| James Kon |
IT WAS an eye-opening experience for 17 local youths from underprivileged families in the Brunei-Muara District after making their first trip to Seoul, Korea last month to learn about culture and life in the bustling city.
The sponsored field trip – courtesy of Sinar Tour Sdn Bhd which organised the trip with support from the Korean Embassy in Brunei Darussalam, Royal Brunei Airlines, Sinar Holdings, Dongwon Food and Beverages (Korea), At-Taqwa Travel Tours Sdn Bhd and Aewon Company – gave the children an opportunity to travel on a plane and visit a distant country for the first time.
Nur Shasha Rashiqah binti Mohd Riduwan, Nur Amira binti Abdullah Hazman and Nojaain Mazuyiah binti Jaini shared their memorable Korean experience with the Bulletin yesterday morning.
Fifteen-year-old Nur Shasha Rashiqah, a K-pop lover and who travelled by plane for the first time, said: “I didn’t feel nervous at all on the plane.
“I was really excited to finally visit Korea, the land of K-pop.”
On what she learnt from the experience, she said: “I can see that the people in a big city are always rushing and working hard to achieve their dreams.
“I also want to work hard to realise my dream of becoming a pilot.
“The people in Seoul also seem to be very independent and always punctual.
“Perhaps it’s a Korean culture or that the Koreans really value punctuality so that events could start and finish on time.”
Meanwhile, Nur Amira, who wants to be a teacher in the future, warmly recounts the visit to Dongwon Food and Beverages (Korea), where she got the chance to make her own kimchi.
Describing the experience, she said: “I always watch Korean dramas and found that in every Korean meal, they eat kimchi.
“During the trip, I got to know and understand Korean culture and how kimchi is made.”
The 15-year-old also has fond memories of the visit to Namsan Castle where she, together with the others, had the chance to try on the Hanbok – the traditional Korean dress.
“My favourite Korean actor is Lee Min Ho!” she interjected.
Nojaain Mazuyiah, a student of Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA), highlighted, “I went to Korea with zero knowledge about the country and came back with a better understanding of Korean people and its culture.”
She adds: “I can see that the city is clean and never sleeps.
“There are always lots of people on the streets and everywhere.”
She also noted that public transportation in Seoul is very reliable and efficient, and she “hopes that public transportation such as a subway system will be introduced in Brunei in the near future”.
The children concluded their interview by expressing their heartfelt gratitude to James Park – Sinar Tour Sdn Bhd’s President – for helping make their dreams come true with the trip.
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