesia rupiah) over to Indonesia with me in cash but I came home with most of this money.
The funding I received was incredibly beneficial towards my experience - without it I could not have afforded to go.
Accommodation
Accommodation was provided to us but we stayed in some beautiful hotels - I felt safe at all times. We had to share rooms but this is how I became such good friends with other people on the tour.
