Written by Novia Lestari
Known as the theme park capital of the world, Orlando is the perfect getaway for people looking to enjoy everything the city has to offer. But Rian Adam Rajagede, a professor from Universitas Islam Indonesia, traveled halfway across the globe — not for the roller coasters, but to pursue a PhD in computer science at the University of Central Florida. When Rian arrived in Orlando the middle of 2022, he had no idea what he was stepping into — he didn’t even know Orlando had Disney World. But it didn’t take long for Orlando to show Rian that being a doctoral student here is different from anywhere else. Tourists outnumber locals — in 2024 alone, about 75.3 million people came to visit, but only around 334,854 people actually live in Orlando. It’s nearly impossible to ignore the noise and bright signs. Yet despite the omnipresent tourism, Rian has found his own bubble of solitude. He learned how to navigate unique challenges of living in a place that juxtaposes academic ambitions with endless entertainment.
During his first week in Orlando, Rian spent most of his time settling in and getting the essentials he needed to start his student life. A phone, of course, was on the top of the list. On his first night, he stayed up late scrolling and comparing every single option he had for phones and data plans. The next day, he boarded a bus alone and headed to the store. Everything was fine and manageable — until the Wi-Fi went out. Without a U.S. phone number or mobile data, he was stranded, standing on an unfamiliar road with no back up plan. But the universe wasn’t done testing him yet. A downpour suddenly hit, and he didn’t have an umbrella. “I really don't understand the weather here, very confusing. The morning is very sunny, but then throughout the afternoon it becomes so wet,” Rian said, noting that he learned a lesson: always check the weather app before going out. It might sound simple, but this small step is something he didn’t normally do back in Indonesia. Soaking wet, Rian kept walking, determined to get what he needed to move forward. After finally finding a free Wi-Fi network, he made his way to the phone store. Little did he know the rain was just a teaser. Hurricane Ian later that year was the real test for Rian. He wasn’t new to natural disasters. Coming from Jogjakarta, he was used to earthquakes. Those earthquakes were mostly brief and didn’t cause him a lasting worry, but hurricanes are different stories.
When Hurricane Ian hit in September 2022, it lasted for hours. The campus was closed, and it kept Rian and the rest of the city confined indoors for almost an entire day. He was worried and couldn’t help but imagined all the worst possibilities. It was the long and tense moment of waiting for the hurricane to pass that terrified him in a way he had never experienced before. “The wind was so strong. I didn't sleep when I found that the kitchen window was basically broken. I needed to clean up the water,” he explained.
After surviving the hurricane, Rian realized that figuring out social life in Orlando could be just as unpredictable as Florida’s weather. As a part of small, underrepresented group of Indonesian students, he often experienced people straight up assuming his race — either Latin America or South Asia.
There are only nine Indonesian students at the University of Central Florida. Without a formal Indonesian student association, they rely on an unofficial WhatsApp group to stay connected. The silver lining of it all is that Rian gradually stepped outside his comfort zone and expanded his circle. Besides forming friendships with international and local students on campus, his identity as a Muslim also helped him find a community in Orlando.
“I need to socialize with other international students especially because I’m a Muslim, so I need the community here, and I know them from the mosque,” he said
Coming from a distant country with a unique educational system, Rian had to put in extra effort to adjust to American academia. One of his biggest challenges was the way computer science is taught in the United States versus the way he was taught in Indonesia. In computer science classes Rian took back in Indonesia, they only touched on the surface of topics like hardware and computer architecture. This left him with limited background knowledge in these areas. However, since the U.S. has a thriving industry designing and producing computers, this makes understanding these elements essential and relevant. So, American computer science classes explore those topics much more extensively.
Rian used the river as an analogy to explain the contrast. “Computer science in Indonesia focuses more on the downstream, the usage. Meanwhile, in the United States, it focuses on the upstream, the production.” This difference in approach causes a gap for graduate students like him. His professors assumed that every student had already learned how computer components worked during their undergraduate studies. Rian felt out of step, but through his perseverance, he eventually caught up and followed class discussion without any issues. As time went by, Rian felt more comfortable being in the campus environment. His professors, and his research supervisor are very supportive to his academic growth.
The best thing that I will say that I got in my journey here is my supervisor,” Rian said.
Patient and attentive, his supervisor guided him through his learning, helping him grasp unfamiliar research terms and adjust to the expectations of American academia. When language barriers were a challenge at the start of his studies, his supervisor’s guidance made Rian’s transition became much easier. His direction and encouragement helped Rian navigate the complexities of studying and conducting research in a new country. When his academic life became steadier, Rian was still trying to find his place in the bustle of Orlando. He didn’t mind the tourism, but the constant hype sometimes made him feel left out. While those around him were drawn to the countless flashy entertainment options, Rian preferred calmer spots like springs, beaches, and lakes. His favorite spot is Lake Eola, where the slow pace contrasts with the busy downtown that is just steps away.
At the same time, living so close to the attractions brought perks — not for Rian, but for his visiting friends. Almost every winter break, he hosted friends from other states who came to visit the theme parks. Before he knew it, Rian had developed tour-guiding skills, helping them find discounted tickets and plan their itineraries. Three years living in Orlando, he still hasn’t ridden Space Mountain or walked into the Universal Studios. His time in Orlando is for a different kind of thrill — a perspective of the world. Meeting people from diverse backgrounds has altered the way he views the world. “I realized that in Indonesia, we are very homogeneous in the way we see the world. Everybody stays in the same city, in the same province, but it’s different here,” Rian reflected. His interactions with people from all over the globe taught him the value of growing, learning, and striving for a better future.
He added, “A fish cannot explain water because they live in the water, but when they get out, they can see and understand different things and decide what’s good and what is not.”
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