The Bali Effect

Fatme Faour is an AUS marketing student who went on the one-week AICHE Study Tour to Indonesia in January 2020. She shares her experience in this blog post.

Fatme Faour in Indonesia

Bali, my dream getaway that turned into a reality. Not only was it my first time traveling alone but it was also the most amazing experience of my life. One of the few things that made it so memorable were the people that were there and how well we all got along together. Even though the only person I knew on the trip was my sister, all the students on the trip made me forget that. Every day was a day that I’ll never forget.

The study tour group

During the tour, we made academic outings to Unilever, the University of Indonesia, and a chocolate factory. All of these spots were highly insightful. The people at Unilever shed light on their supply chain, how they treat their employees and customers, and so on. Then, at the university, we got to see the beautiful campus, its facilities, and the exchange programs offered there. We also got to know the kindest students and their faculty. Moreover, the chocolate factory was both educational as well as entertaining, since they had us make and decorate our very own bars of chocolate.

Now, even though the trip and its locations were quite educational, we also had the chance to partake in various thrilling and adrenaline-pumping activities - which, in my opinion, are the best kinds of activities to have, particularly when going out with a group of people. Most of these activities were on my bucket list, such as holding a snake, going rafting, doing an ATV bike ride, visiting a monkey forest, going on the Bali swing, riding elephants and so on. My personal favorites were definitely rafting and the ATV bike rides because I got to enjoy them with such a fun group of people.

I would most definitely recommend study tours to anyone who is able to travel abroad. It is unquestionably the experience of a lifetime; at least it was for me. When I look back at my time in Indonesia and Bali, the idea that I was a part of that still seems so crazy to me - especially since my decision to end up going was not only last minute, but also pure coincidence!