Ahad Ameen Lutf Al Awadhi, an international second-semester student from Yemen, is currently pursuing his undergraduate studies at the Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Sumatera Utara (FKep USU) as a recipient of the Developing Countries Partnership (KNB) scholarship.

His presence enriches the university’s inclusive academic atmosphere while supporting its global competitiveness. Notably, he is the first international student in the program.

Studying in a multicultural environment has provided him with new perspectives, though it also required a period of adaptation to an unfamiliar setting. One of the main challenges he faced was language.

Ahad admitted that he initially struggled with communication during his time in Medan, especially at the beginning of his studies. “At first, it was quite difficult because some lecturers were not yet accustomed to using English, while we also did not fully understand Indonesian. This made communication less effective,” he explained.

He spent about a year learning Bahasa Indonesia before starting formal academic studies. Support from lecturers and peers also played a crucial role in helping him overcome these challenges, allowing his learning process to run more smoothly.