Yoshua Gombo is not an average student here at Corban. His home is 12,718 miles away in Wamena, Papua Indonesia.
Gombo came to Corban because the government gave him a scholarship to study abroad in the United States. The government chose the school for him to attend and he was assigned Corban University. “I am happy that I am here at Corban studying physics so I can learn how the Lord creates the Earth,” Gombo shares. “I want go back to Papua and build it up or maybe even be a scientist and lecture at a University in Indonesia,” he said.
Gombo has no complaints about America. “I love all of America. It is more advanced in studies and I really like the burgers. Home is very different. It is very hot and we do not have good technology for school,” he explains. He also does not mind the classes at Corban. “The classes in Indonesis are 5-6 hours long, but they are very short here,” he explains.
One of the challenges that Gombo faces at Corban is that of “becoming a good person in science with faith,” he states. The language barrier also holds him back from making more friends. “I am afraid to speak English to people because it is not that good,” he says. Even though speaking English feels uncomfortable to him now, he still loves being here at Corban and the friends he is making.
Gombo was not completely without friends when he traveled to Corban. “I know some Indonesian students who also study at Corban, for example Leddy, Stephani, Rudolf, Andrew, and WIlliam. They are all juniors now and some of them are at other Universities already,” he shares.
Among Gombo’s interests are science, music, and soccer for fun. He also enjoys participating in the school events, such as the Ocean Rush which happened last weekend, but his favorite Corban experience so far was going to Professor Hills’ house for a barbeque. Regardless of the differences in culture, academics, and social life at Corban, Gombo feels blessed and looks forward to how God will use Him at Corban throughout the year.