What inspired you to go abroad?
What inspired me to go abroad was partly a requirement of my university, as we have to either complete an internship or study abroad for one semester.
From the beginning, I knew that I really wanted to study abroad, ideally in a place where I could also surf, since that is a big passion of mine.
Students from previous cohorts had already done the exchange in Bali, and the program had a very good reputation at my university and was extremely popular. It was less about whether I wanted to go and more about being selected to go.
In the end, I was one of the three students chosen for Bali, and I honestly haven’t regretted it.
Why did you choose StudyInBali?
I chose this specific program organization because I wanted to study sports science, and in Indonesia, it’s actually not that easy to find a place where you can study this field.
Realistically, the only university offering this option is Udayana University, combined with Physiotherapy, which made it the most suitable choice for me.
Since the StudyInBali program is the one that collaborates with Udayana University and offers courses in physiotherapy and sports science, there really wasn’t another comparable option.
For my academic goals, this program was simply the best.
What was your favorite part of Bali, Indonesia?
My favorite part of the whole experience was definitely the surfing.
Surfing was actually one of the main reasons why I chose Bali in the first place, and the swell there was simply amazing. Even during the wet season, there were still great waves, which was perfect for slowing down a bit after the first months of the semester.
During the dry season, especially at the beginning of the semester, the swell consistency was incredible; you could basically surf every single day. What I really loved was how well the program fit around surfing.
I could surf for about one and a half hours in the morning, go to class afterwards, and then often go for another surf in the evening. Overall, it exceeded all my expectations and allowed me to fully live my sporting passion alongside studying sports science.
Morning surf before school starts
What made your experience in Bali extraordinary?
What made my experience abroad extraordinary was the fact that I was able to complete 30 ECTS credits in Bali and fully transfer them back to my home university.
At the same time, the whole experience felt more like a “studycation”, a mix of studying and being on holiday.
What I really loved was stepping out of my comfort zone and not just experiencing Bali as a tourist, but actually immersing myself in a completely different and very exotic culture.
How did local staff support you throughout your program?
The local staff supported us extremely well throughout the entire program. Right from the beginning, we were added to a WhatsApp group with the StudyInBali coordinator as well as the most important lecturers, which made communication very easy and direct.
Every Sunday, we received a weekly overview with all our upcoming classes, including which sessions were taking place, which ones were cancelled, and where they would be held. Since the program included many excursions and sports activities, and locations often changed, this was especially helpful.
The StudyInBali coordinator was also very present on site and always approachable. If there were ever a problem, we could contact her anytime via WhatsApp.
Because she works closely with international students but is also Balinese, she was a great bridge between us and the local community and could organize things smoothly with local partners.
What's one thing you wish you would have done differently during your time abroad?
Honestly, I don’t really regret anything about my time abroad.
Looking back now that the semester is over, I’m actually very proud of how I approached it and how much I made out of the experience. Everything worked out really well, and I feel like I made the right decisions throughout the semester.
If there’s one small thing I would do differently, it would be the timing of visits from family and friends. I had visitors quite early on, within the first three weeks of the semester, and in hindsight it might have been better to schedule those visits later in the semester, or even towards the end.
The first weeks are quite intense, with so much going on, and having visitors can disrupt your routine a bit. So that’s the only thing I would slightly adjust. But overall, the experience was great and I wouldn’t change much.
Describe what a typical day in your life abroad looked like.
A typical weekday for me started very early. I would wake up at 5 a.m. and be in the water by 6 a.m., surfing for about one and a half hours until 7:30. After that, I had time to change, and then I would ride my motorbike for about an hour from Canggu to Denpasar to get to the university.
Once there, we had classes from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., so around four hours of lectures. In between, there were always local snacks provided. After classes, we usually grabbed something to eat, and then sometimes went to the gym for about two hours, not every day, but at least once a week.
Afterwards, it was another hour ride back to Canggu, where we lived. By then it was already evening, and if I still had enough energy, I sometimes squeezed in an evening surf session.
The day usually ended with good food, you can dine really good in Bali.
While many of my fellow students went out partying, that wasn’t really my thing, because late nights don’t mix well with early surf sessions. I stuck to a surf-focused routine instead, which honestly did me a lot of good.
Since I'm a former athlete this lifestyle fitted me much better.
What did you enjoy doing during your free time abroad?
Bali Sunsets.
What I enjoyed most in my free time was surfing.
We had quite a lot of free time in Bali; every Friday was off, plus the weekend. During those three free days, I often went on small surf trips, exploring different surf spots and different parts of the island. I really enjoyed these mini surf trips, discovering new waves and getting to know new places.
In the middle of the semester, we also had a study break of about two weeks with no classes. During that time, we were able to travel even further, sometimes flying to other islands nearby to explore more remote areas and search for less crowded line-ups.
Overall, my free time mainly revolved around surfing. Coming from Switzerland, where we don’t have the ocean or easy access to surf, this made the semester in Bali especially meaningful for me.
What type of accommodation did you have? What did you like best about it?
At the beginning, we decided as a group of students to stay together in the same guesthouse, where we shared rooms.
For me, it was important to keep my expenses low during the semester, and once I couldn’t find a roommate anymore, since most people preferred single rooms, which is totally understandable, I decided to go my own way.
After that, I stayed mostly in dormitories and shared rooms, which were much more affordable. What I really liked about that was that everyone had their own rhythm, so I could wake up early for surfing without feeling bad about it.
It also gave me a stronger sense of exploration and stepping out of my comfort zone, constantly looking for new places to stay. In a way, it felt a bit like being on a surf trip, because I kept changing locations.
That lifestyle actually suited me really well; it gave me a lot of energy and made the whole experience feel more dynamic.
What is one thing every future participant should know about your program before their program begins?
Future students should know that sunscreen is very expensive in Bali.
Women might also want to bring a pirate-style headscarf, because the helmets you rent with the scooter will be too big. And if the helmet is wobbling on your head, it can actually be more dangerous than riding without one. I would recommend buying your own helmet anyway. There are many helmet shops there at a fair price, and you should make sure the helmet has the SNI certification. Especially tourists can easily get involved in traffic accidents.
I would also bring a small lockbox for the scooter key that you can attach to the motorbike, so you can lock your key inside while you go surfing. Some older scooter models can be easily broken into, so it’s better not to leave your phone just sitting on the scooter.
Tampons are also very expensive, so it might be better to bring a pack from your home country.
And in general, Balinese people are very friendly, so it’s good to know that most of them really mean well and are kind to you.
Would you recommend Semester Abroad: Sports & Physiotherapy to others? Why?
Yes, I would definitely recommend the program to others, mainly because it is kind of the only real option. If you try to do everything directly through Udana University, it becomes much more difficult. You have to handle the visa application yourself, organize a recommendation letter from the university, and manage all the other steps on your own.
When you go through a program, like StudyInBali, you are basically supported from the beginning. The entire organizational process is taken care of and supported, which is a big advantage because Bali has a lot of bureaucracy, and things do not always run smoothly. There are often many complicated processes, especially with visas, and having support makes everything much easier.
Also, this Bali program is actually one of the only ones offered in the field of sports science and physiotherapy, so if you want to study or work in that area, it is really the most practical and accessible option.
Sunset at Nelayan Beach in Canggu.
What do you feel the biggest benefit of traveling abroad is?
The biggest benefits of studying or traveling abroad are that it pushes you out of your comfort zone and helps you grow. It expands your horizon because you see things you never thought even existed. You encounter different perspectives on life and different ways of seeing and living life. It really helps you think outside the box.
Now that you're home, how has your time abroad impacted your life?
It brought me closer to the realization, or showed me, that I could actually live abroad for a longer period of time. I had never really considered that before. I thought I was Swiss and would always live in Switzerland. But strangely, now that the semester is over, it feels like a crazy, colorful dream.
The study routine here continued so seamlessly and intensely, and I know the routines at home so well; everything feels so familiar, that sometimes it’s hard to fully grasp that it all happened at the same time. It feels more like a shift in dimensions when you go from Bali to Switzerland and back, as if they are two completely different realities.
What does meaningful travel mean to you?
For me, meaningful travel does not mean just spending two weeks somewhere, sipping a coconut, and then going back. It means truly immersing yourself in the local culture, learning about it, and respecting it.
A meaningful trip is one that has a long-lasting impact on your own life and changes you in some way.
