“I just want to develop my skills in playing the harp so I can bring them to Indonesia and share them.”

Story #39, Felita Eleonora, Indonesian harpist 

Interview conducted and written by Selene Ho

Edited by Margherita Marras

Eleonora was born and raised in Surabaya, Indonesia. After graduating high school, she attended the National University of Singapore to study music. Eleonora migrated to the United States in fall of 2022 to continue her education at Boston University. She is currently working to earn a Masters degree in harp performance at Boston University’s College of Fine Arts.

While Eleonora mentioned that she enjoys spending time with her family and friends in Indonesia, moving to Singapore for college allowed her to pursue her musical interest: “There is no harp performance in Indonesia, so I needed to go to another country. Singapore was the closest country to Indonesia.” 

After obtaining her Bachelor’s degree, Eleonora decided to come to the U.S. because “the quality of music [in America] is much higher and the ecosystem is better. Everything happens here.” 

Nevertheless, Eleonora found migrating to the US more difficult compared to Singapore, because she had to tackle it on her own:“Housing was a big issue because I wasn’t [in America], I had to find everything online.” In addition, Eleonora was required to buy all her furniture for her apartment, whereas housing units in Indonesia and Singapore are furnished. 

Regardless, Eleonora considers herself lucky, as her friends in the U.S. helped her find housing and move in. “I can't even imagine what would happen if I didn’t have any friends that were already here. You know? Like who's going to help me or how I'm gonna get an apartment?”

Eleonora believes that migrating to America helped her develop a stronger sense of independence because of the time difference and distance from her family in Indonesia. She explains, “I am here by myself, so no one can help me. I need to be really independent. I need to manage my time. So if something goes wrong, I need to fix that. Whereas if I'm with my family, we can help each other.”

Upon coming to America, Eleonora was surprised by the friendly small-talk culture. “My first week [in America] was very good. Strangers actually complimented how I dress. They talk to you even if it’s simple compliments. People [in America] are much more outspoken.” In Indonesia and Singapore, however, Eleonora said people are more individualistic and keep to themselves. While Eleonora attempts to make connections with people at BU and the Boston area, she expressed that the small-talk culture in America can make it challenging to become close friends with people: “I still like [the small-talk culture], but I think it makes it hard to turn acquaintances into friends.”

 “I learned a lot [in America], especially from my professor. I don’t think I can get the same experience in Asia”. Despite the hardships that she faced, Eleonora does not regret migrating to the US, as it presented her with so many opportunities and new experiences.

After studying and living in America, Eleonora hopes to return to Indonesia and share her harp skills with her community. For now, Eleonora hopes to hone her musical talent through BU’s music programs and Boston’s art ecosystem. “I am going to see what is out there…I need to see what [experiences] I can take from [America]. I just want to really develop my skills in playing the harp so I can bring them to Indonesia and share them.”